Hi,

It is a common issue for laptops. There is just not enough room to get the best air flow. If you look into custom built desktops they use for example 4 120mm fans to ventilate the entire case. So when you cram everything into a laptop, it gets hot really fast.

1. try to use your laptop on a desk. When i use mine on the bed, it heats up instantly. But on a desk it stays much cooler

2. get a laptop cooler. It helps A LOT. i am not sure about the forum rules otherwise i would post you a ebay link. i bought mine for $12 and it lows my temperature by a lot.

so if you combine both methods, then i am sure it would help.

Thanks, keep me posted

John

[quote|qbo412]Hi, It is a common issue for laptops. There is just not enough room to get the best air flow. If you look into custom built desktops they use for example 4 120mm fans to ventilate the entire case. So when you cram everything into a laptop, it gets hot really fast. 1. try to use your laptop on a desk. When i use mine on the bed, it heats up instantly. But on a desk it stays much cooler 2. get a laptop cooler. It helps A LOT. i am not sure about the forum rules otherwise i would post you a ebay link. i bought mine for $12 and it lows my temperature by a lot. so if you combine both methods, then i am sure it would help. Thanks, keep me posted John[/quote]

Quick response very much appreciated John, but I am afraid that laundry list has already been compiled. I DO use a laptop cooler on a desk, it's a "Notepal" - with 2 120mms and adjustable speeds on it's fans. The cooler gets starts whirring up a storm when I crank it up to full power, and you're right, it's a help, but it only extends the inevitable.

I'm perplexed - it just eventually degraded into poor cooling/increased heating over time - but I can't quite put my finger on what is actually the culprit - because when I first got it, it was all good - no problems. I've built several PCs before I made the switch with the macbook, but am not TOO familiar with the conversion of desktop to laptop components, but I am thinking perhaps applying the heatsink cooling cream to the processor?

[quote|fospher]Quick response very much appreciated John, but I am afraid that laundry list has already been compiled. I DO use a laptop cooler on a desk, it's a "Notepal" - with 2 120mms and adjustable speeds on it's fans. The cooler gets starts whirring up a storm when I crank it up to full power, and you're right, it's a help, but it only extends the inevitable. I'm perplexed - it just eventually degraded into poor cooling/increased heating over time - but I can't quite put my finger on what is actually the culprit - because when I first got it, it was all good - no problems. I've built several PCs before I made the switch with the macbook, but am not TOO familiar with the conversion of desktop to laptop components, but I am thinking perhaps applying the heatsink cooling cream to the processor?[/quote]

you are welcome. I know what you mean, something must have aged to cause the increase in operation temp. In the case of MB tho the CPU is soldered onto the motherboard. I know, it's one of the most useless inventions. I mean it does make the notebook super thin, which fits Apple's marketing agenda, but i wouldn't mind having the ability to install a new cpu, or in your case reapply newer cooling cream.

also, I am not too sure if the fan loses efficiency over time? I know it's at 6200RPM but numbers could be deceiving. what you think?

John

[quote|qbo412]you are welcome. I know what you mean, something must have aged to cause the increase in operation temp. In the case of MB tho the CPU is soldered onto the motherboard. I know, it's one of the most useless inventions. I mean it does make the notebook super thin, which fits Apple's marketing agenda, but i wouldn't mind having the ability to install a new cpu, or in your case reapply newer cooling cream. also, I am not too sure if the fan loses efficiency over time? I know it's at 6200RPM but numbers could be deceiving. what you think? John[/quote]

One thing to try is to reset the System Management Control. Look on the Apple Support site and find out how to accomplish this. The SMC controls fan speed and the like. This is the most likely fix as I own a Mac/iPod repair business and find this to be a common and simple fix other than making certain your MacBook is level when in use, which you already say you've ruled out.

If the SMC reset does not provide the fix, other possibilities are: You may be on the right track with the (as you described it) heatsink cream. Otherwise know as thermal compound. If your processor was ever replaced and this thermal paste was not used, this would be a major suspect. If the processor has never been replaced, this is most likely not an issue.

