12" PB: How hot does it get?

[jothee]

Hey folks.

I'm currently about to switch over from a 12" iBook to a 12" PB. And i'm a bit concerned about all the heat complaints I'm hearing from PB owners.

I keep hearing different things. Some people say the heat is enough to burn, or its pretty cool, or more memory helps, etc.

Can anyone clarify any of this for me? Is a PB significantly hotter than an ibook? Is it okay to use on a bed (with the vents kept clear of course)?

 

[michaelrjohnson]

Hey folks.

I'm currently about to switch over from a 12" iBook to a 12" PB. And i'm a bit concerned about all the heat complaints I'm hearing from PB owners.

I keep hearing different things. Some people say the heat is enough to burn, or its pretty cool, or more memory helps, etc.

It varies per revision. According to what I've read, the hottest revision was Rev. A. I own a Rev. C and it gets pretty warm. Under typical use (without the Finder 100% CPU bug) it gets too warm to have on your lap for a long period of time. In bed, or on any padded surface, your PB will heat up much more rapidly, and the fan will almost certainly be on the whole time. I think generally, it's better if it's not on those surfaces, but a book and a raised tail-end of your PB should be just fine.

Can anyone clarify any of this for me? Is a PB significantly hotter than an ibook?

As an owner of the previous revision of iBook (purchased in March, sold in July), I can tell you that the PB *is* significantly hotter than an iBook. By quite a bit. But there's a lot more machine under the hood, if you know what I mean.

 

[JOD8FY]

I have the Rev. B 12" PB and I'd say that for extended use, it will get quite warm, not unbearable, but warm. I find that my PB's fan hardly ever runs, unless I'm video editing or playing a game. I have never owned an iBook so I can't compare the two.

Best wishes,
JOD8FY

 

[abhishekit]

I have a Rev C 12" pb. I always use it on my lap on the couch. And the fan does come on a lot more than my previous iBook. But still it never gets as hot as you have to take it off your lap. And the fan is very silent, so thats not much bother either.

 

[DGFan]

My Rev C PB never gets hot enough to burn me (my wrist or my leg). However, during intense HD activity (like ripping a DVD) it sometimes gets so hot that it kernel panics or causes apps to crash. My targus coolpad has helped this somewhat but it's still a problem occasionally.

 

[brap]

Can anyone clarify any of this for me? Is a PB significantly hotter than an ibook? Is it okay to use on a bed (with the vents kept clear of course)?

It gets too bloody hot. The fan is placed in a really stoopid position whereby once the lid is opened the aperture is blocked fully. You'll notice the iBook has a hole to let the heat dissipate through the hinge; the PB has no such hole. It gets hottest at the central point just above the keyboard (FYI: this is my revision c).

Significantly hotter than an iBook. Don't use it on your bed unless you have a fire extinguisher handy.

 

[wPod]

it depends on what you use and how much power you are consuming. for example surfing the internet and talking on iChat produces a tollerable amount of heat. . . watching a DVD produces a lot of heat due to the added use of the cd drive. if you only need one or so programs on the bed then you are ok, but if you use your book a lot on your bed then it will probably get too hot. and yes much hotter than the G3 iBook i had. . . (i have a rev A 12"pb now)

 

[stevehaslip]

it doesn't get hot! i cringe when i see these threads! it gets mildly warm if you thrash it installing stuff. and the fan issue in 10.3.4 is a non starter for me too.

if you have a laptop, you want the best battery life you can get? right?
so put the powersave feature on and dont set the processor setting to maximum! voila problem solved! even when doing pretty large things in photoshop i have only had the fan come on once! and it gets warm but only about as warm as my dads IBM t41.

don't use it on a bed or on a pillow or something and you'll be fine.

 

[mowogg]

Fry an egg...

Not that hot, but pretty darn hot.
I have a Rev A 12 inch PowerBook here at work and the fan runs most of the time. I checked the temp yesterday and it said the HD was 114 degrees F. The CPU was 122 degrees. I have a lot of apps open (640 MB ram) and it keeps busy. The left palm rest gets warm, but not too hot. I wouldn't worry about it. I had a Wallstreet that could warm a small house if you played a DVD on it.