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Just received MBA 13" and its running too hot

A

askj

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 11, 2012
16
0
Hi,
I just received my first mac and its MBA 13" 2GHz processor, 256GB HDD and 8GB RAM. I was watching some videos and its running too hot.

1. Is it normal?
2. Is there a way to know the temp and fan speeds?
3. Is there a way to control the fan speed?

Thanks
 
askj said:
Hi,
I just received my first mac and its MBA 13" 2GHz processor, 256GB HDD and 8GB RAM. I was watching some videos and its running too hot.

1. Is it normal?
2. Is there a way to know the temp and fan speeds?
3. Is there a way to control the fan speed?

Thanks
Click to expand...

You can download iStat Menus get that info. It's a paid app but there is a free trial.
 
askj said:
Hi,
I just received my first mac and its MBA 13" 2GHz processor, 256GB HDD and 8GB RAM. I was watching some videos and its running too hot.

1. Is it normal?
2. Is there a way to know the temp and fan speeds?
3. Is there a way to control the fan speed?

Thanks
Click to expand...

How can you tell if your computer is running too hot without knowing the internal temperatures? Do you touch your car's engine after driving to check whether it is overheating? No, I am sure you don't. The case will get warm since it acts as a heat sink. If your computer does run too hot, it will up the fan speed and throttle CPU speed. If it overheats, it will shut down. Yes, there are fan control apps. What are you hoping to achieve with them?
 
askj said:
Hi,
I just received my first mac and its MBA 13" 2GHz processor, 256GB HDD and 8GB RAM. I was watching some videos and its running too hot.

1. Is it normal?
2. Is there a way to know the temp and fan speeds?
3. Is there a way to control the fan speed?

Thanks
Click to expand...
I don't get people's obsession here with MacBooks running "too hot"... if something were running too hot, you would know about it.
 
lannisters4life said:
I don't get people's obsession here with MacBooks running "too hot"... if something were running too hot, you would know about it.
Click to expand...

It could be that the OP means that certain areas of the laptop that he actually needs to touch become uncomfortably warm, e.g. the keyboard. Not "too hot" as in: above spec. Who knows the spec anyway ?


Peter.
 
PeterJP said:
It could be that the OP means that certain areas of the laptop that he actually needs to touch become uncomfortably warm, e.g. the keyboard. Not "too hot" as in: above spec. Who knows the spec anyway ?


Peter.
Click to expand...
True ok, he/she may have been wearing short shorts, I didn't think of that.
 
lannisters4life said:
I don't get people's obsession here with MacBooks running "too hot"... if something were running too hot, you would know about it.
Click to expand...

Actually, there's been plenty of cases in the past where Apple laptops have been running too hot, as in you could actually cook eggs on them. I had a MB couple of years ago (the first unibody I believe) that would idle at 80-90 and reach 107 C under load. Took it to an authorized repair shop, they switched the logic board three times without luck in fixing the problem (don't ask me how a new logic board didn't fix the problem, could be the heatsink?). Eventually got it replaced and the new one was cool as ice.

My story is far from unique, Apple laptops have a reputation of being way too hot and part of the reason is sloppy thermal paste application. Lots of users on this board have disassembled their logic boards and re-applied thermal paste with good results.

So until you check the temperatures, don't let anyone tell you it's normal. If it's a new laptop you can just return it for another one.
 
MBAs are the leading cause of sterility among gamers. Um, wait a minute, they're gamers, so they're always in their parent's basement gaming. How would anyone know if they are sterile? Why would anyone care enough to even ask the question?
 
askj said:
Hi,
I just received my first mac and its MBA 13" 2GHz processor, 256GB HDD and 8GB RAM. I was watching some videos and its running too hot.

1. Is it normal?
2. Is there a way to know the temp and fan speeds?
3. Is there a way to control the fan speed?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Welcome in the club :D
 
I run SMC Fan Control on my MBA. Not for the Fan Control because I leave it at 2000rpm. I use it more for showing the CPU Temp in the Menu Bar. You can set it to show temp only.

