My MBP is so hot

riley41090 · Sep 26, 2009

I've had my 15 inch MBP for around 5 months now and its sooo hot!
i dont run 100's of programs but i often have; mail, safari (a few windows), itunes and adium running.

I have smcFanControl and have the fans set at the highest possible settings but even with the fans at the top speed the laptop is still regularly at 80 Celsius (176F) and often reaches 90 degrees Celsius.

With the laptop running this hot it might as well be a desktop because i cant sit it on my lap :/

any ideas how to solve this?

thanks!

vansmith · Sep 26, 2009

riley41090 said:
With the laptop running this hot it might as well be a desktop because i cant sit it on my lap :/

If you're running it on your lap, you need to stop. Doing so prevents airflow much like running a notebook on any soft surface would (such as couches and beds). You need to be running it on a hard surface such as a desk or table.

riley41090 · Sep 26, 2009

90% of the time it is on my wooden desk... its just as its a laptop there is the occasional time when i wanna work in bed or on the sofa.

Can feel the heat through the desk :/

riley41090 · Sep 26, 2009

vansmith said:
If you're running it on your lap, you need to stop. Doing so prevents airflow much like running a notebook on any soft surface would (such as couches and beds). You need to be running it on a hard surface such as a desk or table.

90% of the time it is on my wooden desk... its just as its a laptop there is the occasional time when i wanna work in bed or on the sofa.

Can feel the heat through the desk :/

vansmith · Sep 26, 2009

Don't use in on your bed or sofa - this is only going to intensify the problem.

Does it get this hot when it's in use on your desk? Is there anything blocking the airflow?

Ekim · Sep 26, 2009

vansmith said:
Don't use in on your bed or sofa - this is only going to intensify the problem.

Does it get this hot when it's in use on your desk? Is there anything blocking the airflow?

Do you have pets that shed a lot? Dander dust and hair can block the air intake. Although i've never experienced this with a mac i have had to blow out quite a few non mac laptops because they were full of dust.

riley41090 · Sep 26, 2009

vansmith said:
If you're running it on your lap, you need to stop. Doing so prevents airflow much like running a notebook on any soft surface would (such as couches and beds). You need to be running it on a hard surface such as a desk or table.

vansmith said:
Don't use in on your bed or sofa - this is only going to intensify the problem.

Does it get this hot when it's in use on your desk? Is there anything blocking the airflow?

yeah its on the desk now, as it is normally and its running at 82 degrees Celsius.

its got a fair bit of room all around it so it shouldnt have blocked airflow.

i also have no pets

:/

mckimchi · Sep 26, 2009

this doesn't sound normal.
You should go to an Apple store to find a solution.

GoogleFreak · Sep 27, 2009

I know why it's running hot according to my research it's the thermal paste on the gpu, cpu and chipset. Ask them to to clean off the thermal paste and apply a only a thin layer. You should be firm about this, do this as soon as possible. 80 degrees is way too hot for your machine.
If they claim they did and the heat issue is still there you might just want to take it another shop who can fix macs, not sure how much it would cost but it shouldn't be all that much.

Here is an article about it

MacBook Pros overheating due to thermal grease?

trungthiendo · Sep 27, 2009

i would take it to apple and be sure to have that link on hand to show them that indeed it is a problem, ask if they could take it apart with you right there for you to see.

Definitely running too hot 80c and not doing much is way to hot, 80c at full load, i can see but not at <60% cpu activity.

sonspot · Sep 28, 2009

people are telling the OP not to use the laptop on the bed or on his lap, why?.. i can see if it was a older laptop that vents or get air from the bottom,.. i dont know about the OP laptop, the WMB have no vents on the bottom, its fine to use on your lap AND it does not increase the TEMP..

check your activity monitor to see whats running not what you think is running.. take it in, dont wait for them to give you a reason to void your warranty..

Oneironaut · Sep 28, 2009

Sonspot, when you set a MB down on a bed, the weight is pushing it down so that the blankets and mattress "rise" up around it, blocking the vents even though they're in the back and not on the bottom. It will be pushed further into the bed as you rest your hands on it and type.

Same thing with having it on your lap. The softness of your clothes increases the chance of them blocking the vents, especially if you have it an upward angle in order to see the screen better.

Also, keep in mind that MBP's are not advertised as "laptops", they're advertised as notebooks. Meaning that for most things you'd want to use a pro machine for, the temperature is going to be hot, even if it's not all the way up to 90 degrees C. It's going to be too hot for your lap after awhile no matter what.

Still, the OP's MBP shouldn't be that hot just from running a few apps. Mine only gets that hot when I'm rendering a lot of video or something. There are other factors to consider too. What's the room temperature like? Is there a lot of dust or pet hair in the room?

Taking it to a Genius might be the best things. Has anyone actually gotten Apple to reapply the thermal paste?

sonspot · Sep 28, 2009

Oneironaut said:
Sonspot, when you set a MB down on a bed, the weight is pushing it down so that the blankets and mattress "rise" up around it, blocking the vents even though they're in the back and not on the bottom. It will be pushed further into the bed as you rest your hands on it and type.

Same thing with having it on your lap. The softness of your clothes increases the chance of them blocking the vents, especially if you have it an upward angle in order to see the screen better.

Also, keep in mind that MBP's are not advertised as "laptops", they're advertised as notebooks. Meaning that for most things you'd want to use a pro machine for, the temperature is going to be hot, even if it's not all the way up to 90 degrees C. It's going to be too hot for your lap after awhile no matter what.

Still, the OP's MBP shouldn't be that hot just from running a few apps. Mine only gets that hot when I'm rendering a lot of video or something. There are other factors to consider too. What's the room temperature like? Is there a lot of dust or pet hair in the room?

Taking it to a Genius might be the best things. Has anyone actually gotten Apple to reapply the thermal paste?

sorry didnt bother read everything you posted, i said nothing about beds, pillows, i figured common sense on they,. who said the person would be wearing anything (on the leg area). its all about common sense, if i use mine in the bed (rarely), i put it on top of a magazine,. i have 6 laptops over the year not one of them dead from over heating, 4 still working, the two are for parts.

MYmacROX · Sep 28, 2009

Search Amazon.com (or Google) for "Laptop Stand".

sonspot · Sep 28, 2009

go to walmart get a food tray.

My MBP is so hot

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