Fan programs for intel Macs to keep them from overheating and heat damage

3 Programs that will help your Intel Mac run cooler!

In my other earlier post, I recommend a fan program for the iBook G4/PowerBook G4 to keep them running cool.  Now I want to recommend a fan program that controls the system fan in our intel based Macs to helps them run cooler and from over heating.  I have 3 recommendations:

My top choice is:

 Macs Fan Control.
The current version as of July 25, 2013 is version 1.0.7.
The system requirements are: Mac OSX 10.6 - 10.8
It is free!
The developer has both a Mac OSX version and one for Bootcamp (when you Mac is in Windows mode)

The installation is easy.  Just download it, run it and choose a method to run it:
1. Automatic mode (is the default mode in which the system uses the default Apple fan settings)
2. Constant RPM Value mode -- in which you set a RPM fan speed and it will run at the speed
3. Sensor based value mode -- in which you pick a temperature sensor in your Intel Mac (such as CPU Core 0 or HD Sensor) and you set the lowest Temperature in which the fan will run and and the maximum temperature you want that component to be.

For me, I have a Mac mini i5 (2011) w/ Radeon 6630HD and i use the sensor based value mode and i set the lowest temperature for the fan to kick in at 123F and max temperature of 168F and my Mac mini runs cooler and i am one happy Mac user.  The reduced heat will prolong the life of my Mac. I set my temperature to display Fahrenheit but it could also do Celsius. I also set it to startup and minimize on my menubar it looks like a blue fan icon the displays my fan rpm and my cpu core temperature.

For the bootcamp version, the installation is simple and is similar to the Mac installation.  Download it and run it and allow it to run if UAC asks for permission.  And then set it to the way you want it.  The program for Windows Bootcamp mode is basically the same thing as the Mac version.

Download links:
the developer is Crystalidea Software
Macs Fan Control for Mac OS X
Macs Fan Control for Windows (Boot Camp)

Another choice would be :

  smcFanControl
  It is also free!
  This one is Mac OSX only! No Windows Bootcamp version!
  The current version as of July 25, 2013 is version 2.4
   The system requirements are Mac OSX 10.5 - 10.8

   It is similar to the first program. You set the minimum speed for the fan/s in your intel mac and you can create different fan settings for different programs for          your different uses.

Download links:
the developer is eidac
smcFanControl 2.4 for Mac OS X

Last last mention is a program called Fan Control and it is not being actively developed anymore.

It is stuck at version 1.2.  It is designed for MacBooks and MacBook Pros running Mac OSX 10.4 - 10.6.

It doesn't work well with Mac OSX 10.7 or 10.8 and newer models of Macs.
It is ok but i recommend the first two programs over this.

In the program, you set the minimum fan speed (base fan speed) and the lower threshold and upper threshold temperatures for the fans to kick in.

It is free.
Download links:
the developer is Lobotomo Software
Fan Control 1.2 for Mac OSX


So happy computing and i hope my fellow Intel Mac users will learn from this blog post and keep their Macs running cooler!

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I recommend a program called "MacTracker" -- a database of all the products Apple has ever made

MacTracker is a freeware/donationware. It useful program that is a database of all the products Apple has ever made.

It is handy to have it around and is useful to use to find out which the specs, maximum ram support, the latest firmware, the maximum OS your particular Apple product or Mac can accommodate.

For instance, my brother's Black MacBook is the 13 inch late 2007 version and the maximum RAM supported is a whopping 6GB but Apple listed it as 4GB RAM as maximum but 6GB definitely works and OWC (macsales.com) sells the 6GB RAM upgrade kit.

And my Mac mini's maximum RAM supported is 16GB RAM vs. Apple listed as 8 GB RAM -- and let me tell you, 16 GB works great and makes a hell of a difference.

