If you are concerned about heat/fan noise, go 2010 or wait for Ivy Bridge

[jedics]

some machines just DO run cooler from my research.

the 2011 17 inch I just tested with smc was idling at 33 c at the Mac store the other day. A 1280 pixel 1.4 gig mp4 movie didnt rise it above 40 c.

Id go buy a 15 inch tmrw if I was guaranteed of these temps, I guess Im trying to wait till the first minor revision to increase my odds of it happening.

As he sits here typing this idling at 60 c

 

[darkeartg]

Got my first MBP 2011, can tell me how to check the temp in OS X ?

Thanks !

download istat widget. I wouldn't though, it'll just make you all paranoid and stuff. Imo I think most of the mbp here are fine, they're suppose to run that temperature

 

[darkeartg]

you do nothing. my 2010 posted those same numbers. so does my 2011. neither has ever given me trouble. you've nothing to worry about. though I would like to know if these people with systems relaxing in the 40s are doing.

maybe they have some sort of cooling surface they're sitting it on.

i noticed that if you run chrome on the 15's it gets alot warmer due to the fact that it uses the discreet card. i've gotten way lower with safari sometimes in the high 30's when surfing. right now i'm at 35C but i just have one window on and just safari open.

btw those numbers are perfectly normal =)

 

[ganzeinfach]

I am very sensitive to noise and was worried as I use my MBP in a recording studio environment. [...] any real world usage is unlikely to get your fans spinning at intolerable levels.

Same here ! (More in my little review)

 

[lukta]

Just wait for the 2022 MacBooks. They're going to run much cooler.

 

[CmdrLaForge]

Thanks for this. Can you tell about fan speed and noise from both ones during ?

The 2011 MBP fans are running at 6000 rpm when the 2010 run at around 4000 rpm with the same temps on the CPU.

 

[mark28]

The 2011 MBP fans are running at 6000 rpm when the 2010 run at around 4000 rpm with the same temps on the CPU.

4 cores at 70 degrees causes more heat than 2 cores that are at 70 degrees.

 

[awvan]

Hardly anything to complain about!

When I first starting reading this thread I assumed that these temps were going to be much much higher than what you are reporting. Compared to my late 2008 2.4 C2D it's nothing! I'm regularly running at 65-68°C under normal load (couple safari windows, mail, neo office, netnewswire). I've only ever seen it below 60° when I first wake it from sleep after sitting in my car in the wintertime or something. At home (in clamshell mode) driving my 30" ACD it idles at 70° doing nothing, and ramps up to the mid 70s while running Photoshop or Lightroom with the fans running just under 4000rpm. I wish I could afford to replace this with either a 2010 or 2011. lol.

I originally though my MBP was cool too, though coming from a Rev. A MacBook Air I think anything was. Half the time I had that thing I think the fans were running at 6200rpm.

 

[RationalGaze]

i noticed that if you run chrome on the 15's it gets alot warmer due to the fact that it uses the discreet card. i've gotten way lower with safari sometimes in the high 30's when surfing. right now i'm at 35C but i just have one window on and just safari open.

btw those numbers are perfectly normal =)

I use chrome all the time. I also have gfxCardStatus installed and I get notifications when the card switches from integrated to discrete. Whenever I run chrome, it runs on the HD3000. However, only when I watch flash videos or the like, does it switch to the 6750.

However, starting Firefox always switches the gfx to 6750.

 

[nebulos]

(i've read through most of this thread, but if i've missed something, please forgive.)


i'll be buying a MBP very soon and am interested in these potential issues. i'm also a musician.

considering the heat reports out there, i think it was a great idea to start a thread on this issue, in particular, one with an emphasis on facts, rather than vague reports and bickering. however, i must agree with some, in spirit, that this thread, as it is, currently falls short of its goal.

for one, the thread begins with a conclusion! ... i know you did research initially, but i'm pretty sure this set a lot of people off on the wrong foot. in particular, after reading people's responses, is the claim that the 2011s are running hotter really so obvious?

i think one thing that could greatly improve the quality and utility of this thread is: UNIFORM REPORTING!? ... if we really want to get to the bottom of this, perhaps we can provide a 'standard form' that people can fill out, including ambient temps, temp and fan speed CPU% = X, for different X's; i don't know enough to write this form: any volunteers? in particular, as has been mentioned, 'web browsing' is ambiguous, especially as it has been reported that Firefox and Chrome AUTOMATICALLY USE THE DEDICATED GPU. (... uh, that may not be true, actually; at least, it may be more subtle than this.) it would be great if reports could then be compiled for easy viewing. (i dont know if we want to do this, but i collected the reports on page 1 below.)


