Mac Book Pro - hot as a frying pan

Hello fellow Mac'ers

As has been mentioned here before, the MacBook Pro runs *very* hot when using SL.

Has anyone tried to run SL under Windows Boot, and does it then run equally hot?

I am actually less bothered by the actual heat than the noice of the fans, but the two things go together.

Best
Boreal

My son runs WoW and other even higher-end games on his Macbook Pro; and that machine runs hotter than any other laptop I've ever encountered (scalding hot). His solution--which turned out to be a good one--was to add yet another fan to the machine. Result: a very cool machine now.

Of course, that doesn't solve your noise problem directly; it probably adds to it.

Your only solution to the noise problem at this point is to learn to ignore it. The more you pay attention to it; the more it'll be like a dripping water faucet.

You can also buy chillpads for about 10 bucks at computer shops. They have 2-5 fans and slide under your laptop. I had one for mine when I lived in a really hot state a few years back.

they will also increase your processing speed as well, or maybe bring you back to the standard speed is more accurate.

The only way I've found to keep the Macbook Pro from overheating is to pull the battery. That cuts 20-30 degrees Celsius from the temperature almost immediately.

MAKE SURE YOUR UNINTERRUPTIBLE POWER SUPPLY IS RELIABLE.

Or better yet, buy a PC...

Anyhoo, I use a MacBook Pro, too, and it doesn't typically get very hot. Still, it depends on what I'm doing. When mine a.) gets too hot b.) gets too loud and c.) starts to freeze up, that's when I decide she's had a great time. But for reals, when my laptop does that, then I usually just teleport to an emptier location, or I close all of my background programs, or I literally take a break from the game to let my computer cool down. Lately, I have been playing SL on very low graphics settings specifically for this reason.

By the way, don't use Windows on your Mac with the Internet -- especially because of the whole virus thing. Make sure you don't have a ton of apps open that take up a ton of RAM (even though Macs are usually good with things like that).

I'm no Mac wiz, but those methods have always help me. Good luck!

P.S. Does your computer ONLY heat up while running Second Life, not any other programs? Has it always done that? What are your settings in-game? Do you ever minimize your game? Just curious.

If I could legally run OS X on a Thinkpad Apple wouldn't get a shoe in. They're a software company, as far as I'm concerned. Their hardware is something I put up with to avoid dealing with The OS That Sucks or The OS With No Apps.

It overheats if I do ANYTHING computationally intensive, even buying music in iTunes (even with iTunes Plus, iTunes puts a cryptographic signature on the file after it downloads it and that runs both cores to 100%). Always has. I have one of the very first Macbook Pros, and have already had to replace the battery because it swelled and burst from the heat.

Oh, I'm really sorry if there was a misunderstanding, but I was only responding to your post with my buy-a-PC comment; the rest of my message was directed to Boreal!

While we're on the topic, Argent, how is your MacBook holding up? Are you using Leopard?

Since I play live music, I'm often in world for hours at a time. My MacBook Pro gets plenty warm due to SL cranking up the CPU, but I wouldn't describe it as "scalding". It certainly wouldn't actually burn my hands to hold them against it at its hottest.

I agree with the folks who recommend a chillpad or the like.

As long as I use my Wintendo (that's what I call my old Wintel box) for SL, it's fine, but I would really like to be able to take advantage of the hardware. I have a voice alert if it gets over 68C and I SL reliably does that within half an hour.

I am using Leopard.

The metal cased Apple laptop computers use the case to help dissipate the heat generated by the graphics card. Metal conducts heat extremely well so it feels much hotter to the touch then a plastic case would.

I'm not saying they don't heat up more then other laptops, I just have no data available to make that determination. They get really hot, no question. I have heard some similar complaints about other brands which do so as well when running SL.

I use my MacBook Pro is definitely to hot to sit comfortably on ones lap when running SL or any heavy graphics applications. I have used a laptop cooler for years with my various metal skinned MacBooks. They make it more comfortable but perhaps more importantly, by keeping the laptop cooler they extend the life of the computer, as excessive overheating can lead to an early demise.

I use smcFanControl when booted into Mac OS, and set the fans to run at about 5k RPM. Sometimes the sound of the fan is easier to ignore if it's in a steady state, instead of changing speeds. YMMV.

