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Skype Runs Macbook Pro Very Hot

H

Hydro150

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 27, 2011
16
1
I have a 17in macbook pro quad 2.3 Ghz, I ran skype for the first time last night and the temp at one point hit 80 C. Can someone please explain why this happens? My CPU% (iStat) was around 9 yet the computer got fairly hot. If the 13 inch macbook pro's with less specs can run this why is it so necessary for a more powerful computer to get so hot? You'd think with more power it wouldn't need to work as hard. Do the upgraded HD facetime camera's add to processing?

I switched to gmail video chat for a bit and my temps topped out at only 70 this time. I've heard of bugs in Skype 5 for mac but I'm just wondering why a quad core needs to get so hot to run some video. Thanks!
 
Hydro150 said:
I have a 17in macbook pro quad 2.3 Ghz, I ran skype for the first time last night and the temp at one point hit 80 C. Can someone please explain why this happens? My CPU% (iStat) was around 9 yet the computer got fairly hot. If the 13 inch macbook pro's with less specs can run this why is it so necessary for a more powerful computer to get so hot? You'd think with more power it wouldn't need to work as hard. Do the upgraded HD facetime camera's add to processing?

I switched to gmail video chat for a bit and my temps topped out at only 70 this time. I've heard of bugs in Skype 5 for mac but I'm just wondering why a quad core needs to get so hot to run some video. Thanks!
Click to expand...
It's normal. Skype is a resource-hungry app. Your temps are well within normal operating limits. Your Mac will automatically shut down if temps get too high for a period of time (around 105C/221F). Unless that's happening, don't worry about your temps.

High temps are perfectly normal, as searching the forum with Google will reveal:

Macbook Pro Heat Dissipation
2010 Macbook Pro 17" i7 heat question
Heat on my i7 Macbook Pro 15"
Macbook overheating?
My Macbook Pro reached 106 degrees !
Macbook pro heat problem
MacBook Pro Over Heat Issue
Heat on my i7 Macbook Pro 15"
Macbook pro Hot after 10.6.3. Update
Macbook Pro too HOT!!!
My Macbook Pro Runs Hot
Macbook Pro gets really hot when running windows 7
How hot should my macbook be getting?
Macbook Boiling Hot!
Hot 15" i5 MBP!
MacBook Pro Overheating or That's What I Think It Is?
Macbook pro temperature
MacBook Pro heat causing pain in hands
Alu Macbook vs. 13" Macbook pro: Heat & Battery Life
Etc., etc., etc.
 
Last edited:
I really dislike skype 5's video now. It does get overly hot and the CPU usage is pretty over the top IMO. I switched over to facetime for video and it's a lot more pleasant to use, especially without the fans going. My buddies could hear the fans going when I had skype video haha. I do use skype for audio though and that's been okay.

I've noticed Skype is a rather common complaint for it's heat. At least with skype 5, I don't remember it being too big an issue before though. It must have to do with some coding with skype's video vs ichat's or facetime's.
 
It's not the high temps that bother me, I understand when converting video or photoshopping for the temps to get high. But skype? Aka video chat that iphones can do? Come on, it makes no sense.
 
Hydro150 said:
It's not the high temps that bother me, I understand when converting video or photoshopping for the temps to get high. But skype? Aka video chat that iphones can do? Come on, it makes no sense.
Click to expand...
It makes perfect sense. Skype is a multimedia app and is well known as a resource hog. Video chat is CPU/GPU intensive.

UMBA-13 CPU temp reaches 80c using Skype
Is skype absolutely abysmal for everyone else?
New MacBook Pro too hot with Skype?
skype on MBA - fan noise -
Skype activates 330m
 
It's funny, i've noticed it too. Such lo-res picture making a high-end machine sweat couldn't be good software design imo.
 
Skype makes your computer hot because the software is not optimized for Quick Sync on your processor (specialize hardware for video encoding); therefore it needs to use the general processor to do the encoding which increases the heat output. On your phone, the code is optimized for encoding hardware and therefore it can run efficiently.
 
Hydro150 said:
It's not the high temps that bother me, I understand when converting video or photoshopping for the temps to get high. But skype? Aka video chat that iphones can do? Come on, it makes no sense.
Click to expand...

Skype 5 is garbage on OSX. All of the testers were vocal about the problems during development, including performance and the horrible backward leap the UI took. Unfortunately they were ignored.
 
brentsg said:
Skype 5 is garbage on OSX. All of the testers were vocal about the problems during development, including performance and the horrible backward leap the UI took. Unfortunately they were ignored.
Click to expand...

As well as terrible performance in low-bandwidth areas. Where I have been living the last 4 months, bandwidth is in very short supply. The older versions of skype would struggle a bit with video, but I expected that. Now with the new version, it drops and it has become impossible to have a conversation without it dropping every minute or two, on voice only.
 
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