08-19-2009, 07:19 PM

i am thinking of getting a macbook 13'' white. i use it for school and some music and photos. Do macbooks ever get hot? I hate my dell and hp laptops b/c they got extremely hot after being turned on for a while.

Is 2GB RAM engough for running multiple word, excel and pdf files at the same time?

Thanks a lot.

08-19-2009, 07:22 PM

How hot it runs all depends on what you would be running at the time and how heave your CPU usage is. I've always been fine with my MBP on my lap while just surfing the web, chatting, and listening to music. Don't get me wrong though, it does get warm, just not unbearable. That's my opinion anyways.

As far as the RAM question goes, you should be fine with 2GB of RAM if you don't plan on doing a lot more than that. My MBP can only have a maximum of 2GB and it seems to do fine with me having Word, Photoshop, iTunes, Safari, and Adium open.

08-19-2009, 07:30 PM

thank you. for my hp laptop, i bought it 3 days ago. after i finish installing vista, i basically didn't run anything on it and it gets hot (around CPU area). weird enough. so i am thinking of returning it and getting a macbook instead. i mean if i watch videos or play games on it, it is reasonable to be overheated. but ...... if i just use iwork and stuff, it should be fine, right?

08-19-2009, 07:41 PM

I would think it would be fine. I mean my MBP always makes me warm, to where I'll have to take my blanket or cover off. However, it's not over-bearing to where it'll burn me. A lot of times my laptop will get better air-flow when it's on my lap because I position it so that each edge is on top of one of my legs. This allows for good air-flow underneath the center of it.

08-19-2009, 07:41 PM

Originally Posted by llllovennn

thank you. for my hp laptop, i bought it 3 days ago. after i finish installing vista, i basically didn't run anything on it and it gets hot (around CPU area). weird enough. so i am thinking of returning it and getting a macbook instead. i mean if i watch videos or play games on it, it is reasonable to be overheated. but ...... if i just use iwork and stuff, it should be fine, right?

Two things:

- MacBooks can get warm/hot too! It just depends on what you consider "hot"!

- Are you sure you can return your HP without suffering some sort of return fee?

- Nick

08-19-2009, 08:01 PM

Originally Posted by pigoo3

Two things:

- MacBooks can get warm/hot too! It just depends on what you consider "hot"!

- Are you sure you can return your HP without suffering some sort of return fee?

- Nick

I am not sure. but their full refund policy is within 14 days, so i will give a try. By "hot", I mean it feels like holding a cup of hot water 70C in ur hands. i didn't put it on my lap, it was on the table. i don't know it is just me or it happens to all the same model. my friend is also using hp (but diff model), which is 3 year-old and is still fine.

08-19-2009, 09:52 PM

Originally Posted by llllovennn

i don't know it is just me or it happens to all the same model. my friend is also using hp (but diff model), which is 3 year-old and is still fine.

I think when it comes to "modern" laptops it's tough to get away from the warm/hot lap issue.

Laptops are getting faster & faster...with dual cores...and this just creates more heat. Add to that the fact that laptop cases in some models are getting smaller & thinner...and you end up with more heat in a smaller box. So unless cooling systems in laptops get better...heat is going to continue to be an issue.

Also remember that whether we are talking about Macintosh or Windows laptops...both are using Intel style CPU's...so not much difference there when it comes to heat generation.

- Nick

08-19-2009, 11:24 PM

sometimes mine gets super hot and my left thigh will get red and hot. its called a notebook (not a laptop) for that reason, i guess. :p