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MacBook Special Report: Excessive heat: Usage notes, cooling pads and more
Like the MacBook Pro, several users have described exorbitant heat generated by their MacBooks -- so much heat, in fact, that the units are quite uncomfortable to place on the lap.
In response, Apple has been (in some cases) telling customers seeking technical assistance that the MacBook is not intended to be used as a laptop, but instead as a "portable computer" that should be placed on a desk or other hard surface away from indirect skin contact.
However, Apple's marketing materials differ in their description. For instance, this education-related marketing page states:
"On your lap. In your dorm room: Organize your class notes and your music. Select models now feature a superfast dual-core Intel engine, a built-in iSight camera, and Front Row software."
Early assessments that both MacBooks and MacBook Pros contained too much thermal grease seem to have been debunked for the most part, with most users reporting similar temperatures after re-applying a thinner layer of thermal grease.
It appears that the optimal solution for this issue would be a firmware update form Apple that increases the sensitivity of the MacBook's fans, allowing them to engage at a lower temperature threshold.
As noted by MacFixIt reader Kevin, if you search for "laptop" in the Mac Help system, you will see several entries referring to the unit as a "laptop."
Kevin adds:
"There are also a few videos and or pictures on .Mac showing a person sitting on a park bench with an Apple laptop computer. I was having a conversation yesterday with one of the folks at the Apple Genius Bar yesterday regarding my heat issues. I was told my MacBook was not supposed to be used as a laptop. Seeing how that's what I bought it for, I then showed him the Mac help. He was quite amazed and amused at the same time."
Meanwhile, Knowledge Base article #30612 states:
"Placing it on a soft surface such as a towel or pillow (or lap) is not recommended because it does not allow air to flow under the computer."
Logic boards being replaced In some cases, units generating abnormally high temperatures are being repaired by Apple, receiving new logic boards.
It also appears that adding more RAM can help tremendously with heat issues, as much of the added temperature is attributable to constantly spinning hard drives. By reducing virtual memory usage (which requires constant hard drive access) with the addition of real physical memory, users have been able to to drop the overall operating temperature of their MacBooks.
Users also report that units are much hotter when charging with the external power adapter than when running off battery alone.
MacFixIt reader Rick writes:
"My MacBook 2.0ghz 1gb RAM was hitting 170 F just doing graphics in graphic converter and a web page in Dreamweaver. I called Apple care, we ran the diagnostic and it showed no problems, but the Apple Tech advised me to take it to a local Apple repair facility. The guy at the shop said that what they'd been doing was replacing logic boards. [...] However, and I think this is important. There's a direct correlation I've noticed in temp when the power supply is attached and when it is not. When it is not, it's much cooler running. When the PS is hooked up it gets much hotter. I think there is a problem there, but I can't put my finger on it. Maybe the charging process overheats the battery."
Cooling pad Several users have resorted to cooling pads for the MacBooks, including Road Tools' Podium CoolPad.
Reminder: Check your MacBook's rear vent As we previously mentioned, Apple posted a Knowledge Base article indicating that some MacBooks may run too warm, with the fan running consistently and heat emanating from the top and/or the bottom of the computer if the rear vent of the MacBook is blocked by a thin piece of clear plastic covering the rear vent.
This piece of plastic is intended to prevent dust from getting into the MacBook, but should be removed by the end-user upon receipt of the system.
Index:
- Do-it-yourself hard drive replacement instructions
- Excessive heat: Usage notes, cooling pads and more
- Final Cut Express is supported by GMA 950 chipset
- Irritating noises; eliminating
- Keyboard suddenly stops working
- Matched RAM pairs can come from different manufacturers
- Poor speaker output: Software-based workarounds
- Projector issues
- Release notes
- Sudden shutdowns -- possible fix
- Trackpad button "mushy", not registering clicks -- solutions
- Vertical lines appear on screen during startup
- Wireless (AirPort) dropouts -- fixes
"It appears that the optimal solution for this issue would be a firmware update form Apple that increases the sensitivity of the MacBook's fans, allowing them to engage at a lower temperature threshold."
No, no, no!!
My old Powerbook G4 12" was nearly dead silent when I got it.. it's one of the reasons I chose that model. People did complain that that model got hot to touch. Whether for that reason or perhaps a genuine need to keep the components cooler I don't know, but at OS 10.3.2, they made just the change you suggest, to make the fan come on at a lower temp. I didn't use the notebook on my lap, and I missed the silence I had bought, and was very disappointed when the fan started coming on much more often and there was nothing I could do about it.
Someone actually posted a "fix" online, called "Silent Night" which grabbed a system file from an older version of the OS to stop the fan from coming on so often, but that didn't work with any later versions of the OS.
If Apple feels it has to address the heat issue, I hope this time they make it a user preference, "run cooler" or "run quieter." I think many (most?) people who don't use it on their laps most of the time would generally prefer quieter...