When I'm using *cough*Vista*cough* via Boot Camp, I use two programs, Input Remapper and Notebook Hardware Control, to control fan speed (and other neat tweaks like setting the right Apple key to right-click) and monitor temperatures. Again, with Input Remapper, I set fan speeds to about 5k RPM.

Additionally, with Vista, if you right-click the Power Management icon in the system tray, and select "Power Saver" as the profile, you'll find that your thighs, or desktop, or whatever the Macbook Pro is resting on at the time, is less likely to suffer contact burns, in return for a lower framerate. Again, YMMV.

I used one of those USB-powered chill pad thingies when I was overseas, as well. It was the one that sucked air in between the mat and the bottom of the MBP, and then blew the air out the back (I wanted to be able to have unrestricted airflow regardless of what the MBP/pad was resting on at the moment).

Good luck, and happy SLing!
H.

I do that too and it STILL overheats.

/me smiles - ok, I am not alone with the experience it seems.

After being in SL for a few min, the fans goto 6000, and stays there until a few min after I log out. After being in SL for some hours, even the power supply is hot to the degree og being uncomfortable to touch. So, I do not think the answer is to ajust the speed of the fans, they might actually like to goto 12000 if they could.

a) It seems like that is just how it is - I'll stop being annoyed and just enjoy a hot experience in the cold winter days.

b) I might lookinto one of the chill pads - any recommendations?

c) My original question if one runs SL under Windows Bootcamp also make the Macbook Pro run hot seems not to have been tried by anyone here?

Best
Boreal

I don't have a Mac but I do use a laptop. You may have some goo in your fan sticking it up. Have you tried opening your laptop up and cleaning it out.

This is a known problem with these particular laptops. There are various warranty-defying tricks people have advocated to "solve" it, including both increasing the amount of thermal grease and *reducing* the amount of thermal grease.

when used right, your Macbook pro should never get hot enough to actually cause it to work improperly.. such as crashing... This means having proper airflow around it, not sitting it on a pillow or a bed or a sheet or a rug or anything thats going to stop air flow and build up heat.

If you computer is actually getting too hot, and the fans are spinning full blast, and it crashes or messes up because its too hot... then you have a warranty issue you need to take care of.

normally on my MBP with the Geforce 9600 running, with SL and other things running... the temp stays around 175 - 180 F and the fans from around 3500 - 5000 RPM.

Now if i have switched my video recently from the 9400 to the 9600 and my SMC messed up... sometimes the fans stick at 999 and in a few seconds I've seen the temp go up to about 210 F, in which i hurry up and stick the fans to 6000 RPM... but its never crashed anything, the couple times its happened. Reseting the SMC, or just using SMCfancontrol takes care of it.

On my old MBP with a radeon X1600, temps and fan speeds are very similar. I have cooling pads for both of these laptops, they help a minor amount when I use them, but barely noticable

That doesn't mean it won't get hot enough to damage components and massively reduce their working life. Temperature was almost certainly a factor in the early destruction of my battery.
80C is *too hot*. I have mine set to alert me when it passes 68C.

really? I doubt it. Its not *too hot*, I do know a bit about electronics... I also trust the engineers who designed the system more than just what some person says. I have laptops that have run consistently at temps 80C+.. one of which is about 7 years old and still working fine. My old Macbook pro is usually running hotter than your warning temperature, and its 3 years old and still going fine. If you really want it super cool, you must be wanting to use that thing for like 15 years.... the components in your laptop are designed to work at higher temps. Just because higher temps may shorten their lives, doesn't mean it'll impact your usage, as 20 year expectancy down to a 10 year expectancy isn't exactly something most people would notice. Yes there are cheap parts that cant last long at high temps, but Apple's laptops cost more for a reason... Even higher end expensive laptops from Dell (like my 7 year old one) can last a long time. Mine gets so hot i cant touch the bottom and its plastic...

If you really know better than the engineers who designed the equipment, by all means add in some liquid cooling.

I know a bit about electronics, too. I spent 20 years supporting software developers and salesmen and I've seen things you people can't imagine. I've seen Barracudas on fire in a firwall gateway... sorry, bit of a Blade Runner moment there.

Macs are not, in general, better built than comparable PCs. I've had Macs last 10 years, I've had Macs last 3 years. I've had some real "road apples" in my time, and I've had non-Apple computers (both desktops and laptops) last for decades. My Toshiba Satellite lasted 10 years, and I had a minicomputer that was made in 1980 and still working when I gave it to a friend a couple of years ago.

