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Still Worried About Temps and Fans in 13" MBA Ultimate

teerexx52

teerexx52

macrumors 68020
Original poster
May 1, 2005
2,065
162
Florida West Coast
I posted about this some time back but after a few more weeks of dealing with this I wanted to see if others were still experiencing this. On my 13" MBA Ultimate when on Flash websites the temps shoot up to 78-82 degrees C and the fans kick in to around 3000 RPM's. The fans are quite loud even for a guy like me who wears hearing aids. The thing that bothers me more is my 11" MBA base model runs much cooler and the fans never seem to kick in when visiting the same flash pages. My wife's 13" MacBook Pro seems to be fine under the same circumstances. I took my MBA to Apple Store for a Genius appointment but they said it was normal and under warranty s don't worry.

Is anyone else experiencing this? Should I pursue it more with Apple?
 
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Buckeyes1995

macrumors member
Mar 4, 2011
95
11
teerexx52 said:
I posted about this some time back but after a few more weeks of dealing with this I wanted to see if others were still experiencing this. On my 13" MBA Ultimate when on Flash websites the temps shoot up to 78-82 degrees C and the fans kick in to around 3000 RPM's. The fans are quite loud even for a guy like me who wears hearing aids. The thing that bothers me more is my 11" MBA base model runs much cooler and the fans never seem to kick in when visiting the same flash pages. My wife's 13" MacBook Pro seems to be fine under the same circumstances. I took my MBA to Apple Store for a Genius appointment but they said it was normal and under warranty s don't worry.

Is anyone else experiencing this? Should I pursue it more with Apple?
Click to expand...

I have the same issue, and have been assured it's normal.

I was watching one of the NCAA games via espn.com the other day, and by the end of the game, the small metal strip-area between the monitor and the keyboard was too hot to touch. Now that I think about it, I dont' recall hearing the fans.. but I'm sure they were on.. probably just got used to it.
 
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ZipZap

macrumors 603
Dec 14, 2007
6,076
1,448
I was just installing some software and the temp shot up. I think the fan and noise are just going to be a fact of life for this form-factor. You're covered by the warranty.

I have an Alienware m11X, and when gaming or doing intense activities...bzzzzzzzzz that fan kicks in.

Same kind of CPU..Intel 7300 CPU is a 1.86ghz core duo.

They just run hot for certain things. I would be the next gen CPU and the next version of MBA will be better in this area unless they add powerful graphics chips....bzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
 
sparkomatic

sparkomatic

macrumors 6502a
Jun 8, 2007
820
27
Orange County, CA
I don't have the Ultimate but my 13" MBA still freaks me out when the fans run high. Doesn't happen often (usually when I watch video) but I guess it's normal.
 
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Onimusha370

macrumors 6502a
Aug 25, 2010
879
1,086
i have the exact same issue, the low 80's seem very common now.
anyone know what affect this will have on the life of my mba?
i'm planning on keeping it for 3 years+
 
teerexx52

teerexx52

macrumors 68020
Original poster
May 1, 2005
2,065
162
Florida West Coast
Onimusha370 said:
i have the exact same issue, the low 80's seem very common now.
anyone know what affect this will have on the life of my mba?
i'm planning on keeping it for 3 years+
Click to expand...

I tried getting back to Apple Tech about it. I had a case number but they said my 90 days phone support had expired and they wouldn't help me unless I bought AppleCare. I declined. Now talking about a second trip to the Apple Genius Bar an hour away or selling this one and using my 11" I just don't understand why our two 11" airs don't do this but the 13" does.
 
MacFever

MacFever

macrumors 6502
Feb 1, 2007
250
35
that is strange that the 13" runs hotter than the 11" which has less airflow space. the processor speed is the factor I'd say.

but yah I've seen my 13" MBP 2009 go to low 80's on rare occassions if the CPU gets stuck running at 100% by the browser etc...but not frequently like what you are reporting on the 13" MBA.

