RunningWindows on Bootcamp Heat

So I'm not doing any gaming while running Bootcamp and just doing my usual V B or Visual Studio Coding while running Windows and forcing my dedicated card to run during the sometimes long hours of programming. I was curious to find out just how worried I should be of the system overheating as the base is getting unusually hot for what I'm generally use to (I generally constantly run integrated)

Should I invest in a a stand or cooler? And if so which one? Was thinking of getting a macally ecopad

 

The MBP really has no exhausts to match the fans of the cooler, so any decent cooler with a big CFM will do the job in cooling the Aluminum.

Try the Zalman NC3000 or the NC2000.

 

the hole hinge area is a huge vent...

 

I meant that the cooler can't really align with the vents...

 

Ok so should I even be worried? This is primarily my work terminal and my out&about machine meaning I use it quite a bit and only to do emails, web-browsing, some multi-media, and alot of work. (Oddly I've discovered that bringing up conversation with the ladies is alot more feasible with this device as compared to carrying my alienwares around ) But getting back to the point if you guys tell me I shouldn't even worry about it, I'll just drop it and never worry about it again .

 

I mean with those uses you shouldn't be worried to be honest.

But for the sake of peace of mind, you could get a cheap-o cooler from best buy.

 

whats the temp in your office / home?
If its 30+C i imagine there could be some issues.
I am not sure how much pressure is generated by your tasks but i never hear vents going all out when doing photoshop and even while gaming, unless its some super duper modern game.

 

Those 3rd party cooling systems are going to do very little for the MBP simply because its ventilation opening is in the hinge. A 3rd party cooling system would slightly cool the aluminum exterior. It is about the same as pointing a box fan towards the hood of a car. The cooling systems work better with other notebooks simply because they often have ventilation ports on the bottom and/or sides with easier access. The MBP's (and MBA's) ventilation ports are kind of hidden in the hinge and it is harder for air to get in there.

It is not uncommon for Macs to run hotter when using Windows. Even my 13" MBP would run a little warmer (and the fans would kick on more) when booting into Windows 7 via bootcamp. The fans would go all out for me when executing long (25,000+ lines) code in MATLAB through both cores of the CPU. Hell, the fans would go all out just when ripping and encoding a DVD using Handbrake in OS X (which wouldn't happen if the developers added support for HD 3000 dedicated encoding, come one, its been almost a year now).

Given that your dedicated card is constantly running in Windows, I wouldn't worry too much. The bottoms of MBP's have been known to feel abnormally hot simply because aluminum is not a good insulator. Aluminum is a good conductor of heat though so it is readily transferring heat from the inside of your MBP to the atmosphere or whatever else it is coming in contact with.

The only time I would worry about overheating is if your Mac shuts down on you with the fans running.

 

Another thing to keep in mind is that the keyboard provides some ventilation, so don't use a cover on it.

 

Try these, they have Bootcamp temps:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/app...-2-00ghz-hd-6490m-gaming-graphics-review.html

http://forum.notebookreview.com/apple-mac-os-x/527864-2010-macbook-pro-13-graphics.html

 

Thanks Guys, Really appreciate all the answers. It looks like the general idea is that I just shouldn't even really worry about it especially if I'm not gaming. At first I got a little worried about it because the bottom was so hot, and I just didn't want the system burning up too much.

 

Got a new Cover for my Macbook Pro this is what it looks like, lol

 

Haha, looks sick.

Is it one of the skins off eBay?

 

I'm a huge Iron Man fan, way before even the movies came out. But the Skin I thought looked great and it was only $9 about the cheapest accessories you'll ever get for a Macbook, lol.

 

which sucks for people with naturally greasy fingers...

 

I never quite understood why people bought keyboard covers... I see them at the store and they run for like $35 at least the good ones, or at least for the ones I'd get for myself if.... I were to get one. But the main reason why I haven't gotten one is because I know in the back of my head that I can easily replace the entire keyboard with a new one for like 40-60 dollars. I'd rather shell out 40-60 dollars for a brand new keyboard when the time arrives to do so over buying rubbery things for $35.... Laptop keyboards are among the cheapest when compared to your average desktop keyboard.

Ebay Keyboard

 

I think it has to do with the environment in which the systems are used. For example, the notebook we have in the field uses a keyboard cover but it is used in a place where water can spray from our equipment. A few drops of that liquid (which has an abnormally low pH and high organic matter concentration, something which just ruins electronics) and the surround keys would be toast. It is a government notebook and replacing the keyboard is not an option. Hence why the $30 keyboard cover works there.

For myself, I would never buy a keyboard cover simply because I don't need one. They have their purpose but I can't see someone using it on a daily basis when one isn't required. I actually ran into someone with a lime green keyboard cover (to match the Spec snap case they had) on their 17" MBP running Windows. They asked why the thing was always hot and I had to explain a few things to them (aluminum is a conductor, not an insulator; Macs pull and push some air through the keyboard; Windows always runs hotter). I believe they plopped down $50 for their cover too.

 

Would it hurt anything to put a cling type insulating cover on the bottom of a mbp that would keep the heat off your lap?