... also, some thoughts, for example, on thermal paste: "The clear implication is that with the 2011 models their are a higher number of users investigating making changes because their laptops run hotter and louder." ... first, are you sure 2011 re-pasters outnumber 2010 re-pasters? ... also, it should be noted that iFixit's teardown of the 2010 model DID NOT show an excess of thermal paste, whereas their teardown of the 2011, or course, DID; that doesn't mean there was less thermal paste on the average 2010 model, but those teardowns, (and, perhaps, not heat), may have led more to open up their 2011 models.


*******************************************************


temperature/fan reports within this thread (page 1):


2011 models:

grillface: Right now while web browsing the fans are at a silent 2k rpm and the CPU temperature is sitting at 39 degrees C.

iZero: Haven't had my 2011 17" i7 above 70 even once, working it hard. Idles and does normal everyday tasks in the mid 30's-low 40's. Fans are barely audible unless it's being taxed.

mik3f: My 2011 is no louder than my 2010 13".

adrian: my 2011 is giving me roughly the same experience [as my 2010, never under 45C] .

liva: mbp 2011 15" idle at 39° and after 8hour of rendering with all core at 95-100% with Adobe After Effect, he went at 87°.

daneoni: Right now i'm driving a 24" LED ACD with the AMD chip and i'm getting temps of 47-51C with Safari (with Flash on CNN), Mail, Adium, iTunes and some other monitoring/maintenance software going. Also the MBP is in clamshell mode with the display closed.

wct097: My 15" 2.2ghz just got up to 87*, running the fans at 4500rpm while making a Winclone image of my Bootcamp partition. By the time I finished typing this post it was back to 52* and 2k rpm, and generally idles around 37* and 2k RPM doing typical activity.

punchwalk: [re wct097]: I have a 15" 2.2 as well and can vouch for these numbers. Almost identical temps for me.

nikhsub1: My 2 week old 2.3 [2011 17"] runs cool as a cucumber - idle low 30's C and load in the 80's.


2010 models:

mulo: i could never get my 2010 MBP under 50C

spazma7ik: My 2010 17" is idling at 32C.

adrian_1480: mine never ran below maybe 45C.

iZero: ... [my] 2010 17" was the same [as my 2011] (see above)

 

[sawtooth420]

I work with audio in a acoustic treated room where i can hear every db of noise, so a silent mac is essential for me. I needed a new macbook pro and read all these topics about heat and fans of the new models.
So i went in a store where they have a silent room and asked to try a new model there. In idle fans are always on at 2000 rpm but when i opened garageband with a song with 20% of cpu use i could hear noise (fans went from 2000 to 3000). Then i opened facetime and a youtube video and guess, fans begin to spin louder, probably because of the graphic cards that make a lot of heat. I added more tracks to garageband and temp went at 87° C. Fans did not stop for a while after i quit all the applications.
In the end i buyed a 2010 i5 model that is - for now - enough for what i need. I wish i could get a 2011 but my ears can't tolerate fan noise.
In my exeperince noise depends by a lot of things: rooms, usage, ears, perception, etc. I also think that some new models get warmer because of problems in the thermal paste. I also believe ati cards get warmer respect invidia.
Btw now i'm happy with my 2010 model, that is not absolutely silent as it runs fans at 2000 and i can hear them (i think it's normal that fans are always on, right?) but at least they don't spin like an hair dryer with normal use.

 

[Exana]

The 2011 MBP fans are running at 6000 rpm when the 2010 run at around 4000 rpm with the same temps on the CPU.

Thanks CmdrLaForge ! Just what I wanted to know.

