Macbook Pro 15" [Late 2011] Running abnormally hot

[kingping14]

So what exactly is the point of putting in an i7 Quad Core chip and a 6750m if the laptop is going to go thermal nuclear at medium work load? I fired up World of Warcraft on my Mac just to see what its like to play WoW on my Macbook and within minutes the laptop was so hot that I could swear it was about to burn a hole in the desk, not to mention the fans going insane and I'm not even in a raid.

If people are going to say "what do you expect from a laptop" then why even put all this in at the first place? I'd rather have a solid 15" Macbook Pro with a dual core i3 and integrated GPU and a 20 hour battery life than something that I'm really afraid to use at its full potential because running a laptop at that temperature cannot possibly be good for it in the long term.

 

[grahamnp]

I think you are right to be frustrated. Somebody might come along and tell you not to play games or run demanding programs on your MBP and then give us both a thumbs down but I understand you frustration. In summer mine goes so far as to shut down.

I do not agree with your idea of an i3 inside. It is a premium laptop and I want premium components in it. If Apple puts a entry level CPU in their high end laptop, where do the demanding users go to? I think it would be more reasonable to make sure that the laptop that they designed and shipped works perfectly. Every Apple product I've owned has given me a mostly flawless user experience, I don't see why that shouldn't extend to their computers.

Does yours actual overheat to the point where it shuts off? What are the temps? My older MacBook Pro was running with the CPU in the 90s and the GPU in the 80s, it never actually shut down under load but it was running pretty hot. It did last 3 years so I myself am not worried about the longevity of the device as long as it isn't physically unbearable and it does switch itself off on you.

If you're not happy take your device to Apple. My problems vary greatly depending on the ambient temps so it is difficult to demonstrate it on demand. My brother's MBP is doing way worse than mine and the shop told him that was normal.

 

[kingping14]

I think you are right to be frustrated. Somebody might come along and tell you not to play games or run demanding programs on your MBP and then give us both a thumbs down but I understand you frustration. In summer mine goes so far as to shut down.

I do not agree with your idea of an i3 inside. It is a premium laptop and I want premium components in it. If Apple puts a entry level CPU in their high end laptop, where do the demanding users go to? I think it would be more reasonable to make sure that the laptop that they designed and shipped works perfectly. Every Apple product I've owned has given me a mostly flawless user experience, I don't see why that shouldn't extend to their computers.

Does yours actual overheat to the point where it shuts off? What are the temps? My older MacBook Pro was running with the CPU in the 90s and the GPU in the 80s, it never actually shut down under load but it was running pretty hot. It did last 3 years so I myself am not worried about the longevity of the device as long as it isn't physically unbearable and it does switch itself off on you.

If you're not happy take your device to Apple. My problems vary greatly depending on the ambient temps so it is difficult to demonstrate it on demand. My brother's MBP is doing way worse than mine and the shop told him that was normal.

The i3 suggestion was just an example to have the option of having a lower TDP processor/GPU combo, of cause that should be priced accordingly. I came from a MBP 13 to a 15 because I could really use the bigger screen (and I love it so far), my MBP isnt my only computer as I have work stations at home but the problem is that I'm paying for something which I cant never use properly. If I have the MBP on my lap whilst doing some 3D work on it then I'm sure I'll be in the ICU moments later being treated for 2nd degree burns.

In the end I suppose it is not that big of a deal but overall I think this can really be improved on in the next generation MBP. I know people will suggest for me to change to a 15" MBA when its available but I seriously dislike not being able to upgrade the ram and the HDD and thats probably the sole reason that I will always stick with the Pro line.

 

[dusk007]

An i3 wouldn't change the "7h" battery life all that much. Only the minimum battery life would increase from 1h to something like 2h of the old 2010MBP.

