New MBP's power adapter gets RIDICULOUSLY hot

A

applekid1

macrumors newbie
Title pretty much says it all... I just picked up a 15" unibody MacBook Pro from Apple and after plugging this thing in for half an hour, it's literally painful to touch the power adapter, let alone pick it up. I've dealt will my fair share of hot adapters, but this thing is ridiculous--this can't be normal. I'm semi-afraid to leave it unattended charging my computer because I think it will burn my house down.

Should I call Apple and request a replacement or something? :eek:

edit: It's the 60w one btw.
 
Which bit gets hot? The transformer? The plug or the computer socket connection. I'd be most worried if it's the transformer. Cos that basically means it could be sparking inside. Which could create problems for you, and your computer :)

PTP
 
Well... it is a 60W power adaptor and it's pretty damn small... so you'd expect it to get pretty hot after charging it a long time.
If it's too hot then see if you can change it at the apple store...
 
MWPULSE said:
Which bit gets hot? The transformer? The plug or the computer socket connection. I'd be most worried if it's the transformer. Cos that basically means it could be sparking inside. Which could create problems for you, and your computer :)

PTP
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I'm not sure.. the whole main white part lol
 
i know wat ur talkin about, my charger gets HOT too....i just make sure nothings touching it and put it somewhere were it wont bother me, like behind my stand or under my desk
 
Do you by any chance have it lying on the floor on it's side (lying on a rug is even worse). It could get hot in that case. Mine stays quite cool. I removed the power cord and just have it plugged into my powerstrip using just the plug that comes with the power supply. That way it stands upright and gets good ventilation.
 
I posted this in another forum
I did speak to apple specialist over the phone who asked me some questions fire hazard related lol.
I said its just piping hot buddy.
he said it was fine and should not worry etc etc.
according to him, as long as there is no sparks or fire or any DAMAGE yet, im fine
strange
 
cpnotebook80 said:
I posted this in another forum
I did speak to apple specialist over the phone who asked me some questions fire hazard related lol.
I said its just piping hot buddy.
he said it was fine and should not worry etc etc.
according to him, as long as there is no sparks or fire or any DAMAGE yet, im fine
strange
Click to expand...

what else do you expect him to ask about it? Of course it gets hot. Why are people focusing on this? its normal for an adapter to get "hot"
 
Hotness is subjective unless you have actual temps. There is a person on here every day saying their mac or charger is "TOO HOT!!!" or something like that. Little bitty chargers like macs have will be hot b/c of power output compared to size.
 
applekid1 said:
edit: It's the 60w one btw.
Click to expand...

There's your problem, I reckon. My white Macbook had a 65W adaptor, whilst my non-unibody Macbook Pro needs an 85W.

I cannot see how a larger screen and battery with similar hardware gets away with a a less powerful adapter than my Macbook. Apple cutting corners again.
 
weckart said:
There's your problem, I reckon. My white Macbook had a 65W adaptor, whilst my non-unibody Macbook Pro needs an 85W.

I cannot see how a larger screen and battery with similar hardware gets away with a a less powerful adapter than my Macbook. Apple cutting corners again.
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That makes no sense. Your saying that a MacBook pro. By most definitions a pro machine has a larger power supply. Yes?? :rolleyes:
 
I have a Compaq laptop adapter that gets so hot its nearly impossible to pick up. I have an HP one that does the same thing. Oh, and a Gateway one that is also like that.

Case in point: Its normal for ALL power adapters to get hot. Thats the nature of the beast. Quit worrying.
 
My 15" MBP came with an 85W adapter, like all of them should. If you got a 60W unit, you should report and exchange it for the 85W version. And yes, it will still get hot, although not blistering.
 
pknoot said:
My 15" MBP came with an 85W adapter, like all of them should. If you got a 60W unit, you should report and exchange it for the 85W version. And yes, it will still get hot, although not blistering.
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They don't all come with the same adapter. 13" and 15" models without a dedicated GPU come with a lower-rated power adapter.
 
Power cord should be 80w or 60w?

Bill Gates said:
They don't all come with the same adapter. 13" and 15" models without a dedicated GPU come with a lower-rated power adapter.
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I had the same problem with a hot to the touch adapter. So, I went to the Apple store. The 60w came with my 2.53Ghz 15in macbook.

The Apple Store says that it should have come with the 80w. So, they swapped out the 60w adapter that came with it, and gave me the 80w.

However, online, the Macbook pro specs say it should be a 60w for the basic 15 in, but an 80w for the upgraded ones.

http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/specs.html

When I called Mac today, they said yes I should have the 80w. So, I think something is wrong with their online specs. This might be causing some people to get the wrong cord. I would be worried about this.
 
archsteve said:
I had the same problem with a hot to the touch adapter. So, I went to the Apple store. The 60w came with my 2.53Ghz 15in macbook.

The Apple Store says that it should have come with the 80w. So, they swapped out the 60w adapter that came with it, and gave me the 80w.

However, online, the Macbook pro specs say it should be a 60w for the basic 15 in, but an 80w for the upgraded ones.

http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/specs.html

When I called Mac today, they said yes I should have the 80w. So, I think something is wrong with their online specs. This might be causing some people to get the wrong cord. I would be worried about this.
Click to expand...

The people who package Apple computers for sale don't look at web specs. So the one they provide is the one Apple directly told them to provide. 60w for the one without discrete video makes since, as dedicated video takes quite a bit of power under stress. The only difference between the 13" MBP and the 15" MBP is 2" of display, and I don't think that requires a 20w higher power adapter.
 
uberamd said:
The people who package Apple computers for sale don't look at web specs. So the one they provide is the one Apple directly told them to provide. 60w for the one without discrete video makes since, as dedicated video takes quite a bit of power under stress. The only difference between the 13" MBP and the 15" MBP is 2" of display, and I don't think that requires a 20w higher power adapter.
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Agreed. According to Notebookcheck, using the 9600M GT instead of the 9400M requires an additional 6-11W of power.
 
I want to chime in on this. Adapters may get "hot" but never should be hot to the touch. Of all the various adapters I have, or have had, NONE have ever gotten close in temp to what I believe you are describing. If it is as hot as I think it is, you should stop using it and replace it one way or the other.
 
I'll chime in too. I have a 2.4GHz late 2008 MBP, with the adapter connected directly to the power socket, and it's barely warmer than flesh to the touch. I'm running on the 9400M graphics.
 
sharkync said:
I want to chime in on this. Adapters may get "hot" but never should be hot to the touch. Of all the various adapters I have, or have had, NONE have ever gotten close in temp to what I believe you are describing. If it is as hot as I think it is, you should stop using it and replace it one way or the other.
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It all depends on how the power brick is sitting, the ambient temperature, etc.. My guess is that the OP simply has a different tolerance or expectation for the temperature of the power brick. The 60W unit may also have a tendency to run slightly hotter than the 85W due to a higher average load compared to the maximum power output. Its smaller size may make it less able to dissipate the heat it generates.
 
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