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MacBooks as a 'DeskBook'

msjones

msjones

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 18, 2007
429
4
Nottinghamshire, UK
Hi,

I am running a MacBook4,1 as my main machine. I have it on a griffin stand connected to an external LCD running @ 1680x1050.

Now I have searched this forum for an answer but can't find one that actually answers my question, which is:

is it SAFE to run the MacBook in clamshell mode? I know MBPs are designed to but I am unable to find any information supporting MBs. I am just concerned about the screen. I use the MB all day at work, and hook it up to the display when I am home. I know that heat no longer dissipates from the keyboard as the old iBooks did. But still I would like to be 100% certain nothing is going to happen running in clamshell.

My main uses are the usual: Music/Photo/Web. I also burn DVDs on an external writer. The thing that worries me most is that I do alot of AVI/MPEG to DVD encoding using VisualHub.

Any insight would be brilliant. Thanks!
 
Why dont you want to run 2 monitors? I do it at work with my MacBook and a 19" monitor and its really useful..

All of my work stuff on the main monitor and then im, email, vm on my macbook screen.
 
steviem said:
Why dont you want to run 2 monitors? I do it at work with my MacBook and a 19" monitor and its really useful..

All of my work stuff on the main monitor and then im, email, vm on my macbook screen.
Click to expand...

That right there is the way I would run it if I had an extra screen lying around. Maybe soon I will.
 
I used to use my MacBook in clamshell mode but it runs cooler with the screen open..

The heat builds up on the keyboard when it is closed and that heat is about 3mm away from the screen. The rear vents are also obstructed when the lid is closed and the fans pull air from vents in the keyboard and out through the back. In clamshell mode both these paths are obstructed.

Use it with the lid open - it will run much cooler and if you are using VisualHub you will be taxing the processor - the fans probably run full speed and CPU temperatures will be up around 70-80C....
 
claimed4all said:
That right there is the way I would run it if I had an extra screen lying around. Maybe soon I will.
Click to expand...
I believe that steviem meant using the macbook screen + one external display when he said "two monitors." The macbook cannot natively drive two external displays. You'll need something like the matrox dualhead2go to drive two external displays from a macbook.

BTW, if you are ALWAYS running your macbook off AC you might consider taking the battery out to prolong the battery life. I forgot why, but leaving the battery in a machine that's always on AC tends to wear the battery down.
 
foodle said:
BTW, if you are ALWAYS running your macbook off AC you might consider taking the battery out to prolong the battery life. I forgot why, but leaving the battery in a machine that's always on AC tends to wear the battery down.
Click to expand...

NO - not on a MacBook - if you take the battery out the processor will only run at 1GHz !!!

Leave the AC adaptor in but use the battery once a month or so !!
 
logana said:
NO - not on a MacBook - if you take the battery out the processor will only run at 1GHz !!!

Leave the AC adaptor in but use the battery once a month or so !!
Click to expand...

Not to get to far off track here, but why does the processor only run at 1ghz with the battery removed? Seems odd.
 
claimed4all said:
Not to get to far off track here, but why does the processor only run at 1ghz with the battery removed? Seems odd.
Click to expand...

It has something to do with the AC power supply not being capable of providing enough current (the battery can provide more) for some processor-intensive tasks and as a safety measure the MacBook's processor is under-clocked to 1GHz (no matter what the original processor speed...).

So if you are processing video it will take at twice as long with no battery connected.
 
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logana said:
I used to use my MacBook in clamshell mode but it runs cooler with the screen open..

The heat builds up on the keyboard when it is closed and that heat is about 3mm away from the screen. The rear vents are also obstructed when the lid is closed and the fans pull air from vents in the keyboard and out through the back. In clamshell mode both these paths are obstructed.

Use it with the lid open - it will run much cooler and if you are using VisualHub you will be taxing the processor - the fans probably run full speed and CPU temperatures will be up around 70-80C....
Click to expand...

same here. I know it's supposed to be safe to run it in clamshell all the time, but if you're doing anything that really gets the fans going it can't hurt to open it. I've even had games get choppy on me when running in clamshell. That's gotta be overheating...

On the other hand, I keep it closed and it's totally fine for ordinary, everyday operation.
 
logana said:
It has something to do with the AC power supply not being capable of providing enough current (the battery can provide more) for some processor-intensive tasks and as a safety measure the MacBook's processor is under-clocked to 1GHz (no matter what the original processor speed...).

So if you are processing video it will take at twice as long with no battery connected.
Click to expand...

But the same concept does not apply to battery only hookup? I would hope not since I am battery only alot.
Very interesting, learn something every day.
 
I use the MacBook away from AC a fair amount, at least 2-3 times a week.

My main concern is will there be enough ventilation if i keep the MacBook closed while running my external when docked at home.

For example, as I write this I am encoding 3 episodes of a TV show to DVD using VisualHub, the CPU temp is at 69c. Would this damage the screen with it being shut and again is there enough ventilation (do the fans blow from underneath the screen hinge?)

Thanks
 
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