Recent convert from Windows laptop

[Toadkillerdog]

My Sony laptop screen (VCPC z1190x) which I bought as a refurb with 512gb SSD BTW started to go out under warranty which sony said was not covered as it had to be from misuse They said repair would be about $1200, ha, ha.
Still can use this really nice laptop but it has lines of dead pixels starting at the mid top of the screen and run a third down. Really irritating. My daughters white MacBook has been going strong for years so I took the plunge into the Mac world and bought a 2.6/16/512 Macbook pro retina.

I cannot comment on what others have posted about stuttering with web browsing except to say that this thing is a much nicer and smoother experience than my Sony. Most of that is due to OSX which is so surprisingly smooth.

Only issues I have had are: 1) two or three times have had failure to shut down because Mail or Safari won't close and I have to force shutdown - I can't see an instance of them running, though, when that happens. 2) When I am playing an intensive FPS shooter (duke Nukem Forever), the far edge of the notebook becomes almost too hot to touch. Not a dealbreaker and something I can gladly live with because of this elegant but utilitarian design. BTW my Sony fan would get louder and blow very hot air which is nice in a cold room when I want to warm my left hand, ha, ha.

Just reporting that I love the clean, smooth OSX experience and I find myself wanting to use my Macbook pro over my desktop Windows 7 PC, ha, ha. Everything just seems a little easier and more intuitive to do on my Macbook. Win 7 is a really good OS, but, man, I think OSX is a great OS. Looking forward to Mountain Lion.

I'm just really, really pleased with my purchase. I will continue to use a Windows desktop, though...

 

[GGJstudios]

Only issues I have had are: 1) failure to shut down because Mail or Safari won't close and I have to force shutdown - I can't see an instance of them running, though, when that happens.

Launch Activity Monitor and change "My Processes" at the top to "All Processes", then click on the CPU column heading once or twice, so the arrow points downward (highest values on top). Then look to see what may be consuming system resources or hanging.

2) When I am playing an intensive FPS shooter (duke Nukem Forever), the far edge of the notebook becomes almost too hot to touch.

The Intel processors used in Macs are designed to automatically shut down to prevent damage if they truly overheat. CPU Tjmax = 105C (221F), GPU Tjmax = 100C (212F) on i3, i5, i7 processors. (Source: Intel) If you're not already using it, iStat Pro will give you accurate readings of your temps and fan speeds, among other things.

Unless there is a rare defect in a Mac, most temps are well within the normal operating range, considering the workload being put 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.

It is also quite normal for your Mac to become extremely hot to the touch during intensive operations. The aluminum body transfers heat more effectively than other materials used in computer casings, so you will feel the heat more. This doesn't indicate that it's overheating and will not harm the computer to be hot to the touch.

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). iMacs have 3 fans with minimum speeds in the 800-1200 range. 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.)

The intake and exhaust vents are in the back of the computer near the hinge on all Mac notebooks (except the new MBP with retina display, which has intake vents along the sides at the bottom). The iMac vent is a slot on the back near the top of the computer. Make sure the vents remain unblocked to allow your computer to perform at its best.

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

For Flash-related issues:

• Find your Flash version and make sure it's the latest version available.
• Install ClickToFlash (Safari), Flashblock (Firefox) or FlashBlock (Chrome) to control which Flash content plays on websites.
• Use the YouTube HTML5 Video Player to watch YouTube videos, when available. (May impact fullscreen viewing. See link for details.)

 

[Toadkillerdog]

Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about the heat and understand thet it is being conducted probably away from just over the Nvidia card that is being really stressed by this game. I am amazed I can play that game. Didn't buy this for gaming anyway... Gaming laptops are thick and I personally did not want a brick. My Sony was a beautifully engineered thin notebook and ahead of it's time and I still like it, but the flimsy screen lid is its achilles heel.

In all other use, I do not feel uncomfortable heat or any really significant heat at all. I admit I have not watched any videos yet...

Thanks for the tips. Flash is up to date. Will look at activity monitor next time it won't shut down. Only new software is Duke Nukem via Steam and Boom to boost audio. I have some hearing loss and honestly cannot hear the fans at all, ha, ha.

Finally, compared to the daily glitches, software hanging, etc on my desktop Windows PC, this experience has been quite refreshing. I'm really pleased! Did I say that yet?