MacBook Pro (Circa 2012), cooling, and ice

Question

MacBook Pro (Circa 2012), cooling, and ice

I've seen where ice can be iffy for cooling an MBP.

I am in Arizona, and ambient temp in my USUAL spot on my covered patio is pushing 110degrees (F).

And my youtube feed is unbearably crackling through my plug-in ear buds.

It is better inside where ambient is cooler, but 'fanny.app' reads the CPU and GPU about the same as it was outside. Speakers are (seemingly) fine with stream - no crackle.

Coolig:

I've a pair of cookie pans, with rolled up edges, just a little larger than the foot print of my MBP, to allow for connecting charger, USB, and phono/audio jacks.

Line one with waxed paper. Any 'anti-stick' liner would do.

Next I take a towel, place mat, or SOME sort of absorbent fabric (that COULD be folded over itself into a pad, if necessary), drench and wring it so they are just wet 'to the touch', and NOT full of water.

Lay it into pan with the waxed paper, tucked into the shape and FLATNESS of the cookie sheet.

Then into the freezer, lying flat.

When I need some cooling, I pull that one out. Release the pad from the waxed paper and put it in a second matching cookie pan.

I plop the MBP into it, and off I go. A little cool on the legs, but I can live with that.

I replace the padding with a second towel or whatever, and back into the freezer the waxed papered tray goes.

I've thought on an off about using the bottom piece of my plastic protector set as an extra moisture guard, but imagine it would impair cooling more than prevent (unlikely) condensation.

Ambient working temps range from 115 or so outside to 75-80-ish inside.

Any thoughts? Caveats?

Thank mew....

(=^..^=)

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 10.13

Posted on Sep 6, 2020 4:13 PM

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Answer 1

Sep 6, 2020 6:04 PM in response to Shadowcat1953

if your computer requires such a Rube Goldberg device to keep it running there is something wrong with your computer. You should have it looked at by an authorized service center.

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Answer 2

Sep 7, 2020 7:56 AM in response to Shadowcat1953

If you think the fans are not performing their job of keeping the computer from overheating you could try a SMC reset.

How to reset the SMC of your Mac - Apple Support

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Answer 3

Sep 6, 2020 4:44 PM in response to BobTheFisherman

Thanks for the input.

As i stated, i COULD shield it with the bottom of the plastic cover i have.

And i make certain that it does NOT come up over the screw holes. Which i have 'Magic Tape' over anyhow, to prevent them from loosening and falling out. It never 'sits' in H2O, just on dampness.

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Answer 4

Sep 6, 2020 9:40 PM in response to BobTheFisherman

For the most part, it does well. I am now running Fanny.app that shows me temps.

The case is cool, but the app still shows 184F. It goes up to the 190s when I am on outside in 110+ ambient, and the case gets REAL hot. I've a suspicion that my cooling is ONLY reaching the CASE and not ANY components, by the Fanny readings.

The major issue is that youtube music 'streams' crackle really bad in my headphones via Wifi!

So, along with heat issues, I've also found that the the Wifi needs to now pass through a couple cinder block walls, which could be causing some noise, and a nice moire of 'hardware cloth' crossings.

So, there are many issues at work here.

Thank mew for the input!

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Answer 5

Sep 7, 2020 9:24 AM in response to BobTheFisherman

I am rather certain the fans are doing their best.

Ambient temp is 97F. CPU @ 207. GPU @ 217.

NEVER been THIS high. Fans are at 6200rpm (max). Unit is ON my 98.6 lap, and I feel heat. But operations (so far) seems uninterrupted. I'll plug in the ear buds and see how it is.

I could just do the cookie pans without a pad, but they will heat up rather quick.

And I've used one of those rapid defrosting plates that used to be advertised on TV, melting an ice cube in literally seconds. I just used that dry in an attempt to absorb heat.

I used to ride a motorcycle. I used to joke that an 'air cooled' engine didn't do so well when the air 'cooling' it was hotter than the combustion going on inside!

Thank mew for the input.

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Answer 6

Sep 7, 2020 11:26 AM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

I've attempted frozen peas (and corn, pre mixed). My challenges with that, as well as a therapeutic soft ice pack, is that i cannot seem to get them flat enough prior to freezing for the MBP to lie flat on. And alone, they are SLICK, and the MBP keeps sliding off.

I could see about wrapping the bag of peas in a thin dry cloth.

And i can see what i can do about sucking more air out of the bag. I've several 'linen' decorated hand towels from decades ago. Although I did like the idea of my 'puter wearing a black or red bandana!

Thank mew again for the tips.

(=^..^=)

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Answer 7

Sep 6, 2020 5:44 PM in response to Shadowcat1953

Your MacBook Pro measures the temperatures of various components inside the chassis, and adjusts the speed of the fans several times a second based on those measurements. If more temperature reduction is needed, the fan speeds are increased. If this system fails, the fail-safe hardware runs the fans at maximum by default. If the internal temperatures approach 100 degrees C/212 F (the boiling point of water) it will do an emergency power-off.

You should provide a nice iced drink for yourself, and know that your MacBook Pro can take the heat.

What it can not survive is anything that pulls moisture in the side air intakes, or allows it to go for a swim.

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Answer 8

Sep 7, 2020 10:42 AM in response to Shadowcat1953

When we take a cooler somewhere, we skip free ice and use sealed re-freezable cooler-packs that we freeze overnight, and they stay cold through the next day.

If you want to "Ice" your computer, using freezer packs those would be a safer option -- in dry climates, the packs would not sweat and so no water would form.

Also, do not underestimate the power of frozen peas in a bag. [They are also good for soothing injured joints.]

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Answer 9

Sep 6, 2020 4:33 PM in response to Shadowcat1953

I would not advise putting a computer on a wet towel.

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Answer 10

Sep 7, 2020 9:29 AM in response to Shadowcat1953

Youtube stream is fine.

Crackling MUST have something to do with Wifi transmission. Although some other things do also slow down some.

Thank mew to all for the input.

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MacBook Pro (Circa 2012), cooling, and ice

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