Games run great on Air!! But will they kill my CPU??

[Heresiarch]

I've installed bootcamp on my 13 MBA to try to play Skyrim on it...and to my surprise with all settings on low (with which the game still looks GREAT), the game runs VERY WELL! I observe it can run consistently on 30 FPS even with massive magic firepower all over the place. I've also ran Civilization IV on all max, and to my surprise once again, the game runs extremely smoothly (although the game itself is not particularly graphic intensive). Both games show that Gamebryo is quite a good engine.

The only problem which worries me is the temperature. With Skyrim the game will run consistently around 85~99 C, although the game is smooth as ever. On Civ IV the temperature will run to the top of around 90~95 C, and then when the fan kicks in it will stay stable around 78~85 C.

What I want to ask is...will such a high temperature kill my CPU? Shall I refrain from playing 3D games too much to preserve the CPU's life? And maybe to make me feel better, do people who use Air for heavy computing (coding, video editing, etc) get the same (or even more) heavy load on the CPU, not just gamers like me?

 

[RocketRed]

What I want to ask is...will such a high temperature kill my CPU? Shall I refrain from playing 3D games too much to preserve the CPU's life? And maybe to make me feel better, do people who use Air for heavy computing (coding, video editing, etc) get the same (or even more) heavy load on the CPU, not just gamers like me?

You are fine. Don't be paranoid.

Just enjoy your new Macbook.

I have an ultimate 2012 13''. I game on it all the time. Fans are roaring and the temperature rises to 100 - 105c before lowering to 85 - 95c.

Life's great~

 

[Intell]

High tempatures will not kill your CPU. It will turn off before any damage can occur.

 

[scarred]

No, not at all... don't even give it a second thought.

Before your CPU croaks, your battery will not function, your SSD will struggle to find space, your motherboard will have shorted out, your LCD will have dimmed, and you'll have long since purchased something else.

 

[ZBoater]

What I want to ask is...will such a high temperature kill my CPU?

No. Keep playing and have fun. Steer clear of threads about MBA heat issues and you'll be just fine.

 

[Holraven]

Been sitting in the couch gaming now, and my thighs had to give in before the CPU...

Been running The Secret World that was just opened for "Early access", and it runs "OK" until you reach Kingsmouth - where the game really begins... By then the Intel HD just can't keep up any more. Eagerly awaiting the next iMac!

Still, the power that they've packed into this tiny lil' computer is mindblowing. Loving it to bits!

 

[smithy1185]

That's great to hear that the Air can perform well with something like Skyrim. I don't plan to game that often but every now and then on a break between classes. And also at QuakeCon .

Skyrim btw uses the Creation Engine now which Bethesda developed themselves.

 

[kaielement]

Yes for safety the air and all mac I have used have a kill switch and will turn off before any damage occurs. You mostly see this when the core temp rises. Had an old white macbook 2007 and it started to have heating issues replaced the fans and the constant core temp dropped and never had the problem again. BTW that computer still runs though it does run super slow it does run