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Are there any MacBook Pros or regular Macbooks that don't have overheating problems?

F

FuryRoad

macrumors newbie
Original poster
I have MacBook Pros from 2007 and 2009 (late). Since I cannot, without a hack, install anything about 10.11, I need to get a new MBP or MB. These Macs I have get hot. I understand the heat is diffused by the body itself, but what I hoping to get help with is to find out if other year, 2012 to the present, have any heat problems. I always see one or two reviews that say this, but I have no idea. All laptops I've ever had heat up anyway, regardless of manufacturer.

Thanks.

Not interested the Air. I say 2012+ because they are good priced, and I can only guess they can do High Sierra, but I don't know how long.
 
Any laptop gets hot but you need to find out why your laptop always get hot because it depends upon the applications that you are using. Games, video and Skype will tax the CPU/GPU resources and get the MBP hot whereas Text editing and simple Internet browsing will not. Check Activity Monitor to determine which applications are the culprits.
 
2012 rMBP onwards is far better, avoid the 1st Gen as always has issues, 2nd & 3rd Gens tend to be the best, 4th Gen Apple tends to push the silicon & thermals too much with resultant throttling & intrusive fan noise.

I spent a lot of time on an early 2008 15" MBP and a Mid 2011 and they were both pigs for overheating and fan noise. Personally I'd go for a 2013/2014 15" MBP as the latest model has too many issues with the keyboard regardless of it's far superior thermal performance.

FYI the heat you feel in the chassis is very much decoupled from the CPPU/GPU, it's just a side effect of an inefficient cooling solution, equally were talking about 07/09 🙂

Q-6
 
Queen6 said:
2012 rMBP onwards is far better, avoid the 1st Gen as always has issues, 2nd & 3rd Gens tend to be the best, 4th Gen Apple tends to push the silicon & thermals too much with resultant throttling & intrusive fan noise.

I spent a lot of time on an early 2008 15" MBP and a Mid 2011 and they were both pigs for overheating and fan noise. Personally I'd go for a 2013/2014 15" MBP as the latest model has too many issues with the keyboard regardless of it's far superior thermal performance.

FYI the heat you feel in the chassis is very much decoupled from the CPPU/GPU, it's just a side effect of an inefficient cooling solution, equally were talking about 07/09 🙂

Q-6
Click to expand...

Which model in 2013/2014 are 2nd or 3rd Gens? I looked up model numbers, and I've seen early, mid,or maybe late, but I don't know which is the 2nd or 3rd you mentioned for those years. I have searched, and Wikipedia wasn't that helpful.

Maybe a couple of model numbers so I can search? Please. Thanks.

Edit: Among other pages, I did look here, https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201300
 
FuryRoad said:
Which model in 2013/2014 are 2nd or 3rd Gens? I looked up model numbers, and I've seen early, mid,or maybe late, but I don't know which is the 2nd or 3rd you mentioned for those years. I have searched, and Wikipedia wasn't that helpful.

Maybe a couple of model numbers so I can search? Please. Thanks.

Edit: Among other pages, I did look here, https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201300
Click to expand...

2012 being the 1st Gen of the rMB, personally I'd opt for a 2013/2014, 512 SSD variant, believe the 2015 can be noisier and more prone to throttling, 2016 is a washout due to the auto fail keyboard and associated ludicrous repair cost.

I'd also avoid the custom higher end CPU models as sometimes less is more, with faster hotter silicon pushing past the thermal design, equalling more aggressive throttling under load.

Q-6
 
Definitely look at what changed year to year as well. Everymac is good for this.

https://everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/index-macbookpro.html


2012 = first retina year, weak gpu (HD4000), wifi only to 802.11n - no AC
early 2013 = same weak gpu
late 2013 = retina 5100 is a bit better, adds 802.11ac, BT 4.0
mid 2014 = very similar to 2013
mid 2015 = gpu bump to 6100, faster SSD, forcetouch
2016/17 = newer models with the horrible keyboards

If you're on a budget somewhere between 2013-2015 is probably ideal.
 
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Queen6 said:
2012 rMBP onwards is far better, avoid the 1st Gen as always has issues, 2nd & 3rd Gens tend to be the best, 4th Gen Apple tends to push the silicon & thermals too much with resultant throttling & intrusive fan noise.

