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macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Hi all,

Before I start, here are my late-08 MBP stats:

2.5GHz C2D
4GB RAM
512MB 8600 GT

OK, with those relevant stats out of the way, my MBP will usually sit anywhere from 120-125 F just browing with iTunes playing in the background, Mail open and maybe Parallels. However, I after letting my sister use my computer and her going on Farmville in Facebook, I noticed it was running up around 140-150 and a couple times reached 160-163 (these numbers are via two different temp apps).

When I looked, there were 3 flash programs going on...two pop-ups for a seedy cam site and Farmville. Closed the two pop-ups and the temps dropped back to 147-150. Once Farmville was closed, temps went back to normal.

My question is it normal for flash applications to make the laptop run so hot? Is there some sort of update I might need?

Thanks!
 
Yes, it's normal for Flash to raise the temps and your temps are far below what is considered high (~100 ºC) anyway. Get ClickToFlash, and then Flash will only run when you tell it to.
 
Get ClickToFlash, and then Flash will only run when you tell it to.
Seriously, single biggest improvement to the experience of browsing the web apart from using a good browser. Way longer battery life, way quieter fans, way smoother behavior, way less annoying, blinking crap screaming at you from the sides of the page.

The day I installed ClickToFlash was a happy day indeed and I wouldn't even consider turning it off now--it's the first thing I install on a new computer for myself.
 
S.Jobs... It works.... OOPS!... it used to work....

😱Why do you need third party software to make it work?

🙄Didn't before.

🙂I'm using my old G4 again!
 
😱Why do you need third party software to make it work?
Not Apple's fault.

Flash prior to about v7 wasn't, I think, quite as bad about sucking up CPU, but mainly the difference is that prior to the G5 era most CPUs were much less power-efficient in that they used about the same amount of electricity whether they were idling or running at 100%, and certainly the amount they were able to throttle down was less than current-generation chips.

So apart from general browser slowdown you just didn't see that much difference in temperature even if it was pinned at 100%


You can blame poor Flash coders if you want, or blame Adobe for an inefficient runtime, but I don't see how this is in any way Apple's fault. They could've built Flashblock into Safari I suppose, but if you look at the amount of crap they're getting for ditching Flash entirely in the iPhone OS--for exactly this reason--I can see why they didn't.

🙂I'm using my old G4 again!
Which is going to get slowed down much more than your current computer. The fans just won't be a lot louder because they're already running full-bore when the computer boots.
 
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