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Powerbook 12" Fan Always On

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ilnyckyj

macrumors member
Original poster
May 4, 2005
47
0
I have a 12" Powerbook G4 1.5, and the fan is almost always on. Literally, the only time it shuts off is if i close every program. I've gone into the task manager, and i have no extra programs running in the background, I don't even have any Dashboard widgets running. And yet the fan continues to run. I don't expect it to be off all the time, but it would be nice if it didn't get really hot, and it would be nice if i didn't have to listen to this whirring when i'm doing something as simple as reading a page on Safari (that was loaded 5 minutes ago)

Hard disk botomside is 112~ and processor topside is around the same, usually a bit lower.
 
M

Marlon_JBT

macrumors 6502
Sep 22, 2003
259
0
Detroit, Michigan
I've noticed this lately as well on my Rev. A 12". It just always seems to be on... I don't get it. It doesn't even go off when I close every program.

The CPU is hot... but this seems to be a recent thing.

Processor Bottomside: 140.7 degrees
GPU Topside: 123.3 degrees
Hard Drive 107.6 degrees

Of course when I set the processor to reduced, everything calms down/turns off... and slows down, hehe.
 
D

dcv

macrumors G3
May 24, 2005
8,021
1
Well the PowerBooks do get rather hot, though the fan shouldn't be on *all* the time.

Are you using it on a desk surface, or in laptop mode? It will get hotter if it's directly on your lap or on a cushion or whatever... if you want to use it on your lap then getting something like an iLap might help, or even placing something like a tray or a book underneath (something flat so that air can still circulate in the mm or so gap provided by the feet) might help a little.
 
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ilnyckyj

macrumors member
Original poster
May 4, 2005
47
0
dietcokevanilla said:
Well the PowerBooks do get rather hot, though the fan shouldn't be on *all* the time.

Are you using it on a desk surface, or in laptop mode? It will get hotter if it's directly on your lap or on a cushion or whatever... if you want to use it on your lap then getting something like an iLap might help, or even placing something like a tray or a book underneath (something flat so that air can still circulate in the mm or so gap provided by the feet) might help a little.
Click to expand...


i usually use it on a desk, and if i'm in bed with it, then i keep it on a big hardcover book, and i don't let any blankets near the sides or the back.
 
I

ilnyckyj

macrumors member
Original poster
May 4, 2005
47
0
now my CPU and HD are around 110, the CPU setting is on reduced, and the fan is still on. Why is this happening?
 
A

aquajet

macrumors 68020
Feb 12, 2005
2,386
9
VA
My fan is running as I type -- all I'm doing right now is browsing MR usiing Safari. Just a quirk of the 12" PowerBook I guess.
 
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aquajet

macrumors 68020
Feb 12, 2005
2,386
9
VA
Not sure if anybody else noticed this -- my powerbook's fan seemed to run more often after I upgraded to Tiger from Panther. The fan never ran while doing things such as browsing MR or using iChat, except if I used the computer in bed or in my lap. Now it seems to run no matter what I do -- including sitting here at my desk as I type this. You should hear the thing scream while I'm using X-Plane. It'll spin at full-revs -- very annoying.
 
R

rozwell

macrumors regular
Apr 17, 2004
242
1
or maybe apple crammed a lot of crap into a tiny little space all of which heat up... (my rev. d fans on now all i was doing was watching a DVD)
 
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ilnyckyj

macrumors member
Original poster
May 4, 2005
47
0
rozwell said:
or maybe apple crammed a lot of crap into a tiny little space all of which heat up... (my rev. d fans on now all i was doing was watching a DVD)
Click to expand...


i mean, i wouldn't have a problem so much if it came on when i was watching a DVD, because there is a disk spinning, and that can generate heat. however, there isn't anything making heat, or even moving around when i'm just browsing a webpage that's already been loaded. So, i'd like to have some silent browsing, or iChat. i don't think that's too much to ask for.

http://www.deleet.de/ray/pbfanfix.html <-- has anyone tried this on a recent model powerbook??
 
wheezy

wheezy

macrumors 65816
Apr 7, 2005
1,280
1
Alpine, UT
It's definately something new to Tiger from Panther, and I've settled on it being Core Image and it's intensive use of the GPU. The GPU itself won't kick on the fans, but it generates enough heat to bump the CPU and internal temps up enough to turn the fan on most of the time. The 15's and 17's I'm sure have the same temp increases, but with the increased size the fan isn't on all the time, although I'm sure it's on more often than it was before.

I just spent $20-30 on a Notebook pad thing with fans built in and that keeps it off most of the time unless I'm really working hard in Photoshop or something....

That's my 2bit deduction.
 
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ilnyckyj

macrumors member
Original poster
May 4, 2005
47
0
deepermotive said:
If you don't care about losing it, try turning off Dashboard using DashOnOff or something similar. I had a 12" 867 running Tiger with a similar problem and disabling the Dashboard made a "night and day" difference.

DashOnOff: http://www.google.com/search?q=dashonoff
Click to expand...

Yeah, i had disabled it using OnyX and it didn't make too much of a difference.
 
C

cinematree

macrumors newbie
Sep 30, 2008
2
0
Did you ever try this solution for cooling the fans on your 12 inch powerbook?

ilnyckyj said:
i mean, i wouldn't have a problem so much if it came on when i was watching a DVD, because there is a disk spinning, and that can generate heat. however, there isn't anything making heat, or even moving around when i'm just browsing a webpage that's already been loaded. So, i'd like to have some silent browsing, or iChat. i don't think that's too much to ask for.

http://www.deleet.de/ray/pbfanfix.html <-- has anyone tried this on a recent model powerbook??
Click to expand...


I have the same problem with my 12 inch powerbook and wonder if you ever found a solution or if you ever tried this pbfanfix?

I feel like mine used to not run so hot, but it has in the past 6 months or so.

Thanks,
Jeremy
 
California

California

macrumors 68040
Aug 21, 2004
3,885
90
I didn't actually purchase my last rev. b 12" PB 1.5ghz until August 2006.

I did notice Tiger at the time bumped the fans. Now I am on Leopard with it and I ran ONYX to disable dashboard.

Big difference. Very smooth.
 
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