Can I use my MacBook Tilted On Its Side?

[f1racer328]

Hi. I found some cool software called Insomnia which lets you disable the sleep mode for when you close a MacBook's screen and I was wondering if I would be able to have the screen closed and the MacBook running a program being tilted on its side. Can i do that without wrecking the hard drive? The room where I would do it is ACed and the MacBook would be littery right on the AC vent. Im not worrying about over heating just if the hard drive will be ok because my one firewire drive if you tip it on the side it makes a grinding noise. But if its flat its silent. Any ideas?

O yeah i attached the Insomnia app if anyone wants to try it.

 

[bmcgrath]

eh...... I can barely read that so why are you using the BOLD text?

 

[kkat69]

I would think it might not dissipate heat or for that matter diverts the normal air flow and could cause premature damage. I wouldn't advise it personally.


Figured my response should be equally difficult to read as the OT.

 

[Shackler]

I think that should be fine.

 

[Beric]

You guys kidding? I use my Macbook all the time on its side in my bed, laying down. There's got to be no problems with this.

 

[kkat69]

You guys kidding? I use my Macbook all the time on its side in my bed, laying down. There's got to be no problems with this.

Only reason I would advise against it is because your changing the normal airflow of the heated air. Let's say the CPU is on the same side as the CDROM and that's the left side (just for examples sake) and the vents are normal same as most MB's which is under the screen. Now you rest it on the right side constantly. So now where only a small amount of air is drawn away from the CPU, (and hot air rises as we all remember from school) you've exposed the CPU to more hot air from the rest of the machine and that air will travel near/around/through the heatsink before it finally leaves the machine vents. Some will escape prior to that but not all.

It's simple physics really. IMO just not a good practice because you'll just shorten the lifespan of your parts. Laptops are design to expend heat a certain way, constantly modifying that by keeping it on it's side could cause over heating. Notice I said 'COULD'