macbook pro 2011 - severe overheating issues

I have a MBP 2.2Ghz Quad Core i7. It overheats extremely when I do simple things like browse the web and browser iPhoto. It's ridiculous. When I touch the bottom of the MacBook, I can almost burn my fingers. My 13" i7 NEVER did that.

Also I was browsing iPhoto, and had only 1 app (iPhoto) open, and the fan kicked in. I can NEVER remember my 13" i7 doing that. And the 13" i7 NEVER came anything close to how the 15" overheats. Its crazy.

Not only that, but the 15" is much noiser and makes a vacuum noise (unlike the 13" which is dead silent). I Googled these issues, and it seems like everyone is expierancing them.

It's funny how Apple didn't test these products before releasing them (because a BUNCH of people are reporting the HDD noise and the overheating issue).

$2400 for a laptop w/ this crap?

Genius bar won't replace anything - they claim the HDD noise is normal. (at least for now).

The left side of the MacBook pro is the hot side. The right side isn't as hot..

I've had my 13-incher for a little over three months now, and the fan hasn't kicked in even once.

I do think the heat difference probably is related to the quad-core architecture (and lack of it in the 13-inch model).

I love my MacBook Pro!

Google smcfancontrol. Download and install and set your fan minimum speed to a higher value. This'll keep you cooler. BTW it's free.

What's the point of these third party mods?

I want something that is perfect out of the box for $2400. Third party mods and tweak should be applied to old school Microsoft and HP machines, not the "cool" unibody aluminum MacBook Pros.

I am scared to put the MBP 2.2 Quad on my lap because it gets so hot when I just browse the web for 10 mins. It's seriously that hot. Especially the left side of the notebook.

I'd advise a laptop desk. You can get them that are fan-cooled.

From my iBook G4 through two MacBooks, I had to use a small (foldable) laptop desk because the computers were too hot for my lap. I used it in the folded position and elevated so that the Mac got plenty of air under it.

The 13-inch MacBook Pro runs cool enough to use it without the stand — as I did with my iBook G3 (Dual USB).

WOW... a lot of posts here about this issue. I thought I was going crazy having to wear space pants to not be burnt by my MacBook Pro. I have had mine in for service 3 times! He logic board was replaced as a result of an audio issues after an software upgrade. However, when running my MacBook Pro (15' 2011 model), it over heats to the point the fan is running crazy, you can barely touch the bottom top left corner, and if seems as though the device has gotten so hot repeatedly that the buttons and track pad are fading and or melting away a bit. Now I surely use it quiet a bit often hut haven't in a while as it has become so frustrating. My trackpad hardly works and it looks like i have used it and the keys for years and I have had it since the day it came out which I believe was back in Feb. Now there is no way this should be happening, I have had nothing but the best luck with all my apple products, I take it to the "genius" bar and upon convergence they usually wind up sending me home with broken stuff. I have more paperwork and visits in to that place on this and another machine, that frankly I am sick of going there and having them not fix anything. Fans, surfaces, cooling pads and all, this thing is a space heater and I'm beyond upset about it.

Sorry...vent over. The fact of the matter is I spend a lot of money (as we all do) on products that are supposed to be innovative, and ahead of the pack. I could have bought about 6 crappy windows laptops for what I paid for this. I walked in and bought this new MacBook Pro expecting the quality indicative of Apple. Thus far, all I have received is a hot plate? Anyone down for eggs, I can fry em on it?

Oh wunerful wunerful and here I thought it was just a hot summer. Had my brand new, out of the box, ONE week and burned my upper legs using the 2.2 Its July, shorts weather, its a laptop...perfectly innocent.

I downloaded the Bioshock demo. The game is great and does punch the stratosphere in graphics and processing but never warned about first degree burns. I got a hunch a typical thin aluminum body with high end electrical demands is a fire hazard if not a health risk. Apple met its end complying with all standards for electrical safety benchmarks...doesnt mean though they had to meet metal standards for heat variances.

It's a NOTEBOOK not a LAPTOP! Also after installing any large file or running high end graphics you can rest assured that your macbook pro is going to be very hott!! Your only option is to use SMC fan control.

