Core i7 MacBook Pro getting reeaaally hot

[spaceballl]

My macbook didn't used to get this hot when just surfing the web. I even downloaded gfxcardstatus to keep it locked on the intel GPU, but even just doing some web surfing with no flash, the CPU gets up to 88 degrees celsius on a regular basis. Is anyone else seeing temps this high when the computer is between 65% to 75% idle? Thanks!

 

[Bumflake]

Mine is about 30-45 degrees Celsius idle and may go up to 50-55 degrees when surfing without flash.
With flash it'll go up to 85-90 degrees and I've seen it go up to 98 degrees once or twice while gaming.
They really tend to heat up. Idle however I believe it shouldn't get that hot, unless you're in a really hot climate maybe.

Does your MBP throttle a lot? If so it may have a problem, if not I'd just keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't get worse.
If it doesn't throttle you shouldn't worry too much, the i7 processors are designed to max 105 degrees according to cpu-world.

 

[spaceballl]

I think I may have an issue, then, because the lid has been closed all night. I just opened it up, and after a few minutes of use, the CPU is already getting up there. Oh well I have a few more months where I can still buy Applecare... I guess I probably should, just in case.

 

[NickZac]

If it's getting that hot when just chillin (no pun intended) that's no good. What processes are you normally running and how hard are they pushing the CPU?

 

[jetblk328i]

How are your fans functioning? I turned the fans on my 13" slightly higher than stock...keeps my computer cooler

 

[ECUpirate44]

Download istat. Check activity monitor and run the hardware test. There's plenty of threads on this already. I thought I had the same problem until I realized that the heat is normal and no big deal.

 

[jsilas]

You must have an issue. I have a Core i7 MBP (17") and with marathon sessions of web surfing (minor flash included) my laptop does not get hot.

 

[hfletcher]

I have an i7 MBP, mine probably sits around 50 degrees normal use. When handbraking it shoots up to around 95.
I use smcFanControl to bump up the fans a bit if they don't kick in. It's a free download, just google it.

 

[neondrgns]

I have an i7 MBP, mine probably sits around 50 degrees normal use. When handbraking it shoots up to around 95.
I use smcFanControl to bump up the fans a bit if they don't kick in. It's a free download, just google it.

hey spaceball, sorry to hear about your laptop I remember you from the old waiting for i5 threads. I game a lot with windows on my 15" i7 and my temps only get to be about 72C A few suggestions that might fix it.

1.) Open up the back and blow out the fans, it might have dust trapped in it blocking up the fans. I actually did this when I was adding more ram, and the fans had a layer of dust in it.

2.) One of the fans might have died in which case Apple should still replace it.

Neither of these will void the warranty. If you are adventurous you could try reapplying the thermal paste which is hear helps with the heal a lot, but this voids you warranty potentially.