A hot iMac

11 Jul 2013 19:00:27

Alan Cox

A friend bought a 20" iMac with a plastic back some 5 years ago and has been pleased with it.

She is now very worried because she says it is getting very hot especially in the top left corner. Apparently she can hear the fan whirring round. She has found a widget that measures the temperature of various components and this says the CPU and HD are at something like 60 degrees. She is wondering about taking the back off to see if it's dusty (!) and has read in a forum of a guy who drilled some holes in the back to help his machine cool down!!.

I suggested getting an expert to look at it before it blows up. Does that seem a good idea? And any useful ideas?

Re: A hot iMac

11 Jul 2013 22:43:10

Gordon Clyne

I would venture to unplug it and carefully look for dust build up after five years. A lot of this depends on the environment so it could easily be dusty..... Removing the cover and looking first, then vacuuming GENTLY might help.

Re: A hot iMac

13 Jul 2013 11:35:36

Mick Burrell

If she's going to remove the back, she needs to look on iFixit.com for the instructions. On the white iMacs, there are a couple of hidden catches inside at the top which need to be "sprung" using something like a credit card (an old one) through the vent slots on the back. If you've done it before and know exactly where they are and what you're aiming at, it's a very tricky task. The first time is an absolute nightmare!

Re: A hot iMac

13 Jul 2013 16:43:06

Lionel Ogden

As Mick suggests opening up the back of an iMac is not for the faint hearted or even those of a cavalier disposition.
Perhaps a safer albeit more expensive option may be to drop it in to Solutions service facility, or some other reputable Mac repairer

The expense may be a lot less than than buying a new iMac because you have either connected something round the wrong way or zapped the mother board with a burst of static from overenthusiastic vacuuming.

Re: A hot iMac

22 Jul 2013 16:29:59

Alan Cox

I agree well over 100% with the suggestion that my friend should think very hard before investigating the innards of her machine, and I have pressed her not to try. However, she is of an independent nature and somewhat of an adventuress so I wait to see what she does. Anything exciting will be reported first here.