Hot air suddenly pouring from back of MBP 13" - normal?

[Peewiglet]

Hi,

I've had my MBP about a week, and it's my first Apple product.

I've been using it for about 90 mins (just a bit of browsing in front of the TV) and suddenly there's hot air pouring from the back of the laptop! It started running noisily too, but in the time it's taken me to come over here and post this it's quietened down a bit. I assume it's a fan making the noise.

Does this sound normal? I've read on here something about overheating issues.

I hope it's okay! Is there something built in that would tell me what the temperature is, and whether it's overheating?

Thanks for any help.

Edited to add: minutes later the fan (I assume) has come on loud again. I d/loaded iStatPro the other day and it says Fans Exhaust 1999rpm. I'm not sure whether that's good or bad. Temps are:

CPU 81
HD: Macintosh 31, and various others.

 

[GGJstudios]

Does this sound normal? I've read on here something about over-heating issues.

Yes, it's quite normal and it's not overheating. The vents are located in the back, near the hinge. The fans always spin at a minimum of 2000 rpm, but speed up as required to keep temps at a safe level. Install iStat Pro to get accurate readings of your temps, among other things.

The processors used in Macs are designed to automatically shut down to prevent damage if they truly overheat (around 100C/212F - 105C/221F, depending on your processor). Your temps are most likely well within the normal operating range.

 

[Dark Void]

yes, there's a vent back there and that's the fan making the noise. nothing to worry about.

 

[Peewiglet]

Thanks, both of you!

Phew... that was a bit of a shock!

I do have iStatPro, BTW: I realised after posting that it told me the temperature, and the CPU was at 81. That sounds hot to me, but I see from a quick Google that they can get up to 100.

Thanks again.

p.s. Why is this sudden heating happening, though? I'm not doing anything really. Just a bit of browsing. It hasn't happened before.

 

[Dark Void]

81 isn't that bad, just make sure you are giving it proper ventilation and heat is only going to really be an issue if you have faulty fans or something like that, which in this case it doesn't seem so which was already covered. just try not to think about it and get obsessive over it or anything, it should be fine unless there is a genuine defect.

 

[GGJstudios]

p.s. Why is this sudden heating happening, though? I'm not doing anything really. Just a bit of browsing. It hasn't happened before.

If you're browsing sites with Flash content, that can put more demand on the CPU/GPU and raise temps. Use ClickToFlash plugin or ClickToFlash extension to control which Flash content plays on sites. Also, make sure you don't put your MBP on a soft surface, like a pillow or blanket, that might block the vents.

 

[Resqu2]

Mine does what your describing only when I watch videos. It still doesn't overheat though, just hotter than if I'm just surfing the web.

 

[Peewiglet]

Thanks for the further replies. I'll keep an eye on it.