Will WoW kill my MBP?

[lucky518]

So basically i got a new MBP like 4 months ago for programming and stuff but nowadays i feel a bit bored sometimes, therefore feel like playing WoW, so was thinking to start again but stopped myself because of the thought that:

1.Will my battery life decrease?
2.Will my laptops life decrease?
3.Does the laptop get too hot while playing?

Therefore any help will be appreciated.
I know about the FPS drops issue but i think it will be fixed in a few days by the arrival of 10.6.5 and a new fix patch.

 

[borcanm]

So basically i got a new MBP like 4 months ago for programming and stuff but nowadays i feel a bit bored sometimes, therefore feel like playing WoW, so was thinking to start again but stopped myself because of the thought that:

1.Will my battery life decrease?
2.Will my laptops life decrease?
3.Does the laptop get too hot while playing?

Therefore any help will be appreciated.
I know about the FPS drops issue but i think it will be fixed in a few days by the arrival of 10.6.5 and a new fix patch.

1. Not if your MBP is plugged in. Battery life decreasing is normal for any laptop, theres no way to avoid it except to limit the amount of use placed on your battery.

2. No. Thats just silly.

3. It gets hot, thats for sure. MBPs have poor air circulation.

 

[lucky518]

Thanks borcamn.
Any more advices?

 

[Epsilon88]

It won't harm computer life, but play it mostly w/ the battery plugged in. Otherwise you'll go through many battery cycles and wear it out quickly.

 

[bigrell486]

Make sure your computer is well ventilated. I blew out my gpu fan because of WoW.

 

[Objectivist-C]

No, however the sedentary lifestyle encouraged by WoW may shorten your lifespan.

 

[xmomox]

Just take 15-30min breaks inbetween 1-2 hours of playtime. I do that just to keep the heat from destroying my MBP.

 

[PowerGamerX]

Yes, it will explode. Every Mac is equipped with a nuclear bomb that gets triggered by people that play games.

 

[lucky518]

Thanks guys.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

Been playing WoW, or similarly taxing games, on my 2003 model MBP for about 4 years now, it's never given me any problems (due to heat at least).

 

[I'mAMac]

If your worried about it getting too hot, download smcFanControl. I kick my fans up to 6k rpm just before i start playing.This way your comp doesn't reach those hot temps waiting for the fans to spin up. I find this keeps it under 70 degrees C or low 70s even for extended playtime as opposed to it going up to 80 degrees. A cool MBP is a happy MBP.

 

[jampat]

A stand that allows air circulation across the bottom of the laptop (or even better blows air across the bottom) also helps to keep the temps down. If you are playing much, it is definitely a worthwhile investment.

 

[ProstheticHead]

If you get your laptop on a laptop stand, google "mStand" it's pretty sexy, that should alleviate a lot of heat issues as it gets it up in the air and let's it breathe a bit easier.

That being said, I played WoW ridiculous amounts on my last MBP for hours upon hours with no issues.

 

[lucky518]

The tips were very helpful. Thanks guys.