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otherguy5

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 2, 2015
97
7
Is it normal for the MBA to heat up a lot when you're uploading one video on youtube (185.3 MB)? Doing nothing else meanwhile then just searching the internet, and watching another YouTube video?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
for the MBA to heat up a lot when you're uploading one video on youtube (185.3 MB)? Doing nothing else meanwhile then just searching the internet, and watching another YouTube video?
Yes, it's normal for your MBA to run hotter under heavier workloads. It will not overheat. If this isn't sufficient information for you, let me know and I'll give you the longer response.
 
I use it sometimes, but in this case (and most of the time) I was using Firefox. Why? What's wrong with Chrome?
Many have complained of issues of poor performance and high impact on system resources. Quite a few have uninstalled it for those reasons.
 
Many have complained of issues of poor performance and high impact on system resources. Quite a few have uninstalled it for those reasons.

Your mileage may vary. Chrome has always worked very well for me.
 
Is it normal for the MBA to heat up a lot when you're uploading one video on youtube (185.3 MB)? Doing nothing else meanwhile then just searching the internet, and watching another YouTube video?

It's not the size of the video, it'll be the fact that its running flash, which is a efficiency dog.
 
Unless they fixed it, Chrome doesn't have an idle mode. Meaning that it doesn't let the tabs sleep when not visible and causes most of the energy drain complaints.

Youtube is converting to html5 for video, so the flash issue should eventually disappear. However, video is always going to use more energy over a regular website.

Is it the hot laptop the issue or the fan noise? Metal laptops take advantage of the metal body to assist in cooling, making them warmer to the touch than a plastic model. Also, if you are in a warm room or you use the laptop on a soft surface (like a bed) it will be warmer to the touch.
 
Is your CPU ok??:eek:
The CPU would shut down before any damage could occur. Many are simply unfamiliar with the normal heat generated by Apple notebooks, even though there is no cause for alarm. The CPU is most likely fine.
 
The CPU would shut down before any damage could occur. Many are simply unfamiliar with the normal heat generated by Apple notebooks, even though there is no cause for alarm. The CPU is most likely fine.
I am familiar with the heat created by macbooks.
Chrome however causes much higher cpu temps while uploading simple photos to photobucket, than for example safari. I've tried this several times and find it to be suspicious.

I am uploading the same content with safari and the cpu stays normal/cool at 50C to 60C.
With chrome the temps go up to 90C and above.
I don't know why, but I don't like it.
 
The CPU would shut down before any damage could occur. Many are simply unfamiliar with the normal heat generated by Apple notebooks, even though there is no cause for alarm. The CPU is most likely fine.

I was being sarcastic :p


His CPU is just fine... evil Chrome isn't going to hurt anything :D
 
For some reason streaming a movie and using airplay gets them pretty hot, I've never heard the fan in my girlfriend's 2012 13" MBA turn off while we watched a movie that way.
 
I am familiar with the heat created by macbooks.
Chrome however causes much higher cpu temps while uploading simple photos to photobucket, than for example safari. I've tried this several times and find it to be suspicious.

I am uploading the same content with safari and the cpu stays normal/cool at 50C to 60C.
With chrome the temps go up to 90C and above.
I don't know why, but I don't like it.
Yep, I've read many reports of such problems with Chrome. I rarely use it for browsing. Mostly, I just use it for PDFs.
 
I probably should get an app that monitors the temperature.

But a side question: does Chrome just automatically come with Flash, because I've noticed recently that some sites with Flash video play on Chrome but not on Firefox. And if this is so, any idea how to update Flash on Chrome?
 
I was being sarcastic :p


His CPU is just fine... evil Chrome isn't going to hurt anything :D
I tend to disagree.
A constant significantly higher operating temperature is not good for the cpu in the long run.

When I upload/downloadwith safari my macbook stays silent and cool.
When I perform the exact same upload or download with chrome, the fans go like crazy and the macbook gets really hot.

this is not normal.
 
I tend to disagree.
A constant significantly higher operating temperature is not good for the cpu in the long run.

When I upload/downloadwith safari my macbook stays silent and cool.
When I perform the exact same upload or download with chrome, the fans go like crazy and the macbook gets really hot.

this is not normal.

You don't think that issue is with your computer?

I figured I would try this out, so I installed the trial version of iStat Menus. I'm not sure how to change the measure, so my results are in Fahrenheit.

I just downloaded the 1 GB file from here and I didn't hear any fan noise at all. I've actually never heard my fan at all and I always used Chrome, which is why I found it odd that you hear your's "going crazy".

iStat is showing the CPU Core PECI temp between 100 and 105 with Chrome closed, with Chrome opened, and while downloading the above file with Chrome.

CPU Proximity is 97
Camera Proximity is 92
Charger Proximity is 90
None of those changed when downloading with Chrome either.
 
I probably should get an app that monitors the temperature.
You can use iStat Pro (free) or iStat Menus ($16) to get accurate readings of your temps, fan speeds, etc., rather than relying on touch or sound. A forum member has posted a copy of iStat Pro that has been "tweaked" to enhance compatibility with recent OS X versions. You can download it here.
When I upload/downloadwith safari my macbook stays silent and cool.
When I perform the exact same upload or download with chrome, the fans go like crazy and the macbook gets really hot.

this is not normal.
The temperatures, while higher than they need to be, are still within the safe operating range, but I agree that it isn't normal for Chrome to affect temps the way it does. Either it may not be as efficient as Safari, or (if one is prone to tinfoil hats) Chrome may be doing more behind the scenes than just the browsing activities. Whatever the reason, there have been numerous reports of decreased performance and increased temps and fan speeds when using Chrome vs other browsers.
 
...
When I upload/downloadwith safari my macbook stays silent and cool.
When I perform the exact same upload or download with chrome, the fans go like crazy and the macbook gets really hot. ...

Dunno. I've been using Chrome on all my Macs since I switched back to Apple in ~2008. Never had this problem with it. I rarely upload files with it but I often download large files (over a gigabyte). I run smcFanControl so I can keep an eye on temperatures and fan speed and downloading takes minimal power, as I would expect.
 
You can use iStat Pro (free) or iStat Menus ($16) to get accurate readings of your temps, fan speeds, etc., rather than relying on touch or sound. A forum member has posted a copy of iStat Pro that has been "tweaked" to enhance compatibility with recent OS X versions. You can download it here.

Thanks, I couldn't find a free one on the App Store.

Now I'm assuming you've downloaded from these locations yourself and can vouch for them being safe?
 
On a 2014 Air, my Macbook doesn't heat up at all using either browser. However, Chrome slows down my computer by eating all the RAM and does use a fair amount of CPU cycles.

It's mostly because of all the (not responding) processes it creates for each process. I only have adblock and anti-flash plugins so its not a rogue plugin doing it.

Chrome is simply too unstable. Plus, Safari is generally a better experience in my opinion.

Here's an example of what it looks like running Chrome. Already, it's got many crashed helpers.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/bzkoatdj7t0h3rq/Screenshot 2015-02-07 09.59.44.png?dl=0
 
Thanks, I couldn't find a free one on the App Store.

Now I'm assuming you've downloaded from these locations yourself and can vouch for them being safe?
Yes, I would never post a link for a download that wasn't safe.
 
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