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Mid 2010 macbook pro running hot

G

Groundhogs

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 30, 2010
6
0
My 15' Macbook has been running much hotter recently doing very little, normally around 65-75*C and up to 85*C when i check it in istat pro. I'm not playing Games or anything really to trying with it, just few simple things like Skype, firefox, word and msn and it did always run this hot.

I was wondering if it was full of dust or such but not sure really how to deal with it? Would it be relatively simple to clean? Would i be better off finding an apple store to sort it out? It's overheated a few times as well if i push it a bit harder with minecraft (which is when i really checked if it was overheating and lock up with a black screen and the fans running).
 
Groundhogs said:
My 15' Macbook has been running much hotter recently doing very little, normally around 65-75*C and up to 85*C when i check it in istat pro. I'm not playing Games or anything really to trying with it, just few simple things like Skype, firefox, word and msn and it did always run this hot.

I was wondering if it was full of dust or such but not sure really how to deal with it? Would it be relatively simple to clean? Would i be better off finding an apple store to sort it out? It's overheated a few times as well if i push it a bit harder with minecraft (which is when i really checked if it was overheating and lock up with a black screen and the fans running).
Click to expand...

Skype is a known resource hog. So is Firefox, more resources being used = more heat. Minecraft is a poorly coded game that is extremely processor intensive, it's bound to create a lot of heat also.

Your MacBook Pro is most likely perfectly fine. Reset the SMC and see if things change.
 
that's not hot...

if your mbp starts exceeding 100*C then you can start worrying, but then again you won't have to because your mac will automatically shut itself off to prevent damage.
 
Groundhogs said:
My 15' Macbook has been running much hotter recently doing very little, normally around 65-75*C and up to 85*C when i check it in istat pro. I'm not playing Games or anything really to trying with it, just few simple things like Skype, firefox, word and msn and it did always run this hot.
Click to expand...

So is it hotter now than it was in the past, or not?

Some people have had success with replacing the thermal paste, but the temperatures are normal.

I was checking MBP temperatures in the apple store recently. I managed to heat one up to 90C just by saving an iMovie video in quicktime HD format (with some filters and stuff).
 
you don't need to do anything with the thermal paste, your mbp is not operating at abnormal temperatures. Some people think that they are because they get so hot but the aluminum unibody of the macbook pro is designed to be a large heat sync.

Your macbook pro will automatically shut itself off if the temperatures are in danger of damaging your hardware.
 
Your Mac is not overheating. The Intel processors used in Macs are designed to automatically shut down to prevent damage if they truly overheat (around 100C/212F - 105C/221F, depending on your processor). iStat Pro will give you accurate readings of your temps, among other things.

Unless there is a rare defect in your Mac, your temps are well within the normal operating range, considering the workload you're putting on it. Websites with Flash content, games and other multimedia apps will put higher demand on the CPU/GPU, generating more heat. This is normal. If you're constantly putting high demands on your system, such as gaming or other multimedia tasks, expect temps to rise and fans to spin up accordingly. It's just your Mac doing its job to maintain temps within the normal range.

Your fans are always on when your Mac is on, spinning at a minimum of 2000 rpm (for MBPs) or 1800 rpm (for MBAs, MBs and minis). They will spin faster as needed to keep temps at a safe level. If they're spinning up without increased heat, try resetting the SMC. PRAM/NVRAM has nothing to do with these issues, so resetting it will not help. Also, make sure you don't block the vents, which are located at the rear, near the hinge.

Learn about the fans in your Mac
Apple Portables: Operating temperature

Launch Activity Monitor and change "My Processes" at the top to "All Processes". Then look to see what apps may be placing high demands on your CPU/GPU.
 
It's running hotter than it was by around 20-30*C (i've always used istat pro since it was new) I only became concerned now it's developed a habit though of hanging with a black screen, the fans running flat flat out and the computer having to be reset by the power button just from playing minecratft.

