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lighthouse_man

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Mar 13, 2005
611
10
I've been looking for answers all over the Internet but found nothing solid or clear. Is it normal for the keyboard on the latest MacBook Pro retina 15" to get very warm? I read somewhere that these models also use the top case to vent out the hot air, is that true? More often than not the keys become too uncomfortably warm to touch. I never had that with any of the pre-retina MacBook Pros that I've owned.
 

snaky69

macrumors 603
Mar 14, 2008
5,908
488
I've been looking for answers all over the Internet but found nothing solid or clear. Is it normal for the keyboard on the latest MacBook Pro retina 15" to get very warm? I read somewhere that these models also use the top case to vent out the hot air, is that true? More often than not the keys become too uncomfortably warm to touch. I never had that with any of the pre-retina MacBook Pros that I've owned.

Perfectly normal. You can't really expect an aluminum laptop that uses the case as a giant heatsink to feel cool to the touch when running, now, can ya?
 

lighthouse_man

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Mar 13, 2005
611
10
Perfectly normal. You can't really expect an aluminum laptop that uses the case as a giant heatsink to feel cool to the touch when running, now, can ya?

Yes of course and as with its predecessors, its body will heat up. My question is regarding the heat on the keys of the keyboard which was never an issue in any of my previous MacBooks no matter how hot the actual machines became.
 

lighthouse_man

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Mar 13, 2005
611
10
What's hot to one person might be warm to another.

Install iStat and check on the various temps.

That's what I've been doing. The heat issue is not consistent. In standard use it averages around 50º Celsius and the keys can get warm. When it's crunching away, however, transcoding or rendering a video, or while gaming, the temperatures keep hitting the 90º and peaking even to 100º and the keys become objectively hot.

I just thought there was a problem with my computer. I assumed there would be some kind of insulation to the keys from the heat as this wasn't an issue at all on any of my pre-retina PowerBooks and MacBook Pros.

I guess for any intensive tasks, I'll have to use an external wireless keyboard which is a bummer.
 

MacInTO

macrumors 65816
Apr 25, 2005
1,195
216
Canada, eh!
That's what I've been doing. The heat issue is not consistent. In standard use it averages around 50º Celsius and the keys can get warm. When it's crunching away, however, transcoding or rendering a video, or while gaming, the temperatures keep hitting the 90º and peaking even to 100º and the keys become objectively hot.

I just thought there was a problem with my computer. I assumed there would be some kind of insulation to the keys from the heat as this wasn't an issue at all on any of my pre-retina PowerBooks and MacBook Pros.

I guess for any intensive tasks, I'll have to use an external wireless keyboard which is a bummer.
That sounds pretty hot, but it's normal if you're doing something CPU/GPU-intensive. The fans must be going full blast!

When I'm doing something CPU/GPU intensive I usually prop my computer on an object so the bottom has some airflow. That usually cools it down pretty quickly for me.

I'd say if it still gets that hot even with proper cooling, take it in to get checked out. At some point if the temperatures persist, it may fry something.
 

lighthouse_man

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Mar 13, 2005
611
10
That sounds pretty hot, but it's normal if you're doing something CPU/GPU-intensive. The fans must be going full blast!

When I'm doing something CPU/GPU intensive I usually prop my computer on an object so the bottom has some airflow. That usually cools it down pretty quickly for me.

I'd say if it still gets that hot even with proper cooling, take it in to get checked out. At some point if the temperatures persist, it may fry something.

Thanks. Yes, the fans get to their maximum but all they seem to do is just prevent the temperatures from going over a 100 as they stay in their 90s. That of course is when the processor is being put to the test.

I already have an mStand but I'm not always at my desk. I'll see how this goes. Unless there is a tangible issue, the store won't do much from what I read in other forums.

I'm not really worried about something frying, as I still have a year in AppleCare and will probably get the extended warranty. It's the discomfort using the keyboard when they're hot that's bothering.
 

lighthouse_man

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Mar 13, 2005
611
10
You can try an application called "Macs Fan Control" to make the fans respond more aggressively to temperature changes. This means your Mac will run cooler and louder.

http://www.crystalidea.com/macs-fan-control

Thanks and yes I know about these apps, I have a similar thing under the iStat menus. I just got this computer though and wanted to know if this was an issue or what it seems to be confirmed now as a mere side effect to this new "design".
 
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