I think you are overreacting a little. A dedicated GPU is worth something but if it is not in use a 45W CPU can be cooled and when you need the speed it is very good to have. For full load on both there are enough security measures in place to counter overcooking it. If the MBP would really have serious cooling problems there would be more throttling in the CPU but there isn't according to most tests.
Also the MBP usually heats up at the top bottom and the top case above the keyboard but only gets warm not hot on the spots where your hands actually touch it. The battery and HDD don't get really hot and that is where your hands rest. There are spots where it gets really hot but you need to deliberately touch them. It is only a problem if you want to make it one yet not in itself.

I do agree though that for those that just want a 15" notebook and care more about ergonomics and price and don't really need a Quad core, an option with a dual core would be nice.
I believe Apple does understand this too. I am quite sure there is some truth to the 15" Air rumor. There will be probably be a cool thin 15" available. I just keep my fingers crossed that they stick to 16:10 and maybe teach the industry to get back to that display ratio. 16:9 sucks on small displays. 4:3 does better on the tablet. Maybe it would be too square for a notebook but 16:10 or a simple 3:2 would be much better for those that don't use a notebook solely for watching movies but want the most usable screen in a small form factor.
Samsung leads in the revival of the matte screen which is great. Now Apple could pull of the revival of useful display ratios. 16:9 is great on anything bigger than 20" but it sucks between 11-17". Just makes a notebook wider for the same actual screen real estate and for 15" the width is what decides if a notebook fits into a bag or not if it sits really odd on your lap or not.

 

[hamzab]

Can you download iStat Pro and find out your actual temps. Anything under 90 degrees isn't too bad for an intensive game like WOW. I'm not saying it's anything Graphically intensive but there are quite a few different data streams.

 

[Wafflausages]

Just another guy who thinks his macbook is getting "too hot"

 

[Darby67]

Nope, not abnormally hot, no issue here.

 

[mobilehaathi]

Without reporting your actual temperatures, it is hard to say much of anything.

 

[cosmicjoke]

So what exactly is the point of putting in an i7 Quad Core chip and a 6750m if the laptop is going to go thermal nuclear at medium work load? I fired up World of Warcraft on my Mac just to see what its like to play WoW on my Macbook and within minutes the laptop was so hot that I could swear it was about to burn a hole in the desk, not to mention the fans going insane and I'm not even in a raid.

If people are going to say "what do you expect from a laptop" then why even put all this in at the first place? I'd rather have a solid 15" Macbook Pro with a dual core i3 and integrated GPU and a 20 hour battery life than something that I'm really afraid to use at its full potential because running a laptop at that temperature cannot possibly be good for it in the long term.

i have the late '11 15" max config and playing WoW will actually burn my fingers on the keyboard around the WASD keys lol, the other half of the keyboard is relatively cool (no surprise the ODD is there), but it only burns if you press and hold in the keys in.... the thing is the game can run at 175fps or so in a 5 man, and a couple hours of that is when my fingers would start getting crisped... i found if you cap the frame rates to 45 or so it's substantially better, also using something like istat for a minimum fan speed gaming profile of 5k or so helps as well... ultimately i just have played in clamshell w/ my thunderbolt displays, external keyboard etc, no worries anymore.... runs hot w/o a doubt, but has never shut off... and i do crazy intensive things with it all day for the last 5 months in clamshell... i suspect it will last a few years, no grief yet, but only time will tell.

my only quibble is i wish the processor/gpu or what not was on the other side away from the primary gaming keys i guess, and the ODD was on the left side of the machine...

 

[NickZac]

One of the reasons you feel it is about to burn the hole in your desk is because it uses a single-piece aluminum body. The aluminum body itself is part of the cooling system. The fans do get pretty loud when running at 6200 but most laptop fans are audible when they are at full speed. The thermal regulation on these computers are very good. Think of the bottom of these computers as a giant heat sink. If you ever get time, pop the bottom cover off and you will see that a lot of the heat is actually being channeled in that general direction. Many people often feel there is an issue with overheating, but the actual amount of people who report thermal damage is very, very low (hold the one NVIDIA card issue). The MBP has always been a 'hot' feeling kind of computer, but its heat really does not seem to affect longevity.