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Horrible Thermal Paste in Brand New MBP

Dreamer2go said:
Hello I am new to this forum.
I have been reading about the macrumors etc.

I just ordered a brand new 2.4ghz 15.4 inch Macbook Pro, and I'm waiting impatiently for the computer to arrive! This is also my first mac! So I guess I'm a "switcher!" :D
Nice to meet you all!

I've been reading this topic and the replies, and I'm really concerned. Does this thermal paste thing only applies to a certain amount of MBPs? Just like deadpixels, not all MBP users have dead pixels on their screen!

Thanks!
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Welcome
I have ben using /buying macs for years I also have a new macbook pro nd it is perfect. It runs warm but I am not worried I think lots of what we read is speculation by alot of smart folks but know one knows for sure if its a problem.
 
Takagawa-

I completely agree with everything you have said.

It seems that people aren't willing to compromise on anything with these machines. They want it slim, quiet and fast. The MBPs deliver that at the expense of heat. Yes, they get very warm especially when they aren't sitting on a hard surface (the thing is aluminum, for crying out loud). The mistake people are making here is that they are reading this as an engineering flaw that apple needs to address. Then the complaints would simply shift ("It's too loud, Why is it so slow?" etc). If that's a tradeoff that some are willing to make, there is software out there mentioned elsewhere in this thread that will manage the fans differently.

To the person that asked me to "enlighten" them with the operating temp of those processors, I don't remember the exact numbers (I haven't repaired these machines in almost a year) but it's up over 100C. Most that came into our store didn't even break 90 under load.

I'm not saying that Apple makes perfect machines (believe me, I know that is NOT the case). Just trying to dispel this myth that changing the paste job on the processor and GPU is going to allow you to play WOW for hours straight with the computer in your lap...while wearing shorts.
 
quick tip for those still wanting to do this...
use an ice cube tray to store your screws in groups when you remove them (top case screws, optical drive, heatsink, etc)
makes putting it back together a lot easier.
 
heyguyswhatsup said:
When I run WoW (or Windows) I ramp the fans up to 6000rpms using SMC Fan Control. This generally keeps my temperature around 50C, but they are at 6000 rpms around 5-6 hours per day. Will this have any detrimental effects on the fans?
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Anyone have an answer for this? This seems like a good idea
 
Papajohn56 said:
Anyone have an answer for this? This seems like a good idea
Click to expand...

Whoa... that guy only gets a 50c temp with 6000rpm while running wow? Damn thats pretty good. I was playing wow a bit today with the fans going at 6000 rpm and my temp was staying between 70 and 80c... I get 46c when doing almost nothing more than web browsing... I wish mine was at only 50c while playing wow.

In all honesty though, i'm not too worried about the heat on the case itself. I mean, the only time it gets uncomfortably hot is when i'm playing a game or something, in which case, ill want to use a mouse anyways, so ill put it up on the desk to do so. I'd say, the only time ill probably put this thing on my lap is when i do some web browsing or emails or something not too taxing on the cpu.
 
That thermal paste pic is a joke. Where the heck do they make these things, who puts them together?

I expected more from Apple. (more quality, not paste!)
 
Maybe this has been asked/answered, but i havnet seen it. Is there a program i can download to monitor my temp/fan speed while running XP in bootcamp?
 
Arkanok said:
Maybe this has been asked/answered, but i havnet seen it. Is there a program i can download to monitor my temp/fan speed while running XP in bootcamp?
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You can monitor your temps with tons of programs in Windows, coretemp, Intel's Thermal Analysis Tool, Speedfan, Everest etc, etc. Fan speeds and fan control are a different story, havent found that yet for windows.
 
jsbarone said:
I'm at the Apple store right now. I'll keep you guys posted on what they say.
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Why should they listen to what you say?

Apple listens to what some PeeCee enthuasists think about how to apply thermal paste? Hah! Don't make me laugh.

Consider yourself lucky if they don't throw your overclocking ass out of the store :p
 
iW00t said:
Why should they listen to what you say?

Apple listens to what some PeeCee enthuasists think about how to apply thermal paste? Hah! Don't make me laugh.

