Overheating with TwelveSouth BookArc?

[DaDalle]

Hey there,

I just bough a third monitor and want to use my MacBook in clamshell mode with the BookArc. Most of the time when using an external Monitor my fans will start kicking in after some time and this also happens with the BookArc.

Will my macbook overheat with the BookArc with three external displays and cpu intense work?

Thanks!

Ps. I use a MacBook Air BookArc with my 15" rMBP.

 

[soupcan]

It won't overheat, but it will get hot (of course).

Thing is though, if you're doing work with 3 external displays that's CPU intensive why do you do that on a notebook? Get a desktop, an iMac or Mac Pro, or a Windows equivalent.

 

[DaDalle]

Thanks!
The MBP does well enough for my needs and I need to carry around my work most of the time. But you're right powering multiple monitors plus cpu usage isn't optimal for a laptop.

 

[wuush]

I have a question regarding the BookArc and i don't think it deserves its own thread.

Do many people use the BookArc? and if you reply please state if you use/used a BookArc.
Isn't the BookArc a total construction failure?
The Macbook has the air intakes on the side and the hot air goes out through the Display Hinge.
Doesn't this stress the Macbook more than normal, because hot air travels up and if you use the BookArc and Macbook in the correct orientation (like in the marketing photos) it works against the thermal design of Apple?

 

[snaky69]

Hey there,

I just bough a third monitor and want to use my MacBook in clamshell mode with the BookArc. Most of the time when using an external Monitor my fans will start kicking in after some time and this also happens with the BookArc.

Will my macbook overheat with the BookArc with three external displays and cpu intense work?

Thanks!

Ps. I use a MacBook Air BookArc with my 15" rMBP.

Stop throwing the word overheating around. It's (wrongly) overused around here.

That's not what's happening. If you computer was truly overheating, it would shut down out of the blue with no prior warning to prevent damage.

Driving that many displays requires power, power generates heat as a byproduct, said heat needs to be extracted for the electronics to work properly, the fans kick in.

Your computer is working as designed, and you have nothing to worry about.

 

[iConnected]

If you use a BookArc that's intended for a larger model (and/or just use a different insert), you should be able to keep the lid cracked open a couple of centimetres or so (for better heat dissipation) without activating the internal display.

 

[ApoorvPrem]

I have a question regarding the BookArc and i don't think it deserves its own thread.

Do many people use the BookArc? and if you reply please state if you use/used a BookArc.
Isn't the BookArc a total construction failure?
The Macbook has the air intakes on the side and the hot air goes out through the Display Hinge.
Doesn't this stress the Macbook more than normal, because hot air travels up and if you use the BookArc and Macbook in the correct orientation (like in the marketing photos) it works against the thermal design of Apple?

Cant we use it upside down? As in the Mac.

 

[wuush]

Cant we use it upside down? As in the Mac.

You could, except with the Macbook Air insert.

If you use it as designed (apple logo in correct orientation), the bookArc design works against the thermal design of the macbook. Atleast thats what i think will happen:

 

[ckWTB]

Hey there,

I just bough a third monitor and want to use my MacBook in clamshell mode with the BookArc. Most of the time when using an external Monitor my fans will start kicking in after some time and this also happens with the BookArc.

Will my macbook overheat with the BookArc with three external displays and cpu intense work?

Thanks!

Ps. I use a MacBook Air BookArc with my 15" rMBP.

Running multiple displays will require additional processing power and therefore will generate addition heat. Depending on the laptop model (Pro, Air, processor speed, etc) and the tasks you are running (light, moderate or heavy workloads), the amount of heat being generated may exceed the laptop abilities to remove the heat, which will cause the laptop to throttle processor speeds, leading to reduced performance. Just about all laptops will throttle and slow performance when pushed hard enough and for long enough. If your fans are running on high for extended periods of time then there is a chance throttling is taking place. You can find out if your laptop is throttling by installing Intel’s free Power Gadget application: https://software.intel.com/en-us/articles/intel-power-gadget-20

Every laptop comes with different built-in cooling capacity as well as a slightly different cooling configuration. The 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display has two large fans that exhaust heat at both ends of the rear hinge and pull cool air through the primary intake vent located in the center of the rear hinge (between the two exhaust fans), as well as through the smaller intake vents located along the laptop sides. The 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display has the largest built-in cooling capacity but it also generates the most heat, which is a significant amount of heat when running under heavy workloads, enough heat that throttling can occur. Every laptop has different fan/vent configurations, including the MacBook Airs. iFixit is a great place to see the fan/vent layouts for all current and past laptops: https://www.ifixit.com/Device/Mac_Laptop

 

[DaDalle]

Thanks for all the replies!