If you enjoy the program, please feel free to donate to the developer Ian Page.
http://www.mactracker.ca/donations.html

download links for MacTracker:

MacTracker 7.14 for Mac OSX 10.6.8 and later Download
Version 6.5.1 for Mac OS X v10.5
Version 5.3 for Mac OS X v10.4
Version 5.0.9 for Mac OS X v10.3.9
Version 4.0.7 for Mac OS X v10.2
Version 4.0.2 for Mac OS 8.5 - 9.2.2
Version 5.0.11 for Windows

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Dual Monitor on a Mac mini or any Mac is the way to go!

I own a PowerMac G4 MDD and also my current machine is a Mac mini i5 dual core 2.5 Ghz w/ hyper threading (== 4 virtual cores!) and i alway do a dual monitor setup.

I will be talking about dual monitor setup on an intel Mac mini w/ display port or thunderbolt port.

It has increased productivity for me.  I have one monitor running JGrasp, when i am coding and another monitor running Safari or Pages or LibreOffice and this dual monitor setup is great!

From what i recall, intel Mac minis support 2 monitors and mines support 3 monitors (my model is the one with discrete AMD Radeon GPU) and the setup is easy and instantanous. The Mac mini comes with a hdmi to dvi cable, so that is the setup for monitor #1, so you then buy a display port/thunderbolt to dvi (female plug) adapter and buy an extra dvi cable (male to male) and then plug it in and it will auto detect and you are set.  The adapter costs about $6.99 on Amazon.com and the dvi cables cost about $5.75.

I recommend these dvi cables(male to male) :
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0045JNA18/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

and I also recommend this display port/thunderbolt to dvi adapter(female plug):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003BHHIA4/ref=oh_details_o00_s01_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

******DON'T BUY A DISPLAY PORT/THUNDERBOLT TO DVI WITH THE DVI CABLE BUILT IN ON ONE END AND THE DISPLAY PORT/THUNDERBOLT CONNECTOR ON THE OTHER END-- THOSE ARE PROBLEMATIC AND FLAKEY AND UNRELIABLE.

JUST GET A SEPARATE DISPLAY PORT/THUNDERBOLT TO DVI ADAPTER(FEMALE PLUG) & A SEPARATE DVI CABLE (MALE TO MALE) BECAUSE THIS WILL BE MORE RELIABLE-- LIKE THE ONES I RECOMMENDED WITH LINKS TO THE PRODUCTS ON AMAZON********

Next launch up System preferences and click Display and click Arrange and drag the menubar to the monitor you wish to make your main monitor.  Each monitor can have its own wallpaper/desktop picture.  and I recommend a free program called SecondBar, which adds a menubar to the second monitor.

Secondbar can be downloaded at Macupdate.com-- here's the link:

https://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/33264/secondbar

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Webkit version 537_32_2 was released recently. . .

Webkit is the core of Safari and is an open source project.  For us PowerPC Mac owners and Intel Mac owners running Leopard, Webkit is our only way to stay more updated for web browsing through Safari and Webkit.

This Webkit can run as a standalone program.

Webkit version 537_32_2 was just released recently and it is a universal binary (meaning that it works with both PPC and Intel Macs).


the website is at:
http://code.google.com/p/leopard-webkit/downloads/list

Here is the download link:
    WebKit-537.32_2-Leopard.dmg    

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Webkit version 537.31.1 is out!

Webkit is the core of Safari and is an open source project.  For us PowerPC Mac owners and Intel Mac owners running Leopard, Webkit is our only way to stay more updated for web browsing through Safari and Webkit.

This Webkit can run as a standalone program.

Webkit version 537.31.1 was just released recently and it is a universal binary (meaning that it works with both PPC and Intel Macs).


the website is at:
http://code.google.com/p/leopard-webkit/downloads/list

Here is the download link:
Download

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Akaneiro: Demon Hunters-- a FREE quality jrpg for the Mac and Windows and you can play it on your web browser too!

Akaneiro: Demon Hunters is a new jrpg (japanese themed rpg) for Mac and Windows by a indie studio developer, Spicy Horse.

