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What are your 2.13 SSD temperatures?

M

macinsomniac

macrumors member
Original poster
May 17, 2009
48
0
I do not have any experience with MacBook Airs previous to revision C that I now own. I am using iStat menus and trying to gauge CPU usage, CPU temperature, and fan activity. I thought that it would be helpful to know how other 2.13 SSD Airs are performing. What's a normal idle-low usage temperature? What is a normal mid-high usage temperature? What is abnormally high?

One thing that I have noticed is that CPU temperature and fan activity seem really volatile. Once, upon boot, the temperature ramped up and fans kicked on for no apparent reason. Sometimes web browsing alone is causing the fan to kick on at 6200rpm. Currently, I am sitting at 129F/54C, with fans close to 2500rpm. Also, it seems odd to me that even when the fan is blowing full blast, i can not feel any air flow if i place my hand in front of the vents.

Is the 2.13 GHz CPU causing higher temps? Is what I am experiencing "normal" for a MBA? I want to put this machine through it's paces within the first 2 weeks so that I know what to expect.
 
macinsomniac said:
I do not have any experience with MacBook Airs previous to revision C that I now own. I am using iStat menus and trying to gauge CPU usage, CPU temperature, and fan activity. I thought that it would be helpful to know how other 2.13 SSD Airs are performing. What's a normal idle-low usage temperature? What is a normal mid-high usage temperature? What is abnormally high?

One thing that I have noticed is that CPU temperature and fan activity seem really volatile. Once, upon boot, the temperature ramped up and fans kicked on for no apparent reason. Sometimes web browsing alone is causing the fan to kick on at 6200rpm. Currently, I am sitting at 129F/54C, with fans close to 2500rpm. Also, it seems odd to me that even when the fan is blowing full blast, i can not feel any air flow if i place my hand in front of the vents.

Is the 2.13 GHz CPU causing higher temps? Is what I am experiencing "normal" for a MBA? I want to put this machine through it's paces within the first 2 weeks so that I know what to expect.
Click to expand...

Hi,

I ran iStat and found my new MBA 2.13 w/SSD to flucuate between 120 and 145F in temp the fan speed seems consistant at ~2500 rpm. At idle it was around 120, playing a vid in iTunes rose to 140-145 and surfing the Web with and with out video playing embedded in the web page was also a temp in the 135-145 range with fan speed consistent at ~2,500 rpm.

Curiously, the initial temp reading immediately upon rebooting was ~170F w/ a fan speed of 2492. The temp immediately (within 3 seconds) dropped to the low 120's.

The system has not been touched since the reboot and shows a temp of 111 and a fan speed of 2502.


Regards,

Joe
 
~2500 rpm is the default lowest speed for revision B and C Airs. Anything between 40 - 50° C can be considered normal for idling/very light usage. If temperatures raise a lot while web browsing, it may be Flash eating up your CPU. Try FlashBlock (for Firefox) or ClickToFlash (for Safari) - these plugins stop the browser from downloading Flash parts of the website, showing only an icon in their place. You can click the icon to get the original content.
 
After re-applying thermal compound.

My temps were always in the high 40c and mid 50c just with using safari(3-4tabs)+itunes. Then I took it apart and applied AS5 and I am getting high 30s-low 40s with the same stuff open @ ~1800-1900 rpm. Watching hulu HD my temps would be mid 50c w/fans around 3500rpm-4500rpm. My fans never reached max even when repairing disk permissions makes it reach mid 60c
 
arcangel6 said:
I ran iStat and found my new MBA 2.13 w/SSD to flucuate between 120 and 145F in temp the fan speed seems consistant at ~2500 rpm. At idle it was around 120, playing a vid in iTunes rose to 140-145 and surfing the Web with and with out video playing embedded in the web page was also a temp in the 135-145 range with fan speed consistent at ~2,500 rpm.

Curiously, the initial temp reading immediately upon rebooting was ~170F w/ a fan speed of 2492. The temp immediately (within 3 seconds) dropped to the low 120's.

The system has not been touched since the reboot and shows a temp of 111 and a fan speed of 2502.
Click to expand...

It seems that you are experiencing slightly cooler temperatures than I am. It's noteworthy that you also experienced the high temp and fan RPMs on boot.

