i have a 17" umbp and whenever i do anything graphics heavy it gets so damn HOT! i had a dell laptop with a 8900 gtx and it never got this hot. why does my mac get so hot? should i be worried? should i not do alot of projects in one sitting? im just curios cus i dont want my laptop to melt is all lol.
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why does my laptop get so hot?
- Thread starter Cavanboy18
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Just make sure none of the vents in the back are covered. If you have something flat to put it on, that will help a little, especially if it allows airflow underneath. Doing heavy graphics will heat it up a bit, but you don't need to worry, it's designed to operate within the chip's operating parameters. Mine never gets hot to the point of being uncomfortable to hold my hand underneath. The topside never gets "hot". Overall, the machine runs noticeably cooler than my MBP 2.33GHz.
I edit video on a bigger screen, i keep the LCD up on the mac to allow for better ventilation this really depends how much i have to do. Mine use to get real hot if i kept it shut.
The unibody even more so. The bottom being a single piece is better at conducting heat than several connected pieces.
Some difference - maybe negligible for this application, but there has to be some. Anyway, not as important as surface area - and there's a lot in the UB.
I do have to say, most of the affect I have on cooling is making sure there's nothing in the way of the rear vents. The "feet" are so flat, there's very little room for air circulation under the bottom. I've tested the temps both on a Belkin Cushtop and on my DIY support pad. The UB sits almost flush with the Cushtop and my DIY pad has openings for airflow. There isn't too much difference in cooling between the two - maybe 2-3 degrees F at most.
you still haven't answered my question. why does it get so hot? why does the graphics card produce so much heat?
It's a GRAPHICS CARD. That's what they do. The Dell actually produced more heat, just the case didn't conduct it into your lap as well.
dude are you serious. im pretty sure they answered your question. if you want to know why something creates heat then google it.
Well, if you're doing a lot of graphics-heavy work, more instructions are being sent to the graphics card in the basic form of electricity. A lot of electricity meeting resistance generates a lot of heat. Lots of heat makes your graphics card heat up.
Relax, melting point of aluminum is 660.32 °C, your battery will explode before that happens.
It's made of alluminium, your old laptop was made of plastic. It tries to be small and keep the fans slow and noisefree, your old laptop send alot more air through the chassis and left alot more space in there. 
And if you are using Windows XP (bootcamped) then the driver fails to clock the GPU down so that it keeps constantly running at maximum clock-rate and voltage, thus heat.
And if you are using Windows XP (bootcamped) then the driver fails to clock the GPU down so that it keeps constantly running at maximum clock-rate and voltage, thus heat.
My laptop would get really hot while I was using it until I started using drink coasters that you would use on a table as to not get wet rings on the wood. It allows for more air flow under the laptop and it works for me. I even put little felt pads on the corners underneath so I would scratch the bottom of it or the table. Just an idea.
Let me spell it out:
Aluminum = Conductor = Hot laptop = Cool graphics card
Plastic = Insulator = Cool laptop = Hot graphics card (bad)
It's made of alluminium, your old laptop was made of plastic. It tries to be small and keep the fans slow and noisefree, your old laptop send alot more air through the chassis and left alot more space in there.
And if you are using Windows XP (bootcamped) then the driver fails to clock the GPU down so that it keeps constantly running at maximum clock-rate and voltage, thus heat.
Ahhh, I was wondering my MBP runs its fans at full speed whenever I use Windows 7. So, has Apple come up with drivers to fix that?
I think of that more as a feature because when I use Windows I have to put something between me and the laptop so I don't get uncomfortable.
Start in OS X, set your fan speed, and reboot into Windows 7. That generally takes care of it.