Friday, June 02, 2006

MacBook and MacBook Pro Heat Fixes

I have a wonderful MacBook Pro and I've been able to not let the heat get to me. Here is a couple of tips that I suggest so that the heat doesn't bother you. Some are common sense and others are (hopefully) helpful to you.

  • Try and keep your MB (MacBook)/MBP (MacBook Pro) on a flat surface. The reason you ask? All of the MB/MBP's vents are in the back. To get good airflow you should keep it on a flat surface.
  • The MacBook and MacBook Pro's aren't laptops. Well, according to Apple they aren't. You can look all you want inside the manual but nowhere does it say that the MacBook or MacBook Pro is a laptop. Rather, it says that it is a notebook. What does this mean? Don't put it on your lap otherwise you will feel the burn. (P.S. to all the men reading this. Long, extended periods of notebook usage on your laps will cause a decrease in sperm count.)
  • If you are going to put the notebook on your lap then at least do not put them on any skin. Wear some clothes!
  • On your MacBook check the vent and see if there is a plastic sheet on the vent. There have been reports that some MacBooks (no MBPs as far as I know) have the plastic covering.
  • Try limiting your use of video playback. They get your fans rolling more than Daunte Culpepper.
  • Limit your CPU usage. Common sense: The more programs you have open then the hotter your MacBook or MacBook Pro will get.
  • Put your MB/MBP to sleep whenever you can. This will quickly cool your MB/MBP and an easy fix.
  • The room temperature does affect your MacBook/MacBook Pro. Try and keep your room as cool as possible. If your room is 90 degrees Fahrenheit then it will affect your notebook.
  • If you are a MacBook Pro user, install the SMC firmware update via Software Update. It addresses some fan problems in the MacBook Pro and should help with the heat problems.
If you do these things than you should be just fine and you shouldn't feel the burn all that much. If you have any more hints than post them in the comments.