A Neglected Macbook Pro problem : heat

[pacman7331]

I hear Apple wants to get their MacBook Pros even thinner. Is this wise? I have two macbook pros 1 core and another core 2, paid over 2 grand for each of them. Both have heat problems.

Foolishly i bought my second MBP assuming the new models would not so stupidly overheat as the first models. Was I ever so foolish...

not only does this model get just as hot, it seems even worse.
While in boot camp playing starcraft 2 for example, The macbook pro will suddenly shut off or go to sleep.

My only guess is the computer is running some kind of overheat protection measures.

And it is always dangerously hot to the touch when it does this. In fact im surprised i have not heard of apple getting sued for how hot these computers really get. They are not safe, especially for children.

I have seen also many many threads online about later models just shuttung off or going to sleep while in bootcamp.

Looks to me Apple just does not care, but for selling such a product which overheats by itself and can even burn people if they are not careful, there has got to be sufficient grouds for a serious lawsuit. Apple should at least label their computers like McDonalds was forced to label their coffee cups after that old lady sued them when she spilled coffee on herself. This is I think a bit less obvious. Either that or install more fans! Something needs to be done.

Apple seems to be acting as if everything with MacBook Pros is just great, well this is a problem that has been around and it still remains unsolved and unadressed.

For buying two Macbook pros and having them both have so much heat that they are reclassidfied "portable" rather than laptop. And seeing as the problem is not getting any better, but perhaps worse. And then Apple wants to make their computers even thinner? Sombody needs to get these people's attention!

Id like to think the new MBP models about to go on market will run way cooler but I doubt it seeing as the problem goes on unadressed and ignored, chances are they will be worse... which makes me hesitate to buy another...

That my opinion anyway...

Macbook Pro, 10.5 Core Duo 2.0 Ghz
MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.6), Unibody, 2.8 Ghz.

 

[pat park]

Are you on drugs?

Apple should label laptops like hot coffee, to warn people they will get burned?

Apple has been making laptops for years. If there was a burning problem, several class action lawsuits would've been played out by now.

There is not a burning problem with apple laptops. They do get hot at times. Bit it's not a health hazard that would require government intervention to protect unsuspecting consumers.


Apple does care. They want to sell a lot of products and caring about the product and the customer is what got them to the level they are at now.

 

[pacman7331]

Are you on drugs?

Apple should label laptops like hot coffee, to warn people they will get burned?

Apple has been making laptops for years. If there was a burning problem, several class action lawsuits would've been played out by now.

There is not a burning problem with apple laptops. They do get hot at times. Bit it's not a health hazard that would require government intervention to protect unsuspecting consumers.


Apple does care. They want to sell a lot of products and caring about the product and the customer is what got them to the level they are at now.

I see your sassy response is meant to irritate me.
By asking if I'm on drugs, that supposed to be some kind of put down. Lol...
Very clever...

No it doesn't seems that Apple cares about the Heat Issue, and I bet it's going to get worse, with these thinner laptops, as the MPB is already under-clocked to keep heat down. I think the reason that people don't take Apple to court on it, is that Apple is a hell of an adversary in court. But it would be nice if this Heat issue was addressed, as many people seem to have this problem. And it's really not a new one...

Here are a few discussions on the topic:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2311857?threadID=2311857&tstart=0&messageID=11619555
http://mac.bigresource.com/MacBook-Pro-MBP-keeps-shutting-down-by-itself-due-to-heat--TYAtUUgkh.html
http://mac.bigresource.com/MacBook-Pro-bootcamp-gaming-causing-heat--Ex9DrTdz9.html
http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/apple-notebooks/214640-macbook-boot-camp-random-shutdown.html
http://superuser.com/questions/218/why-does-my-macbook-become-extremely-hot-when-using-boot-camp
http://social.bioware.com/forum/Dra...runs-super-hot-while-playing-DA-558906-1.html

Just a few discussions...

 

[marc11]

So what do you and all the BS heat whiners want Apple to do? You guys want 4 or more cores, bleeding edge performance, high end graphics to game on in a 3 pound 1/3 inch thick laptop that never goes above ambient temps.

Can't have your cake and eat pal even the best engineers at Apple can't deliver everything. You trade heat for style and performance. Which do you think the masses are willing to give up?

Loud fans on all the time? Nope.

Thicker machine with huge vents? Nope.

Plastics in place of aluminum? Nope?

Liquid cooling ha ha.

Heavier machine? Nope.

Less performance? Nope.

The heat issue is so freaking overblown around here it is as old as the "should I buy now" question. High performance generates heat, that heat HAS to go somewhere no matter what. That dissipation requires more fans, more vents and or more mass to partially not even fully isolate the user. Else you throttle performance significantly once a heat threshed is reached which would create a rash of "I didn't pay x dollars for my (insert MBP specs here) to run slower than capable" threads.

