I really don't understand why Netflix causes temperatures to rise to 180-200F on my 2011 13" i7. Playing the SAME movie as digital copy on my hard drive, or playing it directly from the MBP's DVD player both generate a consistent 122 to 126/F. Isn't the cpu processing the same information, doing the same conversion from compressed files?
It seems that Netflix could develop decompression algorithms that are less cpu intensive.
126ºF is not very hot. Any video playback requires heavy use of the GPU as well as the CPU. But the temp you report isn't abnormal at all. Now if it were around 90ºC (194ºF) then that would be hot.
I think it may also have to do with streaming the movies to your computer and or playing through the browser, silverlight (like flash) can be very cpu intensive.
I agree Kappy....126F is not hot. It is the 180-200F that i mentioned for Netflix that is quite hot.
I agree, TheBeeblebrox. It is the streaming of Netflix that is the culprit.
Apple needs to somehow convince Netflix to do something about the intensive cpu/gpu requirement. Otherwise Apple's shiny new line of MacBook Pros are going to get very hot and cause a lot of Apple Care claims and ultimately impact their bottom line.
Actually only Netflix who can fix that, so report it to them, not to Apple.
Netflix is also a CPU/GPU hog in Windows. It is the silverlight plug-in. You can download smcFanControl for Mac to adjust the RPM of the fan, so if it gets hot you can run it at higher speeds to help cool it down.
Kappy....Apple has an interest in making sure that hugely popular software does not damage it's very expensive hardware.
gatortribe.....I should not have to go through the trouble of adjusting the fan speed every time I want to use a piece of software.
MacBook Pros are high end laptops. This isn't some schlocky Windows based experiment.....these are Macs.
As a side note: I have the very same high temp problems with MPEG Streamclip, Quicktime and GoPro Cineform. I depend on MBPs for work on the road. This overheating problem is very troubling to us at a time when we need to make an investment in a batch of 2011 MBP 15"s. We understand that the 2001 15 and 17s both get unusually hot with cpu intensive apps.
JohnBarrett wrote:
I really don't understand why Netflix causes temperatures to rise to 180-200F on my 2011 13" i7. Playing the SAME movie as digital copy on my hard drive, or playing it directly from the MBP's DVD player both generate a consistent 122 to 126/F. Isn't the cpu processing the same information, doing the same conversion from compressed files?
It seems that Netflix could develop decompression algorithms that are less cpu intensive.
Netflix steaming requires the Microsoft Silverlight installed, it copy protects the stream, likely with some sort of encryption that requires CPU cycles to decode on the fly (or else it would be easy to copy it)
Next if your running a encrypted network like WPA2 with AES, this is also encrypted/decrypted on the fly and more CPU cycles there.
Netflix streaming requires a browser, more CPU cycles.
And finally your 2011 13" MBP has the oh so wonderful Intel HD 3000 integrated graphics exclusively, no discrete video card, which guess what does the graphics?
Yep the CPU. 😀
So you have a quad core monster, but it's CPU and Graphics heat are located on one spot on the motherboard. It's going to be hot, especially after long use in a hot room. Much faster if your blocking the vents somehow.
You can do a couple of things, install the free smcFanControl and set your environmental temperature down below 77º F.
Hope this helps/ 🙂
Apple's hardware is designed to work with and certified to work with Apple software. If there are problems with other hardware or software it is up to their developers to fix the problems. You can argue differently all you want, but that's how it is. If you wish to tell Apple differently I suggest you do so via
Apple Feedback. This is not the forum for such things.
JohnBarrett wrote:
This overheating problem is very troubling to us at a time when we need to make an investment in a batch of 2011 MBP 15"s. We understand that the 2001 15 and 17s both get unusually hot with cpu intensive apps.
Every since the processor thermal wall was hit some time back it's uphill climb to try to increase performance and cut down on the heat.
Intel made the decision to incorporate graphics processing on the CPU, now all their processors come with this function. If it's someone you want to complain too it's them.
If you want to keep the heat down on a 15" MacBook Pro, I suggest you get the 2.2 Ghz or better machines, these have the dedicated 1GB Radeon 6750M graphics card.
Under the System Preferences > Energy is a settling to turn off graphics switching, basically setting the dedicated graphics card as the only graphics processor.
When you do this your seperating the two sources of heat and the machne stays cooler.
ds store....thanks, great info.
However, I'm not about to let Apple off the hook on this one. They are the one's who incorporated the Intel product into the MacBook Pro line. They need to deal with the issue.
JohnBarrett wrote:
ds store....thanks, great info.
However, I'm not about to let Apple off the hook on this one. They are the one's who incorporated the Intel product into the MacBook Pro line. They need to deal with the issue.
There isn't any other choice for high volume, low price, non-integrated graphics processors other than Intel.
There is AMD, but they do the same thing.
A friend of mine has a single core, overclocked, AMD integrated graphics processor Windows 7 machine, it's a hot frigging thing too, he doesn't even want to use it.
So we are stuck. All I can suggest is what I suggested, get a tower next time and you can keep it even cooler with modifications.
Your beating your head against the wall, your only choice is not to buy it.
ds store......Got Mac Pro towers. Need current MacBook pros for the road.....to use demanding video editing and processing software.
Apple needs to figure out how to cool the MBP properly.
I'm as much a fan boy as you.
My first Apple portable was a 5300CS Powebook....my first desktop a Quadra 650. I'm a very loyal Apple user. I don't mind calling them as I see them.
Experiencing the same problem. Just signed up to Netflix this month and have been enjoying it until I started noticing the overheating and the fan kicking in every time I streamed.
It's really disappointing. Had a free trial for the first month with Netflix so just won't be subscribing now as it seems to be a common problem.
😟
Has anyone found a solution? Both my wife and I watch netflix on our MBPs (a few years old). and they both heatup with netflix, her's is a lot worse than mine (mine's about a year or two older).
It does not happen with other video files we watch with VLC, only with netflix streams.
Its not as bad in safari as it is in firefox, but on her computer it is getting way too hot to the touch. I don't want to ruin it.
What can I do?
Why does Netflix Cause Overheating on My 2010 MBP 13 i7?