 

[maratus]

I work with audio in a acoustic treated room where i can hear every db of noise, so a silent mac is essential for me. I needed a new macbook pro and read all these topics about heat and fans of the new models.
So i went in a store where they have a silent room and asked to try a new model there. In idle fans are always on at 2000 rpm but when i opened garageband with a song with 20% of cpu use i could hear noise (fans went from 2000 to 3000). Then i opened facetime and a youtube video and guess, fans begin to spin louder, probably because of the graphic cards that make a lot of heat. I added more tracks to garageband and temp went at 87° C. Fans did not stop for a while after i quit all the applications.
In the end i buyed a 2010 i5 model that is - for now - enough for what i need. I wish i could get a 2011 but my ears can't tolerate fan noise.
In my exeperince noise depends by a lot of things: rooms, usage, ears, perception, etc. I also think that some new models get warmer because of problems in the thermal paste. I also believe ati cards get warmer respect invidia.
Btw now i'm happy with my 2010 model, that is not absolutely silent as it runs fans at 2000 and i can hear them (i think it's normal that fans are always on, right?) but at least they don't spin like an hair dryer with normal use.

There's plenty things to improve in unibody design considering how hot 32nm quads still are. 6750 is no slouch either.

1. Fans can be bigger. Larger fan means less noise and higher airflow. And there is free space even with current logic board. 15-30% larger fans can be fitted without redesigning.

2. Heat sinks' area can be larger. It's possible to increase width of both heat sinks by same 20-30%.

3. There's a room to improve thermal paste and its application. As many of you already aware of

All these improvements will lead to significant decrease in temperatures and noise under heavy load.

 

[mike2732]

I don't know what people are complaining about...

If the difference between 50 C and 40 C really makes you shake, then just turn the idle fan speed up 1000 RPM (to 3000 RPM) and you still can't hear it.

That's what I do, I'm at 42 C right now (constant for the past hour) while browsing, IM'ing and listening to iTunes. I can't even hear a whisper of the fan...

While under heavy load, just set RPM high (to 6k RPM) and I have 83 C max, or 89 C on one core max (Turbo Boost Core?). No biggie, and this is how it has always been.

This thread is pointless, seriously. Stop trying to scare people, that 10 C idle difference (if even!) won't affect the majority of the users.

Edit: I should point out I'm on a 2.3 GHz 15" w/ 4GB RAM & 750GB HDD

 

[edifyingGerbil]

dunno if this has been mentioned yet but the first thing anyone should do when they get their new 2011 MBP is reset the SMC (power off completely, hold down left shift, left option and left control and the power button, wait ten seconds then release them altogether [if the magsafe plug is orange it'll momentarily turn green]) and reset the PRAM (turn it on but immediately press command option p + r, it should reboot)

this seems to solve a lot of overheating issues for some reason.... apple magic

 

[iTouch1987]

my 13 i7 CPU TEMP runs around normal 50-60C 2000rpm on a lap desk browsing websites on chrome etc.

when i start using itunes/garageband/etc (on top)...it'll kick up to 70-80. fans will kick in and it'll go to 65C, and the enclosure will be warm to the touch, not hot, but definitely noticeable where i put my hands/wrists to type.

is this normal for a 13" i7? is it because i'm using a lap desk? i've never gone under like 40C like some have reported or so i've seen on iStat.

i dont want to go through the ordeal of swapping to a new machine with all the data transfer and application setup.

 

[darkeartg]

I use chrome all the time. I also have gfxCardStatus installed and I get notifications when the card switches from integrated to discrete. Whenever I run chrome, it runs on the HD3000. However, only when I watch flash videos or the like, does it switch to the 6750.

However, starting Firefox always switches the gfx to 6750.

that's strange I don't know why mine does that then, I run 10-15C cooler with safari

 

[tcador]

I don't know what people are complaining about...

If the difference between 50 C and 40 C really makes you shake, then just turn the idle fan speed up 1000 RPM (to 3000 RPM) and you still can't hear it.

That's what I do, I'm at 42 C right now (constant for the past hour) while browsing, IM'ing and listening to iTunes. I can't even hear a whisper of the fan...

While under heavy load, just set RPM high (to 6k RPM) and I have 83 C max, or 89 C on one core max (Turbo Boost Core?). No biggie, and this is how it has always been.

