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Are the heat and fans a deal breaker?

R

Richiehd

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 13, 2012
9
0
Haven't had a portable in around two years. Set my sights on the 13 inch/128/8gb. Many forums I've read said these machines get ridiculously hot when in basic use. I don't want to have something I can cook an egg with!

How hot do these machines relatively get? Most people exaggerate and I don't want to pass up a good machine because some 16 year old kid from Nebraska (No offense to 16 year old Nebraskans!) thinks that the palm rests are too warm for his delicate skin.

Thoughts?
 
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Eggs start cooking at 131F, the case of a Macbook Air does not get this hot. The palm rest doesn't get that hot. The heat is mostly on the underside of the machine.
 
If the heat is on the bottom and not on the palm rest or keyboard, I have no issue.

As for the eggs, I was just making a terrible joke. :)

Thanks for the input. Cheers.
 
Under the palm rests in the Macbook Air is the battery. The battery will make a bit of heat when it is charging or the machine is running on battery power, it will not get overly hot.
 
My 2009 MBA got pretty hot in the upper left corner of the keyboard area, but so far my 13" i7 has not. It gets warm, but never uncomfortable.
 
No.I've had MacBook Airs since the original. The first model had heat issues (it would often shut down a processor core), but the newer models, particularly since 2010, have been fine. It gets warm, but it certainly isn't a deal breaker. Most of the time the fan is pretty quiet.
 
Sigh. Yes, Apple designs products that get so hot that people are burned. Common sense has left the building.
 
kodeman53 said:
Sigh. Yes, Apple designs products that get so hot that people are burned. Common sense has left the building.
Click to expand...

No need for sarcasm. I've heard about an iPhone that blew up a few years ago. :p

Either way, I'm glad to hear it won't run as hot as I've heard and this will make my old White MacBook look like a snail!
 
I have the 13/128/8 and right now it's barely room temperature in the center and underside. Practically cold everywhere else. Haven't heard a fan since I got it yesterday. Of course I'm not using it for anything very demanding either.
 
The heat and fan is NOT an issue on my 2012 Ultimate 13''.

I'd only worry if it ever got hot enough to shut down my computer. Which has not happened yet.
 
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I have had the 2011 and have the 2012 now. Miraculously, these things barely get hot considering how much they are packing. Especially where it is most important, palm rest/keyboard. Towards the top of the keyboard and on the spine is where both of mine get it, but unless I am touching it, I would never know.

I bought a 2011 MBP hoping it would be the same. Not even close. After 30 minutes of work, I was always uncomfortable. The Air blows it away.
 
Heat

I have a 2012 2.0ghz i7 with 8 gigs of ram and 128 sad. 11.6"

The fans have only noticeably kicked on when a bash process was stuck (quit it via activity monitor) and it only gets hot if I'm watching HD movies while it's plugged in and sitting on a soft surface like my lap or a pillow.

Just take a second to properly ventilate your setup and you'll be find. Podium pads from RoadTools, both the travel and the desk ones, are nice, cheap ways to reduce heat when you're taxing the computer over long periods.
 
I am running a 13/128/8gb machine and i put the machine right up to my face and i cant hear it. I know its running though because i can feel the air blowing in my ear out the spine.

im not doing anything demanding just surfing the web and itunes.

I watched some youtube video and heard the fan come on but its not excessively loud like some of the 2011 macbook pros ive heard that sound like a plane taking off.
 
Richiehd said:
If the heat is on the bottom and not on the palm rest or keyboard, I have no issue.

As for the eggs, I was just making a terrible joke. :)
Click to expand...
The more valuable eggs are typically under a laptop... :eek:

Seriously though, if you havent used a portable in 2 years then things have definitely been improved across the board on most notebooks in terms of heat. For me, I use some heavier apps like Aperture while on my lap and the heat and fans are a non-issue.
 
entatlrg said:
Are you 2012 owners running i5 or i7's?
Click to expand...

I am running i7. The hottest temperature iStat recorded was 103 - 105 degrees celsius. This happens when I am playing Left 4 Dead 2.

Sure I can hear the fans kick in, but it's nowhere near as loud as my Sony Vaio notebook and it's not hot enough to burn my hand :rolleyes:

It's working the way it was designed.
 
Whaaa! !!

The Real Deal Breaker is the lack of retina display:


I have the 2010 MBA/ Snow Leopard and it is perfect.

I am going to buy the 2012 version though because it is more perfect.

Also I can update my stats on MacRumors Forums honestly!
 
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Decent amounts

I have an i5/13"/2012. Under light usage (web/email/word etc.) the fan is never on and the computer is room temperature. I have used it for long periods of web surfing and chatting on steam without kicking up the fan at all. Watching films is okay, I did note the fan running on low to cool the CPU as it renders the film. Nothing terrible.

Gaming will obviously turn on the fan. It does get hot maybe 10-20 degrees hotter than room temperature.

Don't forget that the Macbook Air is mostly aluminium which will obviously give better heat transference. The new 2012 model shares the Retina Mac Book Pro's Asymmetrical fan blades distributing the sound over a range of frequencies among other things.

The hottest part is the left hand upper corner. To be specific, the bottom of the unit and along the bottom of the left side of the bezel. hidden under the black hinge is actually where the fan lies.

Hope this helped :D
 
I would think of it this way: Would Apple knowingly let the CPU run that hot knowing that most laptops will fail in 3 years? They would have a class action lawsuit on their hands.

The laptop is an ultraportable, it will not put out heat as much as a conventional laptop or desktop. That being said, the upper left hand keys do get hot to the touch.

I had the 2011 Macbook Air, but returned it figuring we would get an update later this year. The fan sounded like a mini jet engine taking off. The 12 fan sounds the same, but isn't as loud.
 
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