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Will I ruin my MBP?

K

kingofqueens

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 28, 2009
22
0
Ok so guys couple of weeks back I purchased a DELL 24" monitor..I got it for about 180$? and for it was a good deal, so I proceeded to by a DVI-D connection from my mac to DVI-D to my new minitor. (Please note I do not own a uni-body since I'm still using my old MBP and see point in buying a new one that has the MiniDisplay Port on it) So right now I have the connections going and I have my MBP lid closed, so everything is displaying on my new screen only (no duel screen!) here is my question

1) Will there major over heating issues?
2) Am I reducing my MBP's life by making it display on an external screen that was not made by Apple (Cinema Display)
3) Suggestions from anyone who is doing this to make performance better



Thank you in advance folks,
Cheers!
 
1) Get smcFanControl so you can monitor your laptop's temp. There should not be overheating issues with regular use.
2) No.
3) You're doing fine.
 
Patrick J said:
I used to use SMC, but whats the point? Mac will change the fan speed when it needs to, and it's one less application on the harddrive.
Click to expand...

Personally, I don't use it to control the fans; I just find it convenient to know what my temperature and/or fan speed is at any given time.
 
I use Temperature Monitor to keep an eye on my computer's temperatures. It's considerably prettier than smcFanControl. I do, however, keep my hard drive's fan ramped up a bit since it does tend to run close to the normal tolerance of a HDD (55-60ºC).
 
Patrick J said:
What he said, or you can use iStat, in it's various incarnations.
Click to expand...

Except that iStat requires you to use Dashboard, and like I said, I sometimes want to know my fan speed (and control it), not just my temp.
 
I use SMC and iStat, sometimes it gets cold and I like making my laptop heat up when I'm watching a movie.
 
Hello,

In regards to the "performance" question, what I noticed is a drastic reduction in the internet speed via WiFi when it is closed and working on my new monitor. Once I open my MBP I notice that the speed is restored to it's original state. Any advice?

Other than that Thank you for all the replies!

Regards.
 
This is just conjecture, but the computer's wireless antenna is located in the display bezel. When the lid is closed, the antenna is sandwiched against the body of the computer, ergo more interference, ergo slower speeds.
 
BlueRevolution said:
This is just conjecture, but the computer's wireless antenna is located in the display bezel. When the lid is closed, the antenna is sandwiched against the body of the computer, ergo more interference, ergo slower speeds.
Click to expand...

Ah I see that makes a lot sense, any possible solutions to this issue? or is it something I must accept and move on?

Regards.
 
kingofqueens said:
Ah I see that makes a lot sense, any possible solutions to this issue? or is it something I must accept and move on?
Click to expand...
Well, if you have the desk space, you could just run it with the lid open and either use the built-in monitor to extend your desktop (remember you can set the external monitor as "primary" so it'll have the menu bar), or just mirror the external screen to it, turn the brightness all the way down, and ignore it entirely.

This is assuming that the cause of lowered reception is having the lid closed, which I'd guess has more to do with the vertical orientation of the antenna. It's also possible that your external screen is interfering with the wireless signal or something, which is easy enough to test.


Also, on the fan control, don't loose sight of the fact that Apple sold a over two million Macs last quarter, and only a tiny fraction of those people pay any attention whatsoever to their temperatures or fan speeds, yet their computers continue to work just fine. That said, I use SMC fan control myself...
Patrick J said:
I used to use SMC, but whats the point? Mac will change the fan speed when it needs to, and it's one less application on the harddrive.
Click to expand...
...because I like to use my MBP on my lap, and while the temperature may be fine for the computer itself, my legs are very unhappy about it. Cranking the fans up trades noise for a more comfortable lap, which I'm ok with.
 
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