This thread is pointless, seriously. Stop trying to scare people, that 10 C idle difference (if even!) won't affect the majority of the users.

Edit: I should point out I'm on a 2.3 GHz 15" w/ 4GB RAM & 750GB HDD

Couldn't agree more.

 

[propower]

Well all.....

As I have stated earlier (in this thread) I am a musician and pro audio guy. My main rig is a MacPro. I am upgrading my office machine where I do some lighter audio work and wanted a portable rig as well. I am coming from a mac mini which is kind of a dog but is also very quiet. Reality though is I never asked it to do much. I am very sensitive to fan noise and after using a 13.3 2011 i7 for a week I really wanted to make sure it was the right one for me. Whenever the fans in the 2011 would ramp up it really had me concerned. After reading this and any other thread I could find it seemed as if the 2010 15 i5 was the one to get. So I did...... And after a day of testing the two in my target application (Pro Tools) the result for me is more than a bit surprising!! In the spirit of give em the facts first I present the following............ I will put my comments at the end......

Notes....... about "data"..........
Even a 0.5dBA increase is clearly audible
All work done in 10X10 office with ProTools LE 8.03 and Handbrake
Sound Level meter = SPL-8810 (nothing too fancy)
Sound measurements taken about 2 feet away from machine -
machine about head height WRT sitting position
All data is my own work.... YMMV.....
Room ambient noise ~33dBA Temp~23degC
Wish all my nice formatting would come out better
The proTools test always have three variants 1) with 5 dverbs 2) with 35 dverbs and 3) with 55dverbs. All of these have signal going through them.......

2011 13.3" Core i7 2.7
@2% load SAfari, mail 52degC 2000rpm
Note: at 2000rpm I can hear the spinning Hard Drive but not the fans! SSD upgrade in the near future....

@100% load Handbrake default settings for m4v
90degC in 15 seconds,
6200rpm in 25seconds,
stabilize ~90degC for CPUA, CPU1 average 98 to 100 (41dBA)
Was more like 85 after 30 minutes..........
Encode Angels and Demons ~40min ~100fps

PTLE 8.03 256 buffer 3 proc 99% 3Audio tracks, 15instances EQIII 7 band, 2 Boom, 1DB33, 1 miniGrand, 1Vaccuum
@5dverbs 21% system load -----73degC, 4500rpm 35dBA
@OPen Lid --------------------------77degC 3200rpm 33dBA

@35dverbs 35% system load ------76degC , 5600rpm 39dBA
@Open Lid----------------------------82degC, 4000rpm 34.5dBA

@55Dverbs 42 % system load-----80degC, 6200rpm 40dBA
@Open Lid---------------------------85degC, 4800rpm 39dBA

2010 15" Core i5 2.4
@2% load SAfari, mail 52degC 2000rpm
@100% load Handbrake default settings for m4v
93degC in 60 seconds,
6000rpm in about 2 minutes
stabilize ~82degC for CPUA,
CPU1 average 83 (40.5dBA)
Encode Angels and Demons ~50min ~average of 80fps

PTLE 8.03 256 buffer 3 proc 99% 3Audio tracks, 15instances EQIII 7 band, 2 Boom, 1DB33, 1 miniGrand, 1Vaccuum
@5 dverbs 32% system load--------68degC 4300rpm 35.6dBA
@OPen Lid-----------------------------72degC 3000rpm 33dBA

@35dverbs 51% system load-------74degC 5000rpm 37.5dBA
@Open Lid-----------------------------74degC 3480rpm 34.0dBA

@55Dverbs 67 % system load-------75degC 6000rpm 41dBA
system barely able to handle (CPU overage)
@Open Lid-----------------------------78degC 4000rpm 35dBA

