Bootcamp Windows 7 makes MBA way too hot

[Noble Actual]

Always though this was interesting.

For some reason, games run better natively on my 2013 MBA than on W7 bootcamp. Is it because of bad driver/graphics/fan support?

Would be a 1 minute into a game where just touching the surface would be so hot, it feels unsafe (temp would be even hotter inside the laptop).

Any tips to make the Mac cooler? Just found it interesting that I found games run better on OS X natively than on bootcamp W7.

- Civilization
- CSGO
- Hearthstone

 

[FishBanDit]

Hi, there are probably a lot of possible reasons as to why your Mac is overheating. It might be because it has to simultaneously run Bootcamp and whatever game you are playing. From my experience, PC games running on bootcamp tend to cause Mac laptops to get pretty hot, regardless of how complex the game is. If your game uses online multiplayer, it will probably cause your Mac to overheat to the point where it feels unsafe.

As for ways to keep your Mac cool, here are some simple things you can do:
- Close whatever programs you can while running games (on Bootcamp or Mac). Games tend to take up the majority of your processing speed, and the less programs your computer has to run, the less it has to work.
- Free up some disk space. Make sure you have a fair amount of free space in your hard disk. If your memory is almost completely used, your Mac's overall performance will decline, which may cause it to overheat. Roughly 30gb is a good amount in general, the more the better.
- Buy an external fan. From personal experience, pretty much every game I play makes my Macbook Pro get really hot after a while. I purchased an external fan that my Mac rests on top of and it does an awesome job of helping keep the temperature down. Mind you, it won't fully prevent your Mac from overheating, but it is definitely a worthwhile investment and can help prevent long-term damage. A quick search in Amazon or a desired marketplace should give you different options.
- Take some breaks. Macs aren't really built as gaming computers in the first place. If you game for 1-2 hours, close all programs and take a 30 minute break from the computer to allow it to both cool down physically and to let all the internal hardware take a break from working so hard. (You might want to play for a shorter amount of time or take longer breaks depending on how concerned you are about damaging your Mac.)

I hope that helped!

Note: I am by no means a technical expert. There are definitely much more knowledgable people out there who can give you a better answer geared towards your Mac's software and operating system.
My Mac that i've mentioned above is a 2015 13-inch Macbook Pro.

 

[bobbytomorow]

In my experience Windows has always made my MacBooks run hot (especially if you have dual GPUs because Windows uses the dedicated GPU by default). I don't even need to be gaming, I could be browsing or watching video and still will run hot under Windows making the fans speed up. This has been my experience with every MacBook that I've had (4 since 2006). For this reason I try and do all of my gaming in OS X, for example I was playing Alan Wake in Windows and my GPU temp got to 96 degrees! When I play demanding games in OS X my GPU will top out in the low 70's...Thats a 20 degree difference.

 

[Toutou]

It might be because it has to simultaneously run Bootcamp and whatever game you are playing.

Nope, it doesn't have to run anything. Bootcamp is just an app to guide you through the process of setting up a dualboot scheme (which most users can't do). Windows run natively on a MacBook. Nothing is running except Windows.

your Mac's overall performance will decline, which may cause it to overheat. Roughly 30gb is a good amount in general, the more the better.

Nope, that just doesn't make sense. Maybe if you have like 0.5 GB left, that's a problem (free storage is used as swap space). Having "roughly 30 GB" free won't help you even a tiny little bit.

take a 30 minute break from the computer to allow it to both cool down physically and to let all the internal hardware take a break from working so hard

Heat damages the hardware no matter how long breaks it takes, and it doesn't even need a break. It's a computer, not a horse. Heating up and then cooling down is what damages it even more, we can't eliminate this kind of stress during normal usage, but please, don't make it intentional.

I am by no means a technical expert.

Correct. I know you're trying to help, but next time try harder.

 

[Washac]

Nope, it doesn't have to run anything. Bootcamp is just an app to guide you through the process of setting up a dualboot scheme (which most users can't do). Windows run natively on a MacBook. Nothing is running except Windows.



Nope, that just doesn't make sense. Maybe if you have like 0.5 GB left, that's a problem (free storage is used as swap space). Having "roughly 30 GB" free won't help you even a tiny little bit.