I have been surprised by how volatile the temperature is, but perhaps that is to be expected in such a tiny enclosure. My biggest concern is how that heat is managed. What is a dangerously high temperature? Is there a sufficient cooling mechanism in place? It is curious that even with the fans at 6200rpm+, I cannot feel any air movement next to the vents. Heat should be dissipated.
 
iaymnu said:
My temps were always in the high 40c and mid 50c just with using safari(3-4tabs)+itunes. Then I took it apart and applied AS5 and I am getting high 30s-low 40s with the same stuff open @ ~1800-1900 rpm. Watching hulu HD my temps would be mid 50c w/fans around 3500rpm-4500rpm. My fans never reached max even when repairing disk permissions makes it reach mid 60c
Click to expand...

This is interesting. Does this mean that there isn't proper cooling from the factory? I would not want to do this and risk my warranty, but it is interesting to note nonetheless. At no point did I take a performance hit when temperatures rose, but I am most concerned about potential damage to the hardware after continued use at those levels.
 
my MBA rev:C 2,13ghz reached 84 degrees when i was repairing disk permissions. is this normal? i thought the REV:C should run cooler??
 
It uses a 17w TDP chip.. which is the same as rev B and apparently rev A was also a 17w TDP (instead of the 20w TDP people originally thought)

2.13GHz SL9600 (Current in Rev. C) -
http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=37262

1.86GHz SL9400 (Found in Rev. B higher end and Rev. C lower end) -
http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=36689&processor=SL9400&spec-codes=SLGHD,SLGAB,SLB66

1.8GHz L7700 (Also known as P7700 for smaller packaging size; found in Rev. A) -
http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=32243&processor=L7700&spec-codes=

1.6GHz L7500 (Also known as P7500 for smaller packaging size; found in Rev. A) -
http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=29757&processor=L7500&spec-codes=SLA3R,SLAET

So, by these specs, the Rev C 2.13GHz should run hotter then the rest of the MacBook Airs.
 
iaymnu said:
My temps were always in the high 40c and mid 50c just with using safari(3-4tabs)+itunes. Then I took it apart and applied AS5 and I am getting high 30s-low 40s with the same stuff open @ ~1800-1900 rpm. Watching hulu HD my temps would be mid 50c w/fans around 3500rpm-4500rpm. My fans never reached max even when repairing disk permissions makes it reach mid 60c
Click to expand...

My stock 2.13 MBA without any hacks software/hardware wise, revealed up to 85c on viewing HD vids and usually stays around 50. After fixing thermal paste and installing CoolBook, didn't change much. Unless you live in southern hemisphere to cool your machine naturally, my machine is missing something.
 
h1d said:
My stock 2.13 MBA without any hacks software/hardware wise, revealed up to 85c on viewing HD vids and usually stays around 50. After fixing thermal paste and installing CoolBook, didn't change much. Unless you live in southern hemisphere to cool your machine naturally, my machine is missing something.
Click to expand...

I am in NYC. :D
My temps lowered a lot. I never hit 85c before the new AS5, it was in the good mid 70c. I did reapply 3 times and each time I used less than before. It seems less is more with these things. I also didn't blob it on but instead I used a credit card and carefully spread it thin. I am still in the break-in period that AS5 instruction suggested. (200hr ?) Maybe yours will get better after the break-in?
 
i thought they fixed the heating issue??
my MBA rev:A only reaches max: 78c, so is this true the REV:C are hotter than all other MBA's :confused:
 
ayeying said:
It uses a 17w TDP chip.. which is the same as rev B and apparently rev A was also a 17w TDP (instead of the 20w TDP people originally thought)

2.13GHz SL9600 (Current in Rev. C) -
http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=37262

1.86GHz SL9400 (Found in Rev. B higher end and Rev. C lower end) -
http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=36689&processor=SL9400&spec-codes=SLGHD,SLGAB,SLB66

1.8GHz L7700 (Also known as P7700 for smaller packaging size; found in Rev. A) -
http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=32243&processor=L7700&spec-codes=

1.6GHz L7500 (Also known as P7500 for smaller packaging size; found in Rev. A) -
http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=29757&processor=L7500&spec-codes=SLA3R,SLAET

So, by these specs, the Rev C 2.13GHz should run hotter then the rest of the MacBook Airs.
Click to expand...