I was considering getting one of the 13" Ultimate MBA in May but might hold off for the Sandy Bridge since they should run cooler......we hope. :rolleyes:
 
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AtmChm

macrumors regular
Jul 6, 2010
138
0
WI
MacFever said:
that is strange that the 13" runs hotter than the 11" which has less airflow space. the processor speed is the factor I'd say.

but yah I've seen my 13" MBP 2009 go to low 80's on rare occassions if the CPU gets stuck running at 100% by the browser etc...but not frequently like what you are reporting on the 13" MBA.

I was considering getting one of the 13" Ultimate MBA in May but might hold off for the Sandy Bridge since they should run cooler......we hope. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

I think you are right about the CPU processing being the issue since the 11" macs don't seem to have this issue, BUT there seems to be a solution: install Coolbook. This is a well documented app in these forums and on the Mac World website. It lets you monitor the CPU temperature and throttle down the processing speed if it gets too hot for your liking. If you search this forum you'll find a lot of info about how this works and how it has solved a lot of people's problems with heat, especially in the MBA.
 
Scott6666

Scott6666

macrumors 65816
Feb 2, 2008
1,487
936
The answer is easy as to why the 11 is quiet and the 13 is not.

The processor in the 11 outputs 10W TDP, the one in the 13 outputs 17W.

That's a big difference in a small case. The 13" processor is essentially the same one as in the previous version of Air which was known to be problematical. They worked hard to get the 13" to be as quiet as it is.

I hate fan noise and got the 11" purely for the lower TDP, and to my great relief it is largely silent.
 
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dblissmn

macrumors 6502
Apr 30, 2002
353
107
Interesting indeed

If this is typical of real-world use, I'll have to give the 11 another look. I'm in the process of getting a new 15 MBP as my primary desktop and portable machine but had planned to get a 13 MBA for mobile and presentation use once the Thunderbolt port comes out on it. I don't want a lap-warmer on the road though.

Hopefully other people can chime in on this thread.
 
teerexx52

teerexx52

macrumors 68020
Original poster
May 1, 2005
2,065
162
Florida West Coast
dblissmn said:
If this is typical of real-world use, I'll have to give the 11 another look. I'm in the process of getting a new 15 MBP as my primary desktop and portable machine but had planned to get a 13 MBA for mobile and presentation use once the Thunderbolt port comes out on it. I don't want a lap-warmer on the road though.

Hopefully other people can chime in on this thread.
Click to expand...

My 13" MBA doesn't get very warm on the bottom case. But the fans to run high and long when it is under stress like flash webs sites. I have two 11" MBAs in the family. Neither has the fans spin up like the 13" not do they get as warm. CPU under identical situations runs about 10* cooler C
 
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ZipZap

macrumors 603
Dec 14, 2007
6,076
1,448
MacFever said:
that is strange that the 13" runs hotter than the 11" which has less airflow space. the processor speed is the factor I'd say.

but yah I've seen my 13" MBP 2009 go to low 80's on rare occassions if the CPU gets stuck running at 100% by the browser etc...but not frequently like what you are reporting on the 13" MBA.

I was considering getting one of the 13" Ultimate MBA in May but might hold off for the Sandy Bridge since they should run cooler......we hope. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Shorter distance the hot air is carried before being expelled?
 
Z

ZipZap

macrumors 603
Dec 14, 2007
6,076
1,448
Scott6666 said:
The answer is easy as to why the 11 is quiet and the 13 is not.

The processor in the 11 outputs 10W TDP, the one in the 13 outputs 17W.

That's a big difference in a small case. The 13" processor is essentially the same one as in the previous version of Air which was known to be problematical. They worked hard to get the 13" to be as quiet as it is.

I hate fan noise and got the 11" purely for the lower TDP, and to my great relief it is largely silent.
Click to expand...

I like your reasoning better !
 
X

X2468

macrumors regular
Mar 21, 2011
173
0
Yep, it runs pretty warm / hot when performing certain work. I bought Apple Care and just ignore it. All my Mac laptops have always ran hot under load. Apples got them set to shut down. No problem
 
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