Retina Macbook ridiculously hot compared to standard Macbook

[TomBarron]

Hey guys,

So I recently had my replaced my Macbook Pro with a Retina Macbook and I'm encountering some major issues when gaming.

On the original 2011 MacBook Pro I would run Bootcamp and do most of my gaming there. The fan would stay at a calm rate and I would never have to raise the volume to compete with the fan noise.

But on the new retina Macbook Pro (2013), I have to wear can headphones when playing most modern games on Bootcamp because the fans are simply too loud and the Macbook is simply getting too hot.

Can anyone shed any light on this? I've reset the SMC to no avail.

Thanks!

 

[Ichabod.]

What are your temperatures during these periods of high fan speed?

I use CoreTemp to monitor CPU/GPU/etc. temperatures under Bootcamp.

There are also some 3rd party programs to increase fan speed, but that seems to be your problem rather than actual temperature issues (like high temperature shut-downs).

 

[swerve147]

Temps of low to mid 80s celsius while gaming in Boot Camp are completely normal in a rMBP. At those temperatures your fans will ramp up to full speed.

 

[Chuck-Norris]

i find the retina runs alot cooler thhanks to the new air intake design

maybe ur just watching to much....content

 

[Badrottie]

MacBook Pro is NOT a gaming machine. Why? Apple knows Sony and Microsoft got some gaming consoles.

 

[kittencounter]

Why do ppl use the Macbook Pro as gaming machine? I know…because they can. But srsly rMBP is such a great machine for work and everything else. For games …it's so bad. It gets so hot when you start a game and if you are charging while playing, you are pretty doomed with the temperature. The frame rate that you are getting out of the machine is meehhh. It's really not healthy if you force the machine to run games constantly for long time everyday. Look at it…it's so slim and they pack lots of power hungry hardwares and battery inside that thing. There is a lot of heat trapped inside.

You would be much happier with 600$ PC tower for all your games. You have to be clear that you are forcing the machine to do stuffs that it's not designed for..

 

[jcpb]

Why do ppl use the Macbook Pro as gaming machine? I know…because they can. But srsly rMBP is such a great machine for work and everything else. For games …it's so bad. It gets so hot when you start a game and if you are charging while playing, you are pretty doomed with the temperature. The frame rate that you are getting out of the machine is meehhh. It's really not healthy if you force the machine to run games constantly for long time everyday. Look at it…it's so slim and they pack lots of power hungry hardwares and battery inside that thing. There is a lot of heat trapped inside.

You would be much happier with 600$ PC tower for all your games. You have to be clear that you are forcing the machine to do stuffs that it's not designed for..

I'm happier that I can game while traveling because the MBPR is my desktop. Meanwhile, not only must your $600 PC tower stay at home at all times, you can't just stash it into a 29" checked luggage without something getting broken during transit.

 

[omgitsbees]

The Macbook Pro is fine for 2D games. I play a lot of Alpha Centauri on here, and some real old 3d games; I can play Everquest Mac on here without any heat issues. But anything recent, even games like World of Warcraft, get my MBP very hot.

 

[Doward]

Want to reduce your temps, and keep the fan from kicking in so insanely?

Playing StarCraft II, my fans run ~4200-4400 rpm. It's not nearly as load as full bore!

 

[sjinsjca]

There are also some 3rd party programs to increase fan speed

smcFanControl works quite well on the rMBP.

 

[vpro]

Google much?

Hey guys,

So I recently had my replaced my Macbook Pro with a Retina Macbook and I'm encountering some major issues when gaming.

On the original 2011 MacBook Pro I would run Bootcamp and do most of my gaming there. The fan would stay at a calm rate and I would never have to raise the volume to compete with the fan noise.

But on the new retina Macbook Pro (2013), I have to wear can headphones when playing most modern games on Bootcamp because the fans are simply too loud and the Macbook is simply getting too hot.

Can anyone shed any light on this? I've reset the SMC to no avail.

Thanks!

There is a big search forums field up there to your right. Google has a lot of info too about this as well as on this forum site. If you haven't already put 2 and 2 together, I don't think you'll see the answer to it even if it was right in front of you right now: to push that many pixels takes a lot of energy (period).

If things are working out just fine on a current MBP why would people switch over to the retina macbook gadget if not just for power hungry - prestiege and status of having something that is latest & greatest? I'm really curious.

I have one I just use it for work, graphics and music production along with my 17"MBP, they work together to get all of my projects done when it comes down to time management. For really quick tasks the retina macbook gadget is a breeze, but for larger more complex tasks I must run it through the true beast 17"MBP, she takes her time but she stays cool to the touch and gets work done on time, there is no need for me to feel rushed or 'last minute' with anything now a days that I have the two sisters working for me.

Rule of thumb - keep it simple Simon with these trendy new gadgets, keep it real simple, they were built with simple in mind so use them that way, don't push them too hard they were not meant to at all, they just can't, you shorten their life span by doing ridiculous things on them like play games! Build a tower system with water cooling please. Really, please...

Fangurl out.

 

[Asuriyan]

It's rather ridiculous to hear people say "just don't game on it"! It's not going to kill your computer. It was designed for it- if not as a primary consideration, then at least secondarily. As laptops go, its heat management is second to none. I would know, as I've had the 'best' laptops from most reputable companies.

Two of the better laptops I've owned are the original MacBook Pro (the Core Duo model) and the Dell Precision M4400 (a couple of years newer). They're also two of the hottest running. The MBP 1,1 gets so hot under normal use that it's almost impossible to use in my lap. The Precision is almost 3x thicker than a Retina MBP, and still runs quite warm. Both have (for their day) respectable graphics prowess, an X1600 in the MBP and a Quadro770/GT9600 in the Precision, and both see regular gaming use to this day (my wife plays WoW on the Dell and I run EVE on the

The MacBook turned 7 in February and the Precision will be 5 next year. No major issues with either.

Conversely, I've had my share of stinkers (HP Envy being the chiefest) and believe me when I say, if your laptop is suffering failures due to heat, you will know. Throttling is only one death knell, followed by heat-related shutdowns and other inexplicable crashes, and finally it will either stop booting or you'll chuck the thing out the window (and it's a toss-up as to which will happen first).

That said, if you think it should be quieter it never hurts to have Apple have a look. Mine is near silent, so it stands to reason that yours should be too.

 

[JeffiJers]

my 15r has yet to heat up at all really..

 

[makaveli559m]

I use mine for not only work but for gaming too What is the point of than having a really nice screen only just for it for work or art? Video card is pretty strong too, I was able to have Crysis running on mine with no issues except getting the machine hot lol

 

[throAU]

I have noticed that if you set power profile to "power saver" it will cut a heap of the fan noise in Windows when gaming.

yes performance is slightly worse (i.e., Borderlands 2 is still playable on my MBP 15" Classic), but its not crippled. The fan noise difference is HUGE.