My 15" i5 Macbook Pro has been my mobile gaming and video/photo editing machine when I need it to be. To me its always ran uncomfortably hot (not to the touch, cpu/gpu hardware wise im talking. I expect the aluminum body to heat up. I find it silly when people bitch saying their macbook burned them... lol). I bought a spare bottom cover and did something similar to what I did to an HP laptop that also got stupidly hot.
As a benchmark Final Fantasy 14 is a great reference for me on this laptop. It stresses out the cpu plenty and maxes out the gpu as well. Running in windows 7 via bootcamp, and using a bootcamp fan controller by Lubbo's: http://sourceforge.net/projects/lubbofancontrol/
CPU & GPU temperatures monitored live while playing the game by MSI Afterburner's On Screen Display.
Below are my results
Under bootcamp before the case mod the peak temperatures would be between 97 and 99*c which is ridicules.
After the lower case mod my peak temperatures average between 80 and 85c now. FAR better. Overall the fans ramp up MUCH less under normal use too.
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Using a dremel all I did was clear out the vents in front of the fans and then smooth it down. This does not in any way change the look of the laptop as you cant really see the vents with the laptop open or closed unless you look for them.
This also does not endanger the heatsink(s) as the screen's inverter cover is still mostly in the way.
I also did this same mod to my 13" older aluminum unibody c2duo macbook that I use as a netbook.
Just another option out there instead of drilling holes or anything else that is a much more visually noticeable mod when the laptop is upside down or whatever for any reason.
I am curious how this mod mixed with an added fan vent on the bottom would effect temps.
I imagine this can be done to any and all aluminum unibody macs that share the same overall design... which should be pretty much all of them. Shouldn't void any warranty either if you buy a spare bottom cover to do this to and keep the original stashed away.
As a benchmark Final Fantasy 14 is a great reference for me on this laptop. It stresses out the cpu plenty and maxes out the gpu as well. Running in windows 7 via bootcamp, and using a bootcamp fan controller by Lubbo's: http://sourceforge.net/projects/lubbofancontrol/
CPU & GPU temperatures monitored live while playing the game by MSI Afterburner's On Screen Display.
Below are my results
Under bootcamp before the case mod the peak temperatures would be between 97 and 99*c which is ridicules.
After the lower case mod my peak temperatures average between 80 and 85c now. FAR better. Overall the fans ramp up MUCH less under normal use too.
Using a dremel all I did was clear out the vents in front of the fans and then smooth it down. This does not in any way change the look of the laptop as you cant really see the vents with the laptop open or closed unless you look for them.
This also does not endanger the heatsink(s) as the screen's inverter cover is still mostly in the way.
I also did this same mod to my 13" older aluminum unibody c2duo macbook that I use as a netbook.
Just another option out there instead of drilling holes or anything else that is a much more visually noticeable mod when the laptop is upside down or whatever for any reason.
I am curious how this mod mixed with an added fan vent on the bottom would effect temps.
I imagine this can be done to any and all aluminum unibody macs that share the same overall design... which should be pretty much all of them. Shouldn't void any warranty either if you buy a spare bottom cover to do this to and keep the original stashed away.
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