I find when I do a full reinstall of Lion and my Apps etc I notice the MBA runs hot for a few days because it is running lot of back ground stuff to get started like Spotlight and a full Time Machine Backup. I find Time Machine, Spotlight and File Vault Encryption can heat the machine up. An initial Drop Box sorting process can also make it run hot. I say all these because they are common tasks with new machines when you first run them. iPhoto also runs "face sorting" etc.

Having said all that, I pulled both my MBAs apart and put Arctic Silver on the heat sync so they run cooler. Right now as I write this SMC FC is showing my MBA i5 is running at 35'c which is respectable with 7 general Apps open but no CPU intensive apps. Tuniq make a top heat sync paste as well. When I leave my MBA run over night on general idle (but still fully on minus the screen) it runs around 28-35'c. Working temp with video/file transfers/backups/5 MS Word Windows/5 Adobe Professional Windows/10 Safari Windows and a 1080P Dell Screen in the Mini Display Port all running at the same time would make the MBA run around 65-75'c. It can peak at 85-90'c with some really intense processes but the fan will bring it back quickly.

Remember also the Intel i5/7 etc can run very hot as part of their normal operation. Although you want to minimise the hot periods as well.

Also just as a final tip. The fan exhaust is 3/4 of an inch past/beyond the F1 and F2 keys (as you look down at your MBA) in between the display black hinge cover and the mac base body. If you have it on your lap or on a pillow or something really soft it can get blocked underneath. The exhaust can come out the top towards the screen but not the bottom. So if it is on a hard surface then great but just note you can obstruct the proper exhaust channel if it is on your lap. I still have it on my lap all the time but it is just good to be aware of.

My two cents worth. I say all that just in case your idea of "hot" is different.

Silver
 
Last edited:
Thanks

Thanks for all your comments, I will install iStat and SMC. I will monitor the temp and let you know..

Thanks again.
 
Too noisy for me, I sadly think

miles01110 said:
It's common knowledge that Apple portables get hot when doing things like watching video. If you try to reduce the fan speed your computer may shut off. It's best to let the fans run without interfering.
Click to expand...

So many Air users tell us that it's normal for Apple's thin products (e.g. especially the Air) to run hot. Aside from the heat, the user (and other persons in the room!) then has to keep up with much fan noise, I will think.

Is it thinkable that Apple just hasn't found a good enough balance between form and function, that they have been too obsessed with making the device too unnecessarily THIN - all this (and probably more) resulting in far too much fan noise, which is a definite dealbreaker for many of us?

(Some years ago I had a small Fujitzu notebook: It was good in all other ways than the horrible fan noise.) I wonder if the Air also emits too much noise, using it primarily working with Word and a bit surfing the internet and reading emails?
 
High frequency hearing loss FTW. The first thing you stop hearing is fan noise.
 
mortenandersen said:
So many Air users tell us that it's normal for Apple's thin products (e.g. especially the Air) to run hot. Aside from the heat, the user (and other persons in the room!) then has to keep up with much fan noise, I will think.

Is it thinkable that Apple just hasn't found a good enough balance between form and function, that they have been too obsessed with making the device too unnecessarily THIN - all this (and probably more) resulting in far too much fan noise, which is a definite dealbreaker for many of us?

(Some years ago I had a small Fujitzu notebook: It was good in all other ways than the horrible fan noise.) I wonder if the Air also emits too much noise, using it primarily working with Word and a bit surfing the internet and reading emails?
Click to expand...

You'll never hear the fan or notice any heat doing those tasks.
 
mortenandersen said:
So many Air users tell us that it's normal for Apple's thin products (e.g. especially the Air) to run hot. Aside from the heat, the user (and other persons in the room!) then has to keep up with much fan noise, I will think.

Is it thinkable that Apple just hasn't found a good enough balance between form and function, that they have been too obsessed with making the device too unnecessarily THIN - all this (and probably more) resulting in far too much fan noise, which is a definite dealbreaker for many of us?
Click to expand...

Samsung's Series 9 is even thinner, and made from a different kind of alloy that is less conductive of heat. I would guess that it, too, runs "too hot" for some tastes.
 
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