101 Degrees Celsius when encoding?

Hey guys,

Haven't been here in a while, my internet has been really shady lately.

I do have a concern, I got some old DVDs and I'm encoding them with HandBrake and my CPU is maxed out in usage and iStat Menus is reporting 101 Degrees Celsius, as shown here:



Now is this something I need to worry about? Or is it normal to reach such high temperatures? (I have my fans blowing at 6000RPM while doing this of course)

Each encode lasts around 30-40 minutes and I've got 4 DVDs to do.

Cheers!

 

Thats a bit odd... I've done similar for less sustained time on my 17" using all 4 cores, and it hit around 90º C and stays there.... with the fans at 5500 (max speed on the 17). I would be worried immensely about going over 100. Make sure its propped up for good airflow with a lot of space in the back and air underneath, not sitting flat on a surface.

I have noticed something else you might want to try... When plugged in I always keep my GPU active instead of the Intel HD 3000, and things seem to run a bit cooler that are heavy CPU. I think having the graphics core disabled helps on the heat a bit.

 

It was sitting on a desk so that's my fault.

So you're saying that using the nVidia GPU will turn off the integrated Intel chip? And how does that help with CPU usage?

Cheers!

 

Try to remove the bottom aluminum case, it helps A LOT

i7s are designed to sustain more heat that standard i5 or i3, but 100 degs+ is just not right :O

 

It may be time to clean out the fans.

All you have to do is take off the bottom panel, and each fan has 3 screws.

 

Please also keep in mind that the temps reported by iStat and other similar software are NOT calibrated temperatures, but only roughly accurate from software input, and so should never be considered definite reality ...

That said, video encoding with Handbrake always spikes the CPU temp - what you are seeing is normal and, in shorter periods, is easily handled by the fans and enclosure heat dispersion. However, if each disc is 30-40 min I wouldn't necessarily do all 4 back to back; perhaps give it time to cool back down between the first and second pair of discs (which usually takes a couple of minutes or so). You could also prop up the back, at an angle, on the desk about 1/2 inch in order to allow better airflow to the bottom chassis for improved heat dispersion.

If the fans were blocked/dirty, then your nominal operating temps during regular activities would also be higher than 30-50 degrees, so the fans are a less likely culprit I think. And there is no reason, whatsoever, to remove the external casing when you're encoding to manage temps.

 

Much depends on several factors.
- How hot its it in your house/room?
- When did you last clean the fans?
- How long had it been encoding?
- Was it sustained at that temp, or just peaked there?

I wouldn't worry about. If you have large encoding jobs to do, just raise the machine up on something to give it some extra airflow underneath and around it.

If it gets too hot, it will shut itself down for safety.

You're fine.

 

OOT: does a clean fan help airflow? cuz i never cleaned mine for last 4 months or so

 

I just noticed when doing heavy CPU intensive things, sometimes its been a bit cooler when the Intel graphics was not being used... I've also noticed in some CPU bound games (mainly older ones) that using the Intel graphics also results in higher temps overall than using the AMD graphics.

Cleaning the fans is useful if they are dirty... but unless your in a really dirty/dusty environment, its not something I worry about much more than yearly.

Did it cool down any if you had it propped up for some airflow? I usually sit mine on one of these and it helps a lot compared to just sitting on a desk... even without the fan in it on.
Thermaltakeusa»Cooler»Notebook Cooler»Massive23 CS : Massive23 CS CLN0008

 

It looks like this is typical... but NOT good.

It's a design flaw inherent with the sacrifices made for thin and light in an aluminum case.
(note this isn't just a mac thing)

The processor will start having issues around 100C over extended periods.

Try to keep it cooler or reduce your CPU load.

While cleaning your fans is a good idea, even new macbooks have this problem.

 

Thanks for all the replies guys!

I have just cleaned out my fans about a week ago. Truth be told it was really hot in my room when I did the encoding and I was on the Intel integrated GPU, and all of these combined must have sent my temps that high.

I have one more DVD to do, I'll test out with propping up the machine to see if the temps are any lower, will let you know.

Cheers!