Resolve your MacBook Temperature Problem

[mrichmon]

I always assumed that computers were put together by machines. But I have nothing to base that on except my assumption. Are you saying that computers are pieced together by human hands?

The printed circuit boards are generally assembled by machine -- i.e. a machine places and solders the components onto the board. But the assembly of the machine -- i.e. putting in the motherboard, hard drive, optical drive and screen in place, plus connecting the cables is typically done by hand.

Even high-volume server machines that are assembled in the USA such as the machines sold by Sun Microsystems are hand assembled. Typically machines are assembled by semi-skilled workers. They get a bucket of parts and a list of install procedures to follow. For server machines the newly assembled machine is then plugged into a test station to run automated tests while the worker assembles the next machine. For very high volume machines such as the MacBook I could easily believe that the automated testing is minimal (such as just booting from a diagnostics CD) or possibly eliminated entirely from the process altogether.

 

[Macnoviz]

Dont up date your software on the macbook, the intel update, make the book whine, removed it and reinstalled and it back to perfect!

I'm getting my Macbook tomorrow, it will be my first Mac, could you clarify the precise update not to download a bit more? When would this be fixed?
Do you have to configure anything (I heard of the update applications in OSX, but I'm totally new to everything, apart from reading about stuff)

 

[Cybergypsy]

I'm getting my Macbook tomorrow, it will be my first Mac, could you clarify the precise update not to download a bit more? When would this be fixed?
Do you have to configure anything (I heard of the update applications in OSX, but I'm totally new to everything, apart from reading about stuff)

when it checks for updates the first time....uncheck Intel 1.0....that will make it whine, you can reinstall OSX if you do it by accident....

 

[ClimbingTheLog]

I disagree. When the processor's temperature gets so hot that Intel's thermal protection circuit kicks in and throttles down the clock speed from 2.0 GHz to 1.67 GHz I think that's a BIG problem. If I buy a 2.0 GHz machine I expect it to run at 2.0 GHz under full load, not 1.67 GHz.

What, you want the CPU to melt instead?

Or do you want more fans (bigger notebook) blowing loudly (not very Apple)?

Or do you want a Rev. B MacBook?

 

[ClimbingTheLog]

No just rev A apple computers

Remember how they were farming out the computer work to Intel and the case work to Taiwanese laptop factories? That way we wouldn't see the Rev. A. problems anymore.

doo, dee doo dee doo. (sesame street autotypewriter sound)

 

[ClimbingTheLog]

So in conclusion, MacBooks just run hot....sorta like how my car's temp guage gets into the red when it's idiling on the freeway while I'm stuck in a traffic jam, the only difference being that MacBooks aren't supposed to come off as 14 year old pieces of crap

You might have a stuck thermostat. It's super-easy and cheap to change one out if you have a half-hour and a socket wrench:

http://www.automedia.com/Keep/Your/Eye/on/the/Thermostat/ccr20041201th/1

Another option is to let your engine melt itself which is expensive.

Seriously Apple, I sure hope you get all these heat/moo/whine/display issues figured out before I start looking to get a MacBook (pro) once Leapord is out.

Oh, stop. We wouldn't want to buy a mature product from Apple when we can buy Rev. A. and bitch about it online! :wink:

 

[MrCrowbar]

Since this thread adresses the Macbook and it flaws...
I watched some old video on my Macbook (VLC Player). Then I plugged out my headphones so that "Alarm Clock 2" (great app btw) will wake me tomorrow. But at the moment I unplug the phones, I get this message asking me to restart my computer. And this happened twice. I know the Mac knows when phones are plugged in since when you mute the speakers and plug on eaphones, the phones are not muted. But there may be some shortage at the headphones jack and the Computer thinks it's safest to cut the power immediately...

It happened when unplugging the first 2 milimeters of the headphones jack. The Macbook speaker do a little "puff" when switching audio back to the internal speakers. I guess that's the moment it crashes. I was not able to reproduce the behavior on purpose... anyone with similar problems?

 

[brbubba]

I just tested my wife's MacBook. There's no plastic blocking the vents. It measures 50˚C at idle, 65˚C playing a DVD, 84˚C at 100% load (doing 60 openssl calculations simulaneously - which really stresses the CPU)

The fans came on at 82˚C and the temperature never went above 84˚C. The temperature came down to 60˚C after a couple of minutes and is still dropping.