It is free to download and free to play.  It has a Mac version and a Windows version of the game app.  You can also play it from your web browser, and if you do, it will prompt you to download the unity web player (if you don't have it installed already)

The game is easy to learn and play and the controls are like Diablo 2 or Diablo 3.  You control a Samurai (you get to choose from 3 different "classes" of samurai, each with a different skill-- such as defender or hunter.

The graphics are gorgeous! Very colorful and beautiful.  Think Trine 2 (a game for Mac/Win/Linux/Wii U) gorgeous!  And the graphics are customizable and you can tone down the graphics details and the screen resolution if your computer is older.  I am running a Mac mini i5 2.5Ghz Dual core w/ hyperthreading w/ Radeon 6630 HD and I am playing it at 1080p resolution and maxed out graphics settings and it works great and looks splendid-- a work of art!

If you want this on steam, it is in greenlight right now.

You can still donate to its kickstarter program to help further development.

All the game's description, download links, play via web browser and the paypal kickstarter donation link can be found at the developer's website:

http://www.angry-red.com

And their kickstarter page:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/spicyhorse/akaneiro-demon-hunters?ref=card


they already reached their kickstarter goal but further donations will help further develop and improve the game, and allow them to port it to iPad, Android and Linux, and add features like multi-player and PvP.

I am going to donate once i buy my books for college and have left over dole.

Spicy Horse is an Indie Developer Studio and i think we should support them and support further development of Akaneiro:Demon Hunters.

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A free Legend of Legends like game for the iOS (iPad, iPhone,iPod touch) that i recommend-- Heroes of Order & Chaos

A free Legend of Legends like game for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch that i recommend-- Heroes of Order & Chaos


If you are a fan of League of Legends or Heroes of Newerth and you own an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch-- there is a game that is very similar and is free-- Heroes of Order & Chaos.

It plays very similar like League of Legends and Heroes of Newerth but there is no League of Legends or Heroes of Newerth for the iPad -- so Heroes of Order & Chaos is you best bet.

It is free and fun and the graphics and gameplay are awesome.  You can use certain free heroes of the day to control for free, well unless you pay to buy heroes to use.  (Heroes of Newerth for Mac, Windows and Linux allows you to use all the heroes on the roster for free though).

You can search for it on the App store or use the link:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/heroes-order-chaos-multiplayer/id509458284?mt=8

I believe there is also an Android version.

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2 Free games that i recommend for Macs (intel based)

2 Free games that i recommend for Macs (Intel based Macs):

1. Heroes of Newerth

While there is an official native version of League of Legends coming to the Mac soon along with an open beta, there is a free game that is like League of Legends, called Heroes of Newerth.  V3 of Heroes of Newerth just came out last week with improved graphics and gameplay and now you can play with bots and against bots.

Heroes of Newerth is free to download and play.  It has a small but growing community of fans and supporters.

You can check it out at:

 http://www.heroesofnewerth.com

There are versions available for Windows, Mac (intel) and Linux.

If you don't know what League of Legends is -- it started as a mod for Warcraft 3 and it became a full fledged game.

The goal of League of Legends & Heroes of Newerth is to destroy the main structure of the opposing team.  When you die, you get to respawn.  You control a hero and are aided by computer controlled soldiers that respawn from barracks or other structures and you invade the opposing teams turf.  You get to level up when you kill members of the opposing team and gain spells and gold to enhance yourself at the shop.

It is a fantasy themed strategy game with rpg elements.  Fun and free.


2. Path of Exile

It is what Diablo 3 should have been.  The game is in beta and is for windows but there is a unofficial port for the Mac (intel).

It is a hack and slash rpg game, much like Diablo series.

If you are familiar with the Diablo series, you can just jump right into the game. Very Diablo like and nice graphics, excellent gameplay and great storyline.  You are a exile banished to a hopeless land and you and other players must fight the odds to survive.

Yes, it is multi-player and you get to choose your character class (which is similar to Diablo series.) I chose a Templar as my character (which is basically a Paladin.)

It is fun and free.

The links to the Unofficial Mac port is here:

http://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/48708

I am using v4.0 for the unofficial Mac port and it is pretty stable.

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