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Can I put my MacBook pro under a pillow to use?
- Thread starter shitoyama
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well, asl long as you don't block the ventilation holes that looks ok. Maybe you could download iStatmenus and monitor CPU temperature and fan speed. If those values get very high for longer time get the bottom cooled some way.
The issue is cooling, and whether the pillow will allow sufficient ventilation and cooling. I think the bottom plate of the laptop may not transfer the heat too well on a pillow and you could run into a heat issues. I'd not take a chance if it were me.
It'll be totally fine, everyone on macrumors is obsessed with heat for some reason.. I'm sure apple designed their laptops to be used on a pillow.
Doubtful
Linky Clearly apple is stating you should use it on your lap because of heat and cooling. How much more restricted would the cooling be when the MBP is set on a pillow
Yes and no, (but perhaps very bad advise). ANY laptop should not be placed on a soft surface that could potentially block air vents.
Apple air vents are kind of hidden so you have to be especially careful not to block them. Fortunately, if you do block the air vents and it overheats, it will shut down before andy damage will be done, so in a sense you are right about it being covered by Apple, nevertheless, shutdown do to overheating is a serious malfunction.
Even just setting mine on the bed, which is MUCH more firm than the pillow, it gets quite hot in a short amount of time. Any surface that it can press down into will cause problems, because it will most likely block the vents.
Its simple. Download an app that tells you your mac's temperature.
Use it on a pillow. If the temperature is less than 80C you're fine.
Most Air vents upwards over the keyboard there where the screen hinge is. You put it on a soft surface you just cannot block it. Only if you close the screen it will be a problem.
Also the notebook may heat up faster on your bed but the chips not as much as about 95% of their cooling happens by blowing cool air over the cooling block, which again is not a problem as long as the screen is open no matter where you put it.
I think the discussion is rather useless though. Just try it and if you use your MBP on the bed and the fans don't ramp up like crazy to 6000rpm there is obviously no problem. With normal internet use mine won't even exceed the idle 2000 rpm.
Also the notebook may heat up faster on your bed but the chips not as much as about 95% of their cooling happens by blowing cool air over the cooling block, which again is not a problem as long as the screen is open no matter where you put it.
I think the discussion is rather useless though. Just try it and if you use your MBP on the bed and the fans don't ramp up like crazy to 6000rpm there is obviously no problem. With normal internet use mine won't even exceed the idle 2000 rpm.
+1 i use mine often ontop of my bed without issues for casual use, might not be a good idea for ripping dvds or movie editing but checking emails and surfing is fine
You people all forget you're posting on a mac enthusiasts forum where people spend 90% of the time talking about optibays and SSDs, using a laptop on a pillow is not a big deal at all for gods sake, it's hilarious if people think it is.
I use mine resting on the duvet cover (same principle as a pillow) and it does get warm. If I'm doing light stuff, then there isn't any problems. If I'm watching a Flash video, or something else that uses a lot of CPU (e.g. Parallels Desktop) then the fans do come on more than usual. The temperature doesn't peak above 80'C (at 50-60%).
I'd definitely not recommend using 100% CPU and sticking it on your pillow. But you'll be fine for light stuff.
I'd definitely not recommend using 100% CPU and sticking it on your pillow. But you'll be fine for light stuff.
No, they're not.
That is false. There is no venting through the keyboard and closing the lid will not create a problem. The vents are located at the rear, near the hinge. Setting it on a pillow can certainly block airflow, causing heat issues.
From the user manuals:
Closing the lid does create a problem, because when closed, the hinge decreases the gap quite significantly at the exhaust. If I were to run something at 100% CPU, my Mac (CPU temp) would heat up a lot more with the lid closed than it would open.
I've used 4 mac laptops on every surface possible and they've never once melted, even using Logic in bed it's fine. Of course they're gonna say that to cover themselves but it's kind of absurd to recommend not to use it for at least light web browsing etc. Which is what I assume the OP is going to use it for given the not very detailed question
All Apple portable computers are designed to operate in clamshell mode without problems. If that weren't true, Apple wouldn't provide instructions on how to use clamshell mode.
Apple Portables: How to use your computer in closed clamshell (display closed) mode with an external display
Just because you haven't had a problem doesn't mean they're designed to operate on pillows. It's very clear that the potential problem is blocking the vents and Apple specifically recommends against it.