Even at 84˚C the case wasn't excessively hot.

Mine after an hour of running Boinc is at 83 Celsius. I have some artic silver ceramique which is also white, if I crack open the case and apply that is there really anyway for them to tell I have voided the warranty?

 

[matticus008]

Mine after an hour of running Boinc is at 83 Celsius. I have some artic silver ceramique which is also white, if I crack open the case and apply that is there really anyway for them to tell I have voided the warranty?

83 isn't a terrible temperature. What's your case temp like? If you have one of the "normal" MacBooks, you might see very little to no improvement. There are lots of subtle ways to tell you've been inside a computer, from mild screw stripping to fingerprints, and most obviously, your thermal material application. If you apply it in the "hobbyist" style, they'll know immediately that it wasn't done by a manufacturing process.

 

[Cybergypsy]

83 isn't a terrible temperature. What's your case temp like? If you have one of the "normal" MacBooks, you might see very little to no improvement. There are lots of subtle ways to tell you've been inside a computer, from mild screw stripping to fingerprints, and most obviously, your thermal material application. If you apply it in the "hobbyist" style, they'll know immediately that it wasn't done by a manufacturing process.

whats a good app. to check temp on the macbook

 

[Abulia]

I've done gobs of tests on my MacBook in various configurations. My temps are pretty constant.

Idle 56C
Peak 85C
Load 82C

 

[matticus008]

whats a good app. to check temp on the macbook

Temperature Monitor is a reasonably accurate one...I'm not sure if it works with Intels, but I imagine it would. For case temperature though, you need an infrared thermometer. You can buy one for about $30 at any chain drug store. Target and the like probably carry them as well.

Edit: Looks like the current version of Temp Monitor only supports Macs released before 27 April. There's another app called CoreDuoTemp or something like that which other members have been using.

 

[Cybergypsy]

What should it be???? the temp range

 

[Cybergypsy]

Thanks for your help running at 52C.....and have been running for a hour....

 

[Nar1117]

I dont know whether this has been addressed or not, but if you click on the picture on the orginial blogger's site, the second comment down on the corresponding page notes something very interesting. The macbook shown has a different keyboard layout than the macbooks that people have bought/seen in stores. The 'return' key is different, there is a 'backspace' button rather than a 'delete' button, and one or two other noticable things.

Maybe this version of macbook is a pre-production macbook, or something of that nature, which would exclude it from being compared to regular production macbook.

 

[ClimbingTheLog]

I dont know whether this has been addressed or not, but if you click on the picture on the orginial blogger's site, the second comment down on the corresponding page notes something very interesting. The macbook shown has a different keyboard layout than the macbooks that people have bought/seen in stores. The 'return' key is different, there is a 'backspace' button rather than a 'delete' button, and one or two other noticable things.

Good catch. It has a pound symbol over the 3, and a euro over 2, so I'd guess it's a UK keyboard.

The return key is a problem though - that kind of key change (not just a key label change) would necessitate a different top for each laptop in each region, which seems like something Apple would avoid (or do europeans really like the dreaded expanded Enter key?)

Otherwise this may be a prototype that may have been shipped out accidentally. Rev 0 MacBook?

 

[Nar1117]

Good catch. It has a pound symbol over the 3, and a euro over 2, so I'd guess it's a UK keyboard.

The return key is a problem though - that kind of key change (not just a key label change) would necessitate a different top for each laptop in each region, which seems like something Apple would avoid (or do europeans really like the dreaded expanded Enter key?)

Otherwise this may be a prototype that may have been shipped out accidentally. Rev 0 MacBook?

Yeah, i dont think the special 'return' key is part of the UK keyboard.

And this might not be part of it, but do the keyboards on the macbooks indent slightly into the case? In the picture, there is a slight drop all the way around the keyboard from the outer case. Now, that could be a standard macbook feature, i dont have one so i dony know.

 

[brbubba]

83 isn't a terrible temperature. What's your case temp like? If you have one of the "normal" MacBooks, you might see very little to no improvement. There are lots of subtle ways to tell you've been inside a computer, from mild screw stripping to fingerprints, and most obviously, your thermal material application. If you apply it in the "hobbyist" style, they'll know immediately that it wasn't done by a manufacturing process.

I don't have a external thermometer, but at its hottest it is uncomfortable to touch. As in its at the max limit where any increase would break the pain threshold. I'll see if I can scrounge up any kind of a actual temp measuring device.

