Heat issues with new MacBook Pro?

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Firstly...hey everyone. Am soon to be a pc -> mac convert and can't wait :D

I know apple have just updated their line of MacBook's (5th of june?) and thats one of the reasons I have waited a long time. I was just wondering if they have addressed the issues of heat associated with the older version? I could only find out that they have updated the specs etc etc.

From my experience with Intel processors they just seem to run so **** hot. My Intel laptop is unbelievable for it yet I know people with AMD laptops who can just lie on the bed all day and barely even hear a fan all day long.

Whether they have or haven't...I am getting a Mac...but this is potentially one issue which would be nice to be able to live without.
 
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I have a 2.33Ghz MacBook Pro & haven't had any heat issues with it. 4 months strong and don't have any problems using it for prolonged periods not on a table. That being said, I don't ever do anything intensive without a mouse >>> therefore needing a table.
 
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From what I heard the fans were very noisy at some points and the general heat coming off of them was very bad. I know upon inspection apple had thrown a load of thermal paste onto the processor and completely smothered the core. It was a right mess but this didn't actually lead to much temperature increase. So I guess it is just those cursedly hot intel chips :D
 
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I have had a new 2.4 Macbook Pro for a few days now. It does run slighty hotter than my old 2.16, but it is still stable and very quiet. This machine has been working great for me, and I almost never hear the fans, even when working with multiple apps open and working with a heavy processor load. I think that the GPU it the hottest addition to the new Macbook Pro, but that purely opinion on my part.
 
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Macs run significantly cooler than their PC brethren.
 
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Macs run significantly cooler than their PC brethren.

apples to oranges... And no, this isnt always true. Not enough to make this statement
 
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There are plenty of threads (here? and) on other forums with people complaining that their MBPs also work as a utility to cook eggs etc. and that the fans go crazy.
 
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There are plenty of threads (here? and) on other forums with people complaining that their MBPs also work as utility to cook eggs etc. and that the fans go crazy.

Love the avatar...can you just get her to lower that MBP for a second...?:Evil:
 

bobtomay

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Yes, the current AMD processors are cooler than the current generation of Intel processors. (Although, I have not looked at comparisons with the new Santa Rosa chip.) AMD is also a generation behind in terms of performance right now. There is a reason all of the $400 & $500 notebooks have AMD chips and onboard video in them.

After several months of use though, I would say the processor is not the primary culprit when it comes to heat in my MBP. About the only time I hear the fans at all is when I start up something like WoW and start pushing the video card. The video card is quick to respond, heat up and kick the fans in. You will not want it sitting in your lap, or on the bed blocking the fans in this mode for any length of time. Lapstands are highly recommended.

My suggestion - if someone doesn't want to deal with a heat issue, stick with an integrated video card, and you really won't have to deal with the heat issue all that much.

My own personal opinion - For a gamer, 3D modeler, someone heavy into a lot of audio / video encoding, or even someone that's going to use any app that'll push the video card or CPU usage to around 100% for prolonged periods of time, learn to live with it, whether a Mac or Windows machine. Or better yet, get a desktop - problem solved.
 
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I don't find heat any problem at all. I've only had my Macbook a few weeks and use it on my lap in bed for several hours, and then when the battery drains, I put it on my desk and plug it in and use it there. I installed the widget ProStats(?) and keep an eye on the temperature, never goes above 62 which is the highest I've ever seen it. I think Macbooks are designed to shutdown at 1000 so as not to cause damage. Eitherway, it never gets uncomfortably hot on my lap, warmer than a desk but that's to be expected but I just make sure the back and the fans aren't being covered or blocked, and there's no chance of them dragging in gross fluff from my bedsheets :)

I don't think the Macbook Pros are much different to this.
 
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get a product like iLap if you find your MBP too hot. Or get a program like Fan Control Preference Pane and adjust the fan settings to the highest
 
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I keep my MBP closed and on my keyboard tray of the desk when I'm at home. Sometimes I can feel the warmth of the MBP through the 3/4 inch thick wood tray! But that's also running closed, so heat can't escape as well.

I agree with bobtomay about the video card culprit. When I'm gaming I have to keep the screen open and put it up on my desktop or it'll have a meltdown for sure. But that's going to happen with any computer running 3D graphics constantly for a long time. That being said, I've for extremely extended periods of time gaming and it's never shut down on me or anything odd like that, which some desktops have been known to do.
 
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Agh!

I expect at least some heat considering the 2.4GHz C2D and the 8600 GPU but hopfully not too much heat... I've just spent over £2k on mine (spec below) so hopefully it won't nearly melt like my Acer laptop did, hehe!
 
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get a product like iLap if you find your MBP too hot. Or get a program like Fan Control Preference Pane and adjust the fan settings to the highest

We've got a couple of iLaps here in the office...and I was planning on getting one once I picked up my new MBP. :)
 
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I have a new 2.4 15inch MBP. It runs hot. I'm coming from a Dell Latitude D610 - I thought nothing could be hotter than the Dell, but this MBP might beat it in that category. (I just placed my hand under the desk where the MPB is sitting and the wood is warmer there than the surrounding area - and this desk is 1.25 inches thick of solid wood!)

The fans, even when running full blast, are not very loud, though.

But the heat is no joke (when running 2 monitors, parallels, etc).

Also, it's quite hot when doing heavy photo work in Aperture, iPhoto, etc. (and not running 2 monitors or parallels).

Just my 2 cents.
 
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Those iLaps seem pretty clever. My intel laptop at the minute gets very hot but going on what bobtomay said...I would rather have a next generation Intel than a slower AMD.

Just out of curiosity, how loud are your MBPs? I mean could I be sat in a library surfing the net without much worry of pissing ppl off? Or conversely could I play a top end in a library?
 

bobtomay

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The MBP imho is a very quiet machine.

While online, just surfing the web, maybe using e-mail, Textedit, NeoOffice, maybe playin' a little poker onlne, I never notice the fans coming on at all.

During my 4-6 hour sessions of WoW on the MBP, it does get warmer than you want while sitting on your lap for that period of time. The fans also run full blast the entire time. This sound, I guess, could become annoying to some sitting in total silence. With any other sound in the surroundings, it fades into the background very quickly.

FYI: Got the fans going on my MBP, turned all the other sounds off, asked my wife about sitting in a Library - shes says "No Problem".
 
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This sound, I guess, could become annoying to some sitting in total silence. With any other sound in the surroundings, it fades into the background very quickly.

FYI: Got the fans going on my MBP, turned all the other sounds off, asked my wife about sitting in a Library - shes says "No Problem".

Thats class! I don't know why I ask these questions really because I am just so set upon getting one and a little noise/heat issue wouldn't stop me. I managed to wrangle a disabled students allowance and hopefully they are going to be contributing to my nice new shiny MBP...I just need to convince them that a Midi Keyboard is essential to my studying as is a copy of Reason 3.0.

Thanks so much for all your help guys.
 

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