New 2011 MacBook Pro Heating Issue?

"Novel" also says (1) Sustained high temp = ultra metric that needs to be monitored if there is any concern with heavy lifting; (2) Check what u measure against Intel temp specs; and, (3) fan noise *****, but fans do good things.

Finally, what the "novel" didn't address is: thermal grease purpose is to improving cooling. If your temps are within chip vendor specs, then don't worry (too much) about the grease.

How do I check the temp and fan speed of my new 2011 Mcbook Pro 15" 2.2 ghz?

Thanks,
Ken

download smcfancontrol or istat pro widget if u want a more detailed view, both free.

let us know what your results are eg. idle/load fan speeds/cpu temp with your ambient temps.

I am trying to narrow down whether I have a potentially bad sensor in my new 2011 MacBook Pro 2.0 ghz i7 8 gb ram model. Otherwise, the fans are just significantly louder on the new MBP due to the quad core chip. I am getting regular rpm levels of 4500 RPM with the CPU at 75c on the regular. That is with a fairly heavy load session of Pro Tools 9 open and a couple of tabs of Firefox usually. The fans have even topped at 6200 RPM and the CPU at 90c. I know it can run hot, but man the fans are way loud now! Also they are very sensitive on my model. Just a bit of heavy load they kick on like a jet engine.

When just working in Word and a browser the speeds remain at 2000 RPM and 40c CPU.

Am I to assume this is a stable machine and the fan noise is something I have to deal with? If so, a return is most likely in store. I ran hardware test and so did the Apple Genius guy today and all was good. He also mentioned he had the same model and noticed a significant boost in level of the fans in the new MBPs.

E

Am I to assume this is a stable machine and the fan noise is something I have to deal with?

Yes. From what you say, it's clear that the fans are doing what they need to do to cool your machine, and the temps are well under control. If you don't want fans, buy a less powerful computer. Heat comes with power.

FWIW, I did a quick review of a couple of representative Intel SandyBridge CPU specs (there are many variants), and (unless I read them incorrectly), the specs show a maximum CPU temp limit on the order of 100C - which is somewhat higher than I had expected. But facts is facts. I'm generalizing here, but if the 100C number is indeed a reliable number that applies across the family, then a CPU operating temp of 40C to say....90C would not be particularly noteworthy. However, fans are a necessary part of an overall system that some may see as evil noisemakers.

Remember they keep the machine from becoming a barbecue implement....or an expensive door stop.

Obviously I am aware that with a more powerful system comes more heat, thus more fan work. However, I was worried, and still potentially am, that the sensor may be the issue due to the fact that it is quite sensitive in when it chooses to jump in speed so excessively. I also can run the same heavy load Pro Tools sessions on a Mac Mini 2.0 ghz core 2 due and have no issues with the fans ramping up to protect the CPU. So that's why I am wondering why the i7 in the new MBPs is so adamant on ramping up the fan speeds. Obviously the i7 kills the mac mini and this is a beast of a laptop, however doing sound editing requires quiet environment, thus the laptop may be returned.

Message was edited by: nave128

Evidently the Mini is the right machine for you, if the fan noise that comes with the quad i7 is unacceptable. There is no indication whatsoever that anything is wrong with your MBP.

Quite the limited outlook you have there. The macmini is obiously a far more limited cpu. It produces way more errors in pro tools and is obviously overall slower. But the i7 running sessions that dont strain the mini still ramp up the fans.

You have a very simple choice to make: you can get your work done fast, generating enough heat to require a significant amount of fan activity and noise, or you can get it done more slowly and quietly. It makes no difference to any of us which option you choose, but that's the choice you have to make.

I just wanted to make sure I don't have a lemon. I mean now I am looking at fan speeds of 6200 rpm and a near 90c cpu while working. So the 6000+ rpm on the fans don't seem to be killing the 80-90c temps. That's all. Why loud fans and heat?

I have a 13" i5. was watching preseason baseball today and noticed the heat when i picked up my MBP. With the heat and fan problem people are talking about if you are not plugged in and this is going on anyone notice their battery life just plumet? My battery life is taken down to 1 hour of usage then its dead if the fan is running at full speed. only app open is Safari and streaming from MLB CPU only a quarter used, didn't look at the temp. I have to say though this machine is quiet compared to the "Wind Tunnel" PowerMac G4 if you have ever experianced one of those cooling down. I am still in the return window and may be taking it back for a Kernel Panic issue i am having every night at 8PM

I too am interested in the 2.2 15 inch for music and for the same reasons I am dubious about getting one, if my 2.4 core 2 can run ableton at 64 c 3500rmp fans aprox then Id expect to be able to run the same track at noticeably less than this with a computer 4 years faster than mine.

If Im doing something REALLY intensive then I expect fan noise and hi temps of course, I guess what ppl like nave and myself want is to be able to select a compromise of power to silence rather than the software going 'ive got 4 cores here, lets crank them to 10' even if only a fraction of that power is needed.

Basically I want the fastest and most efficient machine possible so I can under clock the cpu until I am doing something that really needs it. This is what Turbo mode is supposed to do, maybe its not doing it well enough?

Your fans are stabilizing the CPU/GPU temperatures at 80-90°, a perfectly safe temperature for them. If the fans weren't doing that, the temps would skyrocket, and the machine would very quickly shut down for its own protection. I'm not talking about ten minutes or twenty minutes, I'm talking about one minute or less.

You have to understand that those four processor cores and that powerhouse GPU are generating a whale of a lot of heat doing your work as fast as they do, and fan noise is the price you pay for their speed. You may choose not to pay it, but if you do, you'll have to give up the speed. You can't have the power of a quad i7 in the slim package of a MBP and not need fans spinning at a high rate of speed to move enough cooling air through it when the machine is working hard.

Perhaps some folks should have simply settled with a new MacBook, as it appears that their computing needs may be far below the capability of a the CPU in their new MBP ??

What seems to be the case relative to the new MBP is that there is a certain amount of heat (and consequent required level of fan activity) associated with the Intel SandyBridge CPU architecture, whether or not there is a heavy CPU load. So, even when it's "coasting" the fans need to turn pretty fast. Slowing down the fans is probably not an option.

Also, it appears (based on what I've read on this thread) that some users may be waaaaay over-estimating the CPU requirements of their apps. So, they may be throwing a big Mack Truck at a roller-skate job. Unfortunately, a Mack Truck will still make a lot of noise and burn a lot of fuel, even when there is nothing in the truck bed.

^^^^

BTW...In the Intel SandyBridge CPU technical specs (which run approx. a couple of hundred pages) the subject of temperature control, to include fan speed control, etc. is part and parcel, and appear in multiple locations throughout. Temp sensor functions and fan control outputs are built into the chip. So, thermal management is a really big deal. It's a very sophisticated and complex chip that was released only a few months ago, though. Like the new MBP it's a very new puppy; consequently there isn't a long history of user experience. Sorta like the new MBP.....

Now, if Apple wasn't so darned secretive about their new product introductions, maybe they would have conducted a more vigorous public beta (soliciting some user reactions) BEFORE they released the final MBP configuration. Generating drama is good for sales, but it can make for insularity.