Why is my MBP running hot?

[pw1981]

I have a newish MBP 15" :

Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro4,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.6 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 6 MB
Memory: 2 GB
Bus Speed: 800 MHz
Boot ROM Version: MBP41.00C1.B00

GeForce 8600M GT:

Chipset Model: GeForce 8600M GT
Type: Display
Bus: PCIe
PCIe Lane Width: x16
VRAM (Total): 512 MB
Vendor: NVIDIA (0x10de)
Device ID: 0x0407
Revision ID: 0x00a1
ROM Revision: 3212

it runs VERY hot sometimes and not others. For instance, if I just sit and browse the web and such its warm but not noticably. If I chat with iChat video it get real hot. If I use iDVD its fine but if I watch a WMV file with Flip4Mac it gets hot. Is this a processor load issue?

What am I doing wrong?

I put all the hardware info I think is relevant in this post.

 

[GGJstudios]

There are numerous threads already on this subject. It's normal. You can download and install iStat Pro to monitor your temps, but it's nothing to worry about.

 

[richard.mac]

the aluminium casing is a conductor and so it "feels" hotter than compared with a plastic notebook. and when your fans get louder the CPU load is increasing which in turn heats up your MBP.