Keeping MacBook Pro Cool

I just purchased a 15" Retina MacBook Pro as my main machine now. I just got a new job with a local web development firm so I'll be using it both at work and at home.

At work I'm fine with using the laptop by itself, but it's at home that I'm worried about. I'll be doing CPU-intensive work for several hours a day every day. What is the best way to keep my MacBook cool when it's on my desk at home?

By the way, heat isn't actually a real problem for me. I'm just trying to prolong the life on the MacBook as long as possible.

Your new MacBook Pro has been designed to operate perfectly fine at any temp you are likely to experience with it. If for some reason the internal temp should reach a point that is too hot...it will simply shut down & cool off (which I rarely if ever have heard of).

To facilitate the proper cooling of your MacBook Pro (as it was designed)...it should be placed on a flat hard surface (like a desktop as you mentioned)...with nothing placed too closely around it that would impair the flow of cooling air in...and hot exhaust air out. The only other thing that can effect cooling...is if the computer (over time) got dirty inside from accumulated dirt/fuzz/lint. But this is unlikely to occur in 1 year of ownership.

Lastly. Of course environmental conditions play a big part in how cool/warm/hot a computer runs. So if the computer is being used in a non-airconditioned environment of 90°F (Summertime)...it's going to run hotter than it will in a room at 65°F (Wintertime).

- Nick

pigoo3 said:

Your new MacBook Pro has been designed to operate perfectly fine at any temp you are likely to experience with it. If for some reason the internal temp should reach a point that is too hot...it will simply shut down & cool off (which I rarely if ever have heard of).

To facilitate the proper cooling of your MacBook Pro (as it was designed)...it should be placed on a flat hard surface (like a desktop as you mentioned)...with nothing placed too closely around it that would impair the flow of cooling air in...and hot exhaust air out. The only other thing that can effect cooling...is if the computer (over time) got dirty inside from accumulated dirt/fuzz/lint. But this is unlikely to occur in 1 year of ownership.

Lastly. Of course environmental conditions play a big part in how cool/warm/hot a computer runs. So if the computer is being used in a non-airconditioned environment of 90°F (Summertime)...it's going to run hotter than it will in a room at 65°F (Wintertime).

- Nick

Click to expand...

Excellent points, Nick. I actually do have a bit of a problem with ambient temperature. I live in the middle of a desert!

Do you have any experience with "cooling pads?" I would like to try and combat this ambient temperature with something of that sort in my home office.

SlothPony said:

Excellent points, Nick. I actually do have a bit of a problem with ambient temperature. I live in the middle of a desert!

Click to expand...

That does pose a possible problem (if you don't have good air conditioning). From Apple's "tech specs"...the temperature range to operate a MacBook Pro (min/max)...is between 50°F to 95°F. Thus if this computer is operated in an environment above 95°F (35°C)...then the internal temp of the computer may exceed it max. operating temp and shut down (especially if you're pushing the computer a bit doing video/graphics work).

Since you mentoned living in the middle of a desert. You obviously are familiar (and should be concerned) about fine dust & sand getting into your computer. Grains of sand can certainly scratch the aluminum exterior of the MacBook Pro. And fine dust/sand getting into the keyboard (crunch crunch)...would not be very good either.

SlothPony said:

Do you have any experience with "cooling pads?" I would like to try and combat this ambient temperature with something of that sort in my home office.

Click to expand...

I think that I have read an article or two where an array of cooling devices were tested. If I remember correctly...the best of them helped somewhat...but not major. A cooling pad certainly isn't going to replace a well airconditioned room for performance...and I'm thinking that the higher the room temperature...the less helpful a cooling pad will be.

- Nick