Another "help" is to try one of the new "green" notebook hard drives. When I first got my MacBook, it about fried my legs off and even when used on a hard, flat, level surface, it was HOT! I installed an upgrade hard drive and chose the Seagate "Green" 5700 RPM drive and the temperature inside the MacBook dropped considerably! You might even say, "Cool to lukewarm to the touch". Of course these are only suggestions and are certainly cheaper that a replacement unit.

[quote|customerservice]One thing to try is to reset the System Management Control. Look on the Apple Support site and find out how to accomplish this. The SMC controls fan speed and the like. This is the most likely fix as I own a Mac/iPod repair business and find this to be a common and simple fix other than making certain your MacBook is level when in use, which you already say you've ruled out. If the SMC reset does not provide the fix, other possibilities are: You may be on the right track with the (as you described it) heatsink cream. Otherwise know as thermal compound. If your processor was ever replaced and this thermal paste was not used, this would be a major suspect. If the processor has never been replaced, this is most likely not an issue. Another "help" is to try one of the new "green" notebook hard drives. When I first got my MacBook, it about fried my legs off and even when used on a hard, flat, level surface, it was HOT! I installed an upgrade hard drive and chose the Seagate "Green" 5700 RPM drive and the temperature inside the MacBook dropped considerably! You might even say, "Cool to lukewarm to the touch". Of course these are only suggestions and are certainly cheaper that a replacement unit.[/quote]

Truly some well-kept secrets of the trade, thanks for dropping the knowledge.

Reset SMC, which produced an even weirder effect - the temp is now 10 degrees C lower than before with the fan still doing it out at maximum at various speeds. Hit 62K at 54C once, the other it waited until I got to 64C. Overall, good to know. Anyway, this raises a question: at which temp is it OK for the fan to hit max speed? Should 70C be taped with "DO NOT CROSS" ribbon?

and @John: I think you may be right on the incorrect actual temp/displayed CMOS(SMC or whatever) data. I did that reset thing as suggested and the situation improved visibly, and I doubt it's because that actually made my laptop cooler whatsoever.

Also, where did you get your green drive - it's not on ifixit - I dont see it?

Repeatedly, hehe

Posfutur

[quote|fospher]Truly some well-kept secrets of the trade, thanks for dropping the knowledge. Reset SMC, which produced an even weirder effect - the temp is now 10 degrees C lower than before with the fan still doing it out at maximum at various speeds. Hit 62K at 54C once, the other it waited until I got to 64C. Overall, good to know. Anyway, this raises a question: at which temp is it OK for the fan to hit max speed? Should 70C be taped with "DO NOT CROSS" ribbon? and @John: I think you may be right on the incorrect actual temp/displayed CMOS(SMC or whatever) data. I did that reset thing as suggested and the situation improved visibly, and I doubt it's because that actually made my laptop cooler whatsoever. Also, where did you get your green drive - it's not on ifixit - I dont see it? Repeatedly, hehe Posfutur[/quote]

I just tried FanControl (the top hit when you google mac fan control) on my macbook and it does give me complete control of the fan speed. I am not sure if it will help your situation but at least you can be more proactive instead of waiting for the apple fan control software to kick in.

as far as the green drives goes. they have less power consumption, which i suppose does translate to lower temp. a google search give me a bunch. Seagate seems to be popular.

I also did a quick google search and 60s are not uncommon for macbooks. The CPU shut down temp. is 100C or something. which is scary considering that it makes your laptop a water boiler. But it does give you a idea of the range. The FanControl software has a default max fan speed at 80C. Hope this answers your tape ribbon question.

I don't know, just give you some info i thought was useful/interesting. Considering Apple want things to look slick and refuse to build in side air ducts, it's hard to make things cool in general. Remember the first gen, intel MBP? People scorch their labs with that thing. My unibody macbook works fine but it definitely could run cooler for a 45nm Core 2 Duo notebook. Time to bring out the dremel! lol

Hopefully it helped a little.

