VLC = Hi RPM on exhaust.

What do you mean by "when I open VLC" : do you mean playing a file, or just launching the .app while not playing any file yet?

Can you post a screenshot of Activity Monitor, all processes sorted by CPU % (descending), after the action that caused the CPU utilization spike?

If you mean when you play a video, your laptop temperatures increase (thus increasing fan speed), thats normal. Its just to try keep the MBA cool.

Heat=bad for computers.

Xikum said:

If you mean when you play a video, your laptop temperatures increase (thus increasing fan speed), thats normal. Its just to try keep the MBA cool.

Heat=bad for computers.

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Cold = also bad for computers.

So let's try to be more specific before spreading FUD to the uninformed who will then proceed to create hundreds of threads with topics like "OMG, MY COMPUTER IS OVERHEATING IS IT BAD!?"

When playing 1080p mkv files using VLC you can expect around 20-25% CPU usage and around 70-75 degrees Celsius CPU temperatures. If you're playing back m4v and mp4 files then the CPU will use quicksync CPU usage will be around 5% since the work is offloaded to the integrated graphics chip.

This is all documented in various threads if you do a quick search. I've created one where I documented various use cases and corresponding temperatures.

Your MBA will happily run at 95 degrees Celsius all day long. The fans will come on. If it's not shutting down, then everything is fine. Heat does not simply means bad for computers. Computers are designed to be used and to handle the heat they produce. If they don't, then you return them. It amazes me how many people on these forums feel the need to be baby sitting their computers and spend their every waking moment worrying about something. Just the use the damn thing since that is what it's designed for.

@theSeb
Agreed.

theSeb said:

Cold = also bad for computers.

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Really? How cold is bad and why?

Roman2K~ said:

@theSeb
Agreed.

Really? How cold is bad and why?

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I was making an over-exaggerated and banal statement akin to the "Heat = bad for computers". In more detail, computers have recommended operating temperatures and I wouldn't recommend trying to use your computer in the park when it's -30 Celsius for example. Some of your components will fail to work.

Many years ago I had a radio in my car where the display wouldn't work if the temperatures were too low. So after a freezing night it wouldn't work until the inside of the car had heated up.

theSeb said:

I was making an over-exaggerated and banal statement akin to the "Heat = bad for computers". In more detail, computers have recommended operating temperatures and I wouldn't recommend trying to use your computer in the park when it's -30 Celsius for example. Some of your components will fail to work.

Many years ago I had a radio in my car where the display wouldn't work if the temperatures were too low. So after a freezing night it wouldn't work until the inside of the car had heated up.

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What the hell are you talking about? Heat damages computer parts, and thats why we have fans. Im not saying having a hot laptop will destroy your internals, I'm making the point that its the fans job to spread this heat and take it out of the way of the components.

This is why I assumed his fan were going at higher RPM's. I agree with you that people need to stop being so paranoid about their computing equipment; they are designed to handle the heat dissipation through the USE of fans.

Xikum said:

What the hell are you talking about? Heat damages computer parts, and thats why we have fans. Im not saying having a hot laptop will destroy your internals, I'm making the point that its the fans job to spread this heat and take it out of the way of the components.

This is why I assumed his fan were going at higher RPM's. I agree with you that people need to stop being so paranoid about their computing equipment; they are designed to handle the heat dissipation through the USE of fans.

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Thanks Captain Obvious. You've missed my point completely.

theSeb said:

Thanks Captain Obvious. You've missed my point completely.

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Possibly because your point was a rather nondescript paragraph full of multiple "points" and no real direction. But alright.