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ouch! 12" pb too hot!

K

kevinuaa

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 25, 2004
72
0
Hawaii
i bought my new 12" pb in july, but just started using it intensely now that i'm at school which starts next week.

anyway, my PB gets really hot. Yes, it's hot on the bottom, as expected, and i have a coolpad, but it also gets very hot next to the trackpad (left side only) so hot that i think it's actually burning my skin. is this normal? should i take it in?
seriously, apple should consider these comfort issues when they design a computer. i would happily trade a half inch of space if it would obviate the need for skin graphs! :(
 
kevinuaa said:
i bought my new 12" pb in july, but just started using it intensely now that i'm at school which starts next week.

anyway, my PB gets really hot. Yes, it's hot on the bottom, as expected, and i have a coolpad, but it also gets very hot next to the trackpad (left side only) so hot that i think it's actually burning my skin. is this normal? should i take it in?
seriously, apple should consider these comfort issues when they design a computer. i would happily trade a half inch of space if it would obviate the need for skin graphs! :(
Click to expand...

powerbook 12" do get hot, but generally not hot enough to burn you.

The same as my ibook i beleive the hd or processor to be on the left side of trackpad....i am not sure though. THe hostest spot is usually right above the keyboard.
 

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my 12"PB gets really hot at the same spot. However, I have a Rev. A which are known to have these issues. Yours should not get THAT hot. It will always be warm there because of the hard drive, etc. However, it should not burn you. Even mine does not do that.
 
This is not a problem you have but perhaps it's a defect hd.

Perhaps you should sue Apple for a million dollars and sixteen 30'' displays...Good plan, eh?
 
Its hard to judge how hot your PB is, and what action to take. Some people sound like they're exaggerating just a bit, including you. Seriously, hot enough to burn you? It would have to be 70C or hotter to feel that bad.

The best thing to do is download Temperature Monitor from www.versiontracker.com and tell us the temperature reading.
 
I actually had the same issue. I got a refurbed one from the Apple store last summer, used it for 2 weeks until it became unbearable to type on, then took it back for a full refund and traded up to the 17" powerbook I'm using and loving now.

Maybe it's just an inherit "quality" of squeezing so much into such a small space. There's not as much area to spread the heat created by the HD, processor, etc. so it's slightly intensified. The one I'm using now runs very cool, and I'm much happier with the purchase.
 
it does not burn immediately on contact, but it does burn if i place my hand on the resting area for a few minutes. of course, as far as burns go, it's pretty wimpy. but still!

here are the temps:
Battery 30C
Processor Topside 60.3C
Graphics Processor 60.5C
Hard Disk Drive Bottomside 49.4C

should i take it in or just buy a glove?

thanks!
 
kevinuaa said:
it does not burn immediately on contact, but it does burn if i place my hand on the resting area for a few minutes. of course, as far as burns go, it's pretty wimpy. but still!

here are the temps:
Battery 30C
Processor Topside 60.3C
Graphics Processor 60.5C
Hard Disk Drive Bottomside 49.4C

should i take it in or just buy a glove?

thanks!
Click to expand...

These numbers aren't that bad, i have never had the hd over 48C, but the GPU has reached 80C!!!

Be sure to set "put the hardisk to sleep when possible" to ON in the energy saver prefpane, aslo set processor performance to "automatic"
 
Just for reference although a surface has to be up in the 70C range to burn you on contact, there is such a thing as a low temperature burn--contact with a (relatively) cool surface (under 50C) for an extended period of time can actually cause burns. I assume it's because your body's ability to effectively dissipate heat is overwhelmed eventually, and the cells near the surface eventually get too hot and get damaged.

In any case, though, 12" PBs can get pretty hot, but I've always found that if it's not sitting on a flat surface while being worked very hard (burning a CD or whatever), it's not that big of a problem. You might consider readjusting your typing posture a bit, to keep your wrists from touching the PB's surface--at least in theory, that's better for you anyway.

If you're near an Apple store, you could have them look at it while it's still under warranty, but gloves might be your best bet if you have sensitive skin.
 
kevinuaa said:
it does not burn immediately on contact, but it does burn if i place my hand on the resting area for a few minutes. of course, as far as burns go, it's pretty wimpy. but still!

here are the temps:
Battery 30C
Processor Topside 60.3C
Graphics Processor 60.5C
Hard Disk Drive Bottomside 49.4C

should i take it in or just buy a glove?

thanks!
Click to expand...

yeah man my ibook g4 reaches 70C sometimes... i dont mind as long as it doesnt stay that hot all the time for obvious reasons


right now as i type this my computer is about 54.8C and i am running adiumx/poisoned/itunes/safari..... common and no burns
 
haiggy said:
yeah man my ibook g4 reaches 70C sometimes... i dont mind as long as it doesnt stay that hot all the time for obvious reasons


right now as i type this my computer is about 54.8C and i am running adiumx/poisoned/itunes/safari..... common and no burns
Click to expand...