John

[quote|qbo412]I just tried FanControl (the top hit when you google mac fan control) on my macbook and it does give me complete control of the fan speed. I am not sure if it will help your situation but at least you can be more proactive instead of waiting for the apple fan control software to kick in. as far as the green drives goes. they have less power consumption, which i suppose does translate to lower temp. a google search give me a bunch. Seagate seems to be popular. I also did a quick google search and 60s are not uncommon for macbooks. The CPU shut down temp. is 100C or something. which is scary considering that it makes your laptop a water boiler. But it does give you a idea of the range. The FanControl software has a default max fan speed at 80C. Hope this answers your tape ribbon question. I don't know, just give you some info i thought was useful/interesting. Considering Apple want things to look slick and refuse to build in side air ducts, it's hard to make things cool in general. Remember the first gen, intel MBP? People scorch their labs with that thing. My unibody macbook works fine but it definitely could run cooler for a 45nm Core 2 Duo notebook. Time to bring out the dremel! lol Hopefully it helped a little. John[/quote]

laps*

[quote|qbo412]laps*[/quote]

I absolutely love iFixit, so definitely not to diss their selection of hard discs, but you can get a good deal on a "green" hard drive on MacMall.com

[quote|customerservice]I absolutely love iFixit, so definitely not to diss their selection of hard discs, but you can get a good deal on a "green" hard drive on MacMall.com[/quote]

Tried Fan Control instead of SMC Fan Control and both apps always are overridden by some authority trump of Mac's internal SMC. Did the SMC reboot, um, twice to no avail. If the shut down speed is 100C then I really have nothing to worry about, I havent seen my temp go above 75 (Although at that point I usually panicked and shut the macbook down). I mean, the fricking fan starts a whirlwind at 54C, what's it being so cautious about?!

Two questions: Is there a way I can access my macbook's SMC config, a la DOS CMOS on a PC so I can tinker with it myself? The SMC seems to be marching to it's own drummer:

http://img150.imageshack.us/i/picture2is...

Second question: If I reformat and restore via Time Machine, will that resolve the issue or will I trail all the garbage with the files restored?

[quote|fospher]Tried Fan Control instead of SMC Fan Control and both apps always are overridden by some authority trump of Mac's internal SMC. Did the SMC reboot, um, twice to no avail. If the shut down speed is 100C then I really have nothing to worry about, I havent seen my temp go above 75 (Although at that point I usually panicked and shut the macbook down). I mean, the fricking fan starts a whirlwind at 54C, what's it being so cautious about?! Two questions: Is there a way I can access my macbook's SMC config, a la DOS CMOS on a PC so I can tinker with it myself? The SMC seems to be marching to it's own drummer: http://img150.imageshack.us/i/picture2isq.png/ Second question: If I reformat and restore via Time Machine, will that resolve the issue or will I trail all the garbage with the files restored?[/quote]

First question... Let me say something... almost everything Apple runs HOT. If you ever get the opportunity to see an Apple TV unit, you'd think it would start a fire at normal operating temperature. So... if your MacBook isn't experiencing shutdown and the fan noise isn't too bothersome, I wouldn't keep messing with it personally. There are several (not just one) sensors inside your MacBook that adjust the fan speeds according to need and keep the internal temperature in check.

In reply to the PC DOS question... first of all, a CMOS stands for Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor, and electronic part, like a transistor is. So I don't quite understand how that would work. That's getting into an area where, in my professional opinion, one shouldn't.

As for Time Machine... I'm sure you already know it will restore your computer files and applications as they were at a previous point in time. ...Almost. For more particulars on Time machine, a great place to learn is www.apple.com/support where you can get answers straight from the horses mouth as to what Time Machine will and will not restore.

