MCP overheating issues - please clarify?

Hi. It's impossible to answer your question. No one has any numbers. We don't even know how many MBPs have been sold, much less how many users have experienced overheating issues. Sorry.

But, from my own experience, heat is not an issue. None of my colleagues who own MBPs have had problems.

Apple has a warranty and stores you can go to if you want to get your computer fixed in a timely manner. Apple offers Applecare (about 200 dollars) if you want to extend your warranty.

So, I don't think there is anything you need to worry about.

 

As for me, I have the 2.3 GHz Sandy Bridge model from 2011, and I can confidently say that the CPU never goes above 90 degrees celsius and the GPU never goes above 85. I've played the majority of demanding games on my computer on Windows 7 x64, each for over 15 hours at least, and here are some statistics.

Modern Warfare 2 - 61 hours
Crysis 2 - 15 hours
Bad Company 2 - 43 hours
Black Ops - 25 hours
Just Cause 2 - 35 hours
Resident Evil 5 - 31 hours
Bioshock - 16 hours
Dead Space 2 - 26 hours

Through all of this (yes, I game a lot) my Mac hasn't overheated yet. I haven't fiddled with the thermal paste or anything, either. From my experience, I can safely say that, if overheating is your biggest concern, you should just buy the Mac.

 

while i don't own a 2011 mbp, i'm sure it will get warm or hot but it will not "overheat." i wouldn't worry about it, as it has a fan and ventilation to alleviate this. if it begins to reach such heights it will shut down before heating up too much.

 

You should NOT game on your lap however.

 

People monitor their temps too much and worry too much about their computers.

A computer that is truly overheating will shut itself down to prevent damage, nobody has reported such an occurrence that I know of.

MBP's idle anywhere from 30C to 60C depending on the model and model year, and under full load can easily reach the upper 90's and even in some cases the 100's. Those are considered normal operating temps and are nothing to worry about.

Thing is, since it's aluminum bodied, the body gets hotter than the regular plastic laptop since heat conduction is better in aluminum, so it will always be warmer to the touch than a similar PC in a plastic case. Combine that with the fact that they are the thinnest laptops out there(thinner = less air inside to dissipate heat) and yes, they do run a bit warmer than their PC counterparts, but no, they don't overheat.

 

Macs are designed to automatically shut down to prevent damage if they truly overheat (around 100C/212F - 105C/221F, depending on your processor). There isn't an overheating problem with Macs. There's only a perceived overheating problem. Many who are new to Macs think their temps are too high because the aluminum case transfers more heat than their plastic PCs did, so it feels hotter. In the vast majority of threads posted about overheating, the "too high" temps being reported are well within the normal operating range.

 

If you're gaming on your lap, you will have burns. DO NOT GAME ON YOUR LAP