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Macbook Air fans - effects of constant high RPM?

onthecouchagain said:
The fans running so loud doing such basic things (ie. no flash) is starting to become a deal breaker. It's especially obnoxious at night when it's quiet and the fans are very audible.

Not sure what to do...
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I had the same issue. I bought the mStand (http://www.raindesigninc.com/mstand.html) and the issue disappeared for the most part. Though I would assume you can get the same results by propping up the laptop off the desk so there is more airflow under the bottom - which is what the stand offers.

Sometimes my CPU cranks up for whatever reason and then even in the stand the fans blast. Same with Flash - no fixing that.
 
Thanks.

I actually got the BookArc, and the Air seems to run a bit cooler, but not by much. Either way, it's a great addition to my desk and a great spot for the Air.
 
DollaTwentyFive said:
I have the BookArc and I love it. I'm not sure what it will do for cooling, though. Maybe being lifted off the desk will improve airflow.
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it increases the surface area for natural convection..though this could probably be done cheaper if you're not as design conscious. Yes I do have the book arc and the temps definitely dropped versus having it flat on the table.

does the OP have 2010 or 2011?
 
jterp7 said:
it increases the surface area for natural convection..though this could probably be done cheaper if you're not as design conscious. Yes I do have the book arc and the temps definitely dropped versus having it flat on the table.

does the OP have 2010 or 2011?
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2011, base 13".
 
Intell said:
The piece-of-paper-sticking-via-suction-test shows otherwise. I've seen the inside of my Blackbook's and the underside of the topcase and ssw few holes, but air does move through my keyboard. Just enough the hold a standard piece of printer paper when the Macbook is tilted at angles that should make the paper fall off. Even putting the paper along the top row of keys and against the screen to block hot air from the keyboard I still feel moving air being pulled into the top centre of the keyboard.
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Don't bother with him, despite proof of the opposite he still mantains that ALL keyboards made by apple are sealed, as i took apart an old 2006 macbook which is similar to your blackbook i know for a fact that it's not sealed, it does have holes and it does have airflow going through they keyboard, those macbooks don't have a sealed keyboard.

Now the new ones? they do appear to be sealed, and the silicone key cover my sister uses hasn't gathered dust under it like with that old 2006 macbook.
 
onthecouchagain said:
2011, base 13".
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lol so you have the same config as me. I haven't done any updates that weren't automatic so unless there are differences between TB displays I don't know what else the problem could be. I know 1080p vids in VLC and iPhoto occasionally get the fan to spin up, but never during say surfing the web (non-flash).
 
jsolares said:
Don't bother with him, despite proof of the opposite he still mantains that ALL keyboards made by apple are sealed, as i took apart an old 2006 macbook which is similar to your blackbook i know for a fact that it's not sealed, it does have holes and it does have airflow going through they keyboard, those macbooks don't have a sealed keyboard.

Now the new ones? they do appear to be sealed, and the silicone key cover my sister uses hasn't gathered dust under it like with that old 2006 macbook.
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The picture in post #13 is from a 2006 MacBook. As you can see, the holes are blocked. While some air may be able to trickle through, it's not enough to contribute significantly to cooling. So you're saying that despite photographic proof of this, you're still maintaining otherwise?
 
Assuming your using clamshell mode, I use the bookarc air and i also use the arctic breeze usb fan.(@ newegg)

If you have istat pro you can look how much of a difference it does. if doing something CPU heavy like youtube, watchespn site like me for tennis, the temps get really high and the Fans run about 4000RPM+ range. The usb fan drops the temps dramatically and the fans return to the normal 2000 RPM.

CPU does run the hottest Ive seen mine get to 187F, with the fan and bookarc went down to 150-155F
 
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I've been playing Dwarf Fortress in Wine through X11 which upped the CPU temperature to 90°c (195°f) according to iStat, after seeing that i closed it down, it seemed alarmingly hot.

I'm kinda reluctant to run anything extensive on it until i've found out if its designed to tolerate this
 
onthecouchagain said:
The fans running so loud doing such basic things (ie. no flash) is starting to become a deal breaker. It's especially obnoxious at night when it's quiet and the fans are very audible.

Not sure what to do...
Click to expand...

What exactly are you hoping for? I don't know of a laptop that does not spin up its fans when you're using it.

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MaxZero said:
I've been playing Dwarf Fortress in Wine through X11 which upped the CPU temperature to 90°c (195°f) according to iStat, after seeing that i closed it down, it seemed alarmingly hot.

I'm kinda reluctant to run anything extensive on it until i've found out if its designed to tolerate this
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I run my mba for hours at 90 C + and it's still perfectly fine. Seriously people, if you're afraid of the computer, then just sell it. It's a tool and it's designed to run at those temperatures under CPU load. It's not your first born child.

Edit: I've done the same with my 2009 MBP for many years and it's still ok too.
 
MaxZero said:
I've been playing Dwarf Fortress in Wine through X11 which upped the CPU temperature to 90°c (195°f) according to iStat, after seeing that i closed it down, it seemed alarmingly hot.

I'm kinda reluctant to run anything extensive on it until i've found out if its designed to tolerate this
Click to expand...
Read the 3rd post in this thread.
 
Yeah, if it's not clear, or if people missed my previous post, I've since gotten a BookArc and it's helping with the heat/fans. Also, since getting the BookArc, I've placed the Air behind my TBD, so even if the fans do kick up, they're less audible because the Air is now situated farther away and to the side.

My issues are more or less resolved.

Sort of a tangent: but I've since realized I won't be taking my Air out and about (meaning, off the charger) as often as I thought I might. And now with the TBD, it's really become my at-home computer. How often would you say I should unplug the device from the charger to let the batteries "exercise" (as recommended by Apple)? Once a week? Once a month?
 
GGJstudios said:
I'd say a few times a week, although there's no hard rule about it. This should answer most, if not all, of your battery questions:
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hmm something I've just thought of...how often should the MBA be opened to clean for dust, etc? I know on my windows laptop before the recommendation was at least once every 6 months. Being an Apple product I feel like this would be somewhat more cumbersome to do so...thoughts from 2010 owners?
 
onthecouchagain said:
Yeah, if it's not clear, or if people missed my previous post, I've since gotten a BookArc and it's helping with the heat/fans. Also, since getting the BookArc, I've placed the Air behind my TBD, so even if the fans do kick up, they're less audible because the Air is now situated farther away and to the side.

My issues are more or less resolved.

Sort of a tangent: but I've since realized I won't be taking my Air out and about (meaning, off the charger) as often as I thought I might. And now with the TBD, it's really become my at-home computer. How often would you say I should unplug the device from the charger to let the batteries "exercise" (as recommended by Apple)? Once a week? Once a month?
Click to expand...

There is another thread about this going right now. People have many views - as usual. My normal usage pattern has me take the MBA out of the dock 1-2 times a week. At that point, I typically run on battery power only. I figure this is enough to get the electrons flowing.
 
jterp7 said:
hmm something I've just thought of...how often should the MBA be opened to clean for dust, etc?
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Unless you work in a dust storm, rarely. I recently opened my MacBook Pro for the first time after 4 years of use and travel, and there was very little dust... certainly not enough to cause any concern. The MBA is sealed better than my non-unibody MBP.
 
Yes It will wear then Quickly.
If it is running constantly noisy it means either fan or heat sink is faulty, You should change it as soon as possible otherwise you will have problem with your logic board
 
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