Am I normal? (MBP heat issues)

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Hi all,

Just a quick question to hopefully set my mind at rest...

I've had my new i7 15" MBP for just over a week now and it's been running perfectly under most circumstances and is icy cool when surfing, playing music, photo editing etc. Now I don't really think it is overheating as i know some new MBPs have been but i wanted to know how hot they normally get.

I am both new to Macs and new to laptops in general so i have been shocked by how hot and noisy it gets when gaming. Ironically it is about the same whether i'm running Dead Space at full detail on my Windows partition, or Monkey Island on OS X! The CPU seems to get to between 70-90 (max) and the fans go at around 6000rpm. Can i rest assured that this is normal behaviour when gaming on a laptop?

I guess i am just used to my desktop PC that sits under the desk with it's 3 120mm fans and massive heatsink :)

Also...should an update of an ancient game like Monkey Island be getting my machine as hot and bothered as something like Dead Space or City of Heroes? Angry Birds doesn't seem to....

Sorry for the ramble but i wanted to convey as much info as possible :)

Many thanks,
 

bobtomay

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Your Mac's Specs
15" MBP '06 2.33 C2D 4GB 10.7; 13" MBA '14 1.8 i7 8GB 10.11; 21" iMac '13 2.9 i5 8GB 10.11; 6S
Yes, it is normal.
 

CrimsonRequiem


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MBP 2.3 Ghz 4GB RAM 860 GB SSD, iMac 3.4 GHz Intel Core i7 32GB RAM, Fusion Drive 1TB
If it was overheating it would turn itself off.
 
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Thanks guys, I didn't think it was an issue to be concerned with, though i may definately have to start gaming with headphones rather than my lovely new speakers!

Just on another point - does it get as hot regardless of the requirements of the game (i.e. any time the big gfx chip fires up)? If so this would explain why a simple point and click and a high res 3d game bring on the same level of sweaty hotness.
 
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Your Mac's Specs
21" iMac * 2.8 Ghz Intel Core i7 * 16GB 1333 Mhz DDR3 * 1TB HD *AMD Radeon HD 6770M 512 MB
Whenever you have graphics, the processor must work harder to keep up, so expect the temperature to go up curing games, when processing videos, etc. The MBP's are meant to work as hard as desktops and as such they'll get as hot within the smaller, aluminum casing (which conducts heat well as it is). That's why they call them notebooks now and not laptops... your lap is the last place it should go!
 
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15" Macbook Pro i7, 500Gb / 32Gb iPhone 4 / 16Gb Ipod Touch, 4th Gen / 30Gb Ipod Video
Some heating up is totally normal. But if you are worried about it (as I was with my previous macbook-which you could fry an egg on) I bought a desktop cooling stand and it works amazingly well. Its a good idea. If the machine is cool then it will perform better and battery life will be better
Amazon.com: Cooler Master Notepal U2 Notebook Cooler with Two Fans R9-NBC-8PBK-GP: Electronics

not the same model that I have but the same in principle.
Best Buy and Future Shop also offer a model for use on your lap.
 
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I have the same MBP which is two weeks old. When I surf the net my CPU is usually 95-99 degrees and the fans are usually about 2100. Wonder why the difference?
Bill
 
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Thanks for the replies guys, i think i'm just getting used to it now :) Funnily enough Duncan I just bought the Notepal U2 stand before reading your post :D

@paid4c4 - I'm by no means an expert but I would have thought that 95 degrees (centigrade?) is FAR too hot for just surfing the net? Mine only gets to around 80 playing games.
 

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