1) Biggest discovery was just today. In clamshell mode (I was always running it with a 24" LED display) the cooling mechanism on the MBP is much less effective. Once you open the case the absolute temp does go up a smidge but the fans go down a lot! If I would have tried this earlier I never would have gotten the 2010 (no worries though I can return it )......
2) For loading up the same session in each machine the difference in fan noise is really very small. Temps on the 2010 are a little lower but for me as long as Apple knows what they are doing and stand behind the 2011 (think applecare here) then higher operating temp is OK with me.
3) The 2011 is half agin more powerful than the 2010 in ProTools. ie.... 1.5 times the system load (on the 2010 vs the 2011) for the same session. For this machine the 35 dverb test is probably overkill for me. Somewhere around 5 to 10 aux plugs and six or so Virtual instruments and then 10 to 20 real tracks is where I will be. The 2011 will handle this let's say 20% load with minimum fan speeds. Done deal....... the 15 goes back tomorrow!
4) Hi Ho Thunderbolt.........
5) Yes for a 40% load on each machine, the 15 is quieter....... but the 2011 is doing 1.5X the work!! Much more useful for me to look at relative loading for the same work........

OK..... a week of agonizing and now I am decided........
I am sure many will find flaw with this methodology but that's the way it goes. Best of luck to all......

-Lee

 

[jedics]

There's plenty things to improve in unibody design considering how hot 32nm quads still are. 6750 is no slouch either.

1. Fans can be bigger. Larger fan means less noise and higher airflow. And there is free space even with current logic board. 15-30% larger fans can be fitted without redesigning.

2. Heat sinks' area can be larger. It's possible to increase width of both heat sinks by same 20-30%.

3. There's a room to improve thermal paste and its application. As many of you already aware of

All these improvements will lead to significant decrease in temperatures and noise under heavy load.

Id say your right, and Id say its way over due given the cooling design is almost identical in the new chips to the core era. The chips have gotten faster each time and usually hotter but the heat sink and fans remain unchanged. The surface area of the heat sink where the fans push the air out is very small, whether or not a redesign is needed to accommodate this is another story entirely.

I still like my idea of turning the back of the screen into the radiator that way the heat is away from the user and no more fan noise and HOPEFULLY no pump noise either

 

[adrian1480]

I wish I knew how some of you have idle temps below 40C. that's just...just seems so unlikely. has anyone posted screenshots to verify these claims?

mine is idling right now at 60C, with the fans set to 2400rpm. it's doing about as little as it will ever do: Chrome open to about 30 tabs, Fidelia playing music. 3% User load on CPU. It's dipped as low as 52C or so. But claims of readings below 40C...

...if verified, I'd like to know what:

1.) Your ambient temperature is

2.) If you're using some sort of matt or external device to provide additional cooling. I'm using one of these:

just a simple stand that has a mouse pad that folds out. no cooling or anything.

 

[BlaqkAudio]

I don't know what's all the complaining about. My early 2011 base model 15" runs cooler and quieter than my early 2008 base model 15". I just played about an hour of SC2 and my CPU is only at 51C.

 

[adrian1480]

I don't know what's all the complaining about. My early 2011 base model 15" runs cooler and quieter than my early 2008 base model 15". I just played about an hour of SC2 and my CPU is only at 51C.

your CPU wasn't at 51C while you were playing.

 

[edifyingGerbil]

I wish I knew how some of you have idle temps below 40C. that's just...just seems so unlikely. has anyone posted screenshots to verify these claims?

mine is idling right now at 60C, with the fans set to 2400rpm. it's doing about as little as it will ever do: Chrome open to about 30 tabs, Fidelia playing music. 3% User load on CPU. It's dipped as low as 52C or so. But claims of readings below 40C...

Are you on OS X or Windows? I just now logged off Windows and into OSX and turned on iStat where I saw the temperature drop from ~50 to currently 40 on the dot.

If you're using OS X download http://codykrieger.com/gfxCardStatus and set it to integrated graphics for simple web browsing or music listening, it seems to do a great job in keeping temps down.

Another thing you can try is to reset your SMC, see if that does anything.

from the moment I started writing this I went from 40 degrees CPU to 39, according to iStat, and I'm listening to music as well.

See, below 40, and from the time it took me to google how to print screen and upload the pic onto tiny pic it's gone to 37

taken a short while later. I reckon it's because I'm using integrated graphics. I'm not using a special pad or anything, I'm typing this with the macbook on a large hard cover book which is resting on my tummy in bed.

 

[tcador]

I'm seeing similar results as the poster above, although mine likes to stay around 39 degrees for the most part.