MacBook Pro heat issues

J

jeffyjones

Well-known member
I don't know if you Mac nerds have been following some of the stuff about how hot the damn things gets, but several people have found solutions that work.

Here's a post highlighting the problem, with links to other blogs and forums showing the problem and how to beat it...

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Apple/?p=187

For the record, here's my story, with a pic of how ugly mine was before replacing the thermal compound...

http://www.campusfish.com/Jeff/4648
 
I had no idea this was an issue. Thanks for posting. My 17" is on the way. I bookmarked the pages. Thanks again.
 
Hotter then the G4 powerbooks?

I wouldnt call it an issue if thats the case...yeah, they get hot. Its not bad...just dont put it on bareskin...or keep it on your lap too long....unless you are actually trying to lower your sperm count.
 
The Sarlacc said:
I wouldnt call it an issue if thats the case...yeah, they get hot. Its not bad...just dont put it on bareskin...or keep it on your lap too long....unless you are actually trying to lower your sperm count.
Click to expand...

LOL. Editing and birth control in one sitting.
 
Jarred Land said:
yeah.. mines stupidly hot.. i am amost tempted to open it up.. did you have any issues?
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Sorry for the delay in replying. No, I had no issues at all. As long as you follow the disassembly instructions carefully (I linked to them on my blog), it should go smoothly. Just make sure you're using a real T6 Torx driver. The screws have Loc-tite on them and anything other than a Torx will slip out and mangle your screws.

The fans finally became audible the other day, while I was running Windows (I'm actually a developer by day, and use Visual Studio). I was playing Roller Coaster Tycoon 2. :) The warmest I've been able to make it in OS X was while using Compressor to squeeze some stuff into H.264, but again, the fans turn up a little and the heat is actually passed out of the thing instead of burning your legs.
 
I can cook an egg on my keyboard in 10 minutes after booting. This is silly. Also, why would I want to open my mac and kill the warranty? am I missing something? Speed in repair as opposed to sending it? That makes sense but...
 
i totally agree with you akuepper.. apple should be taking these things back without question.. my fan has never turned on once and it gets so hot its starting to stick to plastic tables.
 
Jarred Land said:
i totally agree with you akuepper.. apple should be taking these things back without question.. my fan has never turned on once and it gets so hot its starting to stick to plastic tables.
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OK...mine PB gets hot....but not THAT hot. That's a little crazy.

Take it to the genius bar and see what they say? or have you attempted that already?
 
yeah.. they fixed the manufactuing somewhere down the line or so they say.. i bought mine from the Las vegas mac store during NAB, but i dont know what time mine was actually made.

Havnt taken it to the genius bar yet... Im a new Mac guy and the apple stores still seem very gay to me. (not that there is anything wrong with that)
 
I just got mine in the mail last week straight from the Secret Apple Cave. How HOT is too hot? I've also ordered the laptop holder thing from Apple. I have one for my PC laptop. Aluminum heat sink is what it is, and works great. I wonder if it will do good on the MAC, seeing as the heat is on TOP.

What is the heat like on "fixed" macs?
 
Jarred Land said:
yeah.. they fixed the manufactuing somewhere down the line or so they say.. i bought mine from the Las vegas mac store during NAB, but i dont know what time mine was actually made.

Haven't taken it to the genius bar yet... Im a new Mac guy and the apple stores still seem very gay to me. (not that there is anything wrong with that)
Click to expand...

Well, drop by sometime during a weekday...generally it isn't too crowded. And It's while the idea seems gay...I much prefer dealing with someone in person then some guy named "Adam" with a distinct and thick Indian accent trying to figure out what the problem is.

I don't know if he is still there or not...but there one guy at the genius bar at the glendale store...he wears a kilt (whatever floats your boat) who knows his macs like there is no tomorrow. Its pretty amazing actually.
 
akuepper said:
I just got mine in the mail last week straight from the Secret Apple Cave. How HOT is too hot? I've also ordered the laptop holder thing from Apple. I have one for my PC laptop. Aluminum heat sink is what it is, and works great. I wonder if it will do good on the MAC, seeing as the heat is on TOP.

What is the heat like on "fixed" macs?
Click to expand...


The g5 towers can get really hot...but they were easier to design an airflow into.

My older Ti PB ould get hot and had a very loud fan that would come on a lot. My newer Al PB gets hot...but the airflow and design is much better...never had the fan come on. I'd have to spend a day with a new MBP to compare heat.
 
Jarred Land said:
i bought mine from the Las vegas mac store during NAB, but i dont know what time mine was actually made.
Click to expand...
Funny you mention that, because that's the store where I first saw one in real life back in March, and that one was uberhot too.

How hot was mine? You couldn't let it sit on your bare lap wearing shorts. The little strip between the keyboard and stream was almost burn worthy.

Now that it has been a couple of days, I'm impressed, no, amazed, at how cool it really is now. It's just a little warm, but not uncomfortable. In addition to doing "real" work, I consider the thing a lifestyle device as well for checking e-mail, looking up stuff on IMDB while watching TV, instant messaging, etc. It spends a lot of time on my lap, and now it won't put me at risk for not having babies.
 
Guys,

Went to Staples in Studio City and bought an Antec Notebook Cooler, for my Macbook (not pro). The cooler works great, relatively quiet, looks cool, and has decent build quality... compared to something like Targus. CoreDuoTemp has me at 44 C. I bought two, one for me and my girl, and there was a rebate I didn't even know about. Got both for $43.00 total. Don't know how long the rebate is going for.

Good luck. :)
 
Before I got my Powerbook last december I read how hot they got too. But it gets warm if I use it on my lap, but most of the time it's on my desk.

Jarred the people at the apple stores are great. They can help. Melting plastic is not good.
 
Well, since actual numbers seem to be appealing, I looped a 720/60p H.264 clip. The CPU hovered in the 80% range and the temperature got up to 52... while on a blanket on my lap. The fans kicked in and it went down to 48. When idle, it went down to 45. Then putting it on a surface like my glass coffee table, it went down to 44. That entire temperature range is less change than we get here in Northeast Ohio between midnight and noon!

Were my actions worth it? You bet.
 
Mine gets up to 150 degrees F, which is 68+ celcius. It's pretty hot, but some people's seem to be getting up to 88+. My MacBook Pro (15") is acceptable--any hotter and it'd be too hot to handle. YMMV--which could be a good or bad thing.
 
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