I spent a lot of time on an early 2008 15" MBP and a Mid 2011 and they were both pigs for overheating and fan noise. Personally I'd go for a 2013/2014 15" MBP as the latest model has too many issues with the keyboard regardless of it's far superior thermal performance.

FYI the heat you feel in the chassis is very much decoupled from the CPPU/GPU, it's just a side effect of an inefficient cooling solution, equally were talking about 07/09 🙂

Q-6
Click to expand...
The 2015 15” also has the same chipset as the 2014 so should perform identically (and the Radeon dGPU is miles cooler than the nvidia 750m to boot) the only problem there would be the extra cost for basically a force touch trackpad and extra year of support over the 2014.
 
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Falhófnir said:
The 2015 15” also has the same chipset as the 2014 so should perform identically (and the Radeon dGPU is miles cooler than the nvidia 750m to boot) the only problem there would be the extra cost for basically a force touch trackpad and extra year of support over the 2014.
Click to expand...

I believe the additional performance of the Radeon also pushes the thermals, and although Apple made the fan ramp up profile more aggressive with the 2015 they can still throttle. 15" I'd be inclined to look for the base 512 with stock CPU and carefully replace the thermal compound, as they generally just splurge it on at the factory.

Bottom line there's little point in faster silicon, if it outstrips the cooling solution as the only result is throttling, equally bigger numbers tend to drive sales...

Q-6
 
Queen6 said:
I believe the additional performance of the Radeon also pushes the thermals, and although Apple made the fan ramp up profile more aggressive with the 2015 they can still throttle. 15" I'd be inclined to look for the base 512 with stock CPU and carefully replace the thermal compound, as they generally just splurge it on at the factory.

Bottom line there's little point in faster silicon, if it outstrips the cooling solution as the only result is throttling, equally bigger numbers tend to drive sales...

Q-6
Click to expand...
I was under the impression that apart from cost, a big reason for the move to the M370x was it delivered performance that split the difference between a 750M and 950M while producing less heat than either... I seem to recall the 750M models suffered from drawing more power than the charger could supply under heavy load so I am surprised they didn’t move to a part with a lower TDP (or limit it more aggressively) to fix that.
 
Falhófnir said:
I was under the impression that apart from cost, a big reason for the move to the M370x was it delivered performance that split the difference between a 750M and 950M while producing less heat than either... I seem to recall the 750M models suffered from drawing more power than the charger could supply under heavy load so I am surprised they didn’t move to a part with a lower TDP (or limit it more aggressively) to fix that.
Click to expand...

If I remember correctly there's some discussion here on the same:

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...al-throttling-and-overheating-github.1731178/

Also believe your correct about the 750M power draw, although not the only MBP to present this issue over the years, and Apple has throttled some systems in the past. I know some are unhappy about such actions, equally dialling back the performance to prevent thermal throttling results in a faster machine overall.

Q-6
 
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Queen6 said:
If I remember correctly there's some discussion here on the same:

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...al-throttling-and-overheating-github.1731178/

Also believe your correct about the 750M power draw, although not the only MBP to present this issue over the years, and Apple has throttled some systems in the past. I know some are unhappy about such actions, equally dialling back the performance to prevent thermal throttling results in a faster machine overall.

Q-6
Click to expand...
Interesting, thanks for providing link. I assume one actual benefit of the new (TB) models could be they are the first to actually have a sufficient power adapter for what they can draw?
  • Extra 2W power supply (now 87 from 85)
  • 2W lower CPU (now 45W from 47W due to jettisoning iris pro)
  • More power efficient screen (and presumably other components)
I haven’t heard anything suggesting they deplete their batteries while plugged in, or that they throttle excessively - just a shame about the keyboard situation!
 
which late 2009 MacBook do you have as the a1342 models CAN run Sierra and high Sierra.

I know as I had a 2009 sold to friend who is running Sierra and I have a 2010 which ran high Sierra until logic board failed.

the white MacBooks I had have never overheated.
But I too am on lookout for a 2012 or newer pro.

