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Page14 · Oct 14, 2011, 02:10 PM

I bought my 15" MacBook Pro new maybe 4.5 years ago. I bought the last battery for it maybe 5 to 6 months ago. I have a feeling it might be on its way out, and am curious to know what some of you think.

My computer warms up very quickly. It gets so hot that I can't keep it on my lap without some kind of barrier between the laptop and my legs. Is this normal?

One thing I know isn't normal is that I need to keep my laptop plugged in to an AC adapter in order to keep it running. If I disconnect the adapter and run solely on battery power, it shuts down almost immediately ... even though the battery indicator at the top of the screen shows that it is still 90-something% charged. (And again, the battery is only 1/2 year old at the most).

So do you think it's simply time for a new computer? Is this normal for something as old as this?

Thanks.

P.S. If it helps, these are the computer's specs:

Model Name: MacBook Pro 15"
Model Identifier: MacBookPro2,2
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.33 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache (per processor): 4 MB
Memory: 2 GB

Waragainstsleep · Oct 15, 2011, 05:44 AM

Firstly it sounds like the battery is knackered. If its an Apple one its under warranty if you can find the receipt so I'd take it in and get it replaced.

MacBook pros always did run hot, some hotter than others and some got hotter with age. Is the heat focussed near the back or is the battery getting hot?
You have to be careful not to pull the plug but try running with the battery removed. Earlier MBPs always ran a few degrees cooler with the battery bay empty.

Page14 · 12:23 PM

Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep

Firstly it sounds like the battery is knackered. If its an Apple one its under warranty if you can find the receipt so I'd take it in and get it replaced.

MacBook pros always did run hot, some hotter than others and some got hotter with age. Is the heat focussed near the back or is the battery getting hot?
You have to be careful not to pull the plug but try running with the battery removed. Earlier MBPs always ran a few degrees cooler with the battery bay empty.

Thank you very much for the response!

I would say the heat is more focussed near the back. The battery area gets warm too, but not as bad as near the back. It seems to start making a lot of noise and heating up depending on what I'm doing at the time. Playing a video online or if I'm visiting a website with lots of animations or graphics going on seem to help the problem.

My memory is pretty bad (talking about me now and not the computer :-) ) as I found the battery receipt. If it's a battery problem and if it has a 1-year warranty, I may be out of luck as the receipt is just over a year old being dated 10/07/2010. Grrr.

I removed the battery as you suggested and am now running on only AC power. We'll see how it goes.

Thank you again for your help. It is appreciated.

*****
Update since originally posting this message:
I called the Apple store where I bought my latest battery. The person on the phone told me that there is no warranty on the battery ... that the only warranty available is on the computer itself.

Waragainstsleep · Oct 16, 2011, 06:28 AM

Take the battery to Apple anyway, they won't usually begrudge you a week or so.

Page14 · Oct 16, 2011, 07:02 AM

I can try, but that's easier said than done as the store where I bought the battery is an hour and a half drive away from me. It's not really an Apple store, but they do sell and service Apple products there. The nearest "official" Apple store to me is about a 2 hour drive away. Hopefully I can get to either place soon. Until then, I'll just have to deal with it.

SierraDragon · 10:02 AM

Originally Posted by Page14

I bought my 15" MacBook Pro new maybe 4.5 years ago. So do you think it's simply time for a new computer?

• I own the same MBP and upgraded to 2011 MBP a few months ago. The answer to your first question is YES, it is time for a new computer. The Sandy Bridge Macs rock; for sure get one with an SSD, only +$100 on the top MBPs.

Is this normal for something as old as this?

• "Normal" is something only you can define for your box your usages. If the same apps and operation now result in higher heat, that is not normal. However some portion of each batch of top laptops have since the G3s (hottest of the bunch IMO) always run hot such as you describe. The nature of shoehorning top performance into a laptop.

In any event the box has exceeded normal useful life. It may last for 5 more years or 5 more minutes. Perfect compliance with a comprehensive backup plan is essential because it may literally brick at any time, and you do not want to have to spend a bunch of money just to get data off a fully depreciated box. Do not do any OS or app upgrading until after backup is perfect.

The good news is now is a great time to buy a MBP. And a speed bump is imminent, so if the box lasts that long you can save a few bucks on 2011 refurbs or on the unbumped MBPs if you like. I do suggest only 2011 Macs, however. The Sandy Bridge Thunderbolt boxes are far superior to 2010 and earlier models, moreso than the price differentials represent.

HTH

-Allen

P · Oct 17, 2011, 06:18 AM

Originally Posted by SierraDragon

The good news is now is a great time to buy a MBP. And a speed bump is imminent, so if the box lasts that long you can save a few bucks on 2011 refurbs or on the unbumped MBPs if you like. I do suggest only 2011 Macs, however. The Sandy Bridge Thunderbolt boxes are far superior to 2010 and earlier models, moreso than the price differentials represent.

HTH

-Allen

Where did you see that a speed bump is imminent?

Sandy Bridge has completely changed the performance situation in the entire industry. The low end laptop duals have more than enough power for all but the most demanding tasks and the boost from last year's Arrandale is very large. On the iMacs, Lynnfield (last year's quads) still puts up a good show, but for the MBP, the world can be divided in two groups: Sandy Bridge, and Old Stuff.

Waragainstsleep · Oct 17, 2011, 08:11 AM

I saw reports of new part numbers too. I think it was Macrumors or 9to5mac.

SierraDragon · Oct 17, 2011, 09:35 AM

Originally Posted by P

Where did you see that a speed bump is imminent?

One article is at

New MacBook Pros appear in Apple inventory system | Electronista

-Allen

Page14 · Oct 17, 2011, 09:33 PM

Originally Posted by SierraDragon

• I own the same MBP and upgraded to 2011 MBP a few months ago. The answer to your first question is YES, it is time for a new computer. The Sandy Bridge Macs rock; for sure get one with an SSD, only +$100 on the top MBPs.

• "Normal" is something only you can define for your box your usages. If the same apps and operation now result in higher heat, that is not normal. However some portion of each batch of top laptops have since the G3s (hottest of the bunch IMO) always run hot such as you describe. The nature of shoehorning top performance into a laptop.

In any event the box has exceeded normal useful life. It may last for 5 more years or 5 more minutes. Perfect compliance with a comprehensive backup plan is essential because it may literally brick at any time, and you do not want to have to spend a bunch of money just to get data off a fully depreciated box. Do not do any OS or app upgrading until after backup is perfect.

The good news is now is a great time to buy a MBP. And a speed bump is imminent, so if the box lasts that long you can save a few bucks on 2011 refurbs or on the unbumped MBPs if you like. I do suggest only 2011 Macs, however. The Sandy Bridge Thunderbolt boxes are far superior to 2010 and earlier models, moreso than the price differentials represent.

HTH

-Allen

Thank you for all of the info and advice. I'm going to print out your suggestions and bring them with me for whenever I can get to an Apple store ... hopefully by the end of the week. I think I'm due.