...does the i7 really run warmer?
I wish I knew, too.
More specifically, I wish I knew which MBP2011 models run coolest as defined by lowest fan noise at default settings with normal use (incl. web browsing, video playback, and Windows 7 apps via vmware Fusion, but not counting things like active games or transcoding videos). (This is one of the top 3 factors that will sway my choice of model. I'm leaning toward the 2.7 i7 13" if it'd be silent & pretty fast for my normal use.)
More specifically, I wish I knew which MBP2011 models run coolest as defined by lowest fan noise at default settings with normal use
Mine is a 17 inch. So it's different. But for what it's worth, here's my i7 after about 3 and a half hours of web use, a few youtube videos, and I watched 2 episodes of Reno 911 in VLC. Nothing too major. It rarely gets warmer though, even when I do more strenuous tasks. About the warmest it's ever gotten, is 10C or so over this.
View attachment 275532
Damn, chassis size makes quite a difference. Mine is that cool only after awaking from sleep. I think I am gonna exchange it tomorrow, doesn't hurt. I booted up my 2010 13" and it was difficult to get it up to 75 degrees C on my Google Earth stress test. Even then it was a measured build-up, one degree at a time. Whereas, my '11 just shoots up to the high 80s without much provocation.
There are facts and then there are opinions. You are trying to make your opinion a fact and it is not. 90C is no problem. Some of these machines do have horrible thermal paste applications, in which case take the machine back. To say that "to me it is too hot no matter what the facts are and what the CPU can really handle" is just silly. As for a firmware update to deal with high CPU temps I highly doubt it. Unless they want to underclock all the CPU's. People would not be amused with that.I returned my 2011 MBP 13 because 90+ degrees C seems too hot to me, whether it is technically within an acceptable "heat rage" or not.
To me, this is too hot and even if not breaking the computer immediately, prolonged heat is known to shorten the lifespan of notebook computers.
I can almost guarantee that there will be some sort of firmware update to deal with this problem
There are facts and then there are opinions. You are trying to make your opinion a fact and it is not. 90C is no problem. Some of these machines do have horrible thermal paste applications, in which case take the machine back. To say that "to me it is too hot no matter what the facts are and what the CPU can really handle" is just silly. As for a firmware update to deal with high CPU temps I highly doubt it. Unless they want to underclock all the CPU's. People would not be amused with that.
I have absolutely no experience with the 13 inch MBP's. But from what I've read and heard, your temps are not really abnormal when pressing that machine. How often will you be pushing it to the absolute limits? If you're worried, I mean, you did spend money on it, and you need to find a solution that pleases you, or get your money back. So by all means do what you feel like would make you feel better
Have you thought about a size upgrade? Or at least researching it? I realize finances may not allow it/you may not want a bigger laptop, but I have heard that the larger ones run cooler by virtue of larger cases/more cooling capacity. (but I don't know for sure.) I do however, know that my 17 inch never approaches those temps, when I've worked it. And as I posted with a screenshot in another thread, it idles between 27-45 dependent on ambient temp and the surface it's on. Normal use is between 45-55 or so. It varies.
Will Apple reapply the thermal paste if you request it?
If temperature concerns you that much then you will not be able to reduce it until you
1) Reapply the thermal paste
2) Buy a laptop cooler
90C does seem very high and uncomfortable >< I would go for number 1.