Here you go, watch if you have a strong stomach, lol
It is interesting, because the Neo does run hot
It is interesting, because the Neo does run hot
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Fastest Neo mod
- Thread starter maflynn
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WarmWinterHat
Suspended
I remember when they offered those thermal pads on the M1 Air, and while they worked, it made the bottom too hot touch. I doubt it would too different.
Might not matter too much when it is used as a budget desktop machine with external display and peripherals.
WarmWinterHat
Suspended
True, but it ceases to be much of a budget machine when you starting connecting external things. Why not just get a Mac Mini, instead of modifying a laptop that is now too physically hot to be used as a laptop?
Surely that's an option as well, but connecting a Neo adds portability. Easily carry it around to different desks, use it while travelling etc. Should still not get too hot when doing basic tasks and for big workloads you can connect it at your desk(s).
That's what I always did with my Macbooks. The only true drawback for me would be the 1 display limitation.
To be fair, even without thermal mod, the Neo's power would be more than enough for everything that I do.
Basic75
macrumors 68030
The videos on the thermal pad mod for the Neo that I've seen show that it goes from like 4-5W to 6-8W sustained making it somewhat warmer on the bottom but definitely not too hot.
Yeah, the guy in the video also said it's getting warm but not too hot. I don't have a Neo myself so I can't test it but if I had one and needed more power I would probably do it.
MultiFinder17
macrumors 68030
I thermal padded my Neo, and it's been in there for a bit over a week now. Under heavy load I really don't notice much of any difference in temperature, but it does get tasks done noticeably quicker. It's only an extra 2-3W of heat dissipation so it's not really that big of a deal on the bottom. The M1 consumes much more power under full load making the heat it puts out under load much more noticeable.
jz0309
macrumors P6
That's actually the purpose of the pads, transfer the heat from the chip to the metal case.
WarmWinterHat
Suspended
Sure, but if it makes in unusable to sit on your lap, or it burns your fingers when touched, because it's too hot? Depends on how you use your device, I suppose.
I still sit on the floor cross-legged, occasionally, to use my MacBook.
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For the price of the base model it would be easier to go for a Mac Mini M4.
I know you'd miss display, keyboard and mouse but thermals and performance will be much better.
I know you'd miss display, keyboard and mouse but thermals and performance will be much better.
iModFrenzy
macrumors 6502a
The A18 Pro tends to sit below 10w from the tests I've seen. It won't get warm enough to burn you if it's dissipating into the case.
Apple_Robert
Contributor
There is nothing wrong with the thermals on the Neo. The only thing happening is some people on YT making mod videos to get clicks and more revenue. There really is nothing worth noting.
StoneJack
macrumors 68040
Bazza1
macrumors 65816
StoneJack
macrumors 68040
PBG4 Dude
macrumors 601
There’s a copper heat sink mod that cools the laptop but does not connect to the bottom case for this reason. You get the benefits of better heat dissipation without your legs being part of the dissipation circuit.
Another impractical mod by some ex/LTT gangs.
If any Neo Fans here catch the "100oC with anything you do" does that bothers you?
If any Neo Fans here catch the "100oC with anything you do" does that bothers you?
Populus
macrumors 604
Tryp_
macrumors newbie
I can vouch for this! Added a 1mm pad to the A18 and SSD chips around the same time, and my Neo is noticeably snappier. It gets moderately warmer to the touch but it’s not even remotely close to uncomfortable to place on my lap for longer periods of time (I’ve used it for around an hour at the longest on my lap). I (may) have been noticing slightly shorter battery life since the A18 uses more power, so look at this mod as a sort of “High Power” mode.
My Windows gaming laptop (MSI GF63 THIN 9SC w/ an i7 9750h and a GTX 1650 Max-Q) is made of mostly plastic, I’ve undervolted both the CPU and GPU, locked the CPU to it’s base speed (2.6GHz) and replaced the thermal paste with PTM 7950 and that laptop is STILL uncomfortable to place on my lap even when not doing anything intensive. I’m pretty familiar with what an “uncomfortably hot” laptop feels like and I can’t stress enough how far from that the Neo is, even at it’s worst.
Is it needed? Honestly no, especially given that it’s likely to (slightly) shorten day-to-day battery life. Otherwise it’s literally free performance with no risk for those who want it and can’t afford/don’t want the jump from the Neo to the Air (Which, for me, is over $500 from the 512GB Neo to a base M5 Air, with student pricing or over $200 to a Refurb M4 Air lol)