Could it be the newer 10.6.8 update? I'm still running snow leopard. This machine has run solidly without flaw for nearly two years, it did start around when i updated to that?

I did point out in the original post the black screen and locking up which isn't normal. Is there a known problem of this at the moment? or is that how the laptop will react if it's overheating?
 
Did you check activity monitor in 99.9% of the cases it is some process running wild. I would guess Firefox. Quite often there is a new release with some bug and you open a tab with some website that has not very great JS code and it just kills.
The cooling system is something that is fixed in place with a lot of force and as long as the fans blow it works. There is nothing to break but the fans. It is some process possibly because of some buggy update.
 
Everyone saying the temps are fine blatantly missed that the guy is getting blackouts from pushing it too hard, so somethings definitely up
 
Yeh, i think people missed the lock ups to.

Activity monitor leaves my cpu normally hovering around 90-95% idle which isn;t really excessive use of the cpu really. 75*C is warm to really be mostly ticking over, i've seen it tick over at up to nearly 80-85*C today when it was warmer at mid day. (It was only 19*C so not exactly sweltering either)

If i push it harder it gets much much hotter and eventually blacks out and locks up. The fans seem to work fine, i can hear them whiring and if i use smcfancontrol to force them to 6000 rpm it does cool down a bit but doesn't solve the lock ups which are completely repeatable if i push it harder with Minecraft and such but a video will do it to. So could dust bunnies just be causing it?

I know macbook pro's run hotter but they shouldn't lock up over minecraft, it's the mid 2010 i7 model so it's not exactly ancient in power.

Is my logic board dieing?
 
Groundhogs,

I've noticed my mid-2010 MBP getting really hot with Minecraft, and other things, as well. Did you upgrade to OS X Lion? I did, and it's run hotter ever since, even when doing basic things. It used to run around 50-55 degrees C on Snow Leopard, but it runs generally 65-70 degrees C on Lion. I have installed smcFanControl, and have the fans running at 4000rpm so it gets the temperature down to approx. 55 degrees C. Of course, I can hear them more, though it's not nearly as loud as when they speed up to 6000rpm.
 
Nope still snow leopard. I'm on 10.6.8 snow leopard. Mine used to run at 55 ish as well which is why maybe i just thought a collection of dust would be causing it?

Has yours locked up yet? I would rather get the heat problem fixed than wear out my fans, especially as the fans aren't a complete fix.

I've found this http://support.apple.com/kb/TS4088 so i'm going to try it in a few days.

Any ideas how much the apple store would charge to clean out dust?
 
75*C should not be making your mbp turn off. This might be from other problems than heat. Have you reset SMC? If you know how to operate a screw driver you can take the bottom off and see if there is a lot of dust inside, it is possible dust could be blocking the exhaust outlets.

Can you take it to an apple store?
 
xxBURT0Nxx said:
75*C should not be making your mbp turn off. This might be from other problems than heat. Have you reset SMC? If you know how to operate a screw driver you can take the bottom off and see if there is a lot of dust inside, it is possible dust could be blocking the exhaust outlets.

Can you take it to an apple store?
Click to expand...

No. 75C is fine. They run comfortably up to 90C.
 
Groundhogs said:
Nope still snow leopard. I'm on 10.6.8 snow leopard. Mine used to run at 55 ish as well which is why maybe i just thought a collection of dust would be causing it?

Has yours locked up yet? I would rather get the heat problem fixed than wear out my fans, especially as the fans aren't a complete fix.

I've found this http://support.apple.com/kb/TS4088 so i'm going to try it in a few days.

Any ideas how much the apple store would charge to clean out dust?
Click to expand...

No, it hasn't locked up yet. I'm probably going to go back to Snow Leopard soon and see if that helps with the heat. If it doesn't, then I know it's a different problem.

Waking it up from sleep this morning, the fans spinning faster right away has kept the temperature below 50 degrees C, and it doesn't feel hot at all for once... but it's only a quick fix for now.
 
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