Macbook air 2013 getting hot

[1somniac]

hello,

I just received my new macbook air 11" last week and I'm pleased with it although the battery never last more than 5 hours with me.

I ordered an i7 with 8GB ram and 256SSD to keep peace in mind, and also because it's going to be my main computer.

Problem is that as soon as I do slightly heavier task (photoshop or multiple video opens), macbook air starts to get hot and fans become louder and louder.

I have a macbook cover but it's made of leather and doesn't let the heat goes out. So when it gets too hot I have to remove the leather cover in order to let the heats off....

Now my problem is to find a way to cool my laptop and let it cool. 2 problems:
- I need a cover that would allow heats to go out easily. I haven't found any because they are all made of plastic or similar material that doesn't let the heat out
- Some laptop fan but it looks way too big for my 11" macbook air:
http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master...8&qid=1373949409&sr=8-1&keywords=notebook+fan

Any idea how I can sort that out?

thanks

 

[Code.Red]

The battery life sounds about right if you're doing medium to heavy usage. Remember that the 9 hour claim is for light usage, pretty much light web browsing in Safari only. (Chrome is not well power-optimized, and results in around an hour less battery.)

What kind of leather cover do you have? Pretty much the only vents on the Air are where the screen hinge is at. If you're covering that, then yeah the fans are going to kick into overdrive in order to get that heat out of there.

Try using it without the cover first. I wouldn't recommend buying a laptop fan.

There are some other choices for covers, but it all depends on what you want and also finding a balance of convenience, weight, protection, and airflow. You may consider using a sleeve and a sticker-like body protector. Just another option. I'm opting for just a sleeve myself, to protect it while I'm traveling, but using it naked otherwise.

 

[MacLappy]

I too had a similar experience, on top of the reduced airflow, the case also makes the air heavier. I end up using a sleeve instead. Offers better protection while on the move, no airflow restriction when it use.

 

[luisito]

I ordered an i7 with 8GB ram and 256SSD to keep peace in mind, and also because it's going to be my main computer.

Problem is that as soon as I do slightly heavier task (photoshop or multiple video opens), macbook air starts to get hot and fans become louder and louder.

i7 will not only consume more battery, but will also produce more heat. The i5 and i7 base clock gap isn't as big as the turbo speed: from 1.3GHz to 1.7GHz isn't much, but from 2.6GHz to 3.3GHz the kick is highly noticeable, specially on the fans and temperature of the machine.

Leather will definitely not help you, what you need is a better solution for an efficient air flow, as MacLappy suggested, that is one of the greatest ways of doing so, I do the same myself.

But if you want to step it up even further, why don't you give a try to this: Something cool at the Apple Store. This will create a bigger gap between the bottom and the desk for greater air flow, this maximizes the heat exchange because the entire bottom case is exposed to ambient, aluminum benefits greatly from this, and will definitely make your MBA cooler.

You don't want to buy a fan, its a hassle, and you will block 1 USB port.

If I may, I would like to recommend you my favorite case: Another cool thing at the Apple Store. I use the 13in size, but it is exactly the same, the material of the outside is some sort of polymer with a good amount of plasticizers, so it has the perfect balance between rigidity and flexibly, and it is extremely tough. Because of the material, I always sit my MBA on top to prevent scratches, but won't absorb the heat like most cotton or neoprene sleeves, so my computer always stays cool to the touch, even when running Engineering applications, which are much heavier than any photoshop, video or 3D consumer program.