Upgraded to a SSD last week. I was expecting the laptop to stay cooler due to no spinning parts. It's better but reviews of other laptops then MBPs make it sound like laptops stay completely cool when switching to SSDs. This isnt the case. Im not complaining because I love the SSD's performance but wondering if my experience is unique. My 13" MBP feels warm to the touch right down the middle.
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Biggest source of heat in MBP?
- Thread starter farmermac
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The processor is still going to generate a lot of heat, as well as the memory and other components.
Remember, also, where the HDD is located when determining the source of the excess heat.
Remember, also, where the HDD is located when determining the source of the excess heat.
the biggest source of heat is Apple not releasing a new MBP.
As you can see, there is much HEATed discussion about it. lolz
As you can see, there is much HEATed discussion about it. lolz
so what's all these reviews that claim laptops run much cooler with SSD than with a spinning HD. I guess location and heat dissipation design must have a lot to do with it. Either way love the MBP and SSD combo. Hopefully Apple implements TRIM in an update.
A regular hard drive uses about 1 watt idle and maybe up to 5 watts actively seeking. A SSD typically uses 1 watt or less all the time (depending on the brand). For example, the Intel drives are rated for .15 watts active and .075 watts idle. Most other SSDs use a bit more, but not all manufacturers give a power rating. Tom's Hardware tests might say.
The CPU, on the other hand, might dissipate up to 35 watts (depending on the speed), and the GPU might be 20-25 watts for a discrete GPU or 5-10 watts for an integrated one (ballpark numbers). The RAM uses just a few watts.
The 13" really has a minimal cooling system, and the aluminum case works as a heatsink.
Do you notice any longer battery life with the SSD?
The CPU, on the other hand, might dissipate up to 35 watts (depending on the speed), and the GPU might be 20-25 watts for a discrete GPU or 5-10 watts for an integrated one (ballpark numbers). The RAM uses just a few watts.
The 13" really has a minimal cooling system, and the aluminum case works as a heatsink.
Do you notice any longer battery life with the SSD?
No. There is a heat sink over the CPU/GPU dies. Apple just poorly applies crappy thermal paste, so it heats up so hot, and the heat sits around on the inside of the laptop, waiting for the fan to actually to some work right before it overheats.
The heatsink isn't big enough to dissipate all the heat created, so some of it is dissipated by the aluminum case. They have fixed the thermal paste issue. The fan acts mainly on the heatsink, so if the thermal paste was bad the fan wouldn't have any effect.
The thermal paste isn't applied any better or worse than in the laptops of any other make. It was a bit excessive some time ago but since they have since taken corrective action. The thermal paste is also the same generic stuff used by everyone else.
Sure. It just burns you lap though. There was a posting on a web sites some time ago, where someone took their logic board out of the aluminum caese, and put it into a CD drive thing, and it ran cooler. Also, aluminum has no direct contact with it, so it seems as it heats up inside, and the fan is keeping only the heatsink cool.
Apple's paste is white, Dell's is blue. Not the same thing.
Also, look at iFixIt tear down off the MBA. It is overly applied. My Dell Latitude D620, has the correct amount on it. But It was a refurbished D620, so it may have been different brand new. I applied Arctic Silver 5, and it runs even cooler than before.
Dells use thermal pads which are just as crappy as anything else used on the market, if not more so. Thermal pads make manufacturing easier which is the only advantage I see to their use. Arctic Silver adds unnecessary costs to mass-produced goods since it's not needed to maintain operation within-spec. If the thermal tolerances were so close that it were needed, I would say that there were serious design faults in any applicable products. Obviously this isn't the case which is why all the major OEMs use cheap thermal paste and/or pads.Apple's paste is white, Dell's is blue. Not the same thing.
Is there a significant difference in how hot the MBP gets compared to the MB? And is the heat issue just a nuisance or a cause for concern?
Not really so far, it has been a solid week and i've been using it as usual (full work day). If there is a difference, it is negligible.