Cooling solutions for the Mac minis?

[GoodGuy12345]

Do you have a link to a screenshot where someone is stressing the same generation i7 CPU with the same workload on a NUC, and has a screenshot of Intel Power Gadget?

As far as I can see, the only way to stop it hitting 100C is either:
1. A significantly over-specced (for normal use) cooling solution. I cannot believe this exists inside a NUC.
2. Power-limiting the CPU so that it cannot turbo so high (thus reducing heat output).

I unfortunately do not have a screenshot at the moment (might find one, that tests with cinebench), but I see that the NUC has a place to get air. The PC towers I tinker with have big opening for air to go in and out while Macs only had air to go out. Even the PCs that have proper exhaust big got a big sheet of glass in the front also bake like the Mac Mini.
[doublepost=1548362813][/doublepost]I guess the best thing to hope for would be 10nm or 7nm processors in presumably Mac 2020 that would improve thermals, so cooling it is less of a concern.

 

[Spectrum]

I unfortunately do not have a screenshot at the moment (might find one, that tests with cinebench), but I see that the NUC has a place to get air. The PC towers I tinker with have big opening for air to go in and out while Macs only had air to go out. Even the PCs that have proper exhaust big got a big sheet of glass in the front also bake like the Mac Mini.
[doublepost=1548362813][/doublepost]I guess the best thing to hope for would be 10nm or 7nm processors in presumably Mac 2020 that would improve thermals, so cooling it is less of a concern.

Are you sure they are 8th gen chips? 6th-7th gen chips generally have low(ish) turbos and low(ish) peak temps.
The 8th and new 9th gen chips seem to create an insane amount of heat when they turbo. Way above the specified TDP. More like an inbuilt overclocked CPU (without the custom cooling solution needed to keep them cool).

 

[GoodGuy12345]

Are you sure they are 8th gen chips? 6th-7th gen chips generally have low(ish) turbos and low(ish) peak temps.
The 8th and new 9th gen chips seem to create an insane amount of heat when they turbo. Way above the specified TDP. More like an inbuilt overclocked CPU (without the custom cooling solution needed to keep them cool).

Yes, the recent NUCs (Hades Canyon and a few before) are under the 8000 series SKUs and also the PC towers I worked with are mostly 8th gen, not 9th since that is too new.

 

[Spectrum]

I just did quick experiment. Removing bottom cover increases 12-core "yes" test from 3.7Ghz to 3.8Ghz.
Not much, I agree, but it may indeed suggest that a larger/faster fan would make a difference for long/heavy renders.

 

[Ploki]

Intriguing though...your CPU wattage is lower. Do you have anything drawing power from the mini? Could it be the TB hub inside the LG display...?

indeed it's the LG and maybe the drives? i get 3.5 stable when running the LG, however if i disconnect it it jumps up

edit:
just to clarify, i'm happy with how the mini performs.

 

[Spectrum]

indeed it's the LG and maybe the drives? i get 3.5 stable when running the LG, however if i disconnect it it jumps up

edit:
just to clarify, i'm happy with how the mini performs.

Interesting result - thanks for posting! It's not obvious that external items would power limit the CPU. It is something some people will like to be aware of. i.e. Time critical render tasks should be run headless.

Overall, I am also very pleased with the mini. It took me a while to get used to it funnily enough, but now I think it is absolutely brilliant. I love that this is more-or-less the fastest Mac on the planet for basic jobs. The iGPU is much better than I expected (especially after adding 32GB RAM), the RAM swap itself was not too much trouble, and unless I am stressing the computer, it runs absolutely silent. Indeed, the fan is quieter at idle than my outgoing 2011 quad i7, and yet I have tonnes more performance!

There has been a lot of complaints on here about the 2018 mini, but I for one, think it is great!

 

[LorenK]

Just a thought, but after I burned out the motherboard on my MacMini several years ago, still under warranty fortunately, I went out and bought a stand that keeps it vertical, and not a problem since, except this last year the GPU died on it, so it is now a doorstop. Oh, well, I got lots of use out of it.

 

[Ploki]

Just a thought, but after I burned out the motherboard on my MacMini several years ago, still under warranty fortunately, I went out and bought a stand that keeps it vertical, and not a problem since, except this last year the GPU died on it, so it is now a doorstop. Oh, well, I got lots of use out of it.

i didnt know the integrated GPU can even die on it's own. eek

 

[F-Train]

I just did quick experiment. Removing bottom cover increases 12-core "yes" test from 3.7Ghz to 3.8Ghz.
Not much, I agree, but it may indeed suggest that a larger/faster fan would make a difference for long/heavy renders.

Look up posts by @megaseppl . He talks in detail, with photos, about removing the rubber bottom cover and placing a fan under the mini. He says that he got a significant performance increase.

His posts are in the long thread on the mini and heat. A search for his name will bring them up.

 

[GoodGuy12345]

i didnt know the integrated GPU can even die on it's own. eek

Agreed, the Intergrated GPU is in the same Die of the CPU so wouldn't they all go?

