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If you are concerned about heat/fan noise, go 2010 or wait for Ivy Bridge
- Thread starter mrmister
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i keep having problem this ugly annoying problem with macbookair1,1 1.6 Ghz, 64 ssd, snow leopard 10.6.7
whenever i connect external display the fans go up to 6200 rpm although the temperature is always around 55-60 degrees.. cpu is 90% idle, the machine does nothing..
tried everything i could find on several forums:
- reset smc / pram / nvram - nothing changes
- smcFanControl 2.2.2 -> does absolutely nothing.. as though its not even installed..
- coolbook -> with several settings experimented.. no avail!
haven't tried to physicaly reinstall the thermal paste, but i don't think it should be the problem.. the machine is pretty cool, but something makes the fan think it's really hot..
if i disconnect the external display, the fans come back down after a while.. only sometimes need to be kicked a bit by sleeping and waking the box..
this really pisses me off and i think it must be just some simple software bug which nobody cares about.. :/
whenever i connect external display the fans go up to 6200 rpm although the temperature is always around 55-60 degrees.. cpu is 90% idle, the machine does nothing..
tried everything i could find on several forums:
- reset smc / pram / nvram - nothing changes
- smcFanControl 2.2.2 -> does absolutely nothing.. as though its not even installed..
- coolbook -> with several settings experimented.. no avail!
haven't tried to physicaly reinstall the thermal paste, but i don't think it should be the problem.. the machine is pretty cool, but something makes the fan think it's really hot..
if i disconnect the external display, the fans come back down after a while.. only sometimes need to be kicked a bit by sleeping and waking the box..
this really pisses me off and i think it must be just some simple software bug which nobody cares about.. :/
Last edited:
I'm on a Macbook Pro 15" Core i7 2.66ghz Mid 2010. I'm only running firefox and have three tabs open. iStat menus is giving me a temperature reading between 44-48 degrees.
I'm thinking of tearing down my Macbook Pro and reapplying thermal paste to the CPU and GPU.
My question is though, before I reapply thermal paste, would I see a decrease in heat or are these temperatures normal?
My Mac Pro from 2006 with two processors produces less heat than this.
I'm thinking of tearing down my Macbook Pro and reapplying thermal paste to the CPU and GPU.
My question is though, before I reapply thermal paste, would I see a decrease in heat or are these temperatures normal?
My Mac Pro from 2006 with two processors produces less heat than this.
Those temps are normal. Mac Pros have more space for cooling which is why they would be cooler than a MacBook Pro with it's limited cooling space.
Would you suggest reapplying thermal paste to the CPU and GPU to bring down the temperatures? I think I've seen some macrumors members get results below the 40 degrees point.
Personally I think it's a very risky and overall pointless procedure. Unless you're getting excessively high temps there's really no need to even consider reapplying thermal paste and doing so could very easily mess up your computer. Some people think it's a good thing to do, even if temps are just a little high but I disagree. 40-50 degrees with firefox open and three tabs is not bad at all and is perfectly normal in my opinion.
I just restarted the MBP and now *only* have firefox with a single tab and Macrumors running and hitting between 50-55 degrees Celsius. After a few minutes of just typing up a reply and not doing much its dropped to 50 and sometimes hit 48-50. I'm plugged into the wall if that makes a difference (not running off batteries).
The only things I have running on startup are;
Rightzoom
TotalFinder
FontExplorer X Autoload
These are small applications and don't strain the performance much, if at all.
I've applied thermal paste to my ATI 3870 before when I replace the fan to passive cooling, so I'm not completely amateur when it comes to this, what scares me is taking apart the macbook as I'm worried I may damage small pieces in the process. I'd be much more comfortable using my laptop knowing its running cooler.
I don't have any issues at all.
It's really rare when my MBP gets hot and loud, and when it does, its totally the same compared to other computers!
It's really rare when my MBP gets hot and loud, and when it does, its totally the same compared to other computers!
It's really up to you. Since you have experience applying thermal paste you should have a much easier time with it but it's up to you to determine if the risk is worth it.
I absolutely do not reccomend bothering with the thermal grease especially at such fantastically low temperatures you are getting.
I have done the whole pull down re greased the cpu with arctic silver oiled the fans and blown out the dust and it did not become noticeably cooler or quieter.
The only other thing I can think to do is buy new fans and while Im sure this would reduce the noise the heat would still be the same, laptops just tend to run hotter over time.
I agree with the OP. As a 2011 MBP owner (and my first mac 
) - I love this laptop - but it runs hot as can be. No way Apple can sustain this, since it looks really bad. I actually burned my chest watching a movie (okay, the macbook did feel uncomfortable and I just left it there anyways). But really, what macbooks can burn you? There are so many posts here where people say 80C is fine... okay maybe for your hardware but what impact does that have on battery life and the usability of putting the macbook on your lap? Geez, just think about this for a minute.
Next years Ivy Bridge will be much better... if this is important to you definitely wait. For me, I love my first macbook, so I didn't return it, but I recognize that this was a negative I considered worth it for now. Just know that negative exists.
