MacBook Pro Getting hot... what temperature should it maintain?

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Level 1

7 points

MacBook Pro Getting hot... what temperature should it maintain?

Hi all,

My MacBook Pro seems to be getting hot lately, the fans seem to 'idle' at around 2,200rpm, but the CPUA temperature is 65*C. This seems a little high to me. The temperature also seems to oscillate quite a bit. As i sit and type this, the fans have maintained 2,200rpm, but the temperature is starting to creep up to 68*C. It then goes above 70*C and the fans whiz up to 4,500 rpm or more until the CPU cools down again. Is this a firmware issue?

Thanks,

Glyn

MacBook Pro 2.4GHz C2D, 2GB DDR3, Mac OS X (10.5.7)

Posted on Jun 2, 2009 12:02 PM

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Answer 1

LukeD

Level 4

3,144 points

Jun 2, 2009 12:52 PM in response to GlynC

In my opinion, those temperature readings are perfectly acceptable.

I have noted further links for you to check out.

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1643176&tstart=15

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1638319&tstart=0

Your computer will shut itself down if it gets too hot. I would not worry.

Message was edited by: LukeD

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Answer 2

Kappy

Level 10

361,741 points

Jun 2, 2009 12:48 PM in response to GlynC

The idle temperature should be around 40-50ºC if the computer is adequately ventilated and the room temperature is not above 22ºC. If your room is not air conditioned and is warm, then the computer's idle temperature will be higher, especially if the computer isn't adequately ventilated. Raising the rear of the computer about 1" will help with air circulation.

Open Activity Monitor in the Utilities folder, set the Processes drop down menu to All Processes, then click twice on the CPU column to display in descending order. Look for any process using a large percentage of CPU time. If you find one that usually indicates the process is a runaway. You can select the process and click on the Quit icon in the toolbar to force quit the process. You will then need to find out why that program is causing a problem.

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Answer 3

LukeD

Level 4

3,144 points

Jun 2, 2009 12:56 PM in response to LukeD

You could also try a SMC reset.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1411

Again, I would not worry.

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Answer 4

GlynC Author

Level 1

7 points

Jun 2, 2009 1:12 PM in response to LukeD

I have tried some tests, I could not beleive that I've never noticed the fans beforelast week and now they come on almost instantly. So I unplugged everything and turned the MBP on. This time, the fans were settled at below 2,000rpm, and the CPU temperature was 55*C. No fan noise, and noticably cooler chassis.

So I then started to plug things back in to see if they made any difference... power cable - no problem. iPhone - no problem. Firewire audio interface... ah ha!!! Temperature immediately starts to rise... reaching 65*C within minutes, with nothing else happening.

I did a few searches and found others with similar issues, however they were claiming it was an issue with the Firewire chip in the MBP. The people on such forums were complaining of an Agere chip.

So I restarted my MBP and hit COMMAND-S, the Firewire device mentioned in the text list was a Lucent ID 5901. So this appears to be a problem independant of the Firewire chip. Could it be an issue with the software? I have the latest drivers for my Firewire device (Presonus Firebox)

Thanks

Glyn

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Answer 5

LukeD

Level 4

3,144 points

Jun 2, 2009 2:54 PM in response to GlynC

I am not sure that I understand. Using any audio and video hardware and software solution is going to use more system resources and, accordingly, drive the temperature up.

The PreSonus hardware comes with a huge software set. Perhaps that is what is running in the background when it is connected, which would drive the temperature up.

I would follow the advice that Kappy has offered about the Activity Monitor to find out what exactly is using the most CPU time, and then I would do what Kappy has suggested to quit it to see if that resolves your issue.

Message was edited by: LukeD

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Answer 6

silas.k

Level 1

0 points

Jun 4, 2009 2:48 PM in response to GlynC

i also have the presonus firebox and have noticed my mbp getting seriously hot around the firewire port - i'm testing it right now with just a fw hard drive to see if it gets as hot as without the audio interface connected.

i would be interested to know if anyone else is having trouble with fw audio interfaces especially bus powered ones like the firebox.

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Answer 7

silas.k

Level 1

0 points

Jun 4, 2009 6:29 PM in response to silas.k

so... after having a fw hard drive plugged in for over 2 hours no serious heat from the area of concern.

but as soon as i plug in the presonus firebox it starts to warm up noticeably to the touch 😟

i wonder if this is just bus fw powered audio interfaces or all fw interfaces...

i did find this thread http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=470291

not much help but a little more confirmation that there is a problem - been thinking of getting a motu interface recently anyone have an ultralite that wants to chime in?

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Answer 8

Aug 22, 2009 10:30 PM in response to GlynC

How do I know how the fans our working? I can't hear a fan. The bottom of my 13" mac pro gets so hot. I'm afraid something is being damaged? Any thoughts? How can I find a fan reading?
Thanks,
mimi

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Answer 9

eww

Level 9

53,028 points

Aug 23, 2009 7:14 AM in response to clueless_in_bama

Mimi: Download and install the iStat Pro widget. It will tell you all sorts of things about your computer whenever you like, including readings from the various temperature sensors inside it and how fast the fan is spinning.

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Answer 10

Aug 23, 2009 12:49 PM in response to eww

Thank you for the download information. I just downloaded the the exhaust started in the low 2700 and is rising to almost 3000 the cpu is temp is 176 . It is continually rising the computer has been on max 30 minutes. Can you tell me what it should be reading and if I need to give Apple a call. I've only had the computer 3 - 4 weeks and it's always been hot. Thanks you for your help. mimi

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Answer 11

Aug 23, 2009 1:04 PM in response to eww

Me again... I just looked at my CPU reading and it's 176 in a post above somebody's was a lot lower than that and they were worried, now I'm really worried. What to do???? I'm blond.. 😟

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Answer 12

Queen6

Level 1

0 points

Aug 23, 2009 2:31 PM in response to GlynC

Probably of no help, although certainly an observation; I have a mixed environment and I dont see a great deal of difference in my MBP 4.1 temperature and my corporate Dell when they are under similar load, CPU core temps are generally the same.

What I actually believe is that the MBP radiates more heat due to the aluminum case and is therefore far more noticeable and resultantly more concern. My MBP is presently at 50C with the fans running at 2500rpm, when under load it can easily exceed 85C, I simply dont worry about it, the higher load the more heat is generated it`s just a question if the load is apparent or running in the background.

If you want it to run cooler, one option is to manually increase the base/default fan speed with the likes of fan control, it is far easier to keep the case cool than try to cool down a hot MBP, once the aluminum case is hot you need a lot of air flow to remove that energy, an extra 500 - 1000 rpm makes a big difference...

Q-6

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