"While the L7700 and L7500 have a 17W TDP, the chips used in the MacBook Air are rated at 20W (standard mobile Core 2 Duo chips are 35W parts)"

"The 1.6GHz chip in the MacBook Air runs at 1.0V - 1.25V, while the 1.8GHz part runs at 1.1125V - 1.25V. Note that this is less voltage than a standard mobile Core 2 Duo, but more voltage than the Low Voltage chips."


link
 
glitch44 said:
"While the L7700 and L7500 have a 17W TDP, the chips used in the MacBook Air are rated at 20W (standard mobile Core 2 Duo chips are 35W parts)"

"The 1.6GHz chip in the MacBook Air runs at 1.0V - 1.25V, while the 1.8GHz part runs at 1.1125V - 1.25V. Note that this is less voltage than a standard mobile Core 2 Duo, but more voltage than the Low Voltage chips."


link
Click to expand...

Curious

If Coolbook actually does what it says, then reducing the TDP in my Air rev A to run somewhere between a LV and ULV chip (maybe around 15W at .9v-.937) is possible.

but who knows :rolleyes:

BTW I just installed a little app 'Click-to-Flash' that suppresses flash content in Safari until you click on it , and it's really doing wonders for the Air and it's hyperactive fan. Strongly recommend .
 
I ran iStat again on my MBA 2.13 w/SSD this time booting the computer from a dead cold start and using degrees ‘C’ since everyone else seems to be doing so and found the following:

*My apartment ambient temp is 23 C

Initial boot up from cold start: (Screen and Keyboard Backlight on Max settings)
Fan: 2495
Temp: 35 C
Boot up time:
To Apple start up sound: 5 seconds
To Apple Logo: 15 seconds
To Desktop: 30 seconds total boot up time

10 minutes idle time after Initial boot up from cold start:
Fan: 2496
Temp: 39 C

10 minutes after playing a video in iTunes:
Fan: 2499
Temp: 59 C
*Fan would occasionally fluctuate between 2499 and 2506. The highest temp I noted was 61 C.


10 minutes idle time after stopping video in iTunes:
Fan: 2499
Temp: 44 C

10 minutes after playing a DVD Movie on SuperDrive:
Fan: 2499
Temp: 55 C

10 minutes idle time after stopping DVD Movie on SuperDrive:
Fan: 2495
Temp: 55 C

10 minutes after playing a video on YouTube:
Fan: 2506
Temp: 65

Using Final Cut Express to render a 2 minute 30 second video clip with two transitions:
*I realize that while the MBA can run Final Cut Express, its primary purpose is not video editing but thought this would be interesting.

After 10% Rendered:
Fan: 3019
Temp: 82 C

After 25% Rendered:
Fan: 6204
Temp: 80 C
After 50% Rendered:
Fan: 6184
Temp: 77 C

After 75% Rendered:
Fan: 6204
Temp: 78 C

After 95% Rendered:
Fan: 6204
Temp: 80 C

Cooling Time from 80 C (Final Cut Express was closed immediately after rendering)

1 minute post closure of Final Cut Express
Fan: 6163
Temp: 51 C

3 minutes post closure of Final Cut Express
Fan: 4302
Temp: 48 C

5 minutes post closure of Final Cut Express
Fan: 2499
Temp: 47 C

As expected the rendering was much slower on the MBA versus systems that I own which are optimized for video editing. I did not time the rendering.

Joe
 
I bought a new paste that looked decent, reapplied, nothing changed :( Idle is around 50c, busy moment is 80c+, measured by "Temperature Monitor". I guess I'll have to live with it, not going to use on lap. But I have CoolBook with 1.596ghz/0.9250v and 2.128ghz/1.0000v, perhaps the default throttling of having 700mhz could cool the machine a little more on idle moments though.

On another note, if I don't have coolbook throttling, I can't watch HD movies with decent framerate.

For example, if you go to http://www.square-enix.co.jp/fabula/ff13/ and click on 'TRAILERS' and pick one of the 3mbps one, without CoolBook, movie totally gets choppy (assuming having appropriate bandwidth), but with it throttling with the 2 settings mentioned above, I get near perfect playback with CPU use at around 170%. So I guess I need CoolBook again...
 
aleksandra. said:
~2500 rpm is the default lowest speed for revision B and C Airs. Anything between 40 - 50° C can be considered normal for idling/very light usage. If temperatures raise a lot while web browsing, it may be Flash eating up your CPU. Try FlashBlock (for Firefox) or ClickToFlash (for Safari) - these plugins stop the browser from downloading Flash parts of the website, showing only an icon in their place. You can click the icon to get the original content.
Click to expand...