I'm probably going to try to get them to replace it anyway as I have a mooing one. In addition there was a screw in the battery compartment that was half screwed in, pretty lame QC. We'll see how that goes.

 

[matticus008]

I don't have a external thermometer, but at its hottest it is uncomfortable to touch.

That's normal. The top edge of the MacBooks where the heat pipes vent is supposed to get hot. It's moving all the notebook's heat through there and temperatures in excess of 110˚F aren't unusual. All of my notebooks from the past several years get around this hot in the heat sink area (PowerBook G4, Dell M140, HP dv1000, Dell Latitude C840, Dell Latitude CPxJ, Pismo) except maybe the G3 PB which I can't recall. The increased use of heat pipes in modern notebooks means that heat isn't dispersed in the open air and instead is channeled, and where that channel ends, all the heat is released.

Good luck with your replacement, but don't be terribly surprised if touching a fully worked MB(P) is still uncomfortably hot at the top.

 

[Ish]

I dont know whether this has been addressed or not, but if you click on the picture on the orginial blogger's site, the second comment down on the corresponding page notes something very interesting. The macbook shown has a different keyboard layout than the macbooks that people have bought/seen in stores. The 'return' key is different, there is a 'backspace' button rather than a 'delete' button, and one or two other noticable things.

Maybe this version of macbook is a pre-production macbook, or something of that nature, which would exclude it from being compared to regular production macbook.

I have a UK keyboard and it looks like that. I actually raised the question of the different layout in this thread . A point raised in that thread however makes it look as though it may be the US keyboard that's different http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyboard_layout

 

[ham2233]

Ability to set fan modes

Apple tells you in the manual you shouldn't use it on your lap for an extended period of time. It is supposed to get warm. Personally, I prefer a warmer case than loud running fans. Don't worry if you don't hear your fans, they are rarely running at audible level. You can do the hardware test (details on the OSX CD that came with your Mac) to hear your fans at full throotle. You will find that the sound is very loud and scary

Can someone maybe make a pref.pane where one could choose between desktop mode (no fans, warm case, like it is now) and laptop mode (fans running more to keep the case temperature below a given threshold)? I know running fans reduce battery life, but a comfortably cool laptop for typing stuff on trains or airplanes would be a nice thing.

This seems like a really good idea to me. I know I'd be really interested in it -- particularly in being able to turn up the fans so I could actually keep my macbook on my lap. Is any work being done on this? How difficult would it be to access the power management/fan controls? Are we talking kernel extension, some sort of temp sensor hack, or something as high-level as an app?

 

[sunfast]

Has anybody found the plastic on their MacBook vents? I'm guessing it's obvious if it's there? I had a good poke around on my new one last night and the vent's looked pretty clear to me and I could feel some air coming out. I'm pretty sure I couldn't have missed it could I?

 

[Cybergypsy]

My book was on the first plane, and i did not have any plastic at all , I doubt the story....

 

[r1ck]

how hot it too hot?

I didn't have a plastic strip on my vent either, strangely. I am pretty dismayed by the temperature of my Macbook. It got pretty hot once and wouldn't respond. Since then I downloaded the smcFanControl device but now I am just constantly worried about my laptop overheating and think I need to control the temp all the time. It's a nuisance and I would think that such an expensive and sophistocated piece of hardware would come equipped with a temperature control device at least as up to par as other laptops (dell etc) so why is it getting so hot? So far, the hottest I have noticed lately was 75? C only because I had safari open and comiclife with a few other trivial programs. On the Mac specks page it says that normal operating temperature is 10-35? C does that only apply to the environment temp? At what temperature should I be worried about serious damage?

 

[Romulus]

I have a C2D Macbook... Since I was a switcher reading all the repors, I was worried about temperature too... Basically my machine cpu runs at around 61-63C after about an hour. Otherway, with some push and shove it gets to 70+ with extremes at around 85...

I went to the store and we actually downloaded temperature monitor on some floor machines experiencing temperatures similar to mine. The notebookreview.com website on the new C2D posted a temp monitor screenshot, and it has similar temperatures. So basically you should be fine. The 10-30 is a recomendation for ambient temperature, but the Macbooks are working fine in Arizona too where summers are much over 30C.

Don't stress, and just enjoy (easier said then done - I still have temp monitor on so often just to keep on eye on what's going on under the hood )

Good luck!