softeky

Muuss… my hero (RIP). Ping plus traceroute were *NIX network diagnostic apps I relied on to find network faults. I would run ping in parallel on multiple windows with each ping targeted at a different traceroute host on the way to a target. This would pinpoint a connection fault even if the fault was intermittent. More recently poor WiFi locations could be diagnosed by walking around while pinging (menu-bar WiFi strength meters have been made useless long ago, but ping packet throughput measure is instant). Then along came “mtr” https://www.tecmint.com/mtr-a-network-diagnostic-tool-for-linux/ (works on most *NIX). When run as super-user, mtr combines ping with traceroute and does the job all in one terminal window.

Mtr source: https://github.com/traviscross/mtr

I bet the parody was shot on an iPhone!

Ranks right up there with "iPod Flea"...

Mike Wuerthele said:

softeky said:

Over the years I've taken apart iMacs and laptops to repair them at board-level. One of the consistent construction issues is the use of thermal paste between the CPUs and the heat sync. In all cases grey thermal paste has been over applied and caked in a thick blanket between the CPUs and the metal heat sync. Furthermore, the thick application of thermal paste creates a blanket around the sides of the CPUs and keeps the heat in rather than allows it to escape the CPUs.

Is it possible that the fan ramping effectiveness is monitored under load and the fan ramping is not as effective as it was intended, being bypassed using more effective cooling noticed by clocking down the CPUs by monitoring software in real time?

Physically checking the thermal paste (and reapplying properly) might give you different results and something interesting to report to Apple's assembly team. Additionally the fan blade shaping spreads their sound over many frequencies and makes them very quiet though no less effective as they speed up (more of a hiss than a hum when they crank up).

I'd really love to hear if the thermal paste is finally being applied properly.

Over the last few years, in my experience, they're using either something very precise to dollop the paste on, or a consistent pad of compound. 

I haven't seen an over-application in a long time.

Well, it certainly is the case that I do not get recently manufactured motherboards to repair. They tend to be well out of warranty :-)

Over the years I've taken apart iMacs and laptops to repair them at board-level. One of the consistent construction issues is the use of thermal paste between the CPUs and the heat sync. In all cases grey thermal paste has been over applied and caked in a thick blanket between the CPUs and the metal heat sync. Furthermore, the thick application of thermal paste creates a blanket around the sides of the CPUs and keeps the heat in rather than allows it to escape the CPUs.

Is it possible that the fan ramping effectiveness is monitored under load and the fan ramping is not as effective as it was intended, being bypassed using more effective cooling noticed by clocking down the CPUs by monitoring software in real time?

Physically checking the thermal paste (and reapplying properly) might give you different results and something interesting to report to Apple's assembly team. Additionally the fan blade shaping spreads their sound over many frequencies and makes them very quiet though no less effective as they speed up (more of a hiss than a hum when they crank up).

I'd really love to hear if the thermal paste is finally being applied properly.

I wonder if Apple could do some research on the light frequencies birds see that we don't. Given the right frequencies, flashing some low-power LEDs at various angles onto the glass might give birds enough visual warning that the glass is there and solid without being visible to humans at all.