Heat damages the hardware no matter how long breaks it takes, and it doesn't even need a break. It's a computer, not a horse. Heating up and then cooling down is what damages it even more, we can't eliminate this kind of stress during normal usage, but please, don't make it intentional.



Correct. I know you're trying to help, but next time try harder.

Ouch !

 

[scottsjack]

In my experience Windows has always made my MacBooks run hot (especially if you have dual GPUs because Windows uses the dedicated GPU by default). I don't even need to be gaming, I could be browsing or watching video and still will run hot under Windows making the fans speed up. This has been my experience with every MacBook that I've had (4 since 2006). For this reason I try and do all of my gaming in OS X, for example I was playing Alan Wake in Windows and my GPU temp got to 96 degrees! When I play demanding games in OS X my GPU will top out in the low 70's...Thats a 20 degree difference.

Same here. My late 2008 MBP almost always ran hot on Windows 7 Pro which was on its own HDD. On my current 2012 MBP Windows 7, Windows 8, 8.1 and Window 10 all ran hot. My current MBP uses a Crucial M500 SSD with Windows on a Boot Camp partition.

While my 2012 mini and 2012 Mac Pro ran Windows 8.1 fairly smooth I just replaced the mini with an HP Z230 and I can tell that thing runs Windows 8.1 so much nicer than either the mini or the MP. The Z230 has about the same power as my six-core MP but didn't cost any more that a new, high-end i7 mini. I have begun my transition back to real Windows machines. If you stay away from the consumer cheepies they just are so much better than fiddling with Windows on a Mac.

 

[Huntn]

Hi, there are probably a lot of possible reasons as to why your Mac is overheating. It might be because it has to simultaneously run Bootcamp and whatever game you are playing. From my experience, PC games running on bootcamp tend to cause Mac laptops to get pretty hot, regardless of how complex the game is. If your game uses online multiplayer, it will probably cause your Mac to overheat to the point where it feels unsafe.

As for ways to keep your Mac cool, here are some simple things you can do:
- Close whatever programs you can while running games (on Bootcamp or Mac). Games tend to take up the majority of your processing speed, and the less programs your computer has to run, the less it has to work.
- Free up some disk space. Make sure you have a fair amount of free space in your hard disk. If your memory is almost completely used, your Mac's overall performance will decline, which may cause it to overheat. Roughly 30gb is a good amount in general, the more the better.
- Buy an external fan. From personal experience, pretty much every game I play makes my Macbook Pro get really hot after a while. I purchased an external fan that my Mac rests on top of and it does an awesome job of helping keep the temperature down. Mind you, it won't fully prevent your Mac from overheating, but it is definitely a worthwhile investment and can help prevent long-term damage. A quick search in Amazon or a desired marketplace should give you different options.
- Take some breaks. Macs aren't really built as gaming computers in the first place. If you game for 1-2 hours, close all programs and take a 30 minute break from the computer to allow it to both cool down physically and to let all the internal hardware take a break from working so hard. (You might want to play for a shorter amount of time or take longer breaks depending on how concerned you are about damaging your Mac.)

I hope that helped!

Note: I am by no means a technical expert. There are definitely much more knowledgable people out there who can give you a better answer geared towards your Mac's software and operating system.
My Mac that i've mentioned above is a 2015 13-inch Macbook Pro.

Just to clarify if you did not mean this, Bootcamp does not run in addition to the game.

Bootcamp enables you to boot directly into Windows without The MacOS or Bootcamp running in addition. For the OP, it is possible that your settings in Windows whatever they might be, or other malware type issues could be adding to Windows overhead. Windows is very susceptible to bloatware. In Windows I use several maintenance utilities, such as the Windows antivirus, (one is Malwarebytes) and Tuneup Utilities (maintenance) that includes a turbo mode that shuts off all unnecessary background processes. You configure that.

PS, the Mac is no less a gaming machine that any other PC with comparable Specs. I see no reason to take a break every 30 min. When I run World of Tanks on my MBP, the fan runs constantly. It is designed to shutdown approaching its temp limit. As mentioned, good ventilation is important. Don't run you Air running on a pillow sitting on your lap.