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iMac overheating?

johndevlin

I have a very ancient iMac (2001) which gets very warm on the top of the back. tonight is roasting here and it got especially warm, so I shut it down. Can they catch on fire or blow a fuse? anyone have experience of this?

 
Jun 25, 05 10:22 pm
Aluminate

If they overheat they generally shut down. I've only had that happen a couple of times, and in both cases the temperature in the room was over 100 degrees AND the computer had been rendering for hours. I've never heard of one catching on fire and wouldn't worry about that. There's probably more risk that it could get hot enough to melt other objects in its vicinity.

Jun 25, 05 10:39 pm  · 
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johndevlin

that's very reassuring... thanks

Jun 25, 05 10:42 pm  · 
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driftwood

Check out Apple's support page for the old [url=http://www.apple.com/support/imac/g3/]iMac G3's[/i] and the forums. They've always helped me.

Jun 25, 05 10:47 pm  · 
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driftwood

Oops...

http://www.apple.com/support/imac/g3/

Jun 25, 05 10:47 pm  · 
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accesskb

Get a notebook heat sink. http://www.hardwarecooling.com/default.php/cPath/33

They are inexpensive, and will extend your computer's life.

Jun 25, 05 10:59 pm  · 
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Janosh

Is your fan working? Dead fans/thermostats kill computers, and they only cost a couple bucks usually.

Jun 26, 05 12:30 pm  · 
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drs

There isn't a fan in there, is there? The back gets hot but I've never had to worry about it. Check that there's a decent gap at the back and you shouldn't have any problems...

Jun 27, 05 11:54 am  · 
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whistler

I have found it to be an issue with ibooks and my powerbook. Over the summer months it tended to get very warm and the fan would kick into high gear and then the computer speed tended to fall off.( my office does have good air flow at my particular desk area either which didn't help) I suspect that it contributed to the early burn out of my hard drive last fall.

This year I bought a small fan that I keep directed at the back side of the computer and it has worked flawlesslyand actuall kept the computer cool to the pint that the internal fan hasn't even had to come on.

I would highly recommend the same.

Jun 27, 05 12:04 pm  · 
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thenewold

The ones that Antec make are really good especially for the money. Some of the other brands are super shitty and barely help. I use one (Antec) with my powerbook and it keeps it remarkably cool. Like someone else said, it's important to use it in a climate controlled room if possible. This just increases the life of the notebook.... like they said. :)

Jun 27, 05 3:58 pm  · 
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thenewold

also, if you use a normal desk fan, the magnet in the fan may mess with any monitors you have in the area.... the flickering monitor kind of makes me dizzy.

Jun 27, 05 3:59 pm  · 
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