cooling my macbook...?

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when i was considering making the switch, one of the concerns i had was from a video online of someone cooking an egg on the bottom of their mac(!!!). i talked to the people at apple, who explained that the macbook is a "portable" and not a "laptop" meaning that the cooling system is designed to work on a desk/table/something flat i.e. not my legs. but anyway, right now i am using it as a "laptop" and i have to admit it is pretty hot. i thought i had read (not on this forum) about slowing the OS speed or something or other, so as to make it not so hot on the under side. any way to make it cool better? i may just end up getting one of those little portable table thingys that you can put on your lap to act as a desk.
 
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i have a little two fan cooling pad thing made by targus. gets power from an usb port doesnt work fantastic keeping your laptop cool but hey it helps a lot keeping your lap cool and it was only $10.
 
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IT GETS HOT.

i would be lying saying otherwise. HOT.

targus had a fifty dollar fan thing that goes on the bottom, but i don't know.


take it in jest... you're cramming a 2 ghz processor in like a few sq. inches of space. this MacBook of mine has JUICE. so its a trade off.

i put a magazine between my lap and the MacBook. its free and it works.
 
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raidair21 said:
... i thought i had read (not on this forum) about slowing the OS speed or something or other, so as to make it not so hot on the under side...

I believe what you are referring to is the processor performance option:

Open System Preferences and go to the "Energy Saver" pane. Choose the "Options" tab, and at the bottom you can set the processor performance, either Automatic, Highest, or Reduced. I'm not sure this is on the new Macs, but it is on my G5.
 
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Take a bowl of ice water. Submerse "Portable" in ice water.

Or just buy a "Laptop".
 
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thats mean yogi.


i realize its a "portable" and not a "lap top" , but people have expectations, as i did.

you eventually realize that "wow, i've got as much juice as my PC has bawled up into an inch thick, 13.3 screened book."

the heat will take you off guard at first, its totally legitimate.
 
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kevin_msu said:
thats mean yogi.


i realize its a "portable" and not a "lap top" , but people have expectations, as i did.

you eventually realize that "wow, i've got as much juice as my PC has bawled up into an inch thick, 13.3 screened book."

the heat will take you off guard at first, its totally legitimate.

When shopping, I noticed MacBook Pros in the Apple Store all had hot-spots that were REALLY hot. I don't know if that's normal spec. or not but IMHO that kind of heat is never good. One reason I chose iMac over MacBook Pro -- I don't trust that kind of heat.
 
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MBP 15 inch 1.83. iBook G4.
My mpb is saving me a fortune in heating now its come a little cooler here in the UK.

Central Heating 4k or mbp - 1.5k - its portable so you can also be good to the environment by not heating rooms that are unecessary....

Great little heat machine lol..
 
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yogi said:
Take a bowl of ice water. Submerse "Portable" in ice water.

Or just buy a "Laptop".
Or just get a "notebook" computer. :black:
It is a notebook or portable computer.
"Laptop" is a misnomer and even Apple acknowledges that such a computer should not be used on a lap:
Apple said:
Do not leave the bottom of the computer in contact with your lap or any surface of your body for extended periods. Prolonged contact with your body could cause discomfort and potentially a burn.
Also, in response to anyone who thinks they run "too hot":
Apple said:
Apple portable computers comply with temperature limits set in national and international safety standards when used in accordance with the instructions in the user guide. Instructions include the advice not to place the computer on your lap for extended periods.
Reference link

Harsh as it may seem, ANY notebook computer will get hot. It is an inherent factor in the design of such a computer. That being said, if you want to cool it then I would suggest getting some device that is intended on keeping it away from your body if you plan on using it somewhere that a table or desk is not available.
 
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Run your "update software" in your apple menu they released a firmwear update for the fan controls today. (8/18/06) Not sure exactly what changes were made but it sure couldn't hurt.
 
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I didn't mean to be mean. I was just having a tragic comic moment there about Apple not having cool enough computers... even after the intel switch. Well whatdyaknow.
 
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v3GTP said:
Run your "update software" in your apple menu they released a firmwear update for the fan controls today. (8/18/06) Not sure exactly what changes were made but it sure couldn't hurt.

After talking to my friend, he said his macbook runs noticeably cooler after the firmware update.
 
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Didn't anyone see my post o_O

Anyway, notebook/laptop/whatever they'll all run warm to an extent, anything with energy moving through it will produce wasted energy in some form and in something as complex as a portable computer there's no exception. o_ó
 
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I have a Black MacBook and it moos and whines.
and it gets friggen really hot. Its a poor design if you ask me.
Yes its fast, beautiful and sexy. But its heavy and It will stop me from having children its so hot.
What I want to know is why the PC Latops that use the same CPU are no where near as hot or as heavy?
 
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Pc laptops with Intel Core Duos in them? Where?

Oh yeah, those boxes. One thing with macbooks is that their plastic encasing will duct the heat out of the core of the box. Plastic gets hot, the materials others use don't. It's a design "flaw" if you will, but Apple's design always *looks* nicer.
 
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london said:
I have a Black MacBook and it moos and whines.
and it gets friggen really hot ... What I want to know is why the PC Latops that use the same CPU are no where near as hot or as heavy?

The firmware update will fix the moo, whine and heat issues. I'm using mine on my lap right now and it's absolutely fine. I would describe it as 'warm' but not 'hot enough to cause infertility' :)

Not sure about the weight thing - its the lightest laptop I've ever owned, and also the most powerful.

quick edit: just checked: core is at 52C, top of case is 37, base is 42. Not bad considering I'm blocking the cooling to the base of the machine with my leg :)
 
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how do you check the temp of the machine? i ran the software update, and that seems to have made it cooler.
 
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I use CoreDuoTemp to get the core temperature, and an infrared thermometer to check the case temperature :)
 
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yogi said:
Pc laptops with Intel Core Duos in them? Where?

Oh yeah, those boxes. One thing with macbooks is that their plastic encasing will duct the heat out of the core of the box. Plastic gets hot, the materials others use don't. It's a design "flaw" if you will, but Apple's design always *looks* nicer.

Centrino Duo = Core Duo
 

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