) - I love this laptop - but it runs hot as can be. No way Apple can sustain this, since it looks really bad. I actually burned my chest watching a movie (okay, the macbook did feel uncomfortable and I just left it there anyways). But really, what macbooks can burn you? There are so many posts here where people say 80C is fine... okay maybe for your hardware but what impact does that have on battery life and the usability of putting the macbook on your lap? Geez, just think about this for a minute.Next years Ivy Bridge will be much better... if this is important to you definitely wait. For me, I love my first macbook, so I didn't return it, but I recognize that this was a negative I considered worth it for now. Just know that negative exists.
Hmmm...
I am thinking about buying the 15" MBP, and the thought that it might run hot kinda scared me since I am currently using a MacBook 1,1 which everyone knows runs hot and the fans kick on with me just opening a web browser. Saw the temps listed for "hot" (up to 70-80 degrees) and installed iStat just now to see what my temps are for running just one web browser (with many tabs open). It goes up to 185 degrees!
As for buying a new laptop that I might not need all the specs currently (I am thinking about the 8GB RAM to go on the 15" with hi-res display and quad core instead of just duo), I have had this laptop for 5 years and want another that COULD last that long as well, PLUS one that won't be totally outdated in the next 6 months. I want something with better graphics (more than just the integrated ones) and something that I can pick up a new detailed graphics game in 2 years and not find that the computer doesn't have good enough specs to run the thing!
So while I may not use all the specs NOW, I would rather have them for if I do want/need them at any time in the future. The only thing that I wish I could add to the 15" MBP from Apple (which they don't offer) is a Blue-Ray player...
I am thinking about buying the 15" MBP, and the thought that it might run hot kinda scared me since I am currently using a MacBook 1,1 which everyone knows runs hot and the fans kick on with me just opening a web browser. Saw the temps listed for "hot" (up to 70-80 degrees) and installed iStat just now to see what my temps are for running just one web browser (with many tabs open). It goes up to 185 degrees!
As for buying a new laptop that I might not need all the specs currently (I am thinking about the 8GB RAM to go on the 15" with hi-res display and quad core instead of just duo), I have had this laptop for 5 years and want another that COULD last that long as well, PLUS one that won't be totally outdated in the next 6 months. I want something with better graphics (more than just the integrated ones) and something that I can pick up a new detailed graphics game in 2 years and not find that the computer doesn't have good enough specs to run the thing!
So while I may not use all the specs NOW, I would rather have them for if I do want/need them at any time in the future. The only thing that I wish I could add to the 15" MBP from Apple (which they don't offer) is a Blue-Ray player...
Im in the same boat, I really need a new macbook as mine is so hot n noisy and struggles with my music set up, I know the new machines are VERY powerful but really do run stupidly hot. Even going into the store and putting your hand underneath after they have been running their screensaver for a while shows this.
Its just not good enuf to me, Im waiting for the next update to see if they bother to address this OBVIOUS issue. I already own one of their blow dryers and Im not paying $2000+ for the privilege of another one that is useless for recording.
I think one thing most people don't consider (I haven't read all 3 pages of replies so forgive me if it was already brought up) but I think the altitude and thickness of the air in your environment also play a role in the temperature of your MBP.
For example I live in Colorado and since the state is at a higher elevation, some electronics and even old air cooled cars have a hard time compensating for the thinner air up here. So it's hard to make all these comparisons when we're telling each other what our MBPs heat up to without mentioning our altitude or room temperature.
For example I live in Colorado and since the state is at a higher elevation, some electronics and even old air cooled cars have a hard time compensating for the thinner air up here. So it's hard to make all these comparisons when we're telling each other what our MBPs heat up to without mentioning our altitude or room temperature.
I feel there is still a lot of life left in the 2010 models, sure the new models are great and I'd love to see how far I could push an i5 or i7 processor. Given that I'm running a decked out 13" late 2010 with the Nvidia 320m and the rather old Core 2 Duo @2.4Ghz still can flex it's muscle when needed.
I know this machine will last me a few years and it does exactly what I need. Photo work, other home uses, and some gaming in a nice small package.
I have no buyers remorse but many others did when I seen a ton of returns of 2010 models in the "open box" cage. The returned number of Macs at that point outnumbered any make of PC there (I should have taken a picture of it).
Anyway,
I wanted to see how far I could really push my 2010 MacBook and running everything below, the fans never even kicked into high gear The HD trailer of Cars didn't even drop frames during playback. The only time I did that was playing Bioshock on the 27" with the lid closed (and elevated on a makeshift stand).
I know this machine will last me a few years and it does exactly what I need. Photo work, other home uses, and some gaming in a nice small package.
I have no buyers remorse but many others did when I seen a ton of returns of 2010 models in the "open box" cage. The returned number of Macs at that point outnumbered any make of PC there (I should have taken a picture of it).
Anyway,
I wanted to see how far I could really push my 2010 MacBook and running everything below, the fans never even kicked into high gear The HD trailer of Cars didn't even drop frames during playback. The only time I did that was playing Bioshock on the 27" with the lid closed (and elevated on a makeshift stand).
