Constant fan noise on 2017 iMac even at rest

Hey Everyone,

I just upgraded from a 2012 to a 2017 iMac. I noticed yesterday that the fan is constantly on with the new iMac - even in rest mode (not rendering or moving data etc...). I saw some articles about this. It's really annoying especially if you work in the evening hours and the house is quiet and you want to work in absolute silence.

My old iMac had no problem with that. Do others have the same problem? Is there anything else besides earplugs I can do? Would an SSD drive make a difference or a different processor type that require less energy and create less heat?

Any suggestions would be great.

Thanks,

Holger

27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display

Configuration

• 3.8GHz quad-core 7th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, Turbo Boost up to 4.2GHz

• 8GB 2400MHz DDR4

• 3TB Fusion Drive

• Radeon Pro 580 with 8GB video memory

iMac with Retina 5K display, (2017, 27-inch )

Posted on Aug 17, 2017 9:36 AM

Top-ranking reply

Roberto Bob

Level 1

4 points

Posted on Feb 18, 2018 9:46 PM

UPDATE--- Possible "fix"

So I went way above and way beyond an Apple Genius... I went to my 18 y.o. son! and I think he may have a solution or fix. There is a program called "Mac Fan Control."I did the SMC thing and it rebooted with the fan going right from the start. I was ready to return the unit, when my son walked by and I told him. Daniel.. get's the credit. This program running on "Based on Ambient" seems to prevent most of the fan noise. I ran the following programs: activity monitor showing "coreservicesd" at 48-94% of CPU as I had a lot of programs running: duplicates application running while Photoshop open, while messenger, keynote, iTunes, Canvas, iPhoto, Excel, Word, and about 2 more. My Ram used was only about 13 GB. On "Auto" mode the fan got up to about 2800 RPM immediately and was VERY loud. On the "Based on Ambient" setting with the 3 preferences checked off, the fan speed kept generally less than 1900RPM and minimally audible. Below 1600 it's barely audible to those trying to hear something you can but not much.

Try this app and I FULLY SUGGEST YOU PAY THE people who made the application THE $14. You would have spent 5 x's that amount in time and frustration and gas to return your iMac. Thanks Daniel for pointing me in the right direction!, love dad PS feel free to pay Daniel too (college $ ) lol

View in context

46 replies

Burgerb Author

Level 1

27 points

Aug 17, 2017 10:10 AM in response to rkaufmann87

Thanks! I will give it a try. But from what I've read on the internets it seems like a problem other users have. I will try the SMC reset however.

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

Constant fan noise on 2017 iMac even at rest