Is it normal for an old 15" MacBook Pro to be hot on its left side?

mende1 wrote:

Apple normally separates the parts of a MacBook that generates more heat, the processor and the graphic card, and puts them in different places. That's the reason why you may be noticing that the left part is hot. Anyway, I recommend you to check the temperature of the computer, using iStat Menus

Do you know what is on the left side without opening the old working MBP up? It can't be the battery since it is warm and removed right now. Also, is there a free iStat one since it is only a two weeks trial?

SwankPeRFection wrote:

antdude wrote:

Do you know what is on the left side without opening the old working MBP up? It can't be the battery since it is warm and removed right now. Also, is there a free iStat one since it is only a two weeks trial?

If it's a unibody Mac from late 2008, then the left hand side towards the top is where the primary fan is for the CPU/Video Card/Main Chipset is. This part can get hot if you are running something that's pegging your CPU or is graphic intensive (game, video encoding, etc.)

On the bottom towards the left hand side where your wrist is, is the connection for the battery. If it's getting hot at this lower left hand side, maybe it could be a failing battery.

Take a look at this page for the teardown of the late 2008 MBP 15". http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/MacBook+Pro+15-Inch+Unibody+Teardown/590/1

If your MBP is an early 2008 model, look at this page. http://www.ifixit.com/Device/MacBook_Pro_15%22_Core_2_Duo_Models_A1226_and_A1260

According to http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/specs/macbook-pro-core-2-duo-2 .4-15-early-2008-penryn-specs.html on the model, it is the early one. If so, then it seems like it is the video card that is getting hot as shown in http://guide-images.ifixit.net/igi/CRBYPZtYRqpWYY4O.large and
http://guide-images.ifixit.net/igi/WjeLRQjL3niKFSjB.huge ... Where does the fan blow hot air out of from this MBP though?

SwankPeRFection wrote:

Out the back between the screen hinge and the body of the mac. There are openings back there. Of course, if the fan is bad, it'll get really really hot and won't cool down. Too much of that and it'll fail. You could always use those guides to help you open and clean out the fans if they are in working order. Just be careful doing so and only use canned air to blow out all the dust you see. No liquid cleaners.

OK, I will look again later. Hopefully, the fans still spin and won't require to open this 4.5 years old MBP. I assume iStat Menus tool will tell show the fans' RPMs too.

mende1 wrote:

iStat Pro was discontinued, but still works. You can download iStat Pro > http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/20364/istat-pro

With this app, you will see what's the part that gets hot

http://i.imgur.com/V1FFh3k.gif for the screen shots/captures after 15 minutes and 50 minutes of uptime (mostly idled and light usages) after MBP was powered off overnight to cool off and rest and turned on a cool morning (finally, a cooler weather!). Note that its old battery was removed last night to see if it was causing the heat. Fans seem to still spin. I found the vents and can hear the fans if I put my head very close to them.

Also, I think it is the screen saver since it was running Flurry screen saver and then display sleep for 15 minutes of being idled. However, is it still supposed to be this hot?

mende1 wrote:

It's worrying that temperature, and I recommend you to take the Mac to an Apple Store or reseller before your Mac gets damaged. Also, the fans aren't running at a high speed, considering the enormous temperature, so that indicates a hardware problem. Make a backup of your data before taking the Mac in

Even if the warranties expired long ago? Maybe I should run that tool to manually increase fan speeds?

Maybe it is time for a new MBP since it is about 4.5 years old. Other parts are broken too like its optical disc drive, battery not lasting longer than several minutes, etc. 😉

As for backups, they are done weekly with Time Machine to an external HDD.

FYI, the hot spot is in the top left corner on the speakers near the keyboard.

stedman1 wrote:

I can only assume those temperatures are in Farenheit, Yes?

Correct.