The best way to dissipate heat on UB MacBook.

[macgeek18]

Hey all,
I have a late 09 MacBook and my computer for some reason seems to overheat when multi-tasking,so I installed fan control and bumped the base fan speed to 2000rpm instead of 1500rpm.So,as I'm guessing,most of the heat comes out the bottom.When I have my MB on my desk how can I prop it up so the hear can dissipate?I plan on getting a Griffin Elavator stand when I can afford it,but what can I do till then?

Thanks for any reply's.

 

[macgeek18]

Ok then....sorry if it was a sorta lame question.I just don't know how to keep cool,like right now,I'm sitting in bed and it's extremely warm just doing web browsing.

 

[Pax]

How hot?
What does "overheating" mean? It shuts down?

It shouldn't overheat - if it does it is defective & you should talk to Apple.

I very much doubt that a stand will help - hardly any heat comes out of the base on the Unibodies, it's all designed to go out of the vent.

There are sensors on the base, download a widget like iStat Pro and look at the temperatures:- CPU; heatsink; enclosure base. You can post them here if you like for diagnosis. Do this at idle and when it's working very hard. You can work it hard by opening 2 x Terminal windows and typing
yes > /dev/null
into each one.

 

[pricej636]

Ok then....sorry if it was a sorta lame question.I just don't know how to keep cool,like right now,I'm sitting in bed and it's extremely warm just doing web browsing.

Well there is your first issue, sitting in bed. Even on your jeans or pants the machine has a hard time dissipating heat. Get one of those lap pads that will keep the machine flat and allows for space under it so the heat has someplace to go.

Other than that, its probably fine. My machines get fairly warm if I am doing a lot. I installed istat just for my own curiosities sake, but even when it feels hot its still far below what is considered unsafe.

 

[GfulDedFan]

+1 for the Griffin Elevator. I use it at work but note that you should probably use an external keyboard and mouse due to the fact that the Elevator can make it slightly bouncy to work with the inboard keyboard and trackpad while it's up there. It really helps with the cooling off though.

 

[macgeek18]

How hot?
What does "overheating" mean? It shuts down?

It shouldn't overheat - if it does it is defective & you should talk to Apple.

I very much doubt that a stand will help - hardly any heat comes out of the base on the Unibodies, it's all designed to go out of the vent.

There are sensors on the base, download a widget like iStat Pro and look at the temperatures:- CPU; heatsink; enclosure base. You can post them here if you like for diagnosis. Do this at idle and when it's working very hard. You can work it hard by opening 2 x Terminal windows and typing
yes > /dev/null
into each one.

Well,for one,I have istat pro,and also,when I first got my MB,it i believe the fans were messed up because istat would tell me the CPU would be around 90 degrees C and the fans would still be at 2000rpm,I set it through fan control to max out the fans at 6000rpm at 80 degrees C and to have the fans start going faster at around 50 degrees C.is that good?or bad?

 

[chill.]

if you are using it in bed on top of a blanket/soft fabric surface, then the vents are most likely blocked. try getting something to put it on top of so that the vents are open

 

[Pax]

Well,for one,I have istat pro,and also,when I first got my MB,it i believe the fans were messed up because istat would tell me the CPU would be around 90 degrees C and the fans would still be at 2000rpm,I set it through fan control to max out the fans at 6000rpm at 80 degrees C and to have the fans start going faster at around 50 degrees C.is that good?or bad?

That's normal. Apple seems to design its fan algorithm to let the CPU get hot before it ramps up the fans. It makes sense in some ways - most high CPU loads are transient, no need to ramp up the fans until the CPU has been hot for some time.

Typical behaviour when you start a full load on the CPU seems to be
- CPU temp goes up to about 90 C, fans stay at 2000 rpm
- CPU temp continues to climb while fans ramp up
- CPU might reach >100 C for a couple of minutes, fans still ramp up
- CPU temp starts to fall, stabilises at 90 - 95C
- fans adjust to hold CPU at this temp, typical fan speed 3000-4000 rpm

Lots of debate on here about whether 90 C could materially shorten the life of your CPU. IMHO it will not. Apple seems happy with it, that's good enough for me. Other components should not get hot (heatsink, ~70 C, battery & HDD ~30 C, Northbridge ~50 C, enclosure ~30 C)

If it worries you by all means use fan control, but IMHO it's not necessary.

The vents won't block if you use it in bed unless the lid is closed. The air is mostly sucked in and expelled upwards, along the display. Take a look. The fans will adjust anyway if the vent is partially blocked, your fan speed will go up but your CPU will stay at 90-95C. The bottom enclosure should stay at around 30-35C, warm but not too hot to touch. If you REALLY block the vents the Mac has many thermal protection mechanisms to prevent damage, up to & including shutting the whole thing down.

Just use it, don't worry about it.

 

[macgeek18]

That's normal. Apple seems to design its fan algorithm to let the CPU get hot before it ramps up the fans. It makes sense in some ways - most high CPU loads are transient, no need to ramp up the fans until the CPU has been hot for some time.

Typical behaviour when you start a full load on the CPU seems to be
- CPU temp goes up to about 90 C, fans stay at 2000 rpm
- CPU temp continues to climb while fans ramp up
- CPU might reach >100 C for a couple of minutes, fans still ramp up
- CPU temp starts to fall, stabilises at 90 - 95C
- fans adjust to hold CPU at this temp, typical fan speed 3000-4000 rpm

Lots of debate on here about whether 90 C could materially shorten the life of your CPU. IMHO it will not. Apple seems happy with it, that's good enough for me. Other components should not get hot (heatsink, ~70 C, battery & HDD ~30 C, Northbridge ~50 C, enclosure ~30 C)

If it worries you by all means use fan control, but IMHO it's not necessary.

The vents won't block if you use it in bed unless the lid is closed. The air is mostly sucked in and expelled upwards, along the display. Take a look. The fans will adjust anyway if the vent is partially blocked, your fan speed will go up but your CPU will stay at 90-95C. The bottom enclosure should stay at around 30-35C, warm but not too hot to touch. If you REALLY block the vents the Mac has many thermal protection mechanisms to prevent damage, up to & including shutting the whole thing down.

Just use it, don't worry about it.

Ok thank you very much for the good reply.
I guess I've just always been paranoid about all my computers melting.