Where should laptop cooler fans be placed?

[notaznguy]

So I have the 2008 White Macbook and I recently bought a Coolermaster U2 laptop cooler. The nice thing about the CMU2 is that it has adjustable fans, meaning I can place them anywhere I want to best suit my computer.

I believe the air vents for the old White Macbook are between the keyboard and screen right? Should I put my fans toward the top near it?

 

[GGJstudios]

I believe the air vents for the old White Macbook are between the keyboard and screen right? Should I put my fans toward the top near it?

The vents for all Apple notebooks is in the rear, near the vents. There is no venting through the keyboard.

 

[Nameci]

The OP must be joking.

As what GGJ studio said the vents are on the rear beside the screen hinges. That will make you laptop cooler not useable at all on your macbook.

The good side of the vents being on the rear is that you can lay your macbook flat on the bed without affecting the cooling system and the intended airflow. It is not like other notebooks that have the vents at the bottom of the case. You cannot lay it flat on the bed since it would block air going into the laptop.

 

[notaznguy]

Nvm

 

[GGJstudios]

The only vents are at the rear, as already stated. Blowing air on the vents will have no effect on cooling, as the internal fans handle that. The body may get warm due to radiated heat, but blowing a fan on the body will not lower internal temps in any meaningful way. Your Mac knows how to maintain safe operating temperatures, without the need for external devices or 3rd party software.

 

[notaznguy]

The OP must be joking.

As what GGJ studio said the vents are on the rear beside the screen hinges. That will make you laptop cooler not useable at all on your macbook.

The good side of the vents being on the rear is that you can lay your macbook flat on the bed without affecting the cooling system and the intended airflow. It is not like other notebooks that have the vents at the bottom of the case. You cannot lay it flat on the bed since it would block air going into the laptop.

Wait, so laptop coolers are utterly useless for the old White Macbooks?

 

[GGJstudios]

Wait, so laptop coolers are utterly useless for the old White Macbooks?

Pretty much.

 

[notaznguy]

Pretty much.

Wow. Talk about a waste of $20. I guess it'll be useful in 1.5 years when I finally decide to upgrade to the Macbook Pro. Thanks for the info.

/thread

 

[GGJstudios]

Wow. Talk about a waste of $20. I guess it'll be useful in 1.5 years when I finally decide to upgrade to the Macbook Pro. Thanks for the info.

/thread

I don't see any value in them, even with MBPs. People are always trying to "help" Macs cool themselves, when it's not necessary. The Intel processors used in Macs are designed to automatically shut down to prevent damage if they truly overheat (around 100C/212F - 105C/221F, depending on your processor). iStat Pro will give you accurate readings of your temps and fan speeds, among other things.

Unless there is a rare defect in a Mac, most temps are well within the normal operating range, considering the workload being put on it. Websites with Flash content, games and other multimedia apps will put higher demand on the CPU/GPU, generating more heat. This is normal. If you're constantly putting high demands on your system, such as gaming or other multimedia tasks, expect temps to rise and fans to spin up accordingly. It's just your Mac doing its job to maintain temps within the normal range.

Your fans are always on when your Mac is on, spinning at a minimum of 2000 rpm (for MBPs) or 1800 rpm (for MBAs, MBs and minis). They will spin faster as needed to keep temps at a safe level. If they're spinning up without increased heat, try resetting the SMC. PRAM/NVRAM has nothing to do with these issues, so resetting it will not help. Also, make sure you don't block the vents, which are located at the rear, near the hinge.

Learn about the fans in your Mac
Apple Portables: Operating temperature

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Wow. Talk about a waste of $20. I guess it'll be useful in 1.5 years when I finally decide to upgrade to the Macbook Pro. Thanks for the info.

/thread

Even then they will be useless, as the MBP is much better at cooling due to the aluminium body, as it radiates heat better than the plastic shell of the MB, though the MBP will feel warmer due to this, which makes many people think, the MBP is getting too hot.

 

[diazj3]

The body may get warm due to radiated heat, but blowing a fan on the body will not lower internal temps in any meaningful way.

Perhaps on a plastic MB this is true, but I disagree when it comes to aluminum laptops... when I use my MBP for very heavy stuff for long periods of time, internal fans maxed out, the bottom and top edges (above the speakers) get very hot. Using a cooling base and a USB fan in those areas will definitely take the temperature down 5º to 10ºc after some minutes, as measured by hardware monitor. Simple thermodynamics - if the metal body is an element of heat dissipation, the cooler the body stays, the easier it'll be for internal components to dissipate heat.

cheers!

 

[GGJstudios]

Using a cooling base and a USB fan in those areas will definitely take the temperature down 5º to 10ºc after some minutes, as measured by hardware monitor.

Which temperature? Yes, it may lower the temp of the body, but not the CPU/GPU. That's why I said it won't lower internal temps, at least not to any significant degree.

 

[Nameci]

It is thermodynamically correct for the aluminium body to absorb and disipate heat. It is the usual metal to be used as a heat sink. And it is reasonable that if your MBP is underload you will feel an increase in the temperature on the case. It means that there is a delta T which a difference in temperature between the laptop case and you room or ambient. There is nothing to worry since that heat on the aluminium case will be dessipated in the room. Putting the aluminium laptop over a cooler or something like of a device just increases the rate of dessipation to some degree. They are well designed products, and I would assume that they are temperature cycled while on test.