powerbook getting pretty hot

I just got my powerbook the other day, all my computers in the past have been desktops so this is my first laptop. After using it for about a half hour, the bottom gets pretty hot… is this normal? I can't imagine how hot it would get if I kept it on and used it for 8 hours. The area that gets the hottest is toward the back center near the hinge. The battery itself stays fairly cool.

powerbook 1.5 ghz, 1024ram, 5400rpm HD, 128 video

They do get pretty hot...Not to the point of burning but they get hot enough that you can really heat up your whole body if you keep it on your lap

Are you charging and using the battery if so, then yeah it'll get hot enough to cook an egg.

ahh... so that was it then... I was charging and using the batt at the same time. I'm using it now on just the batt and I've had it on for an hour and it's nowhere near how hot it was yesterday. It is barely even warm now.

8 hours is nothing. Try leaving it on 24/7 like me.

Absolute Zero said:

8 hours is nothing. Try leaving it on 24/7 like me.

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Well, being in Antarctica, you probably never have issues with your powerbook overheating!


seriously though, is it okay to leave the powerbook on for 12 hours while plugged in?

Yeah, it's safe. I always leave my PowerBook on, and I know others who do too.

h3o said:

Well, being in Antarctica, you probably never have issues with your powerbook overheating!


seriously though, is it okay to leave the powerbook on for 12 hours while plugged in?

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I just checked the uptime on my powerbook and its at 6 days now (had to restart with the security update)

When I am at my desk I remove my battery and just use AC....I will pop in the battery and use it til its close to empty a couple times a week and charge it over night and take it out in the morning.

i still get around 4 hours a charge on it

I just checked out some of these "notebook coolers", has anyone used any of these before? such as the antec fan powered cooler.

i use these square flashing drink ice cubes made by bacardi to keep my powerbook elevated about half an inch off the desk..it keeps a nice flow of air below and always keeps my powerbook operating at a cool temp.

Just wait till the G5 powerbooks come out...imagine how hot they will operate at !

I like it, it keeps my hands warm.

I have a 15" titanium powerbook and i seem to experience the same problem. even when i use it only with the battery, it gets pretty hot. is that normal with the titanium model?

Yes, it does, I have a Ti PowerBook also. At times it seem to get very warm to the touch.

my powerbook stays pretty cool the first few hours of use... but after a while it begins to get warm... not uncomfortably warm though...

when i'm using the laptop if i remove the battery and have it plugged in... does that extend the battery life or something vs just leaving the battery in?

I wish I could tell you which would extend the battery life. I don't know. My wife's iBook is always plugged in, whereas I am running 50/50. I have two batteries and she has one. We are using the original battery that came with the systems when we bought them in 2001.

PowerbookG417 said:

i use these square flashing drink ice cubes made by bacardi to keep my powerbook elevated about half an inch off the desk..it keeps a nice flow of air below and always keeps my powerbook operating at a cool temp.

Just wait till the G5 powerbooks come out...imagine how hot they will operate at !

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That's an excellent idea. I just now grabbed a few Mtn. Dew bottle caps and used them to elevate my Powerbook about a half inch off my desk. Should definitely help with cooling. If I continue to use my Powerbook at home all the time, I'm going to invest in the Antec cooling system.

Speaking of heat, has anybody tried using their Powerbooks with the lids closed? Steve Jobs said that all Powerbooks are designed to work with the lids closed...so I tried it. I plugged in my DVI connector to my external monitor, and then closed my Powerbook's lid. Sure enough, the Powerbook fell asleep and then woke right back up, as it's designed to. And whenever it's asleep, and I plug in my external monitor, it wakes right up.

My only concern of course, is the heat not being able to escape from the keyboard. I'm kinda wary about doing this, but I'm also wary about leaving the lid open all the time as it shortens the LCD's life, and gets dusty. That and my cat likes to try to knock it over.

you guys are lucky the pc i use to have would literally get so hot it would burn you soo much it would make you put ice on it or run cold water. no joke. i was so scared to use that thing. now i use my toshiba, but that gets 100 degrees in the back so it does not bother me., but hopefully soon i will get my new powerbook and I can talk like you guys,girls.

does anyone know why the powerbooks in the stores are never hot, cause i was trying to see if they got hot and they dont, hmm must be a trick.

PC HATER said:

does anyone know why the powerbooks in the stores are never hot, cause i was trying to see if they got hot and they dont, hmm must be a trick.

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I have been wondering the same thing. My guess is the stores have turbo air con runnng and that cools them

I believe the air conditioning and that the powerbooks are not being stressed at all.