Macbook pro as main desktop (heat issues?)

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usualpulp

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Oct 7, 2001
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I bought a mbp when they released the santa rosa's and i've used it mostly as a laptop, but i'm trying to shift to using it as a main machine which means it gets left on for extended periods sometimes.

sometimes when its been left on for 1-2days it will freeze up. i've already been using smc fan control to control the heat, but is it likely that the laptop is overheating and just shouldnt be left on for 1+ days?

if so, i may end up buying a mini or imac to go with this notebook.
 
usualpulp said:
I bought a mbp when they released the santa rosa's and i've used it mostly as a laptop, but i'm trying to shift to using it as a main machine which means it gets left on for extended periods sometimes.

sometimes when its been left on for 1-2days it will freeze up. i've already been using smc fan control to control the heat, but is it likely that the laptop is overheating and just shouldnt be left on for 1+ days?

if so, i may end up buying a mini or imac to go with this notebook.
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I leave mine on all the time. In fact, it is almost never off. (I do restart it alot however, to go from windows (I'm addicted to CS:S :() to OS X or vice versa) It's even asleep, not off, when I travel from class to class.

It mainly sits on my desk though, as I only use it 3 times a week for classes, and thats only about 3 hours a day.

However, you won't be disappointed by an iMac as your desktop.
 
4b5eN+EE said:
I leave mine on all the time. In fact, it is almost never off. (I do restart it alot however, to go from windows (I'm addicted to CS:S :() to OS X or vice versa) It's even asleep, not off, when I travel from class to class.

It mainly sits on my desk though, as I only use it 3 times a week for classes, and thats only about 3 hours a day.

However, you won't be disappointed by an iMac as your desktop.
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hmm, wonder what causes the random freezes then. doesn't happen all the time just every so often, like tonight after it had been on 2 days ( and sleeps over night)
 
A system shouldnt freeze or lock up, regardless of what system its running. Something could be broken or perhaps faulty software configs. You can always see if its the same thing for both Windows and OS X. If it doesnt freeze under one system a simple format could be the thing to do.
 
bahula03 said:
what, exactly, does it do when it stops working?
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from what i've noticed when it does lockup it's usually when it's been on for a little while and it's sitting on screen saver. this used to happen all the time when i ran it with the lid closed using external lcd/kb and mouse. when i started running it lid open i stopped having as many problems.

also, when i rebooted after the freeze up last night, system temp was 70c. i've run permission repair, and checked for all software updates. (this is the first freeze ive had since installing leopard on launch day)
 
I'd take it in to get it checked out. That's not normal at all. I too bought a mbp when the santa rosa chipset was introduced and mine rarely gets shut off. I use it 10+ hours a day for work and then when I leave for the day I rarely shut it down, I usually just close the lid and let it go to sleep. There have been many many times it's gone for weeks without a reboot ( and no lock ups). The only time heat will be an issue is if you were to leave it crunching something (several videos, etc) for a couple days straight, even then it shouldn't lock up. Take it in before the warranty is up.
 
try removing smc fan control and see what (if any) difference that makes, and if it makes no difference then I agree that you should take it into apple and have it checked out.
 
supergper said:
I'd take it in to get it checked out. That's not normal at all. I too bought a mbp when the santa rosa chipset was introduced and mine rarely gets shut off. I use it 10+ hours a day for work and then when I leave for the day I rarely shut it down, I usually just close the lid and let it go to sleep. There have been many many times it's gone for weeks without a reboot ( and no lock ups). The only time heat will be an issue is if you were to leave it crunching something (several videos, etc) for a couple days straight, even then it shouldn't lock up. Take it in before the warranty is up.
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yeah, i'd been thinking of taking it in (and going ahead and buying apple care for it) for a while. Probably take it in next week. The machine used to lockup frequently or not wake from sleep when i ran it with the lid closed. so far with the lid open i haven't had that many issues with it. but this is starting to indicate a heat problem to me, which would mean something could be loose or not coated properly with compound.

just hope if it needs repair it can be done without being sent out
 
bahula03 said:
try removing smc fan control and see what (if any) difference that makes, and if it makes no difference then I agree that you should take it into apple and have it checked out.
Click to expand...


ive got smc set to 4k rpm on ac power and 3k on battery. last night after it froze up ( on my marine aquarium screen saver) i rebooted and the system started up at 70c which is higher than usual so i cranked the fans to 5k rpm's and it came down to 50c after 4-5min

and again this was the first real problem i've had since i stopped running the laptop with the lid closed.
 
usualpulp said:
yeah, i'd been thinking of taking it in (and going ahead and buying apple care for it) for a while. Probably take it in next week. The machine used to lockup frequently or not wake from sleep when i ran it with the lid closed. so far with the lid open i haven't had that many issues with it. but this is starting to indicate a heat problem to me, which would mean something could be loose or not coated properly with compound.

just hope if it needs repair it can be done without being sent out
Click to expand...

from my experience if it has to be sent out, it's usually just about as quick as if they do it in the store.
 
Sounds like your heatsink might be loose on your cpu, I seem to remember reading something about some mbp's being sent out without properly mounted heatsinks.

Also, what is your laptop sitting on top of? when its running for that long I hope you are not leaving it on any kind of bedsheet, carpet and/or couch, because I know even my laptop heats up like crazy when I leave it on some surface which retains heat well.

But for the most part, it sounds like your cpu heatsink might not be seated properly.


I have to snicker though... macbook freezing? sounds alot like a pc hahaha.

...sorry

I hope your problems get solved!
 
Black-Tom said:
Sounds like your heatsink might be loose on your cpu, I seem to remember reading something about some mbp's being sent out without properly mounted heatsinks.

Also, what is your laptop sitting on top of? when its running for that long I hope you are not leaving it on any kind of bedsheet, carpet and/or couch, because I know even my laptop heats up like crazy when I leave it on some surface which retains heat well.

But for the most part, it sounds like your cpu heatsink might not be seated properly.


I have to snicker though... macbook freezing? sounds alot like a pc hahaha.

...sorry

I hope your problems get solved!
Click to expand...


it sits on a laptop stand, gets good airflow under it.

while i still can't rule out heat and will take this in to have the heatsink,etc checked this week i remembered there was a known issue with macbooks/pro's running external lcd's that causes system freezes. (i run external lcd/mouse/kb )

either way i'm getting the heat part checked out, the laptop should never hit 70c sitting idle on screensaver with no major apps running.
 
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