I see you recommend a sticker warning the user, hmmm yeah that will solve, ummmm what? And if your machine is shutting down and you cannot touch the hottest part for fear of being burned then there is something wrong with your specific machine.

 

[ScottishDuck]

Aluminium is the main problem, means all that internal heat is being transferred straight into the shell.

There's a reason you won't find Laptops called Laptops anymore, it's illegal to do so because they cook your crotch.

 

[Newfiejudd]

So what do you and all the BS heat whiners want Apple to do? You guys want 4 or more cores, bleeding edge performance, high end graphics to game on in a 3 pound 1/3 inch thick laptop that never goes above ambient temps.

Can't have your cake and eat pal even the best engineers at Apple can't deliver everything. You trade heat for style and performance. Which do you think the masses are willing to give up?

Loud fans on all the time? Nope.

Thicker machine with huge vents? Nope.

Plastics in place of aluminum? Nope?

Liquid cooling ha ha.

Heavier machine? Nope.

Less performance? Nope.

The heat issue is so freaking overblown around here it is as old as the "should I buy now" question. High performance generates heat, that heat HAS to go somewhere no matter what. That dissipation requires more fans, more vents and or more mass to partially not even fully isolate the user. Else you throttle performance significantly once a heat threshed is reached which would create a rash of "I didn't pay x dollars for my (insert MBP specs here) to run slower than capable" threads.

I see you recommend a sticker warning the user, hmmm yeah that will solve, ummmm what? And if your machine is shutting down and you cannot touch the hottest part for fear of being burned then there is something wrong with your specific machine.

Okay take a deep breath and step away from the keyboard. The OP has some valid points. Yes these machines do get hot, is it enough to warrant a label? No I don't think so.

Is it enough to warrant more consideration be made on laptop cooling? Absolutely.

These machines get hot when stressed, it doesn't mean the internal are HIGH END. In fact hey are just ordinary run of the mill components, with a great form factor (Well aesthetics wise anyways). The system does lack in what WE (USER) consider the cooling, but in regards to the thermal limit of the components the system runs in a SAFE operating threshold.

For me the cooling was terrible on my system, after several trips to the GENIUS bar and a repair issued, the heat was still what I felt high. After a few slight modifications I have my MBP running like a champ. Sitting here writing this message I am running at 38c, with fans at 2k each on IGP.

First mod I tried was to re-paste the thermal paste. Recommend this to anyone that is comfortable doing this. Second was to reset the PRAM, believe it or not that did help.

But most of all, I machined the bottom plate of my MBP with some small holes around the fan intake area. This dropped my load temps by 10-15c while gaming in Windows. This mod isn't for everyone, but it has worked well for me. In fact I have had 3 Unibodies all done this way. Each new UMBP was handed down to family members and is still in use today. This isn't for everyone, and I am very well aware it voided my warranty and all that other good stuff. So just take it as it is, a suggestion. Wether you use it, like it or not is your perspective.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/app...tle-underside-case-mod-big-temp-decrease.html

 

[PAPO]

apple laptops don't run as much hotter than others as you might think, but their metal casings conduct heat better than plastic used by other manufactures, hence they FEEL hotter 'cause the heat is transferred through the casing more efficiently.

IF this is a problem there is an application called SMC fan control you can force the fans to run faster than usual to keep things cooler (I normally leave it set at 3-3.5k rpm and it stops things from heating up in the first place

 

[AlexMason86]

I dont think it is neglected... its just one of those things you simply cant do anything about if you want to meet a load of other key deliverables as well. Very much a case of can't have your cake and eat it.

What people come to expect from the MBP's are:

Thin chassis made from metal
Sleek uncluttered design
High power internals - Dual cores, Quad cores, Discrete gaphics chips and lots of ram
Quiet operation

Given the space available, the power required and design constrictions of having to hide vents and make the thing out of metal there really isnt much you can do about the heat. The Aluminium casing in itself acts as one big heatsink as Alu is a relatively good heat conductor (hence cheap coolers are made from this) and there is nothing you can do to stop the laws of thermodynamics and heat transfer!

There is no room for large copper heat sinks, there is no way water cooling will be employed. Thermo electrics use power and just transfer heat elsewhere. Compromise has to come in at some point and as people must have thin, powerful, small laptops made from premium materials (to justify the large price of the computers) then heat management takes a knock to the head.

All you can reasonablly do is employ a heat pipe setup transfering heat to a heatsink located close to a vent and blow air through it. Heat pipes are very very good at transfering heat so I can't see how you can get much better at the moment.

if you want a cool laptop.... get a larger one with larger heat sinks and fans that spin fast. Or, get a lower powered computer. Can't have everything!

 

[Ohrstrom]

I read a swedish article today that ivy bridge appears to have some heat trouble but it appears to be due to poor quality heatsink paste. So i guess the re-pasting that some people do is a good idea for IB cpu's aswell.