Apple builds their computers under the assumption that people will use them for about five years, and most will buy a new one when their Applecare expires. They design the parts so that almost all of them will still be working by that time, and so that enough of them will still be working a couple of years later. But they don't design them to last much longer than that. They have no reason to.

And it's got little to do with whether they're "cheap parts" or "expensive parts". There's little or no cost savings from making your chips with a life expectancy of 5 years instead of 10 years. There are occasional design flaws like the nVidia solder problem that hurt whole lines of components, but they hit the cheap and expensive parts alike.

The price difference between a Macbook and a Dell is, surprise surprise, not that far from the difference between Apple's margin's and Dell's margins. That means that Dell could make their laptops just as well as Apple's, and not charge much if any more for them than they do now. And since there's no money in NOT doing that, you have to assume they DO make them as well as they can.

Apple's laptops cost more because people are willing to pay more for them, that's all. Some people pay more because they believe they're getting more. Some people pay more because they want to run Mac OS. I suspect that the latter factor is the big one... I seriously doubt Apple would be seeing 30-40% margins if all their computers ran Windows.

So back to the subject: I see no reason not to treat my laptop as if I expect to still be using it in 20 years. That way, I'm pretty likely to still be able to use it in 5-7 years. If I push it to the manufacturer's limits, then I'll have a 50% chance of making it to their nominal lifetime, and when I pay $2000 for a piece of hardware that's just not good enough.

ok... thats fine... you can keep it super cool and hope it lasts, it could still die tomorrow no matter how much you baby it.

but yes there are cheap and expensive (relatively speaking) electronic components mainly talking how the board is made, the process used to lay traces, the surface mount devices and such that can take the heat given off by other components... if your just talking about a processor, thats fine, but I don't think 80 is way too hot for my processor when even Intel lists its max operating temperature at 105...

Apples designs are made with a small time frame in mind... though I know they shoot for more than 5 years, they don't really worry about over 10, and they know some will fail earlier than they plan... they shoot for a majority lasting a set time, depending on prices, the market, and their plans.... there is no difference in more expensive Dells and other brands (usually) which is why my old 7 year old one still goes great, even with next to constant usage at temps over 80C... but the cheaper ones are made to cut as many corners as possible, in every piece that goes into it, even if its some capacitors or resistors or anything that cost a half a cent less... this is something Apple normally doesn't allow, they select parts more by specification and less by price. Even building your own machines there are components you can buy that cost more just because they are rated to be more durable and last longer, or boards that used components like that, etc...

Yes, it could, but after being responsible for over a thousand separate laptops and several thousand desktops over the past 20 years, I've got a pretty good idea of how long the manufacturers think they should last and how long they really CAN last... and the ones that I've babied have lasted much longer. I'm talking twice as long, at least.

And when Apple has several times dropped support for computers only five years old... to the point where you have had to use hacks like XPostFacto to install new versions of OS X on a 5 year old Mac...

And when there have been documented cases of "high end" products (even Apple products) hitting the far end of the bathtub curve after only three years...

And when I've already had heat damage problems with my Apple battery...

It really is worth it to baby hardware.

Hi all

Is the machine also hot for you all if you run SL under windows bootcamp?

I never installed bootcamp, but if it is cool, nice to the battery end less noicy - then I should like to try.

And yes, I tried to pick out the battery - silly - but that really cooled stuff down - a lot, fans never came above 3000 - vs. the permanent 6000 before.

-- Boreal

According to a quick google, temperature management of the Macbook Pro under Windows is even more of a problem than under OS X.

using boot camp and winXP the MBP actually gets HOTTER.

that said, I have to say that I usually have SL running at High or Ultra graphic settings, and the temperature never quite gets THAT uncomfortable.... In winter is even a pleasure, LOL

and yes, I believe tinkering with apple hardware is suicidal

the MBP is good stuff, people.... if it gets hot to the point of burning you, a visit to apple care (and to a doctor) is mandatory.

Hi all. I have a dual core mbp about 1.5 years old. I've been in sl for about a year. I noticed the heat of the mbp early on, but it seems to be getting worse. Maybe its my imagination. I also think the performance is not very good compared to other computers. I hate to admit it but I really like SL and want the best performance I can get. So I took it to applecare and I'll let you know what they say. I am buying a new desktop for use at work and plan on getting the top of the line iMac. I don't really want a 24" monitor but you cant seem to get the better graphics card on the 20". So wish me luck.

Anna