 

[chmodme]

Late to the thread. I've used this device for four plus years. I edit video almost every day, and yes, the fans run as designed. I use it UPSIDE down, so the heat can leave normally.

Ignore the stupid Marketing images. It makes NO SENSE to use it with the vents facing down.

 

[ApoorvPrem]

Late to the thread. I've used this device for four plus years. I edit video almost every day, and yes, the fans run as designed. I use it UPSIDE down, so the heat can leave normally.

Ignore the stupid Marketing images. It makes NO SENSE to use it with the vents facing down.

Just to be clear - The hinge at the top, right ?

 

[amoda]

Just to be clear - The hinge at the top, right ?

Yup! I do this as well since using hinge down (as in the marketing photos) impedes air flow.

 

[chmodme]

Just to be clear - The hinge at the top, right ?

Yes, with the Apple logo upside down. Works fine but is not a panacea for a warm running laptop, just a logical approach to the heat issue.

 

[sauria]

Late to the thread. I've used this device for four plus years. I edit video almost every day, and yes, the fans run as designed. I use it UPSIDE down, so the heat can leave normally.

Ignore the stupid Marketing images. It makes NO SENSE to use it with the vents facing down.

Great advice, seems better this way on the 2019 MBP 16" -- no blocked vent areas this way.

 

[Need_Advice]

When the MBP 16 is busy, the part above the Touch Bar becomes quite hot. Doesn't the radiating heat affect / damage the display in any way when using it in clamshell mode in the BookArc?

I've seen this issue with Surface Books, where the fan openings are oriented towards the display (when the lid is closed). This caused yellow coloration and damage to the display. I know, this is hot air that blows directly on the screen, which the MBP releases on the backside, but still, heat is heat.

Due to lack of space I'd love to use the BookArc but since I'm doing a lot of graphical stuff my MBP becomes quite hot. Before ordering one I wanted to clarify. Any advice or experience would be much appreciated!

 

[jace88]

I wonder if anyone has done any meaningful analysis as to whether the Book Arc could be detrimental to a Macbook Pro.

Whilst I have a humble MBP 13" M1 which is unlikely to really need the ventilation, it did strike me as odd to buy something like this which would potentially inhibit heat dissipation as a result of both being closed clamshell and vent down.

 

[Crash0veride]

When the MBP 16 is busy, the part above the Touch Bar becomes quite hot. Doesn't the radiating heat affect / damage the display in any way when using it in clamshell mode in the BookArc?

I've seen this issue with Surface Books, where the fan openings are oriented towards the display (when the lid is closed). This caused yellow coloration and damage to the display. I know, this is hot air that blows directly on the screen, which the MBP releases on the backside, but still, heat is heat.

Due to lack of space I'd love to use the BookArc but since I'm doing a lot of graphical stuff my MBP becomes quite hot. Before ordering one I wanted to clarify. Any advice or experience would be much appreciated!

I would say that area on a MBP has always gotten incredibly hot (at least my 2009 did as well) I've been using the book arc on 16" for about seven months. I do video rendering in Adobe Premiere frequently get an intense workload running for renders that last over an hour. Definitely gets quite hot, per usual under heavy loads in general, but everything fine so far. Can't say the degree to which the MBP throttles the CPU vs if it was flat and open, but certainly churns out the renders.

 

[prospervic]

Great advice, seems better this way on the 2019 MBP 16" -- no blocked vent areas this way.

This makes no sense. How is the BookArc blocking the vents? There are are only two points of contact with the hinge vent and each are less than .5 inches. The rest of the vent is wide open, and whenever I place my hand under it I feel free-flowing warm air (or hot air, when the processor is working really hard).

Plus, placing the MacBook Pro "upside down" not only makes the cable connections ergonomically difficult, but also ugly as hell.