Recent purchasers of the 2011 17" MBP

[Geebz]

Im thinking of upgrading to the latest 17" but ive heard that the latest rev has certain issues:

a) It runs hotter than the 2010 MBPs and the fans are more aggressive
b) There are issues with external displays
c) There are wifi connection problems
d) Problems with Sata 6Gbps SSDs

Can anyone who has purchased a 17" MBP in the last couple of months tell me if they have had any of these issues? Also have you had any other problems? Thanks.

 

[Erasmus]

Im thinking of upgrading to the latest 17" but ive heard that the latest rev has certain issues:

a) It runs hotter than the 2010 MBPs and the fans are more aggressive
b) There are issues with external displays
c) There are wifi connection problems
d) Problems with Sata 6Gbps SSDs

Can anyone who has purchased a 17" MBP in the last couple of months tell me if they have had any of these issues? Also have you had any other problems? Thanks.

I got one in March. The one I have idles at under 30˚C, and has no problems with Wi-Fi. I have not tried external displays or SATA 3.

The 2011 model may run hotter than the 2010 model, I don't know (as I don't own a 2010 model) but it runs far cooler than my mid 2007 15" MBP. The 2011 model has significantly higher power drawing components than the 2010 model, so it's easy to understand and justify why it would run hotter, if it does.

I hear there is a problem with some 17" models with SATA 3, but the exact cause and solutions seem inconsistent, and unsolved. Hopefully the cause and a fix is found reasonably soon, as I plan to upgrade to an SSD at the end of the year.

 

[Geebz]

I got one in March. The one I have idles at under 30˚C, and has no problems with Wi-Fi. I have not tried external displays or SATA 3.

The 2011 model may run hotter than the 2010 model, I don't know (as I don't own a 2010 model) but it runs far cooler than my mid 2007 15" MBP. The 2011 model has significantly higher power drawing components than the 2010 model, so it's easy to understand and justify why it would run hotter, if it does.

I hear there is a problem with some 17" models with SATA 3, but the exact cause and solutions seem inconsistent, and unsolved. Hopefully the cause and a fix is found reasonably soon, as I plan to upgrade to an SSD at the end of the year.

Hi Erasmus,

When you run flash videos does it get noticeably hotter? Also what speed do the fans ramp up to when this happens? Does it get noisy at these speeds? That is my major concern. There is nothing I find more annoying than noisy fans.

Right now my MBP can get a little hot when I run flash. At one point I would use smcfancontrol to maximise fan speed but I just couldnt stand the noisy fans. Now ive reduced the speed to 3.5k rpms which is around the sweet spot. Ive heard that the fans are more aggressive in the 2011 models and im afraid that even flash videos will cause the fans to ramp up to noisy levels.

 

[Erasmus]

Hi Erasmus,

When you run flash videos does it get noticeably hotter? Also what speed do the fans ramp up to when this happens? Does it get noisy at these speeds? That is my major concern. There is nothing I find more annoying than noisy fans.

Right now my MBP can get a little hot when I run flash. At one point I would use smcfancontrol to maximise fan speed but I just couldnt stand the noisy fans. Now ive reduced the speed to 3.5k rpms which is around the sweet spot. Ive heard that the fans are more aggressive in the 2011 models and im afraid that even flash videos will cause the fans to ramp up to noisy levels.

By flash videos do you mean youtube? I'm doing some work right now with Parallels running, fans 2000rpm, CPU around 60˚C. I'm not at home right now, and am using Firefox (which likes to force the discrete GPU on). When I get home, I'll try running a 720p Youtube video in Safari, and will post back.

I'm sure the result will be minimal CPU use, and fans remaining at idle.

 

[Erasmus]

OK, for a 720p youtube video we're looking at <55˚C, <10% CPU usage, and fans idling at 2000rpm.

Playing a 1080p m4v makes no noticeable impact on CPU usage (I assume it is capable of running it using the integrated graphics card) or heat.

The computer is CAPABLE of frying your nuts off (if you decide to play games with it on your lap on a hot day), but most normal tasks won't get the CPU out of idle mode, and the CPU will stay cool.

I might add that even after hours of gaming, the case does not get unpleasantly hot. Warm would be the best description.

 

[bniu]

the SSD problems are mostly with SATA III drives. Some say the OCZ vertex 3 works, but I don't know. I know the crucial C300 does not work in my experience. Next time, I'm going to try an Intel 320, I hear those are rock solid reliable.

Yes, it does run a bit hot but what do you expect for something that is essentially 8 cores? I've actually managed to get Handbrake to max out all 8 virtual cores, the thing is a beast! The one upgrade I'd recommend right away is to put in 8 gigs of RAM. Maybe in a few months, I'll buy an Intel 320 300GB SSD.

 

[TwoLabsMedia]

Im thinking of upgrading to the latest 17" but ive heard that the latest rev has certain issues:

a) It runs hotter than the 2010 MBPs and the fans are more aggressive
b) There are issues with external displays
c) There are wifi connection problems
d) Problems with Sata 6Gbps SSDs

Can anyone who has purchased a 17" MBP in the last couple of months tell me if they have had any of these issues? Also have you had any other problems? Thanks.

Have a 2.3Ghz 17" Matte Display, never had any of these issues. The only issue I've had is that my "H" key comes loose sometimes but my production workload has been too heavy to bring it in.

 

[Uffish Thought]

My fans rarely come on. Ripping DVD's with Handbreak I can pull 795% of the CPU, it settles in around 87 deg C, fans 3,500 RPM.

No problem running a 23" Dell monitor via DVI, it's always on at home.

I've never had a WiFi connection issue.

I'll put a SSD in it when the prices come down.

It's solid, fast and reliable.