Flashblock was a great suggestion! Using Flashblock to surf my system stays in the 45-50 C range and averages 47 C. If I go to a to a page that has Flash video and load the flash using Flashblock's 'play' icon the temperature jumps to 60 C in a little over a minute hovering between 57 and 61 C with fan speeds rising slightly to a little over 2500 rpm.

Joe
 
You could just use SafariBlock and kill all the flash u never need (with just a right click). The flash u might need should play from start anyway.
 
Are these temps normal?

CPU A - 68ºC
Enclosure Bottom - 43ºC
Airport Card - 56ºC
Power Supply 1 - 62ºC
Power Supply 2 - 53ºC

I've been watching some videos for about 2hrs and I've stopped about half an hour ago and the temps don't go down and the fan is kicking at 6200rpm. The system feels slow opening menus hovering the dock etc...

(using Snow Leopard)

Thanks
 
arcangel6 said:
Flashblock was a great suggestion! Using Flashblock to surf my system stays in the 45-50 C range and averages 47 C. If I go to a to a page that has Flash video and load the flash using Flashblock's 'play' icon the temperature jumps to 60 C in a little over a minute hovering between 57 and 61 C with fan speeds rising slightly to a little over 2500 rpm.

Joe
Click to expand...

I'll second this. The various flash blockers (there seems to be a number of ways to do this) apparently are essential for the Air. The Air just seems to hate flash.

Now my temps hover around 45c and never go above this for most of my usage.

fantastic..... thanks!
 
Bruno Silva said:
Are these temps normal?

CPU A - 68ºC
Enclosure Bottom - 43ºC
Airport Card - 56ºC
Power Supply 1 - 62ºC
Power Supply 2 - 53ºC

I've been watching some videos for about 2hrs and I've stopped about half an hour ago and the temps don't go down and the fan is kicking at 6200rpm. The system feels slow opening menus hovering the dock etc...

(using Snow Leopard)

Thanks
Click to expand...

Which MBA are you using???????? Not just Version (i.e. A, B or C) but processor, hard drive and are you using it as is or with some kind of shield or covering. My tests were done using the latest MBA w/SSD without any additional protective covering. While the best coverings do have cooling vents the fact is that they (plastic) transmit heat less efficiently than does the bare aluminum. The metal body acts like a heat sink to dissipate the heat from inside the unit and aluminum makes an especially good heat sink.


Joe
 
arcangel6 said:
Which MBA are you using???????? Not just Version (i.e. A, B or C) but processor, hard drive and are you using it as is or with some kind of shield or covering. My tests were done using the latest MBA w/SSD without any additional protective covering. While the best coverings do have cooling vents the fact is that they (plastic) transmit heat less efficiently than does the bare aluminum. The metal body acts like a heat sink to dissipate the heat from inside the unit and aluminum makes an especially good heat sink.


Joe
Click to expand...

I understand, but since this topic was about the 2.13 SSD I didn't mention that. Well, mine is a 2.13 SSD and I had a speck hard cover, but since it was getting so hot I removed it, will only be using it for transport. I see most people reporting fan speeds around 2500, mine is almost always at 6200 with regular browsing (flashblock is on), e-mail and calendar.
To have an idea, yesterday it was so hot that I couldn't touch it for more than 2 seconds.
 
Bruno Silva said:
I understand, but since this topic was about the 2.13 SSD I didn't mention that. Well, mine is a 2.13 SSD and I had a speck hard cover, but since it was getting so hot I removed it, will only be using it for transport. I see most people reporting fan speeds around 2500, mine is almost always at 6200 with regular browsing (flashblock is on), e-mail and calendar.
To have an idea, yesterday it was so hot that I couldn't touch it for more than 2 seconds.
Click to expand...

Hi,

Point taken about the topic title. Sorry to hear about your troubles with the MBA. Obviously, something is wrong. Someone else I know just picked up the identical MBA but is having no heat issues, or at least as you are describing. You plan on sending it back? I would.

Joe
 
arcangel6 said:
Hi,

Point taken about the topic title. Sorry to hear about your troubles with the MBA. Obviously, something is wrong. Someone else I know just picked up the identical MBA but is having no heat issues, or at least as you are describing. You plan on sending it back? I would.

Joe
Click to expand...

I've gone back to Leopard, it doesn't seem to be heating up so much, but I haven't really tested. I'll give it a few more days. I asked about the temps because I thought this machine would be cooler than my MBP, but it isn't. I really love the macbook air, it's the perfect machine for me (asside from a barely noticeable monitor issue and the heat).
 
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