Overheating

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Hey, I'm new on these boards and will soon be the proud owner of a Macbook Pro. I just had a quick question about how hot the new systems get. I can see myself using my computer all over the house...will I need a desk to put it on or will it be ok to put it on my lap/other fabric? I really don't want to cause it to overheat and cause strain on a brand new system. Any info/experience is appreciated.
 

cwa107


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Most computer manufacturers have stopped referring to their portables as "laptops", instead using the term "notebook". This is because they are not designed to be used on your lap. You should consider buying a lap desk if you intend to use it on your lap on a regular basis.

With that said, the most current version of the MacBook Pro doesn't run terribly warm and I don't find it to be uncomfortable on my lap.
 
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I appreciate it, its good to hear that they don't run extremely warm. Thanks for the quick response :)
 
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i would say it probably depends on what you are doing. if you are just browsing the internet, using aim, word processing, or basic things. you should be plenty fine with it on your lap. but once you get using more cpu hungry apps, such as photoshop, or movie editors, you should put it on a lap desk or something.
 
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I use mine in the bed all the time. It's great for those late night Mac-Forums sessions! It does not get hot at all really just doing basic internet stuff. I wouldn't try photoshop or any thing like that though, as ki99 has already pointed out.
 
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That's reassuring :) I use my mac a lot for simply staying connected with people via facebook/chat, which I do a lot of at night. So being able to chill in the bed instead of in the living room is part of the excitement.
 

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Just keep in mind that ALL modern notebooks get warm on the bottom - it's completely normal. If it gets uncomfortably so, it might not be a bad idea to move it to a flat surface.
 
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I've taken a temp reading using the istat pro widget. The base of my MacBook Pro is holding steady at 81 degrees Fahrenheit or 27 degrees Celsius. It has been running for about 2 hours with Firefox and mail running. If some other users post their temps here you should get an average of what to expect while web surfing and emailing.

Edit: This temp was taken while the MBP was sitting on table top. I will post more temps later tonight after I use it in bed for a while.
 
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I've taken a temp reading using the istat pro widget. The base of my MacBook Pro is holding steady at 81 degrees Fahrenheit or 27 degrees Celsius. It has been running for about 2 hours with Firefox and mail running. If some other users post their temps here you should get an average of what to expect while web surfing and emailing.

You're really running cool. Mine is on a ventilation stand on a desk and my "Enclosure Bottom" is running at 97 degrees F at normal usage. Usually the hottest part of my computer is the graphics card, which during normal internet usage, runs at about 140-150 degrees F at the GPU diode.
 

cwa107


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You're really running cool. Mine is on a ventilation stand on a desk and my "Enclosure Bottom" is running at 97 degrees F at normal usage. Usually the hottest part of my computer is the graphics card, which during normal internet usage, runs at about 140-150 degrees F at the GPU diode.

Mine runs at about the same temperature as Barbanette. It's been on my lap for about 2 hours now. Running a mix of Mail, FF3, Preview, Cyberduck and Adium. Right now, the reading is 83 degrees Farenheit at the bottom of the case.

Even my original Yonah/Core Duo MacBook Pro ran pretty cool. I think it has a lot to do with how they apply the thermal compound at the factory. It's been found to be overzealous on certain machines.
 
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I think it has a lot to do with how they apply the thermal compound at the factory. It's been found to be overzealous on certain machines.

Bingo! I actually pulled my original Core Duo MacBook apart removed all the thermal paste and applied a responsible amount of Arctic Silver ceramic thermal paste to it because of heating problems. I would have done the same with my new MacBook Pro but thankfully it wasn't necessary.

EDIT: I have been using my MacBook Pro in the bed with the bottom of the case on the comforter above my lap for about an hour and a half now. The temps are a little warmer but still not bad at all. 88 degrees Fahrenheit 31 degrees Celsius according to istat widget. But the outside of the case does not even feel this warm.
 
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Better performance

Hi im new to mac... i bought a mac book pro used from my boss, i think it is a beauty is from about a year an core 2 duo 2.3 Ghz 2 Gb ram and 256 ati video,

But well i started using and realizing that it got really warm so i bought iXoft from Thermaltake,,, and i have feel the change of state of the material, i just try lo leave the back entrance open...

So What do u think....??? eigther way macbook pro doesnt have fans or entrance from the down...
 
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Istat pro says the bottom case of my mbp 2.2 ghz gets right around 110-115 degrees fahrenheit during a game of age of empires 3 or some serious photoshopping
 
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wow!
i woder whuy mi MBP is runing so hot! internet brousing in firefox temperature is no below 52C!!! and if wathing youtube it is about 60-65C with 2500rpm!
the room temp is about 29-30C! :(
and one more question! if im playing games! on the SMCfancontrol im getting to 4000rpm! is it means that if lap is getting warmer it will be on 4000rpm and not more?
and if im playng something like crysis in the room that temperature in it is about 30C and the heat will rice until 85-90C the computer will turn off?
it dosent happend yet but im afraid that because of SMCfc it will not increase fans rpm!
 
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Istat pro says the bottom case of my mbp 2.2 ghz gets right around 110-115 degrees fahrenheit during a game of age of empires 3 or some serious photoshopping

wow! its like a dream temperatures in the games! the DELL XPS is getting more on photoshop!
 

cwa107


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wow!
i woder whuy mi MBP is runing so hot! internet brousing in firefox temperature is no below 52C!!! and if wathing youtube it is about 60-65C with 2500rpm!
the room temp is about 29-30C! :(
and one more question! if im playing games! on the SMCfancontrol im getting to 4000rpm! is it means that if lap is getting warmer it will be on 4000rpm and not more?
and if im playng something like crysis in the room that temperature in it is about 30C and the heat will rice until 85-90C the computer will turn off?
it dosent happend yet but im afraid that because of SMCfc it will not increase fans rpm!

Very simple solution: Stop using SMC Fan Control. SMC Fan Control bypasses the built-in thermal management systems and logic by forcing the fans to run at a static rate. The engineers at Apple are competent, this kind of second-guessing is simply counter-productive.
 
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hello Maclovers,

I just got my new mbp 2 days ago and I am still trying to learn things in this new world.

The lowest temp I noticed from istats was 104 F when I was at a real cool environment and my mbp was on a desk. Normally it is around 110 - 125 with light use on desk...internet and exploring my mac applications. It significantly raises when I charge the battery.

Is there a way I can control the temp??
 
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Hey guys, I got my Macbook Pro - 2.5 gig core 2 duo, 512 graphics card ...

I found that it can sometimes be uncomfortable on my lap sometimes, but if i lift it up and rest it on a armrest the computer cools down a bit ...

My current stats are CPUa 57 - GPU Diode 63 - GPU heatsink 54 - heatsink a 55 - heatsink b 44 - bottom 36 and HHD 39

Anything i should be worried about? is this normal temp for the macbook pro? I have always known Macs for a tendency to run warmer than other computers soo
 
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I bought my 15" MBP (2.4ghz, 4gb ram) about 2 months ago, and I had read a lot of people complaining about the heat. For the first few days, I thought it might have been exaggerated, but now that summer is in full swing, I know exactly what they are talking about. I rarely ever use anything intensive, unless you consider safari, mail, messenger and adobe reader intensive usage. My fans never go up over 2000rpm, as you would expect when not doing anything intensive, but the case gets way too hot to use on your lap. Although I agree that the Apple engineers are competent enough to regulate the heat (to avoid damage), I want my *notebook* to also be a laptop, so I rev up the fans using smcFanControl when I want to use it on my lap.
 

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