Macbook pro 15 inch unibody (a few heat Questions)

Hello i would just like to know how hot the 15 inch macbook pro unibody runs after being under load for a few hours. I will be playing games 3-4 hours straight some nights.

i heard it runs at 70 degrees celsius under load and it stays around there, but if its running that hot:

Is it uncomfortable to use on your lap? will you want to take it off your lap after a few seconds?

Any tips on keeping it cool? i dont understand how a notebook cooler helps that much, as there are no intakes on the bottom of the notebook. And because of that how does keeping the macbook on your bed affect its temps at all? as long as you keep the vents sucking air in and blowing air out clear shouldnt it not matter?

thanks for your answers

 

There is a reason why we call them notebooks now and not laptops...

Keeping it cool. Put it on something that is not going to hold heat. Most notebook coolers suck air away and not blow it in the vents. They will help a bit, one with a aluminum top will help more.

 

If you're gaming, just use smc fan control to keep temps around the 70-75 degree range you mentioned. I use smc fan control at 3000 rpm also when I am in windows to do other stuff. Temps then generally stay in the 40's and 50's.

I probably wouldn't want to keep a laptop thats at 75 degrees on my lap for too long, but its not in any way so hot that you jerk your hand away if you happen to touch the bottom lets say.

Funny thing is, sometimes I will grab my laptop and bring it to bed with me to watch a movie or something and in OS X it never gets above mid 40's.

 

has anyone ever worn out their fans by overusing SMC fan control?

 

I rarely take my MBP anywhere so I just leave the battery out. That seems to keep it a lot cooler than when the battery is in. I think battery removal might not be possible with the new unibody Macs though.

 

it isnt, well i mean if you do it voids the warranty

 

also part of the reason why it's cooler is that your MBP downclocks when the battery is removed.

 

Really? Does that mean it runs slower?

 

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2332

 

You cool the aluminum body because it acts as a heatsink, thats how it works.

If you keep it on your bed, the bed would insulate your laptop and would hold all the heat in making your laptop hotter.

Get a laptop cooler with fans blowing against the bottom of the case so that it cools the case itself, which then cools everything else inside. Don't get the ones where it pulls air away from it, it is not as effective.

For example if your sweaty, do you cool down faster standing in front of the fan, or behind the fan? Same thing.

 

wow, thanks tasty_chicken. I had no idea!

 

yeah i found out the hard way. i was running some benchmarks and my results sucked. I went online and asked around and got flamed for using windows. I searched the web and then found that article. Put my battery back in and boom, back to normal.

 

The computer runs hot and it is perfectly normal for you to experience such heat coming out of that computer. However keep in mind this computer is not a Laptop nor is it considered a notebook. This computer is what's called an Apple Portable.. Yep, even look in the manual that came with it and they are not recommended to be used on your lap, instead they should be operated on a hard surface.

 

^actually,any notebook should be operated on hard surface(especially,gaming notebooks),since they have vents on the back...and which is not a problem for apple notebooks

 

No issues. You are just increasing the RPMs slightly, I upped mine from 2000 to 3200 RPM.