High CPU temperatures

Question

Level 3

715 points

High CPU temperatures

I have noticed that when I am using the Hulu desktop app and I am noticing that my CPU temperatures are high 70s and low to mid 80s celsius. This seems really high to me, has anyone else experienced this?

MBP 2.53Ghz Unibody 4GB RAM, iPod Touch 16GB 1G, Mac OS X (10.5.7), Mac Developer

Posted on Jul 4, 2009 6:52 AM

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Answer 1

Mittyoz

Level 1

6 points

Jul 5, 2009 3:45 PM in response to a Mac user

I have noticed this also using Istat. When processing intensive tasks (good example is converting a video using Handbrake), the temperatures soar as high as 90, and the fan speed does not increase. This seems like a massive problem, is anyone else experiencing this?

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Answer 2

Jul 7, 2009 5:18 AM in response to Mittyoz

Same here. I did a CINEBENCH run and the CPU temp got to over 92 C and the fans didn't spin up at all! Considering the fans are almost silent, I would have thought they would increase a little at that point.

STOP PRESS.

Actually just as I was typing this I heard my fans ramp up. I checked the temps and it was 94 and the fans ramped up to 3500 + at which point the temperature dropped to 75. I didn't catch what process was actually taxing the computer before it stopped, all I was doing was syncing my iPhone.

I think the point here is that the fans WILL ramp up before the temperatures get critical, but is 94 C a safe point for the processor to regularly hit before this happens? I'm sure the fan behaviour is intelligent and will ramp up if it's sitting on 85, but I just thought 94 C seems VERY warm.

This is a slight concern on a brand new MBP, even if it is under warranty.

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Answer 3

katzlbt

Level 1

32 points

Jul 7, 2009 5:36 AM in response to Simon Metcalf

I remember there was a fan speed firmware upgrade a few weeks back that seems to have slowed the response delay of the fans.

My record temps were with my old (Summer 2008), just replaced logic board were:
102 Celsius CPU and 76 Celsius GPU only then the fans started speeding up.

92 Celsius was reached pretty much regularly when compiling. Intel CPUs are really good heaters 😉

Message was edited by: katzlbt

Message was edited by: katzlbt

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Answer 4

a Mac user Author

Level 3

715 points

Jul 7, 2009 6:33 AM in response to a Mac user

I also noticed that BOINC does this as well. Playing almost any game is also doing this to me. I use my laptop keyboard to play and a logitech mouse. Sometimes while playing I do not want to touch the keyboard because the keys are burning hot. I know that the graphics card would be pumping out heat, but I didn't think it would be that bad. I cannot see any visible vents or openings on the MBP since it is a unibody, so I want to know if it uses passive cooling or something to keep cool. I am also wondering if I should buy a stand for the laptop to allow more airflow around the case.

I know that a hard-drive would be cooled at that temperature, so I am worried about the health of the other components in the laptop if the CPU is getting this hot and cannot diffuse the heat. Also most desktop CPU are overheating if they are in the range of 90C for temperatures. I don't know how the engineers built the cooling system, but if it is anything like the white macbooks then it is not a big thing. This also makes me worried about the health of the CPU, and if it will burn out.

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Answer 5

Jul 7, 2009 9:55 AM in response to Simon Metcalf

Same issue here. Over 90 C. I'm not even using 50% of the CPU and the temperature rockets up while the fans seem like they are on vacation. Record temperature was 221 F.

Message was edited by: drummer914

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Answer 6

Jul 7, 2009 10:34 AM in response to a Mac user

The cpu on my new macbook just got up to 102. This is my first mac but this just seems way too high. Should i be worried about anything? All i was doing was updating my ipod and it was optimizing photos.

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Answer 7

a Mac user Author

Level 3

715 points

Jul 7, 2009 10:51 AM in response to Adam Farnsworth

102 F or C? If it is C then you got a problem, if it is F then that is about normal.

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Answer 8

Jul 7, 2009 10:53 AM in response to a Mac user

102 Celcius, after a few min of being up there the fans kicked in and brought it down to the 90s. But still 102 is HOT.

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Answer 9

a Mac user Author

Level 3

715 points

Jul 7, 2009 10:54 AM in response to Adam Farnsworth

Yeah then you have a problem too.

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Answer 10

Jul 7, 2009 10:55 AM in response to a Mac user

Its under applecare so if it ever cooks itself it will be under the warrany right?

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Answer 11

a Mac user Author

Level 3

715 points

Jul 7, 2009 10:57 AM in response to Adam Farnsworth

I think the main focus of this thread should bring up the fact that they are overheating, and this seems a pretty common problem. I would rather have a patch for the fan firmware to work so it does not overheat than have to take my MBP in for service because it got cooked.

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Answer 12

Jul 7, 2009 3:12 PM in response to Adam Farnsworth

Yeah it's under warranty, but if it's going to cook itself I want it to do it now so apple can just give me a new one. I don't want to have to deal with getting slowly diminished performance until it finally stops working.

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Answer 13

Jul 8, 2009 8:54 AM in response to a Mac user

I just took my mac to the apple store again. I demonstrated how my cpu gets up to 214 F before my fans slowly kick up to 3000 rpm. In order to achieve the temp I uploaded some HD video into iMovie via the SD card slot. He ran a logging program in the background that records all the system information and is sending the results to an engineer. This engineer will hopefully be able to recognize that 214 is way, way to hot and that something is indeed wrong.

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Answer 14

a Mac user Author

Level 3

715 points

Jul 8, 2009 9:18 AM in response to drummer914

Alright that sounds good. I am thinking about calling Apple as well today to report this. I have high hopes with this because I always get accelerated up 3-4 in phone service when I call heh.

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Answer 15

Jul 8, 2009 4:39 PM in response to drummer914

I wondered if there is any update on this? I am not recording the high temperatures you are suffering, just higher than usual and luckily with greater fan activity too.

There is an app that will force the fans to be cranked up a notch: smcFanControl ( http://www.eidac.de), which puts the fan speed and cpu temperature in the menubar and from a dropdown you can make the fans a bit more proactive than normal, or put them on full-tilt if you want.

Hope that helps!

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