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Re-applied the thermal paste on my MacBook Pro... AMAZING results!
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Didn't someone publically do that test and find less than amazing results? like the difference of 1 or 2 degrees?
From my experience with the floor models in stores, the case isn't unbearably hot except on the bottom, and even then only where the battery is. No amount of thermal paste will cool down your battery!
I would advise people considering doing this to do a little more research on this before potentially turning their MBP into a 2 grand paperweight.
From my experience with the floor models in stores, the case isn't unbearably hot except on the bottom, and even then only where the battery is. No amount of thermal paste will cool down your battery!
I would advise people considering doing this to do a little more research on this before potentially turning their MBP into a 2 grand paperweight.
JurgenWigg said:
Actually, it's everywhere else than where the battery is. It is actually one of the cool spots on the bottom of the notebook.
And yes, someone did a less than scientifically test but they used two different MacBook Pro's and forgot to monitor a before temperature on the modified MBP. But the temperature delta between the test model and the other model were only around 2°C, so it really ended up being inconclusive.
The question is though, unless you get it done by a certified Apple Store, it likely ain't worth the hassle or your warranty.
JurgenWigg said:
Not quite. He compared his "fixed" MBP with his friend's "unfixed" MBP. Hardly scientific. Even worse, if I remember correctly, the friend's MBP was checked somewhere else and not in the same room and on the same desk. They may have even used different temperature guns, or maybe even used completely different methods to measure the temp.
Wholly unreliable.
I have a week 12 MBP which used to not have any heat problems until i installed the Firmware 1.0.1 Update.
When i got the computer i immediately installed the SMC update and my computer used to idle at 25-33 C and never exceed 60 under full load. Then last week i decided to install the 1.0.1 update to check out BootCamp and the first thing i noticed when i restarted was that the computer was idling at 47-54 C and now hits 90 C under full load (3d rendering).
I've searched everywhere for a solution to reinstall the old firmware but no luck. Any ideas? And what was i thinking!? Windows is just asking for trouble - i just *thought* about installing it and the problems came!!
Anyway, anyone else noticed any heat increase after the 1.0.1 update?
And yes i too have the whine but not the mooing, and my Airport reception has been good so far.
When i got the computer i immediately installed the SMC update and my computer used to idle at 25-33 C and never exceed 60 under full load. Then last week i decided to install the 1.0.1 update to check out BootCamp and the first thing i noticed when i restarted was that the computer was idling at 47-54 C and now hits 90 C under full load (3d rendering).
I've searched everywhere for a solution to reinstall the old firmware but no luck. Any ideas? And what was i thinking!? Windows is just asking for trouble - i just *thought* about installing it and the problems came!!
Anyway, anyone else noticed any heat increase after the 1.0.1 update?
And yes i too have the whine but not the mooing, and my Airport reception has been good so far.
By chance, what's the highest you've seen CoreDuoTemp report on your MBP?Pressure said:
My MPB stayed in the low 30s until I upgraded the firmware to 1.0.1. Then it reported in the mid 50s to low 60s, which is normal according to the other reports at http://www.intelmactemps.com
When the processor is that hot, I find using the keyboard extensively is very uncomfortable. Occasional keyboard contact (i.e. surfing around where you mostly use the mousepad) is great, but constant use isn't comfortable for me.
FWIW, the 2 systems appear to be side-by-side, heat measured by the same Fluke IR gun.Egosphere said:
Unmodified:
Thermal paste replaced:
All pictures linked from the orig. article:
http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2006/05/23/thermal-paste-question.html?page=3
On my MBP, CoreDuoTemp worked correctly after the update (instead of showing temps in the 30's, it showed temps in the 60's), but my MBP physically didn't feel any hotter than before.Coheebuzz said:
aristobrat said:
So you are saying that CoreDuoTemp doesn't work properly with the 1.0 firmware and the low temps i was getting were wrong? I didn't check it under Hardware Monitor before the update so i could double-check.
Also if there are any users out there who have installed the SMC firmware but not the 1.0.1 please post some temps!
Btw i don't know if its been asked before, but what are the (proven) long term effects of wrongly applied thermal paste on the processor? Is it something critical that MBP/MB users should address at some point?
I don't want to even think how hot my MBP will be to touch when summer finally kicks in. (38 C expected this weekend!). All use so far has been in air-conditioned environments with room temp about at 20 C and the highest i got is 92 after 20 minutes of rendering.
aristobrat said:
It were hovering around 26-29°C before the SMC update. The highest I've seen reported with CoreDuoTemp is 62°C but I haven't pressed the system other than installing programs and fiddling around in Photoshop and InDesign.
When I put it to Normal or Better Performance in the power settings it will, however, hover upwards to 50-62°C when idling.
I have a feeling that these three settings also affect the Mobility X1600 chips clockspeed.
Pressure said:
I don't exactly understand idling. My Macbook Pro pretty much goes to sleep like, five minutes after I leave it.
benthewraith said:I don't exactly understand idling. My Macbook Pro pretty much goes to sleep like, five minutes after I leave it.
It basically means when your computer is sitting and doing nothing.
You can change the settings for when your notebook goes to sleep in System Preferences --> Energy Saver --> Sleep but this will of course have a negativ impact on the battery-life, if you are running off it.
After stripping my 17" apart and reapplying with AS5 my temps didnt drastically drop as much as the original posters did but it's better none the less. It currently idles at about 65*c and tops out at about 82*c under full load.
Better than before!
Better than before!
I don't understand why people have such drastic results on the same hardware. For me, the fix definitely worked. Before I would idle at 55c-60c with a full load of 85c. One of the most concerning thing about those temps is that my fans never turned on until I hit 85c. After reapplying the thermal paste with AS5, my idle temps are 40c-45c with a full load never reaching above 65c. My fans are on a lot more which I don't mind at all. At low speeds, the fans are pretty quiet. So why such a disparity?
