how hot is hot?

[paenguin]

Hi Guys,
just wondering what temp does the fan normally kick in, if it does?
any chance i can set the temp threshold on it?
i have smcfancontrol, but all it does is have the fans set at a certain value, regardless of the temp. or am i wrong?
thanks! cheers!

 

[creator2456]

Hi Guys,
just wondering what temp does the fan normally kick in, if it does?
any chance i can set the temp threshold on it?
i have smcfancontrol, but all it does is have the fans set at a certain value, regardless of the temp. or am i wrong?
thanks! cheers!

SMC sets the lowest speed that your fans will run at. It does nothing to stop them from going faster if they need to (unless you are already at the max).I try to keep my MBP at 120-140F (50-60C). I'll let it go higher if I am ripping/burning cds/dvds or if I am doing some heavy CS3 work.

 

[paenguin]

SMC sets the lowest speed that your fans will run at. It does nothing to stop them from going faster if they need to (unless you are already at the max).I try to keep my MBP at 120-140F (50-60C). I'll let it go higher if I am ripping/burning cds/dvds or if I am doing some heavy CS3 work.

thanks for the fast one. when does it go high? does the MBP have a temp sensor that speeds up the fans when it gets too hot for it?

 

[cherry su]

Use SMCFanControl to speed up the fans if you want a cooler machine.

 

[creator2456]

thanks for the fast one. when does it go high? does the MBP have a temp sensor that speeds up the fans when it gets too hot for it?

It has several on key components on the inside. I also suggest getting iStatPro (widget) so you can monitor temps.

 

[DannySmurf]

thanks for the fast one. when does it go high? does the MBP have a temp sensor that speeds up the fans when it gets too hot for it?

Yes it does (all Apple portables do). However, some older laptops (first gen MBPs manufactured in the first 20 weeks, in particular) have this set too low, and as far as I know, no software update has fixed this. I have a MBP 1.83 from Week 15 whose fans rarely kick in, even when the machine gets unacceptably hot (75C+, for example, when the charging circuit is active). This is the kind of situation that SMCFanControl is good for.

However, barring any specific problems with your laptop, you should leave things as they are. If it's working properly, the hardware inside the machine is smarter about its own temperature and tolerances than you are. If you go diddling with fan speeds on your own for no reason, you will end up with a cooler laptop, yes. But: 1) That may not actually be the problem you think it is in the first place, and 2) you will degrade your battery's performance.