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Danger to screen if closed while using external monitor?

S

SaggyBagz

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 13, 2012
11
0
St Petersburg, FL
So we all know how hot these MBP's get under load (compressing movies, cloud computing, etc.).

Now, let's say I connect an external monitor to my MBP and maintain the lid closed. Will the heat emitted by the case (especially over the top of the keyboard / hinge area) do any harm to the screen?
 
The important thing is just to make sure that the vent isn't being blocked. MacBook Pro's vent out the back of the hinge, so keep the back of the computer from being blocked off and you'll be fine. They're designed to run that way.

jW
 
There is no danger to the screen; the MacBook Pro is designed to be used either opened up or in clamshell mode, whichever you prefer.
 
By default the system sleeps when the lid is closed. However, if the lid is closed and you have a display, keyboard, and mouse hooked in... it magically does not sleep.

If they didn't want it to work when closed... they wouldn't have made it work that way.

It is perfectly fine to do it.
 
One of the normal characteristics is a very warm to hot running MBP, when doing anything other than light computing. Apples priority is style first, being so thin, with only a slot under the hinge, doesn't promote cool running. I have both a new 15" MBP & equally configured 15" ThinkPad T series. The Mac runs warm to hot, although I've reduced the average temps by taking it apart & removing the sloppy excess thermal paste. Then redoing the job properly, using an appropriate thin coat of high quality thermal paste.

Conversely the ThinkPad runs very fast, cool & quiet. But in fairness to Apple that's a high priority of LENOVO. They are very serious about good cooling & it shows. The case is 0.3" thicker, has large vents on the sides & back, plus large quite fans to insure good continuous air circulation throughout the case.

If you search this forum there's lots of good threads with instructions on taking your MBP apart and redoing the job the factory did sloppily. Excess thermal paste actually makes it run hotter.

Heat being the enemy of computers, the good news is you're extending it's life once youve corrected this situation. Also it protects my expensive Samsung 512 GB SSD i installed.

I've done several of my past & preset MBP's and the results are well worth it.

Not to mention, the keyboard doesn't get so hot during heavy use. There's a lot to gain. It's very rewarding.
 
ixodes said:
One of the normal characteristics is a very warm to hot running MBP, when doing anything other than light computing. Apples priority is style first, being so thin, with only a slot under the hinge, doesn't promote cool running. I have both a new 15" MBP & equally configured 15" ThinkPad T series. The Mac runs warm to hot, although I've reduced the average temps by taking it apart & removing the sloppy excess thermal paste. Then redoing the job properly, using an appropriate thin coat of high quality thermal paste.

Conversely the ThinkPad runs very fast, cool & quiet. But in fairness to Apple that's a high priority of LENOVO. They are very serious about good cooling & it shows. The case is 0.3" thicker, has large vents on the sides & back, plus large quite fans to insure good continuous air circulation throughout the case.

If you search this forum there's lots of good threads with instructions on taking your MBP apart and redoing the job the factory did sloppily. Excess thermal paste actually makes it run hotter.

Heat being the enemy of computers, the good news is you're extending it's life once youve corrected this situation. Also it protects my expensive Samsung 512 GB SSD i installed.

I've done several of my past & preset MBP's and the results are well worth it.

Not to mention, the keyboard doesn't get so hot during heavy use. There's a lot to gain. It's very rewarding.
Click to expand...

...and your long post has done nothing to answer the op's question. Bottom line, the machine is designed to run with the lid closed, Apple provides not only system level support for it, but instructions on how to enable clamshell mode. Therefore, so long as your rear vents are clear, it is considered perfectly safe. The hottest areas of the machine are on the upper left side, where as the HDD is on the lower right, the coolest part of the machine. Heat to the HDD should not be a concern.

I have yet to read a set of common threads linking heat and or clamshell mode to hardware failures.
 
marc11 said:
...and your long post has done nothing to answer the op's question. Bottom line, the machine is designed to run with the lid closed, Apple provides not only system level support for it, but instructions on how to enable clamshell mode. Therefore, so long as your rear vents are clear, it is considered perfectly safe. The hottest areas of the machine are on the upper left side, where as the HDD is on the lower right, the coolest part of the machine. Heat to the HDD should not be a concern.

I have yet to read a set of common threads linking heat and or clamshell mode to hardware failures.
Click to expand...

Just the facts, as a courtesy to assist in assuring the OP gets maximum life out of an expensive, beautiful looking, very nice laptop.

Just because you don't appreciate it, doesn't mean the OP won't.

I place a high value on taking good care of my Macs. They're the tools I make my living with. I've never had one failure after two decades of PowerBooks & MacBook Pros.
 
Thanks for replying guys.

I'm just afraid that something could happen to the LCD overtime such as discoloration or uneven brightness/colors in one spot (kind of like having a magnet beside an old CRT TV for a period of time and leaving permanent damage)

Also, does this clamshell mode change the processor speed at all? Or does that only mean that LCD light is turned off?

I also use an utility called "NoSleep" if I want to close the lid without a monitor connected but will keep the laptop awake. Pretty neat.
 
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