Consider yourself lucky if they don't throw your overclocking ass out of the store :p
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looks like egg on your face! both applecare AND the Apple store think 80c and above is too hot. The Apple store has my mbp right now and will be replacing the heatsink and applying the thermal paste correctly. the rep said that 80c and above is where they know something is wrong, and that they will replace parts. my advice? take it down there if you're running too hot. they might fix it. [sorry for lack of punctuation/etc... posted from my wii.]
 
iW00t said:
Why should they listen to what you say?

Apple listens to what some PeeCee enthuasists think about how to apply thermal paste? Hah! Don't make me laugh.

Consider yourself lucky if they don't throw your overclocking ass out of the store :p
Click to expand...
Congrats! Your are the first to make my ignore list here!
 
jsbarone said:
looks like egg on your face! both applecare AND the Apple store think 80c and above is too hot. The Apple store has my mbp right now and will be replacing the heatsink and applying the thermal paste correctly. the rep said that 80c and above is where they know something is wrong, and that they will replace parts. my advice? take it down there if you're running too hot. they might fix it. [sorry for lack of punctuation/etc... posted from my wii.]
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Hooray!!!
This is good. Under 80˚C under full load would be very nice. Should mean very cool idle temps too!

(~1 week before I start putting the works in place to get myself a new MBP!)

And don't be too hard on iW00t. He truly thinks he's funny, so we should all be taking pity on him, not angrily hating him! ;)
*jab*
 
Ok now I'm kind of scared of buying a MBP. But hopefully Apple will fix this and many other issues by fall.:rolleyes:
 
paola105 said:
Ok now I'm kind of scared of buying a MBP. But hopefully Apple will fix this and many other issues by fall.:rolleyes:
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No reason at all for not buying a MBP. Apple investigated the thermal paste application last year when the same stories came up and they said it was not an issue... It's nice that it does help cool down your MBP if you re-apply it yourself but you can still safely buy a MBP...
 
jsbarone said:
looks like egg on your face! both applecare AND the Apple store think 80c and above is too hot. The Apple store has my mbp right now and will be replacing the heatsink and applying the thermal paste correctly. the rep said that 80c and above is where they know something is wrong, and that they will replace parts. my advice? take it down there if you're running too hot. they might fix it. [sorry for lack of punctuation/etc... posted from my wii.]
Click to expand...

Well, I guess its time for a trip to the Genius Bar. Running both cores maxed at 100% my CPU A temp registers 90C before the fans finally speed up enough to start cooling it down and even then its operating in the 80s. If 80C is their threshold level, I'm not risking it for processor-intensive things. If only the fans would kick in faster...

What exactly did they say they would replace the thermal paste with? Are you going to have to send it in to Apple or are they going it in-house?
 
(axim this time)

the rep said they dont trust apple repair much, so when possible they do it themselves. they will be replacing the heatsink and/or logic board. when asked why they were replacing parts, they said it was the only way to get the special paste. supposedly it's custom, extra thick paste designed specifically for the SR chipset.
 
nikhsub1 said:
ROFL, if you believe that I have a bridge to sell you. Ask them who makes the paste and what the model of the paste is.
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what is it with the snarky attitudes around here? i never said i believed him, although there is some truth to it. everything i've read says that SR paste is really thick. we'll see what happens come monday. i'm expecting an improvement.
 
jsbarone said:
what is it with the snarky attitudes around here? i never said i believed him, although there is some truth to it. everything i've read says that SR paste is really thick. we'll see what happens come monday. i'm expecting an improvement.
Click to expand...
Sorry, it just seems the naivety around here is astounding. So many think that Apple has 'special' parts etc etc. The only thing specific to apple in these SR notebooks is the logic board specs (made by foxconn) and the case design. Anyway, as I've said before the paste is MOST likely (im 95% sure) Shin-Etsu G751 http://www.ajigo-store.com/shinetg7ther.html

Please let us know your results after they reinstall it! Hopefully you can watch them and see how they reapply the paste, and perhaps find out what it is - although I suspect apple buys it in bulk with no name on it and that no one knows what it is (tech's anyway) so they just say it is 'special' for the SR chipset.
 
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