MBP is getting seriously hot at DVinfo.net

Simon Denny · December 15th, 2008, 12:42 PM

I know things heat up in rendering times but my MBP is getting seriously hot to the point where it’s almost burring my hand when I go to touch the back.. Is this common among others?
I have bough a stand to elevate the MBP up on a angle but now I’m thinking of getting a fan based stand to cool the thing down. What do others use?

I rendered a 20 minute cut with Magic Bullet and this took 4 hrs to complete and I’m concerned that the heat it’s putting out will fry the board or drive in it.

Oh and I do use an external drive.

Simon

William Hohauser · December 15th, 2008, 01:05 PM

Get a USB powered fan cooler for your MBP. The CoolerMaster line is a good place to start looking.

Boyd Ostroff · December 15th, 2008, 01:30 PM

When I use my external keyboard and monitor I set the laptop up on a little cardboard box. This provides airflow all around the computer, elevates the screen so it's at a comparable height as my 23" Cinema Display.... and it didn't cost anything :-)

I've noticed that when I boot into Windows XP and do anything CPU-intensive, it gets especially hot. Hasn't done any harm though (yet).

Mathieu Ghekiere · December 15th, 2008, 01:42 PM

I use smc Fan Control, and always place it on a cool table or something when I render.
But in short: yes, it can get really hot when it renders.

Simon Denny · December 15th, 2008, 02:13 PM

Thanks for the info.

Mathieu do you find better performance with smc Fan Control?

Non related: I have to log out to view updated posts then re log back in a gain, this has been this way for some time now.

Mathieu Ghekiere · December 16th, 2008, 10:28 AM

I don't think smc Fan Control gives better performance. But it's nice to be able to read how warm your laptop is getting, and you can change the speed of your fans. Default is 2500 rpm, maximum is 6000 rpm. I only use that last setting in emergency situations.
But the main reason I have it, is so I can keep an eye on the temperature and speed of the fans while rendering.

I once read that the default speed which Apple ships their laptops with, is 1000 rpm and that it's actually a bit low. I don't know if that's true though.

William Hohauser · December 16th, 2008, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boyd Ostroff

When I use my external keyboard and monitor I set the laptop up on a little cardboard box. This provides airflow all around the computer, elevates the screen so it's at a comparable height as my 23" Cinema Display.... and it didn't cost anything :-)

I've noticed that when I boot into Windows XP and do anything CPU-intensive, it gets especially hot. Hasn't done any harm though (yet).

Yes the little box works well, that's my travel cooler, DVCam box, paper clip box, old BetaSP box, but the fan coolers really lower the sensor temperatures significantly. For regular work you probably don't need it but for processor intensive rendering, $25 to $55 dollars isn't much to keep the laptop cool.

Michael Calla · December 16th, 2008, 06:16 PM

I just had my logic board go out on my MBP today. 1100 to replace it. I always wondered if the heat would do something like this to my computer. Maybe it had nothing to do with it... but i wouldn't be surprised.

Now, the question is... are towers the only real solution for editing HD? And if so, where do I plug in the SxS cards? haha.

December 15th, 2008, 12:42 PM	#1
Simon Denny Trustee Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Australia Posts: 1,409	MBP is getting seriously hot I know things heat up in rendering times but my MBP is getting seriously hot to the point where it’s almost burring my hand when I go to touch the back.. Is this common among others? I have bough a stand to elevate the MBP up on a angle but now I’m thinking of getting a fan based stand to cool the thing down. What do others use? I rendered a 20 minute cut with Magic Bullet and this took 4 hrs to complete and I’m concerned that the heat it’s putting out will fry the board or drive in it. Oh and I do use an external drive. Simon

December 15th, 2008, 01:05 PM	#2
William Hohauser Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: New York City Posts: 2,650	Get a USB powered fan cooler for your MBP. The CoolerMaster line is a good place to start looking. __________________ William Hohauser - New York City Producer/Edit/Camera/Animation

December 15th, 2008, 01:42 PM	#4
Mathieu Ghekiere Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Belgium Posts: 2,195	I use smc Fan Control, and always place it on a cool table or something when I render. But in short: yes, it can get really hot when it renders. __________________ http://productionsofthe3rdkind.com http://pr3k.com

December 16th, 2008, 10:28 AM	#6
Mathieu Ghekiere Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Belgium Posts: 2,195	I don't think smc Fan Control gives better performance. But it's nice to be able to read how warm your laptop is getting, and you can change the speed of your fans. Default is 2500 rpm, maximum is 6000 rpm. I only use that last setting in emergency situations. But the main reason I have it, is so I can keep an eye on the temperature and speed of the fans while rendering. I once read that the default speed which Apple ships their laptops with, is 1000 rpm and that it's actually a bit low. I don't know if that's true though. __________________ http://productionsofthe3rdkind.com http://pr3k.com

December 15th, 2008, 01:30 PM	#3
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,800	When I use my external keyboard and monitor I set the laptop up on a little cardboard box. This provides airflow all around the computer, elevates the screen so it's at a comparable height as my 23" Cinema Display.... and it didn't cost anything :-) I've noticed that when I boot into Windows XP and do anything CPU-intensive, it gets especially hot. Hasn't done any harm though (yet).

December 15th, 2008, 02:13 PM	#5
Simon Denny Trustee Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Australia Posts: 1,409	Thanks for the info. Mathieu do you find better performance with smc Fan Control? Non related: I have to log out to view updated posts then re log back in a gain, this has been this way for some time now.

December 16th, 2008, 06:16 PM	#8
Michael Calla Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: salt lake city utah Posts: 53	I just had my logic board go out on my MBP today. 1100 to replace it. I always wondered if the heat would do something like this to my computer. Maybe it had nothing to do with it... but i wouldn't be surprised. Now, the question is... are towers the only real solution for editing HD? And if so, where do I plug in the SxS cards? haha.