Hi this happened to me too or should i say is still happening. I bought 2 macbook pros 13" i7, one in march and the other in april and they both overheat while using garage band. I took it to the apple store in Lennox Square Mall in atlanta goergia and they game me a new one laptop to replace one of the two i had bought. Well I was glad that i had a new laptop and when i got home and used it, WELL IT DID THE SAME THING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So i thought to myself what the F@#& is up with these machines. Thats 3 laptops all within a 3 month period that do the samething. Because I live 3 hours away from the nearest apple store I cant take them back and If i call the Apple care number they tell me that i dont have their service. These macbooks are still under warranty but I cant get any help for them because of the distance and because apple care wont assist me. Im very very disappointed, not with apple as a company but with macbook pros. I would not recommend them to anyone. Right now im just trying to save some money for an iMac. Another thing is that when I whent up to the apple store I tried playing with one of their display laptops and it did the same thing that my 2 macbook pros where doing, THEY OVERHEAT AND I COULD HEAR THE FANS THEY WHERE LOUD. I told one of the Genious bar employees and he said that he this "I dont care if yours gets fixed all I care mmy macbook pro works fine, I mean mean i care enough to help you because its my job but thats it" then he laugh like it was some kind of joke. DO NOT BUY MACBOOK PROS> or at least untill the new models come out.

For the record, I don't believe I've ever heard my MacBook Pro's fan come on. If it ever has, it was so quiet that I was unaware of it.

THE SAME f ISSUE. Mine is MBP i5 early 2011 + noisy headphonejack (and the fancy fridge-motor-fan nosy sound) I really hope GB will solve my problem. I've read the comments above, but my question is if is possible they give me a new MBP? my applecare stuff is still available...so, have you recive a new notebook when you give them back your meltin' LAPTOP? i can't believe they just pretend to sell you the PANACEA and have this terrible problems with their very very expensive and 'innovating' products...al least are they really compromised with they loyal customers? Give me some hope please... D:

I did not read all 4 pages of replies on this thread however in a nutshell what was the fix? I too have a early 2011 15" Macbook Pro with Apple Care and I have been trying to get it fixed since I received it.

The OS has been reinstalled 6 times over the last 4 months and still shortly after bootup even without doing anything the temp is at or above 100 degrees C. It went to the shop once and the only thing that was working (the optical drive) was replaced and when it returned it stopped working along with the airport, firewire port, mini display port, audio in/out, battery, bluetooth none of which was working on arrival of the purchase.

Last week another cooler fried because this machine is so hot, so now I have it on a industrial cooler and still is over heating, shutting down after using for so many hours. The tests they run at the depot says the hardware is all OK however the logs tell a different story.

This is a music studio and a production computer and its pretty much been worthless since I got a year ago due to the over heating.

It is a Macbook Pro 15" Early 2011 Lion 2.2 i7, 8G RAM, 1G Video RAM, 500 G HD @7200 RPM and it is like I typed at or near 100 degrees C within minutes of booting up.

It is going back to the depot tomorrow but my guess is it will come back in worse shape or nothing will be done leaving me with all the same issues. All the software companies that I purchased software from, expensive software, are having a fit about reactivating my key as they do not believe Apple would make anyone reinstall 6 times so I have to get Apple to talk to the software manufacturers in order for them to reactivate my keys.

I am old school and know that it is not always possible to detect hardware issues by simply doing a hardware test.

Any advice would be helpful. Thanks!

Just a thought but when I ordered my Pro (same year, same specs) Apple recommened 4 gigs ram, not the 8 I wanted. Before I ordered I talked about the over heating issues that were becoming more of a common thread in these discussions. Basically they told me, the more ram, the higher the electrical demand, the greater likelyhood of over heating. Yes the machine is designed for 8 but that doesn't mean it works any better when it comes to heat or fan displacement. Just sayin.

Thank you for the response CaptCanuck! I was told the opposite due to the very intensive processor and memory software I run in the music studio. The software calls for 8G of RAM so that is what I had to get. There is no reason the machine specs should be causing these issues. I am also a computer geek mainly Unix/Linux based but I go back to the dark ages of main frames and computers being in huge special cooling rooms. The computers looked more like old furnaces than what people imagine when they hear the word computer.

The over heating is not the only issue, on boot up alone the load average is at 75 and up. Syslog reports numorous errors mainly all hardware related. Also as stated in the other post these issue have been present since I received it, airport drops off, firewire port drops off, mini display port drops off, audio in/out pulls in local AM radio station when connected to studio equipment however none of my other Mac's have that issue, battery has no life, and bluetooth drops off.

I now also get kernal panics, shutdowns, not enough power to charge my iPhone, 0.0 memory on boot and I now smell electrical smoldering odor coming from it.

The OS has been installed 6 times and I wiped the TM backup external drive so they can not say maybe something was brought over from the backup drive.

I have had to purchase a lot of studio equipment I did not need just to use the machine till I could send it in to be fixed. I had to purchase audio equipment since I wasn't able to use the audio jack's, USA hub since I wasn't able to use Firewire, I am on my 3rd industrial cooler, and the list goes on.

I am just really tired of fighting with Apple and its apparent this is a issue that has been very widely experienced as well as the other issues I listed above. A search for those issues also brings up long threads like this one.

I am guessing there is no quick fix other than gutting it and starting over, its under Apple Care so I hope they will fix it.

Then don't upgrade to mountain lion.