How hot does your macbook run?

calviin said:

I'm using istat pro and it says my mb gets to around 15X degress before the fans kick in. Using smcfancontrol, I perfer to keep my comp at around 120-130 degrees but with the fans at 3000-4000. Will this damage my fans extensively or in regular specs? What's the normal temp of a mb actually running? And by actually running, with programs such as ps, games, etc. not low memory/power consuming programs.

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For regular uses around 39 and 43 C for my MB for surfing and word processing. For gaming and PS (aka photoshop?) probably up to the late 70's or 80's since it uses a lot of CPU..

calviin said:

I'm using istat pro and it says my mb gets to around 15X degress before the fans kick in. Using smcfancontrol, I perfer to keep my comp at around 120-130 degrees but with the fans at 3000-4000. Will this damage my fans extensively or in regular specs? What's the normal temp of a mb actually running? And by actually running, with programs such as ps, games, etc. not low memory/power consuming programs.

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Mine runs between 43*C and 65*C in normal internet, iTunes and IM use.

74*C to 90*C in games and when I am virtualizing Vista.

calviin said:

I wonder why mine's running so hot then. Mine's at high 130 and sometimes 140 with only FireFox and Adium. With nothing, then it runs at 110F. Nothing's wrong with mine right?

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Did you check how much CPU usage does firefox and adium uses? The more it uses the hotter it gets...

calviin said:

I wonder why mine's running so hot then. Mine's at high 130 and sometimes 140 with only FireFox and Adium. With nothing, then it runs at 110F. Nothing's wrong with mine right?

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do you have it on a bed or pillow where its not getting proper ventilation?

shady825 said:

do you have it on a bed or pillow where its not getting proper ventilation?

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I agree on this. It could block the airflow of your computer which could make the temperature skyrocketing..It happens to me a few times when I finally realize what it was causing the high temp. when I was just surfing the internet..

Solemony said:

I agree on this. It could block the airflow of your computer which could make the temperature skyrocketing..It happens to me a few times when I finally realize what it was causing the high temp. when I was just surfing the internet..

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I always try to be aware of my vents.. If i put it on the bed i will prop up the back half with anything that will raise it up a bit..

calviin said:

I wonder why mine's running so hot then. Mine's at high 130 and sometimes 140 with only FireFox and Adium. With nothing, then it runs at 110F. Nothing's wrong with mine right?

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Thats fine. Since 110F = 43*C and 140F = 60*C. Mine usually runs about 50*C when it is plugged in and I am surfing the internet and listening to itunes and the highest temp it has ever gotten to is 75*C when using handbrake.

I use smcfancontrol to keep the fan at a minimum of 3k rpm. Right now, temps are 47-49C on my bed. House temp is 68F.

calviin said:

I wonder why mine's running so hot then. Mine's at high 130 and sometimes 140 with only FireFox and Adium. With nothing, then it runs at 110F. Nothing's wrong with mine right?

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It would probably help if you tell us whether your MB is Al or plastic, and whether you were charging the battery or not when you measured the temperature.

It would be helpful if you'll tell us whether those temperatures are in celcius or Fahrenheit. If they are in farenheit then they are fine. Most people here report their temp. in celsius.

rd261 said:

It would be helpful if you'll tell us whether those temperatures are in celcius or Fahrenheit. If they are in farenheit then they are fine. Most people here report their temp. in celsius.

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Lets see, I have FF (11 open tabs), iTunes, Mail, and Preview (ebook) open/running. Plus im connected to the net via BT to my cellular.

here is my iStat:

mine is cool and quiet wohoooooooooooo

Mine runs around 70 degrees C when i'm running VMware and it goes absolutly nuts.

Mine runs in the low 40s C, and that even when running Fusion (512 MB RAM, 1 CPU). It only hits the 50s (and sometime 60s) when compiling.

It's the coolest MB I've ever had -- in all senses of the word.

CPU: 45° Celsius after surfing on the net for an hour - wireless!

calviin said:

Should I bring it into a store? It's at 62 C right now with Firefox, Adium, Word, Mail and iTunes. Every place i search, people are getting 40-50C for basically casual usage.

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I wouldn't worry, 62 is fine. The fact that you have to force the fans higher means the macbook isn't concerned with the temp. Warning signs are when the macbook starts running the fans at a higher rate for seemingly no reason, or in an extreme case you get a thermal shutdown of the machine. One of the cheapest ways to reduce the temperatures of the laptop while on a desk is to just prop up the back edge to increase the airspace under the laptop. That'll likely drop the temps by 10 C (wood is a good thermal insulator, so giving it a bigger airspace will provide better heat dissipation).

jav6454 said:

Mine runs between 43*C and 65*C in normal internet, iTunes and IM use.

74*C to 90*C in games and when I am virtualizing Vista.

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Good to know, when mine got to 71c with half load, I started to worry. Smcfancontrol works great, bringing the temp to 58c.