In closing, I just want to say that I speak with folks almost daily that are worried nearly to a frazzle because their Macs are running so hot. But believe me, if your MacBook is in any danger, it will shut down on its own. If that's not happening, in my personal and professional opinion, I would just start enjoying the MacBook. One can get to a point where there is too much concern over too little. But... Should all else fail to satisfaction, there's always the option of using your original OSX disc and doing a Repair or, in worst case, back up your files and applications and re-install OSX. Seriously though... the "green" hard drives really do cut the heat. Mine is a Seagate "Momentum". Good luck!

[quote|customerservice]First question... Let me say something... almost everything Apple runs HOT. If you ever get the opportunity to see an Apple TV unit, you'd think it would start a fire at normal operating temperature. So... if your MacBook isn't experiencing shutdown and the fan noise isn't too bothersome, I wouldn't keep messing with it personally. There are several (not just one) sensors inside your MacBook that adjust the fan speeds according to need and keep the internal temperature in check. In reply to the PC DOS question... first of all, a CMOS stands for Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor, and electronic part, like a transistor is. So I don't quite understand how that would work. That's getting into an area where, in my professional opinion, one shouldn't. As for Time Machine... I'm sure you already know it will restore your computer files and applications as they were at a previous point in time. ...Almost. For more particulars on Time machine, a great place to learn is www.apple.com/support where you can get answers straight from the horses mouth as to what Time Machine will and will not restore. In closing, I just want to say that I speak with folks almost daily that are worried nearly to a frazzle because their Macs are running so hot. But believe me, if your MacBook is in any danger, it will shut down on its own. If that's not happening, in my personal and professional opinion, I would just start enjoying the MacBook. One can get to a point where there is too much concern over too little. But... Should all else fail to satisfaction, there's always the option of using your original OSX disc and doing a Repair or, in worst case, back up your files and applications and re-install OSX. Seriously though... the "green" hard drives really do cut the heat. Mine is a Seagate "Momentum". Good luck![/quote]

I use SMC Fan Control to keep my fan at 6200 RPM when it's plugged in. That usually keeps my temps around 60 C. It's my understanding, too, that keeping the fan so fast and the temps cooler will prolong the life of my mac. When the mac is on battery power, it runs hotter because the fan goes slower to save power. But 95% of the time it's on wall power anyway. Low-tech solutions for not frying your legs include putting a pillow or blanket between your lap and your laptop.

[quote|Sterling Hirsh]I use SMC Fan Control to keep my fan at 6200 RPM when it's plugged in. That usually keeps my temps around 60 C. It's my understanding, too, that keeping the fan so fast and the temps cooler will prolong the life of my mac. When the mac is on battery power, it runs hotter because the fan goes slower to save power. But 95% of the time it's on wall power anyway. Low-tech solutions for not frying your legs include putting a pillow or blanket between your lap and your laptop.[/quote]

I was of the opinion that running the RPM that high would eventually break down my fan - in fact, thats why I replaced it to begin with - I thought that it wasnt cooling the macbook properly.

If doing nothing except for a potential HD swap is your suggestion, well, great, happy to oblige :-D

Thanks, big thanks to everyone - you saved me time, money and my nerves!

[quote|fospher]I was of the opinion that running the RPM that high would eventually break down my fan - in fact, thats why I replaced it to begin with - I thought that it wasnt cooling the macbook properly. If doing nothing except for a potential HD swap is your suggestion, well, great, happy to oblige :-D Thanks, big thanks to everyone - you saved me time, money and my nerves![/quote]

Honestly, if I have to choose between losing my fan and losing my harddrive / motherboard, I'll pick the fan. Besides, the fan is designed to blow air all the time. I rather doubt that it'll go out anytime soon.

[quote|Sterling Hirsh]Honestly, if I have to choose between losing my fan and losing my harddrive / motherboard, I'll pick the fan. Besides, the fan is designed to blow air all the time. I rather doubt that it'll go out anytime soon.[/quote]