I'm using a 2012 air right now and it is great machine.
I have never yet heard the fans kick in, but then I have not taxed it either in what I do.
 
leman said:
No recent MacBook Pros have any overheating problems. The 2016/2017 in particular are very good at sustained performance, both in third party tests and in my experience. Of course, all of them will get hot and loud when pushed, that’s just quite normal.
Click to expand...
I agree, my MBP15 2016 never gets hot.
 
Falhófnir said:
Interesting, thanks for providing link. I assume one actual benefit of the new (TB) models could be they are the first to actually have a sufficient power adapter for what they can draw?
  • Extra 2W power supply (now 87 from 85)
  • 2W lower CPU (now 45W from 47W due to jettisoning iris pro)
  • More power efficient screen (and presumably other components)
I haven’t heard anything suggesting they deplete their batteries while plugged in, or that they throttle excessively - just a shame about the keyboard situation!
Click to expand...

Same, not heard or read of the 2016/2017 throttling much outside of what I suspect being a bad paste job, believe the 13" with TB is the most susceptible to throttling. Nor any indication of discharging the battery, sadly all nulled by the terrible keyboard.

Q-6
 
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Queen6 said:
2012 rMBP onwards is far better, avoid the 1st Gen as always has issues, 2nd & 3rd Gens tend to be the best, 4th Gen Apple tends to push the silicon & thermals too much with resultant throttling & intrusive fan noise.

I spent a lot of time on an early 2008 15" MBP and a Mid 2011 and they were both pigs for overheating and fan noise. Personally I'd go for a 2013/2014 15" MBP as the latest model has too many issues with the keyboard regardless of it's far superior thermal performance.

FYI the heat you feel in the chassis is very much decoupled from the CPPU/GPU, it's just a side effect of an inefficient cooling solution, equally were talking about 07/09 🙂

Q-6
Click to expand...
2012 is the 1st gen
 
Overheating problems?

If you've never had your lap burned by a non-unibody 2006-2007 model... lol
 
I have most recently used 2015, 2016, and 2017 13" MBP. All three will get warm if running a high sustained load but not so hot as you can't use them as a laptop. For performance I prefer the 2017 but if you're looking for battery the 2015 will be your best bet n my experience.
 
I have a 2015 13" MBPro (base model) that doesn't get "beyond warm" for most of my usage. I don't recall it becoming "really hot" at all, actually.

If you want something "newer" without breaking the bank, you might consider Apple's 2015-design MBPro's. All the ports you need and the keyboard won't break on you, either.

The 13" model is available as Apple-refurbished.
The 15" model is still built and sold as new units (limited configurations).
The 15" model is also available as Apple-refurbished.
 
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Falhófnir said:
Interesting, thanks for providing link. I assume one actual benefit of the new (TB) models could be they are the first to actually have a sufficient power adapter for what they can draw?
  • Extra 2W power supply (now 87 from 85)
  • 2W lower CPU (now 45W from 47W due to jettisoning iris pro)
  • More power efficient screen (and presumably other components)
I haven’t heard anything suggesting they deplete their batteries while plugged in, or that they throttle excessively - just a shame about the keyboard situation!
Click to expand...

Based on your replies, do you still think the 2014 is ok?
 
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FuryRoad said:
Based on your replies, do you still think the 2014 is ok?
Click to expand...
Yep it’s a good machine outside of the niggling things I mentioned, if you can find a good one for significantly less than a 2015, then I don’t think you can go too far wrong with it - if there isn’t a big price difference it might be worth going for a 2015 for the extra year or two of OS support if nothing else. Would you be looking at a dGPU model or iGPU model out of curiosity?
 
Falhófnir said:
Yep it’s a good machine outside of the niggling things I mentioned, if you can find a good one for significantly less than a 2015, then I don’t think you can go too far wrong with it - if there isn’t a big price difference it might be worth going for a 2015 for the extra year or two of OS support if nothing else. Would you be looking at a dGPU model or iGPU model out of curiosity?
Click to expand...

Since I do not know what that means, I too am curious. I have to look it up. I really just want it for programming. I'll use MS Visual Studio Code more than likely and the command line. I could buy an old laptop an put Linux, but I like the MBP's feel and the OS.
 
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