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Yixian

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jun 2, 2007
1,483
135
Europe
My MBP overheats in Windows on a regular basis and I'm getting sick of it, can anyone recommend a good colling pad considering the location of the MBPs vents?
 
My MBP overheats in Windows on a regular basis and I'm getting sick of it, can anyone recommend a good colling pad considering the location of the MBPs vents?

Good luck. Best thing to do is download SMCFancontrol in Mac, then set the fans to around 4500-5000rpm, before rebooting into Windows. Then ensure that the back of the computer is free from being blocked. Cooling pads do nothing for the MBP. There are no vents on the bottom.
 
Good luck. Best thing to do is download SMCFancontrol in Mac, then set the fans to around 4500-5000rpm, before rebooting into Windows. Then ensure that the back of the computer is free from being blocked. Cooling pads do nothing for the MBP. There are no vents on the bottom.

Cooling pads do plenty for MBP's, they are after all designed to radiate heat off the bottom. Cool that, you cool the CPU
 
Cooling pads do plenty for MBP's, they are after all designed to radiate heat off the bottom. Cool that, you cool the CPU

I'd like to see someone post on here their CPU temps while running Flash with and without a pad. I have yet to see the worth of a cooling pad for a MBP, other than wasting your money. Installing SMCFanControl for free is a better option IMO. I use something that is flash intensive, I just set my fan for 6200rpm. Never gets above 82 degrees and usually hovers around 77. Normal web surfing, I average 45 degrees.

I see no need for a cooling pad.
 
I have a non-unibody whitebook and when I run winXP it easily gets up to ~65+ without my belkin cooling fan...

With the whitebook on the stand it keeps it at ~56 depending on what I'm doing under winXP...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834998314

...best part is, I got it on clearance sale NIB for $12 at a going out of business sale...

which temperature are you quoting?? CPU or bottom or which?? also which is the best util to measure the temp??
 
Door shims (pieces of wood used when installing a door jamb) are 9 inches long and perfect for a 15" MBP. Just rest the laptop on two of these and there's enough air flow under the computer to help with air circulation. Total cost $1.99. doesn't look cool or fancy, but is practical.
 
My MBP overheats in Windows on a regular basis and I'm getting sick of it, can anyone recommend a good colling pad considering the location of the MBPs vents?

Yes, pretty much any cheap one will work off of ebay. I don't know how long it will last, but i bought one for about 8 dollars, and it's been working great ever since.
It makes my 13" a lot cooler on the bottom, as well as the fan speed is reduced, however I can't give specific temps.
 
Just lifting the MBP from the desk isn't enough, my MBP still puts itself to sleep after 30-40 mins of SC2. Currently I am sitting my laptop on top of a bag of frozen peas - they are cooked many times over by now but it sure works! xD

I was wondering which cooling pads are the most recommended, I know that cooling the base of the MBP works very well so the most powerful whilst still being fairly quiet is what I'm after. Apparently the Belkin is very noisy?
 
I use the iLap. They're a bit expensive, but I've found they do an excellent job:

http://www.raindesigninc.com/ilap.html

They don't touch the laptop, so you still get airflow directly under the machine. But they also have a metal bottom so when the heat from the machine overwhelms what the air can carry away, the stand starts conducting the excess away.

Also, fanless, so no extra noise or power required to use.
 
Cooling pads do plenty for MBP's, they are after all designed to radiate heat off the bottom. Cool that, you cool the CPU

This guy bought a coolpad and did some great before-and-after tests.
His conclusion "there is hardly any difference with or without the cooler in regard to the internals"
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/962504/

Your Mac shouldn't overheat, the fans are controlled in firmware, nothing to do with Windows. Overheating means there is a problem. Could be several things - dust in the vents, thermal paste, broken fan, duff heatsink, RAM etc etc.

It might be worth downloading iStat Pro and stress testing your Mac and looking at internal temperatures to try to diagnose why it's overheating - before you invest in the coolpad?
 
OP- Are you adverse to SMCFan Control? It seems to be the best solution, IMO. And for the record, I don't have it nor have I ever used it, I'm just observing this thread. My MPB heats up, but I haven't ever had it go to sleep for that reason. If I started to get issues like that, or if I'm bored and want to tinker, I'd be getting the SMC Fan Control app. Actually, I used to have a Camaro and a manual fan switch to keep the temps down- and it worked beautifully.

The only reason I say it may be worth another look is a cooling pad is going to be money, no matter how nominal, an additional "thing" to have with your laptop and it may take up a wall outlet or a usb port. SMC Fan control is $free.95. Of course, do what you want, I'm just trying to raise a good point that seems to have been glossed over.
 
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