Wow you have heating problems, most mine has reached wus 65 and that was after playing tony hawk for 3 hours straight!
 
while i fancy myself as a bit of a apple fanboy, i think it's weak sauce that apple's pro computers require

a) glove
b) BT keyboard
c) un-ergodymanic typing

to use for more than an hour. sadly, i don't have a life to go along iwth the iLife and i need to use my computer. I don't want to spend $120 on BT toys.

lap burns are something that should be anticipated/forgiven, but hand burns? come on you design monkeys! more vents would have prevented this.
anyway, heat problems on g4 probably are nothing when compared with the g5, so everyone who's waiting had better be patient
 
I once used my PowerBook to burn a DVD to a disc image. For 2 hours, it got rather hot...but I still was able to use it on my lap!!

I say walk down to an Apple Store, see if they will help ya there. But definatly, use AppleCare if need be.
 
kevinuaa said:
while i fancy myself as a bit of a apple fanboy, i think it's weak sauce that apple's pro computers require

a) glove
b) BT keyboard
c) un-ergodymanic typing

to use for more than an hour. sadly, i don't have a life to go along iwth the iLife and i need to use my computer. I don't want to spend $120 on BT toys.

lap burns are something that should be anticipated/forgiven, but hand burns? come on you design monkeys! more vents would have prevented this.
anyway, heat problems on g4 probably are nothing when compared with the g5, so everyone who's waiting had better be patient
Click to expand...

Wow. I don't need a

a) glove
b)BT keyboard
c) un-ergodynamic typing

to get "pro" use out of my Rev. A PowerBook. I use it for hours at a time, plugged in and not, and I don't even notice a "burning" sensation anymore.

When I first got my PB, I found it to be quite hot, but you really do get used to it fairly quickly. Just focus on how cool the computer you are using is, and wimpy problems like "it's too hot" will go away.
 
NusuniAdmin said:
powerbook 12" do get hot, but generally not hot enough to burn you.
Click to expand...
Sorry this made me laugh! :D "Generally not hot to burn you" :p They should never get anywhere near as hot as to burn you - if it does, it must be defective - send it back to Apple under warranty. I have a rev B (1 GHz) and it only gets a little warm at most, even when doing intensive operations. You should not have to buy something to minimise a problem with the equipment. Take it back and exchange it.
 
Well guys, you've gotta think about this for a second. Take out a piece of 8.5x11 piece of paper, roughly the size of your powerbook g4 12". OK, draw a 3.25 by 5 inch rectangle in the bottom right hand side of your paper. Ok, now draw a line straight up the page from the mark 5 inches away from the side. You now have to rectangles on the right side of your paper. The bottom one is your battery, the top one is your hard drive. Now, in the bottom left, draw a 4x3 inch rectangle theres your hard drive. Up above your hard drive is your CPU and above the CPU is the GPU the GPU would be at the top of the keyboard on the left hand side, and the CPU would be in between both the CPU and HD. Obviously with so much space occupying stuff on the right hand side, ALL of the heat-producing elements had to go to the left hand side, therefore making it quite warm.

Obviously, I have wayyyy too much time.

-pianoman
 
my rev. B 12" never gets even near that hot... it gets warm, sure, but never so warm that it actually *hurts.* That doesn't sound normal.
 
Kevinuaa's temp reading is about par with mine readings, but I don't feel its a problem. Ofcourse you won't get cold on your fingers in the winter, but the computer could be atleast 20°C warmer before I (my opinion..) would call it uncomfortable.

My computer has been on for about 5 hours (in use 80% of the time), Thermograph X reads hdd bottomside 45°C. I used a digital thermometer to mesure the temp on the left side of the trackpad, and it reads 34.1°C.

Kevin's readings were hdd bottomside 49.4°C and the chasis wouldn't get warmer than this. According to my rough calculations would kevins restwrist be about 37-39°C and that's about body temperature!
Metal feels very warm/cold because of it's low temeperaturecapasity (? i'm not sure if its called that in english)

I could be wrong though...
 
^ Exactly... I've been looking foward to this winter because I'll have a big aluminum hand warmer in my book bag at all times while I'm trecking to class. :) I'm serious, I actually think about the onset of winter almost every time I use my Powerbook and I feel the warmth on my legs.
 
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