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Vertical stand or cooling dock? (MacBook Pro 15 2011)

R

RoboCop001

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Oct 4, 2005
1,574
454
Toronto, Canada
Hey guys

I've been wondering lately about getting either a vertical stand or a cooling station for my MBP I bought this year.

I do a lot of work in After Effects and Photoshop and I'll often use an external monitor in clam shell mode (laptop closed only using the external monitor).

So since it gets pretty hot, especially when editing and rendering video, I've been looking at vertical stands and cooling stations.

Anyone in a similar situation that can recommend one or both?
 
Henge Dock

I use Hengedock with my external monitor and it is pretty much hassle free. It acts as a vertical stand and a docking station so you dont have to plug in/out the wires everytime you connect. Check it out!

http://www.hengedocks.com/
 
RoboCop001 said:
Hey guys

I've been wondering lately about getting either a vertical stand or a cooling station for my MBP I bought this year.

I do a lot of work in After Effects and Photoshop and I'll often use an external monitor in clam shell mode (laptop closed only using the external monitor).

So since it gets pretty hot, especially when editing and rendering video, I've been looking at vertical stands and cooling stations.

Anyone in a similar situation that can recommend one or both?
Click to expand...

I have the same problem, on ocasion I do Transcoding, and lot of 3D rendering, so my MBP 15 tunrn umconfortable due heat.

I've tested a vertical stand and Still don't convince me, you still need to open close the MBP to push the power button at least.

I live close to the sea at the Caribbean so here w/o air conditioning room temperature may rise to 100 deg F, so a vertical Stand dont provide enough cooling, I tested old cooling pads I've from my previous Dell Inspiron nigthmare, and worked better than I could imagine keeping it cool.

So I purchased a Laptop Stand from Belkin With a fan, now works cool all day long.
 
Mago said:
I have the same problem, on ocasion I do Transcoding, and lot of 3D rendering, so my MBP 15 tunrn umconfortable due heat.

I've tested a vertical stand and Still don't convince me, you still need to open close the MBP to push the power button at least.

I live close to the sea at the Caribbean so here w/o air conditioning room temperature may rise to 100 deg F, so a vertical Stand dont provide enough cooling, I tested old cooling pads I've from my previous Dell Inspiron nigthmare, and worked better than I could imagine keeping it cool.

So I purchased a Laptop Stand from Belkin With a fan, now works cool all day long.
Click to expand...

Which one did you get? The only thing I'm concerned about with the fan docking stations is that the heat in the 2011 MBPs all comes from the top left area of the base, and all the fans are in the center.

phpmaven said:
I use the BookArc stand, and I really like it. It's not a docking station, but it works well and looks very "Apple".

http://twelvesouth.com/products/bookarc/
Click to expand...

I definitely like the look of this one the most. I was eyeing that one before too. So far I'm probably going to go with this one.

Bobomix said:
I use Hengedock with my external monitor and it is pretty much hassle free. It acts as a vertical stand and a docking station so you dont have to plug in/out the wires everytime you connect. Check it out!

http://www.hengedocks.com/
Click to expand...

That's a pretty cool solution. Did you find you had to buy adapters/extensions for the ports?
 
blatopilot said:
I would also try SMC fan control before you buy anything.

You can manipulate your fan to blow higher which may be useful. You can also set it to react differently when plugged into AC or using battery. I've used it for 2+ years with no problems.

http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/23049/smcfancontrol
Click to expand...

Ah yeah, I'd forgotten about that. I'll give it a shot too.

Any settings you recommend specifically? Or I suppose it just varies depending what the situation calls for.
 
Dont care about fan location, coz the MBP is build from allumium all the structure act as big passive cooler, so only need a little help from the fans.

I have a basig design with single fan, and I use my MBP on a very warm environment and is enoug, also even when transcoding large files.
 
Henge Dock

Hey, just to get back to you on the henge dock, I did not have to buy any other cables or extensions. All the cable cords will be included (ie. USBs, Audio out etc).

For my set-up, I use the apple monitor so it was fairly simple in setting up.
 
For the cost difference between the BookArc and the HengeDock I'd prefer to spend the extra buck on the HengeDock, it just looks much more simple and easier to use.
 
Dhelsdon said:
For the cost difference between the BookArc and the HengeDock I'd prefer to spend the extra buck on the HengeDock, it just looks much more simple and easier to use.
Click to expand...

I mean is this really worth it? Couldn't you just connect to an external monitor using a few wires worth $20?
 
clutchm3 said:
I mean is this really worth it? Couldn't you just connect to an external monitor using a few wires worth $20?
Click to expand...

Currently I use my MBP 13' at work everyday, and getting everything set up in the morning sucks. If I could just plop it in a stand and have everything work as it should, it's worth it to me.

The price point does bother me, i am not going to lie. Everything I've heard about it has been nothing short of excellent though.
 
odnacs said:
BookEndz claims that their docks help cool the computer. I'm not sure how much they actually do though.
Click to expand...

I use this and I love it. I know its not for everyone because of its price but it is really well made and makes my life a lot easier.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
JJonette said:
I use this and I love it. I know its not for everyone because of its price but it is really well made and makes my life a lot easier.
Click to expand...

That is pretty pricey though. And as far as I can tell it's only mini DisplayPort and not Thunderbolt.

I ended up getting the BookArc and it works great. I actually put my MPB upside down so that the fans aim upward when I'm doing intensive work. If I'm doing regular web browsing and such I'll place it right side up so that dust doesn't get in the exhaust opening.

Sometimes I'll even just place it flat on top of it. It stays in place well like that too.

What I would love is to combine it with some kind of dock via the Thunderbolt port. That would be awesome. If only Apple gave a matte display Thunderbolt Display option.

I'm going to keep my eye out for actual cooling stations though. Would the best cooling option involve having the laptop open so that it can suck air through the keyboard?
 
I just open mine up to use both screens then prop the back up on a roll of toilet paper that has been squashed into a wedge over time. Works really well
 
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