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Macbook pro left on 24/7

D

drewsdesign

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 8, 2008
1
0
I'm curious how a Macbook Pro would go left on for long periods of time, almost 24/7.

I realize that its not a laptops purpose, but still its a good question of build quality and heat ventilation etc.
 
I leave it on 24/7. I left all my previous computers on 24/7 and all of them were laptops. No problems, issues, or whatnot.
 
dont think you'll have a lot of problems, just make sure its in a good room temp and not doing intensive and long rendering or converting
 
In a word, don't.

If it's been on for about three hours the temperature hovers around 50C, with the GPU diode getting to 60C. That's when it's idle. Obviously that's not dangerous or anything, but considering it boots up, at least for me, at around 30C and 40C for those temps, respectively, you might want to consider leaving it off to keep it cool. Especially if it has a GeForce 8600M GT.

PowerBooks handled 24/7 computing a lot better, IIRC. They didn't really heat up the way the MBPs do.
 
You can leave it rendering video 24/7 and nothing will happen to it. They are designed to be used, aren't they?
 
Metuas said:
In a word, don't.

If it's been on for about three hours the temperature hovers around 50C, with the GPU diode getting to 60C. That's when it's idle. Obviously that's not dangerous or anything, but considering it boots up, at least for me, at around 30C and 40C for those temps, respectively, you might want to consider leaving it off to keep it cool. Especially if it has a GeForce 8600M GT.

PowerBooks handled 24/7 computing a lot better, IIRC. They didn't really heat up the way the MBPs do.
Click to expand...

well wasnt the 8600GT issue to do with heat cycling rather than out right heat? if thats the case leaving on at a constant temp is probably better than warming it up and cooling it down numerous times...because thats cycling it then
 
two things come to my mind

on the one hand, if you're not turning on/off all the time, you don't get the heat cycling on all the parts (thought to be one of the problems with the GPUs), and the system shouldn't overheat because its self regulating.

on the other hand, one would think that the moving parts (eg hard drive) will wear out / reach their operating life quicker.

just my musing though, i could be right or wrong.
 
eXan said:
You can leave it rendering video 24/7 and nothing will happen to it. They are designed to be used, aren't they?
Click to expand...

Exactly, they aren't MBA's :rolleyes:

I installed SMC Fan Control as I'm pretty paranoid about system heat, I put the fans at 3000rpm for light work and then 5000 for gaming, and I've yet to see the GPU diode go over 70c
 
Schtumple said:
Exactly, they aren't MBA's :rolleyes:

I installed SMC Fan Control as I'm pretty paranoid about system heat, I put the fans at 3000rpm for light work and then 5000 for gaming, and I've yet to see the GPU diode go over 70c
Click to expand...

I have mine set for 4000rpm when I work on battery and frequently max out the fans I prefer a bit of noise and cool lap!!!

On the 24/7 - I rarely, less than once a week, turn my laptop of completely but I have it sleeping at night rather than on but technically I run 24/7 with zero problems

d:apple:
 
Mine's been on 24/7 for about 5 months, with only occasional reboots or regular battery calibrations. Zero problems. There's nothing in Apple documentation that suggests that you not use it as much as you want.
 
Schtumple said:
Exactly, they aren't MBA's :rolleyes:

I installed SMC Fan Control as I'm pretty paranoid about system heat, I put the fans at 3000rpm for light work and then 5000 for gaming, and I've yet to see the GPU diode go over 70c
Click to expand...

I left my MBA on 24/7 without any problems.

Metuas said:
In a word, don't.

If it's been on for about three hours the temperature hovers around 50C, with the GPU diode getting to 60C. That's when it's idle. Obviously that's not dangerous or anything, but considering it boots up, at least for me, at around 30C and 40C for those temps, respectively, you might want to consider leaving it off to keep it cool. Especially if it has a GeForce 8600M GT.

PowerBooks handled 24/7 computing a lot better, IIRC. They didn't really heat up the way the MBPs do.
Click to expand...

Heat cycle kills hardware over time. The rapid expansion (you realize the system heats up very rapidly from the ambient temp of 15-20 deg C to 40 deg C during boot) from the metals inside the diode over time wear out and fail. While its been proven our 8600GT are A LOT more prone to it, it would seem that keeping it at a constant temp rather having large heat increase/decrease would prolong its lifespan. Normally, hardware can go on for decades without any problems with heat cycles or leaving it on 24/7
 
Mine is always on, i reboot it maybe once ever week or so. On top of that, it is almost always running connect to high resolution monitor and with the lid closed. I also game and run some very demanding custom software which often runs in the 9x% cpu usage range.

No problems.
 
I would still sleep the Macbook when not in use but you could always get a notebook cooling pad for 24/7 operation. Those usually average about $30 to $50 and some even have extra USB ports.
 
generally it is better to leave any machine running 24/7 than cycling it.

Powering on a computer is the most stressful thing you can do to it. The nvidia hooplah is centered around changes in temp, not being too hot, so if you're paranoid about it and think apple won't fix a broken GPU under warranty (yeah that'd be the day), turning off your machine is what you want to avoid... so they've got their tinfoil hat on backwards.

Stop babying your machine, or thinking of it as fragile. The only apple laptop that has a problem with heat is the MBA, and I'm sure later designs will fix that.

Next time you're around a core 2 duo desktop stick your face next to the cpu (no not the box, the actual cpu/heatsink/fan).. computers produce heat, they are designed to handle it.
 
This is one of the reasons I am excited to get a Mac, I like to leave my computer on/sleeping for days at a time, and the current Vista PC notebook I am using (my dad's) cannot handle this, it crashes all the time.

I am sick of Vista and ready for my MBP! Come on Apple update already!!!
 
Bootsie said:
This is one of the reasons I am excited to get a Mac, I like to leave my computer on/sleeping for days at a time, and the current Vista PC notebook I am using (my dad's) cannot handle this, it crashes all the time.

I am sick of Vista and ready for my MBP! Come on Apple update already!!!
Click to expand...

yeah I had never had a computer that could sleep or hibernate properly until my mbp.. if the machine itself could handle it, there was always some peripheral that screamed bloody murder.
 
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