Heat on desk - need a stand

[snowydog]

Hi all

I have my laptop on a black desk connected up to an external monitor - I use both screens = one for word processing my assignments and the big screen for the research part of essay writing.

Anyway - my laptop fans are going pretty crazy right now ... I guess I have a lot of tabs open, few word documents and I have a stream of a football match on ..

Is there a stand I can get that I can put my laptop on so that it has room to cool down etc.. or something?

Also - if I need my laptop cleaned on the inside - where would I get this done? I've only had it for about 6 months...love it...but I wanna make sure I keep it good ....

I will most likely be selling it in a year and buying an iMac once I move in with the fiance .... but while at home and at uni, I'm keeping the mbp

I have the late 2011 model .. 4gb

 

[GGJstudios]

Anyway - my laptop fans are going pretty crazy right now ... I guess I have a lot of tabs open, few word documents and I have a stream of a football match on ..

It's normal for your fans to spin up with the workload you're running. The Intel processors used in Macs are designed to automatically shut down to prevent damage if they truly overheat. CPU Tjmax = 105C, GPU Tjmax = 100C on i3, i5, i7 processors. (Source: Intel) If you're not already using it, iStat Pro will give you accurate readings of your temps and fan speeds, among other things.

Unless there is a rare defect in a Mac, most temps are well within the normal operating range, considering the workload being put on it. Websites with Flash content, games and other multimedia apps will put higher demand on the CPU/GPU, generating more heat. This is normal. If you're constantly putting high demands on your system, such as gaming or other multimedia tasks, expect temps to rise and fans to spin up accordingly. It's just your Mac doing its job to maintain temps within the normal range.

It is also quite normal for your Mac to become extremely hot to the touch during intensive operations. The aluminum body transfers heat more effectively than other materials used in computer casings, so you will feel the heat more. This doesn't indicate that it's overheating and will not harm the computer to be hot to the touch.

Your fans are always on when your Mac is on, spinning at a minimum of 2000 rpm (for MBPs) or 1800 rpm (for MBAs, MBs and minis). iMacs have 3 fans with minimum speeds in the 800-1200 range. They will spin faster as needed to keep temps at a safe level. If they're spinning up without increased heat, try resetting the SMC. (PRAM/NVRAM has nothing to do with these issues, so resetting it will not help.)

The intake and exhaust vents are in the back of the computer near the hinge on all Mac notebooks. The iMac vent is a slot on the back near the top of the computer. Make sure the vents remain unblocked to allow your computer to perform at its best.

Learn about the fans in your Mac
Apple Portables: Operating temperature

Also - if I need my laptop cleaned on the inside - where would I get this done? I've only had it for about 6 months...love it...but I wanna make sure I keep it good ....

Unless you've been using it in a dust storm, there's no need to clean it after 6 months. I had an occasion to open my MBP after 4 years, and there was very little dust inside. Certainly not enough to cause any problems at all.

 

[srxtr]

Hi all

I have my laptop on a black desk connected up to an external monitor - I use both screens = one for word processing my assignments and the big screen for the research part of essay writing.

Anyway - my laptop fans are going pretty crazy right now ... I guess I have a lot of tabs open, few word documents and I have a stream of a football match on ..

Is there a stand I can get that I can put my laptop on so that it has room to cool down etc.. or something?

Also - if I need my laptop cleaned on the inside - where would I get this done? I've only had it for about 6 months...love it...but I wanna make sure I keep it good ....

I will most likely be selling it in a year and buying an iMac once I move in with the fiance .... but while at home and at uni, I'm keeping the mbp

I have the late 2011 model .. 4gb

Like this?: http://www.amazon.com/Rain-Design-m...YECC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335120939&sr=8-1

Or this: http://www.amazon.com/Twelve-South-...G1AW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1335120939&sr=8-3

 

[user418]

As stated by the previous poster the Rain M Stand is the way to go.

 

[belvdr]

I have this one, which is made by Rolodex. Cheaper and I love it. Works great and is adjustable for the angle too.

 

[snowydog]

Thanks guys for the suggestions

I ran the iStat pro which I already had installed (and forgot about ) ...

Fans were up at 5100rpm .., so checked the activity monitor and it seemed that an AdobePDF safari flash plugin was using 90-100% of CPU???

I have 2 tabs open with PDFs on for my essay - but normally this never causes a problem - I've had plenty of tabs open with lots of PDFS for my dissertation and the likes.... so this is the first tab a tab has caused the problem]

I suspended the activity (obviously knowing I'll lose the pdfs and right enough I can't read them because no plug in)

Can you guys help with any suggestions on why that might have happened? considering it hasn't happened before?

I've only had it for 6months like I said, but I didn't mention that this is my first apple computer so I'm still getting my head around things!

Hope someone can help out with that - if not in this thread, I'll start another to ask.. but will wait and see

Thanks again! I'm gonna look into getting one of the stands that you's suggested

 

[GGJstudios]

Fans were up at 5100rpm .., so checked the activity monitor and it seemed that an AdobePDF safari flash plugin was using 90-100% of CPU???

That sounds like the culprit. Flash is notorious for consuming system resources and driving up temps. For Flash-related issues:

• Find your Flash version and make sure it's the latest version available. Never install or update Flash from a pop-up on a website. Always go to Adobe's site to get Flash or updates.
• Install ClickToFlash (Safari), Flashblock (Firefox) or FlashBlock (Chrome) to control which Flash content plays on websites.
• Try using the YouTube HTML5 Video Player to watch YouTube videos, when available. (May impact fullscreen viewing. See link for details.) As far as performance impact, YMMV.

 

[SPNarwhal]

I was going to suggest the same stand.

As for cleaning, I've opened up 5 year old laptops and had little dust, and I've also opened up 2 year old laptops with a ridiculous amount of dust. It all collects at the vents, and you won't always be able to see it from the outside. However, I dont think I would ever take a laptop IN to somewhere to be cleaned. All you have to do is unscrew the screws on the bottom, take the bottom lid off, and you will be able to access the vent from there. No taking apart or anything like that.

But that stand is definitely the way to go. They also have some stands out there that have fans built in for even extra air flow / cooling if you're concerned that much.

 

[snowydog]

Thanks GGJstudios and SPNarwhal ... you's have been great help! Much appreciated