 

[Spectrum]

There was a 2011 mini with dedicated 6630GPU

 

[GoodGuy12345]

There was a 2011 mini with dedicated 6630GPU

Oh, I see. He has the mid-range model.

 

[chinito77]

My i7 MacMini w/32GB RAM has been slowing down recently for no reason. It gets super hot and performance begins to slow down. I downloaded a temperature app called Macs Fan Control and I cannot believe the results. My biggest fear is that something went wrong during the RAM upgrade.

 

[Spectrum]

My i7 MacMini w/32GB RAM has been slowing down recently for no reason. It gets super hot and performance begins to slow down. I downloaded a temperature app called Macs Fan Control and I cannot believe the results. My biggest fear is that something went wrong during the RAM upgrade.

View attachment 820059

Have you checked activity monitor to see what is hogging the CPU?

 

[GoodGuy12345]

My i7 MacMini w/32GB RAM has been slowing down recently for no reason. It gets super hot and performance begins to slow down. I downloaded a temperature app called Macs Fan Control and I cannot believe the results. My biggest fear is that something went wrong during the RAM upgrade.

View attachment 820059

What are you running to achieve those temps, they aren't that hot. The temperatures are around 70C that isn't that bad.

 

[HenryAZ]

I use a 120mm case fan, AC powered (available from DigiKey). It's mounted on the wall behind the Mini and blows gently across the top of the case. The case never gets hot, though it does go through varying degrees of warm, depending on the load.

 

[mathemabeat]

I wouldn't mind seeing a reasonably priced expansion base be introduced for the mini.

Snap off the existing plastic plate on the bottom of the mini, and then snap the mini down onto this new expansion base. Inside it contains a slow moving cooling fan and extra storage options. Maybe a NVME or Sata port or two for some SSDs. Connects to the Mini via USB-C.

One can dream.

 

[GoodGuy12345]

I wouldn't mind seeing a reasonably priced expansion base be introduced for the mini.

Snap off the existing plastic plate on the bottom of the mini, and then snap the mini down onto this new expansion base. Inside it contains a slow moving cooling fan and extra storage options. Maybe a NVME or Sata port or two for some SSDs. Connects to the Mini via USB-C.

One can dream.

FYI, just in case you didn't see the earlier post. Yours and other dreams (mine) has come true: https://www.speed-designs.com/

PS, storage may still be separate...

 

[mathemabeat]

FYI, just in case you didn't see the earlier post. Yours and other dreams (mine) has come true: https://www.speed-designs.com/

PS, storage may still be separate...

I did see that. IMHO it’s ugly as hell and expensive. I like the idea (and the claimed temperature improvements), but I don’t like the execution.

 

[LeeW]

Inside it contains a slow moving cooling fan and extra storage options. Maybe a NVME or Sata port or two for some SSDs. Connects to the Mini via USB-C.

There is a joker in every thread

 

[GoodGuy12345]

I did see that. IMHO it’s ugly as hell and expensive. I like the idea (and the claimed temperature improvements), but I don’t like the execution.

Well, it's the same shape as the Mac mini, I don't see why it is ugly.

 

[mathemabeat]

There is a joker in every thread

LOL I know, totally fantasy, right?

Well, it's the same shape as the Mac mini, I don't see why it is ugly.

I have 2 issues with it's aesthetics: The raw aluminum/metal look of it. If it was maybe powder coated or anodized it would look far better. Especially if it matched the Space Gray. Or even just black.

And the terrible feet on it. Looks like a 70s era stereo component.

 

[GoodGuy12345]

LOL I know, totally fantasy, right?



I have 2 issues with it's aesthetics: The raw aluminum/metal look of it. If it was maybe powder coated or anodized it would look far better. Especially if it matched the Space Gray. Or even just black.

And the terrible feet on it. Looks like a 70s era stereo component.

Their site states that it is anodized, to me it is just not sandblasted to get a satin finish like the apple products.
But a space grey one would be nice to see.

 

[chinito77]

Sorry for the late reply but I only use my mini as a media/VLC hub. I have it attached to a 55inch 4k Sony OLED and when doing things like running itunes or viewing photos will heat my mini to the point that it goes to sleep and won't wake up until it cools down.

I also want to point out that I use to have this in another room attached to a 20" 4k monitor via Thunderbolt and a 21" Dell 1080P monitor via HDMI. It too would over heat and go to sleep if I watched Youtube vids in full screen (4K) or worked with multiple windows open when photoshopping artwork.

This was never a problem before tossing in 32GBs of RAM so I think I need to either check to make sure everything was properly secured during install or see if I didn't accidentally rip/damage and temperature sensors?

 

[Giuanniello]

Not to open another thread since this is already carrying loads of informations, I am gonna get a 2012 Mini Server with 16GB and a fusion drive, I am so very probably going to replace the drive with an SSD or to add the SSD to it and wondering if there is any option to make the cooling system a little less loud (well, I don't have it here yet but I suppose fan noise being easy to hear, I own a couple 2007 Minis and when I planned to use one of them as a music server the fan noise did bother me, yes, I know, a friend used to say that my ears are too sensitive...) than the stock one, any hint?

Grazie