CPU gets to 98 while rendering.....

I am sure this has been covered a million times, but just to be on the safe side I thought I would ask anyways.

I was rendering earlier today with FCE 4 and check iStat, and it told me that the CPU was 100 Degrees celsius, since I thought that was very hot I installed Temperature monitor which told me it was 98 during rendering.

I must admit I am a little worried about these temps? Should I be or is this normal when rendering...

It's normal. High CPU load -> Lots of power consumed -> higher temperatures.

M Ove

I hear you, since buying my MBP 13" I've been paranoid about everything (lol) I think that comes from paying out £1000 that I can't really afford!!

My temperatures have been high at times, although the more I read and the more I hear, it seems to be fairly normal. The thing that alarmed me is that the fan on my MBP didn't really seem to get excited enough to do anything when I was at 70/80 C, and I felt that it should have been responding in some way.

I tried SMCFANCONTROL, which allows you to set your own fan speeds to cool your machine, it did work, but it seems a little manual to me and I'm not sure of the far reaching ramifications of such a app, so I uninstalled and tried Fan Control which runs in the pref pane, I actually really liked this app in the sense that it would speed the fan up and slow it down based on the heat, something my machine didn't seem to do on its own... But again there are issues with this software too as I've read that once you install this it's a bit of messing about to get back to the original settings. I have removed all fan apps from my machine and am going to monitor my temperatures over the next few days to decide if I will reinstall either one of those apps, SMCFANCONTROL or FAN CONTROL.

I'm not suggesting (necessarily) that you try these applications, I'm just telling you my experience. There does seem to be very mixed opinions as to whether these applications are safe/good, some people swear by them whilst others tell you to steer clear....

Just to let you know what sort of temps I get in general; if my machine's been active for quite a while, and I'm not doing anything major (browsing etc) I usually get about 51 C upto 55 C, if I start a more processor hungry app, or have few things running I get to 60ish, but they have been up to 78-81C a few times! At the moment I'm not even at 40C, but it will cook up after a time.

Hope this helps??

Thanx both of you for answering.

While surfing mine also seems to hover around 40C, but I must admit the 98C did have me a little worried also because as you(Jobborrow) mentioned my fans didn't really seem to get too excited about this.

Once again thanx!

Any interesting info you get on this M Ove, please update us, it interests me all this. I guess the thing is you can't help thinking "it's mine only that does this, everyone else's Macbook idles at -4!"

idle temp depends on the environment....
When I was living in Melbourne Aust I had 30-36 Celsius where as now in Queensland I have 49-55. This will change as often as the weather.
This is slightly lower if on a ventilated MB stand.
Using the MB on my lap will take it up to the high 60's, and talking on skype for a while takes it right up there to the 90's, esp while I have other apps open.

My point is that it's all about how and where you use your MB or MBP, but in most cases, the high temps are nothing to be overly concerned about.

Thanks 6String, you're always helpful!

m_ove said:

I am sure this has been covered a million times, but just to be on the safe side I thought I would ask anyways.

I was rendering earlier today with FCE 4 and check iStat, and it told me that the CPU was 100 Degrees celsius, since I thought that was very hot I installed Temperature monitor which told me it was 98 during rendering.

I must admit I am a little worried about these temps? Should I be or is this normal when rendering...

Click to expand...

Yes, you should. Its normal for the CPU to get hot when under heavy load but 100 degrees celsius is the maximum temperature for an Intel Laptop CPU. You keep that up you will fry the processor. Trust me I began looking into my operating temps because I thought my laptop was getting a bit too hot while playing games. I found that under certian circumstances Like having two windows of a game open or surfing the net with Itunes and the Itunes visualizer or just being around too many animals in Farmville was causing the CPU to hit 95 degrees celsius or more. I hope that in my ignorance I havent damaged MY CPU or have shortened its life. I got rid of the animals in Farmville, make visits to others peoples farms very short and keep a constant eye on the temp. If it starts heading above 85 degrees celsius, its time to bug out as temps should remain twenty degrees or so BELOW the max. Hope this helps.

I used to freak out when my temp spike while running video programs. I now ignore it. I have my data backed up. My house and personal items are insured. The MBP is under warranty for the next 2.5 years. As long as it doesn't explode in my face...I'm good!

Just enjoy it! Apple did it, and if it breaks, Apple with fix it.

I have been running my Macbook for a few hours in Windows 7 (bootcamp) good Lord it gets hot!!!!

Core 1 and 2 were at 75 C and rising and I was only on youtube!!! I hear what you're saying investinchad, but I can't feel comfortable with all this burning up! I'm always worried that Apple will find some way to void a warranty anyway, I can't just trust a retailer so easily. And I thought things were guaranteed for a year, not 2.5 or 3? I can't afford Apple care as well!

I've read a lot about this topic and that's why I just give up. All the new MBP have this issue(if it even is an issue?) I've extended my AppleCare right after my hard drive failed. You have until your one year anniversary from the original date of purchased to extend the warranty. Maybe you could save a little hear and there to buy the AppleCare. Mine has already almost paid for it's self. It's also packaged with a free coupon called "piece of mind."

I know it's tough to limit ourselves to what we could or couldn't do with our machines. That's not why we bought into the Mac world.

Maybe next Christmas I'll get me an Applecare then.... I guess it's worth it. I used to treat my Windows PCs like crap (they usually lasted for ages), but there's something about the Mac that just makes you nurse it!!! I get what you're saying about there being so much, you do find yourself going round in circles... Since getting this MacBook Pro I've been paranoid about everything. It's my first new Mac, I guess when I get my next one I'll be more relaxed, at least that's how it was with my children! (LOL)

Keep in mind I've had this MB since 2007, and never had a problem with it even with the spiking temps. The main thing is that you enjoy using it even if you are nursing it more than you would windows (totally understandable).
With all the Mac laptops and the high running temps, it is a very small percentage of people who have had processors fry, or for that matter, anything but smooth operation.... this is why we pay so much for them
This is what keeps us looking forward to our next apple purchases, in preference to wondering when our next repair is going to have to be.

Can't buy an AppleCare if it's more than a year old.

It will be a year old just before Christmas 2010, so I could get it then if I so chose...

Thanks for your thoughts