How hot can i let my late-model MBP get before I should be concerned?

Well I know that failure temps on the core 2 duo procs for desktops are around 90-100* C, So if you see it get to 80, Id say be alarmed.

Well... My Unibody macbook pro 2.4ghz is screwed then.. got it yesterday, and.....

Im idling around 60 C... for my CPU, and GPU Dioide.
AND
Im playing WOW, and Im going around 75 C to 88 C for CPU, and around 86 C for GPU Dioide..... What should I do lol

Polite non-YouTube surfing by itself on an Apple notebook will run 60 degrees easy. Fans at 1800RPM (whisper quiet). Don't feel too bad about running hot at 70+ degrees. If I encode video on my Macbook it is in the scary high 70s for an hour at a time - I just place it on a cool surface and make sure the fans are not obstructed (they will be on cloth - don't do this on a bed). As an alternative I can encode video using Boot Camp Windows and it is cooler (don't know why). In short - it takes a lot of sustained heat to do damage. (For example when people leave a laptop running in it's carry-bag by accident). What you need to focus on is fan activity - the fan is the key - also - keep your machine on a cold surface. Steel plated if possible. (Using iSatPro as a monitor helps - see Dashboard Widgets)

EDIT -- Oh - a few further tips. More RAM and higher quality hard drive will drop CPU activity somewhat. The hard drive trick is either faster RPM - 7200 - or more effective search / seek using perpendicular technology. You have to read up on that stuff - it's pretty technical, but you get results for your money.

Message was edited by: NA Smith

I'd say smoke is a good indicator that the machine gets to hot.

Seriously, Apple states: Operating temperature: 50° to 95° F (10° to 35° C).

Im playing WOW, and Im going around 75 C to 88 C for CPU, and around 86 C for GPU Dioide..... What should I do

reset the SMC

Odds are that the fans are not coming on fast enough, that was my case until I reset the SMC and now all is good with the world 🙂

Do not worry about the heat. If it gets too hot, the computer will shut itself down.

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=7758986&#7758986

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1720342&tstart=0

Message was edited by: LukeD

Actually, my early-2006 MBP just freezes up or starts exhibiting graphics problems. Letting it cool down resolves the issue, but I have to reboot. Kind of annoying.

Just out of curiosity. Where are there holes for air ventilation and fans? The whole thing seems to be solid, no vents like on my old dell laptop.

I was worried about the temperature of my MacBook Pro so I went to my Apple Store (although originally there for something else) but anyway they said that the fans will work fine and keep the temperature good

AND

if the computer gets too hot it shuts off. So you don't have to worry about frying your computer - MacBooks can handle it - with the fans and the power off. Plus, as an added bonus, they're built out of aluminum, which acts as a heat sink.

My 2.53GHz MBP gets over 80c when playing WoW, and the fans are over 6000rpm basically all the time I'm playing (and the CPU stays over 80c).

I had the same issue but my MBP gets over 150 degrees Fahrenheit. I brought it to the genius bar with supporting screen shots showing how hot this thing gets. It get so hot that if I even try to use it in bed or on my lap it will leave a burn mark. So pretty much I bought a portable desktop replacement. Anyone else getting temps over 150 degrees Fahrenheit? if you guys want me to post the screen shots let me know as they are on the laptop and I'm not on it right now.

thanks

Mine got to 203*F before the fans kicked in...

That's 98*c... Which is bloody ridiculous... I rang Apple and they told me that until I kill it, there's nothing they can do.... And even though they acknoweledge I coudl do serous harm to myself at these temperatures... Until I burn myself, they won't do anything (their words, not mine)

Without knowing what sort of temperatures the 2.8GHz C2D and 9600M in the Late 2008 MBP are actually capable of sustaining for any decent length of time, I'm not sure if I should be worried.

During normal use, my CPU stays in the 52-60°C range. Once I start doing any video or image-editing work, like using GIMP, iChat's video chatting, or if I play WoW, the CPU will jump right past 70 and even get close to 90°C. The GPU tends to be cooler, but it also jumps way up in temperature when doing anything graphics related. That, of course, makes sense, but it seems to get... too hot.

Also, the case, being a giant heatsink, gets unbearably hot - even on a desk. ****, even the keyboard gets uncomfortably warm.

Does anyone recommend some kind of cooling unit? I'm using my MBP for basically everything and I really don't want to fry it. It has the 7200RPM 320GB drive and, as mentioned above, the 2.8GHz C2D.

I suppose that during normal/non-graphics use I should be using the 9400M, but... Meh... I like me some horsepower! :P

Waiting for apple to update this is not good enough. A massive recall is needed. They can't just issue an update and say your good now. Cool, but now I have melted goo inside since they took so long.