Overheating? laptop turns of when playing 3D games

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Level 1

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Overheating? laptop turns of when playing 3D games

Hi there,

I always found that my MacBook Pro was getting very hot and loud very fast compare to my friends MBPs.
Today I installed Steam and started playing Half Life 2 and Portal.
The MBP get's so hot I would get skin burns through my jeans if I'd have it on there for 1 minute.
I then noticed if I play more than 10 minutes the laptop shuts fully down.

Even if I only use MS word or open up safari and browse on the Apple.com website the fans start kicking in.
Someone told me to download iStats and see the temperatures.

Browsing on Apple.com
Left Fan: 5900rpm
Right Fan: 5900rpm
CPU: 83*
GPU: 64*

If I play a YouTube video
Left Fan: 6200rpm
Right Fan: 6200rpm
CPU: 109*
GPU: 79*

Steam with Portal game:
Left Fan: 6500rpm
Right Fan: 6500rpm
CPU: 121*
GPU: 92*

And after 10 minutes... laptop turns off!
I installed Windows 7, same issue there. Even with low end games on a 1024 resolution, I get about 10 mins play time before it shuts down.

I bought my MacBook Pro in October 2008 with 3 years Apple care. Warranty expires October 2011.
Here are the specs:

Model: MacBookPro5,1
Intel Core 2 Duo 2.8GHz
4GB Ram
320GB HDD 7200rpm
NVidia GeForce 9400M / NVidia GeForce 9600M GT

What can I do? Should I send it to Apple? Or can I somehow open it up and see if it's dusty?

MacBookPro5,1, Mac OS X (10.6.5), 2.8GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GHz Ram, 320GB 7200rpm

Posted on Nov 29, 2010 8:20 PM

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Answer 1

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,624 points

Nov 29, 2010 8:52 PM in response to K.Meier

Where is the computer sitting when it overheats, it should be on a table so it has adequate ventilation.

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Answer 2

K.Meier Author

Level 1

0 points

Nov 29, 2010 8:59 PM in response to rkaufmann87

Yep, it's on my desk and I made sure there's nothing behind it. I also bought one of those cooling stands to put underneath the laptop, doesn't really help.

Maybe there's a lot of dust in it because I've taken the laptop to bed now and then over the past 2 years.
What can I do?

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Answer 3

K.Meier Author

Level 1

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Nov 29, 2010 9:17 PM in response to K.Meier

Oh and I forgot to mention, the fans get so loud when I watch youtube or a movie, I have to turn the volume all the way up but the fans are still very noticeable & annoying!

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Answer 4

eww

Level 9

53,052 points

Nov 30, 2010 5:31 AM in response to K.Meier

Your MBP should shut down when (or before) the CPU temperature reaches 105°C: the upper operating temperature limit for the CPU according to Intel's specifications. For whatever reason, it isn't able to cool itself effectively, and apparently it's also failing to protect itself against overheating by shutting down when it should. Stop using it for these highly CPU-intensive purposes until you've taken it in for service. I suspect its cooling air ducts are full of dust bunnies.

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Answer 5

mirth23

Level 1

5 points

Dec 3, 2010 12:26 PM in response to K.Meier

I've been having a similar problem with my MBP for the last 3 or so months. It's the first model aluminum unibody, 2.8 GHz. If I run a couple CPU-intensive apps at once (which can include iTunes), it'll overheat and sleep within minutes.

I've never had this problem before. I'm not using it differently than I've used it in the past. I'm wondering if it's related to dirt or a recent software update. The machine is extremely well-ventilated.

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Answer 6

sadleb

Level 1

0 points

Dec 4, 2010 2:59 PM in response to mirth23

I have the same exact problem with my aluminim iMac. Nothing changed but suddenly it's constantly overheating and going to sleep. This especially happens when I do anything CPU intensive or if I stream video through my web-browser. I ran the hardware diagnostics and got error code: 4SNS/1/40000000: TpOP-101.734. This *****, I guess I have to have Apple look at this.

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Answer 7

eww

Level 9

53,052 points

Dec 4, 2010 5:31 PM in response to sadleb

Yes, you will need to have it serviced. That error message indicates a faulty sensor.

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Answer 8

mirth23

Level 1

5 points

Dec 7, 2010 12:33 AM in response to K.Meier

Following my post, I took my machine apart to see if dusting it would help. I discovered the battery was bulging quite a bit. I took the machine in to Apple and was given a new battery under warranty. My overheating issues have gone away with the new battery. It might be worth the original poster checking to see if there's a similar battery issue since our machines are about the same age.

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