Skype - MBA gets really hot

Actually, when I Skype, (usually when abroad, but sometimes at home, too), I rarely use the video function, just the audio; this is because most of the time, I use it as a standard telephone service, and use it to connect with somebody's landline telephone, (such as my mother, who doesn't have, and doesn't know how to use, a computer). In such cases, the video function, obviously, is irrelevant.

However, even when communicating with another computer, I often use just the audio function, and treat it as a phone; this also means I can consult the computer's search engines (google etc) while on the line.

Re the actual thread topic, two points may be of interest. The first is that audio communication is a lot less stressful on a MBA's fans than is a video link. Granted, sometimes, while I am looking at YouTube videos, the fans can get a bit excited.

The second is that my MBA is the old 'Rev C', from 2010, and doesn't seem to get hugely stressed even when I am watching a video.

lukekarts said:

I don't normally mind my MBA running at 90 C when I'm playing a game, but recently I've installed Skype and have done a couple of video conferences.

Anyway, despite low processor usage (6% in istatpro), Skype seems to send the temperature up to 90 degress and the fans kick in at a full 6500rpm.

Is this normal?


With the fan at that speed it creates a lot of background noise for the mic at my end. My gf's MBA is a 2010 and doesn't seem to spin up the fans.

- running a 2011 MBA 13, i5 256, with Mountain Lion

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Unfortunately, that is "normal" based on my experience (and apparently others). The good news is that mobile Intel chips are rated for extremely high temps (105 C max is what I find).

My suggestions are to try something like SMC Fan Control, and set your fans to the max rpm you can (that doesn't distract you) ahead of time, to try to head off/delay the heating as much as you can, so the fans don't kick in all of a sudden. I have my fans set at 2370rpm, and I don't notice them at all.

You can also try using an external mic/headphones (do iPod/iPhone headphones work?) to cut down on the fan noise interfering with your sound (on both ends).

krravi said:

My friend recently told me about this issue on his MBP 13" and says that its gets really really hot if he is on Skype for like 30 mins.

He says that Skype is doing something like "on the fly video conversion" for streaming and that really heats things up. He is regretting his purchase and is thinking about a QC Core i7 windows laptop now.

So this same issue persists in MBA as well?

Does this happen in any other audio/video chatting program like facetime or it this an issue with just Skype?

How about Google video chat or Yahoo in the MBA?

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Skype is definitely the worst culprit I have encountered. Facetime doesn't raise it even a bit in my experience.

thuchu1 said:

Skype is definitely the worst culprit I have encountered. Facetime doesn't raise it even a bit in my experience.

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I think Microsoft is lowballing Skype for Mac. Just as Apple is lowballing MS drivers when it comes to Bootcamp.

thuchu1 said:

Skype is definitely the worst culprit I have encountered. Facetime doesn't raise it even a bit in my experience.

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exactly!