A while back, I noticed my Mac Studio getting quite warm, even when idle and with only a few simple programs running. I checked the back, which has a billion holes to blow out generated heat, and it seemed fine. I was puzzled. My solution was to just turn my Mac off and stick to the PC. Switching back and forth is a bit of a pain, anyway, and it gave me time to mull over how Apple’s IOS-ification of macOS is not really a good thing.
Generally, the Mac is just not as fun to use anymore.
Still, I eventually devised a simple plan: I would use a super-strong vacuum to pull out any ingested dust through those billion little holes, then see if the Mac’s high temperature improved (by getting lower). To prep the Mac, I unplugged everything from it, picked it up and DEAR GOD WHAT I SAW WHEN I TURNED IT UPSIDE DOWN.
Normally I take photos of everything, but I think I was so shocked this time I forgot.
You see, the Mac Studio handles cooling with fans that draw air in from the bottom, then blow the hot air out the back. You might be thinking, “How do you pull air in through the bottom when it’s, like, the bottom?” And it’s because the Mac Studio actually sits on a big round foot that is surrounded by somewhat less than a billion holes. It looks like this:
When I turned over my Mac Studio, those holes were covered in a thick layer of dust. If dust could be encrusted, I would describe it as encrusted. It was coming off in clumps.
As mentioned, I was too shocked/appalled to take a photo, but here’s the Swiffer duster I used to take the initial layer of dust off:
Anyway, today I’m going to try powering on the Mac Studio and see if it doesn’t overheat because actual airflow is happening again.
Nerds, dust your computers!
