80 degrees C is too hot for an Intel CPU

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Level 1

32 points

80 degrees C is too hot for an Intel CPU

i appreciate Macs dedication to making quiet computers... but not at the cost of my CPU. 80 degrees celcius is way too high for an Intel CPU. Mac either needs to redesign their airflow system, use better fans... or some combination of the two. i know Intell processors well enough to know 80c is well above the safe zone for operating temperatures. Something needs to be done though

Custom Assembled By Me, Mac OS X (10.5.6), 2.33Ghz Core2Duo. 4GB G.Skill DDR2-1066. Gigabyte GA-P31-S3G. EVGA 9600GT.

Posted on Jul 19, 2009 4:18 PM

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Answer 1

Soft Reset

Level 4

1,790 points

Jul 19, 2009 4:36 PM in response to mightymilk

Hi mightymilk,

Where are you reading 80 degrees celsius in System Profiler? Or are you using a 3rd party widget like iStat? A couple of options...

1.) If you're having a problem with your machine due to it's operating temperature you can bring the unit into an Apple Retail Store or Authorized Service Provider.

2.) If you're not having a problem with your machine and wish to express your opinion and feedback on how Apple can better improve their products you can submit that via:

http://www.apple.com/feedback and select the appropriate product.

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Answer 2

JoeyR

Level 6

8,305 points

Jul 19, 2009 5:01 PM in response to mightymilk

I think Intel puts the temp at 105 C. Using a middle of the line 2.53GHz T9400 as an example:

http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=35562

Granted.... cooler is better. If you're machine is just sitting there reaching 80 C while it isn't doing anything, there is certainly a problem. If it reaches 80 under a heavy or maximum load, I don't see anything out of the ordinary.

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Answer 3

Jul 31, 2009 2:16 PM in response to JoeyR

My MacBook Pro with a 2,8 GHz CPU is running with a temperature of 80 C when using 50% of the CPU. Is this normal?

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Answer 4

Aug 1, 2009 11:26 AM in response to Soft Reset

How do you check temperatures in System Profiler? I use iStat now and my CPU is only 40C....nice and cool. I would like to know how to check elsewhere using the Mac system. Help? Thanks.

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Answer 5

mightymilk Author

Level 1

32 points

Oct 15, 2009 6:57 AM in response to ScorchinScooter

This question is not resolved, but I'm going to close it to clear some old questions out of my list.

105c is the maximum temperature a Core2Duo can handle, it is not optimal or even advised to run it at that temperature under full load. To give you an idea, my Core2Duo in my PC at home runs about 36c under full load. Running 70-80c constantly can shorten the life of a processor, those temperatues are typical to an Overclockers temps at high clock speeds. I wish Apple would stop worrying about noise and put fans with better CFM ratings in their machines. It doesn't mean it has to run full boar all the time, but when temperatures gets high enough the stock fans are clearly not enough to provide sufficient cooling needed.

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