Here's my take on all this:
reapplying the thermal paste makes a correct contact with the heat pipes (which the temperature gauge is connected to) After the correct application, the processor correctly distributes the heat to the heatpipes rather than having it radiate anywhere else on the case. This can be why people report that the laptop is noticeably cooler to the touch even if the temperature has not changed much.
As to why the temperatures remain the same for the CPU itself for some people and not others? my only guess is whether people applied the 1.0.1 firmware update. Perhaps that firmware kicks the fan off sooner?
I think regardless of whether the temperature stays the same or not, if the case is cooler, then it's worth it. Heat can be a finky thing and as long as that heat does not radiate to other components, and as long as the CPU can handle those temperatures (as intel said they could) then there should be a lesser possibility of failure in the long run.
edit: I have a MBP to clear up any confusion. MB users probably shouldn't try this fix. I should also note that apple has quietly applied less thermal paste than the globs stated in their manual. Abulia, you reminded me of what many people confirmed when they opened their later model MBP/MBs
Here's my take on all this:
reapplying the thermal paste makes a correct contact with the heat pipes (which the temperature gauge is connected to) After the correct application, the processor correctly distributes the heat to the heatpipes rather than having it radiate anywhere else on the case. This can be why people report that the laptop is noticeably cooler to the touch even if the temperature has not changed much.
As to why the temperatures remain the same for the CPU itself for some people and not others? my only guess is whether people applied the 1.0.1 firmware update. Perhaps that firmware kicks the fan off sooner?
I think regardless of whether the temperature stays the same or not, if the case is cooler, then it's worth it. Heat can be a finky thing and as long as that heat does not radiate to other components, and as long as the CPU can handle those temperatures (as intel said they could) then there should be a lesser possibility of failure in the long run.
edit: I have a MBP to clear up any confusion. MB users probably shouldn't try this fix. I should also note that apple has quietly applied less thermal paste than the globs stated in their manual. Abulia, you reminded me of what many people confirmed when they opened their later model MBP/MBs
By and large the comments in this thread are for the MBP, but I re-did the paste on my MB.
I took some pics and I'll post them a bit later, but on my MB the paste application from the factory was "reasonable," IMO. It was certainly nothing like the gobs of goop from the MBPs.
My temperatures seem slightly lower, but my temperature results from CoreDuoTemp and Temperature Monitor are...strange. So it's tough for me to state without a shadow of a doubt that my machine is cooler (or hotter).
Bottom line recommendation: MB owners probably shouldn't bother attempting. I don't think the potential upside is worth the downside.
I took some pics and I'll post them a bit later, but on my MB the paste application from the factory was "reasonable," IMO. It was certainly nothing like the gobs of goop from the MBPs.
My temperatures seem slightly lower, but my temperature results from CoreDuoTemp and Temperature Monitor are...strange. So it's tough for me to state without a shadow of a doubt that my machine is cooler (or hotter).
Bottom line recommendation: MB owners probably shouldn't bother attempting. I don't think the potential upside is worth the downside.
Yeah my case is noticably cooler now which is great. After letting it sit a bit I came back and it was idling at 47*c which is better than my previously reported 55*c.
The fans in mine don't kick on till it hits 90*c The second they kick on the temp drops back in to the 70's though. Very strange. /me hopes we get a firmware update with the option to control fan speeds. I'd keep my blasting full bore 24/7. Noise isn't a big issue to me.
The fans in mine don't kick on till it hits 90*c
The second they kick on the temp drops back in to the 70's though. Very strange. /me hopes we get a firmware update with the option to control fan speeds. I'd keep my blasting full bore 24/7. Noise isn't a big issue to me.Do you think it could be the same deal as the MacDevCenter guy whose thermal control gizmo wasn't connected properly when he put it back together, making the fans run full time, all the time? Ok, after typing that, I'm guessing not. Hopefully someone talented enough to take their MB/P apart would realize if the fan's running 24/7 after reassembly.Natsus said:
If that's not the case, I don't get why some people have drastic results and some don't either. Ugh.
aristobrat said:Do you think it could be the same deal as the MacDevCenter guy whose thermal control gizmo wasn't connected properly when he put it back together, making the fans run full time, all the time? Ok, after typing that, I'm guessing not. Hopefully someone talented enough to take their MB/P apart would realize if the fan's running 24/7 after reassembly.
If that's not the case, I don't get why some people have drastic results and some don't either. Ugh.
hrm... don't know about others, but I know mine is connected correctly. Fans only turn on when temps reach a certain setting, but it seems to be different from everyone else. FragTek's gets the same idle temps as I do which is great but his fans doesn't kick in until 90c. Mine however kicks in at 65c.
Again, why the disparity? the temperature setting is not user controlled so the only thing I can think of is the firmware update 1.0.1 It's the only update that's easy to miss as it's not under software updates. Perhaps that update makes the fan kick off sooner? I don't know. There isn't enough data to know for sure.
Now that I think about it I should have moved my temp sensor closer to the middle of the heatpipe so that it would read higher and keep the fans on longer... Damnit!! Why didn't I think of that
That's what we call a ghetto fan mod, haha.
That's what we call a ghetto fan mod, haha.
Yup.Natsus said:
I had to install 1.0.1 in order for CoreDuoTemp to properly read the temps. Before I installed that, it kept bouncing between two numbers in the 30s.
FragTek said:Now that I think about it I should have moved my temp sensor closer to the middle of the heatpipe so that it would read higher and keep the fans on longer... Damnit!! Why didn't I think of that
That's what we call a ghetto fan mod, haha.
i've been thinking about that for a while. Maybe after the exams at Uni...