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Convert · Jul 14, 2006, 04:37 AM

I purchased a MBP in June 06 which ran fine but reported (through CoreDuoTemp) processor temps as high as 180° under full load. Aside from occasionally being too hot to use on my lap the MPB was an awesome performer and I was very happy with it. Well a couple of days ago I left it on a plane, and by the time I realized it wasn't in my bag the plane was on its way to Cabo San Lucas, my MBP apparently under new ownership as it has not been turned in.

Yes, I am an idiot and you should pity me.

So, today I went to the Apple store and bought a new one and restored my SuperDuper disc clone flawlessly back to the new MPB, losing only 2 days of production

Maybe I'm not a TOTAL idiot.

The odd thing is, the new one is a week 16 build, whereas my old one was week 24. And here's the really odd thing: the new (older) MBP never gets above 135°. I tested it by running two "yes > /dev/null" processes, pegging the processor at 100%, running at 2.17 GHZ for over 5 minutes. During my test, CoreDuoTemp never showed a temp over 135°, nor did the case get too hot for my lap! The fans did kick in but were never at a bothersome level. The CPU never throttled back at all.

My theory is that this MBP has had some rework TLC from Apple - maybe the thermal paste thing or some adjustment of how the fans kick in? In any case it is a nice consolation prize that my replacement MBP runs so much cooler.

memory-minus · Jul 14, 2006, 07:04 AM

Nice to hear about your cooler MBP.

Also nice to hear someone around here actually backs up their data. Kudos!

mduell · Jul 14, 2006, 07:15 AM

135F (57C) under full load is unusually cool... I'd expect something closer to 180F (82C).

MickeyZ · Jul 14, 2006, 09:03 AM

It's not that unusal if the fans do the job, I think. I did a similar test on my MBP (W8612) using "yes > /dev/null" in 2 separate terminal windows and let it run for 10-12 mins. During this test I had the Hardware Monitor and CoreDuoTemp showing temperatures that never got above 37-40C. The fans of course kicked in at some stage and the area above F keys could be touched without burning your fingers.

buddy1065 · Jul 14, 2006, 11:12 AM

So I guess it's a matter of luck; the build week does not matter as some may think. It's just a matter of getting one that's built right in the first place. Personally I doubt if Apple did anything special to your week 16 build. Congrats on your new purchase and you have my sympathies on your loss, but all in all I think things worked out for the best.

mduell · Jul 14, 2006, 05:48 PM

Originally Posted by MickeyZ

It's not that unusal if the fans do the job, I think. I did a similar test on my MBP (W8612) using "yes > /dev/null" in 2 separate terminal windows and let it run for 10-12 mins. During this test I had the Hardware Monitor and CoreDuoTemp showing temperatures that never got above 37-40C. The fans of course kicked in at some stage and the area above F keys could be touched without burning your fingers.

Unless the room you were in was sub-zero, I'd guess there is something wrong with your thermocouple; 40C for a Core Duo laptop under full load is unheard of.

jasonyc · Jul 15, 2006, 03:45 AM

A happier ending would've been if you didn't have to spend $2500 to fix the heat issue.

Glad it worked out for the better for you, though.

Have you noticed any other issues with the new model? CPU whine, LCD monitor whine, etc?

Convert · Jul 15, 2006, 09:30 AM

I haven't noticed any whining except my own. The build quality of both MBPs was excellent, this one just runs a LOT cooler.

zign · Jul 15, 2006, 02:56 PM

Originally Posted by MickeyZ

It's not that unusal if the fans do the job, I think. I did a similar test on my MBP (W8612) using "yes > /dev/null" in 2 separate terminal windows and let it run for 10-12 mins. During this test I had the Hardware Monitor and CoreDuoTemp showing temperatures that never got above 37-40C. The fans of course kicked in at some stage and the area above F keys could be touched without burning your fingers.

So when it's idle does it drop below 0 C?! 37C - 40C must be a wrong reading. There is no way a fully loaded coredue can run at 40C. In most cases it's quite cool when idle. The area above the F keys is never burning hot for me, but mine is at 40-44C when idle and at around 70C under 200% load.

Convert · Jul 15, 2006, 09:59 PM

Well today I did a bunch of video work, including some hour-long compressions, and it topped out around 158�, which is still much better than my previous MBP.

Velocity211 · Jul 15, 2006, 10:10 PM

I wonder who the lucky person is that got your MBP.

mrmister · Jul 16, 2006, 11:52 AM

Lucky *asshole*, you mean—they could have done the right thing and returned it.

MickeyZ · Jul 16, 2006, 02:24 PM

So when it's idle does it drop below 0 C?! 37C - 40C must be a wrong reading. There is no way a fully loaded coredue can run at 40C. In most cases it's quite cool when idle. The area above the F keys is never burning hot for me, but mine is at 40-44C when idle and at around 70C under 200% load.

It's of course possible that there might be something wrong with temperature sensors in my MBP. The room temperature during test was around 20C and when idle the Hardware Monitor and CoreDuoTemp were showing 20-22C.

Simon · Jul 16, 2006, 02:35 PM

Sounds like the temp sensors are measuring ambient air temp instead of proc die temp.

mduell · Jul 16, 2006, 09:04 PM

Originally Posted by Simon

Sounds like the temp sensors are measuring ambient air temp instead of proc die temp.

That'd be rather strange, since the temp sensor in Intel chips is built into the CPU, not an external sensor like some other platforms use.

Simon · Jul 17, 2006, 02:38 AM

Originally Posted by mduell

That'd be rather strange, since the temp sensor in Intel chips is built into the CPU, not an external sensor like some other platforms use.

I know! Hence the ->

MacPhly · Aug 3, 2006, 11:14 PM

Originally Posted by Convert

I purchased a MBP in June 06 which ran fine but reported (through CoreDuoTemp) processor temps as high as 180° under full load. Aside from occasionally being too hot to use on my lap the MPB was an awesome performer and I was very happy with it. Well a couple of days ago I left it on a plane, and by the time I realized it wasn't in my bag the plane was on its way to Cabo San Lucas, my MBP apparently under new ownership as it has not been turned in.

Yes, I am an idiot and you should pity me.

So, today I went to the Apple store and bought a new one and restored my SuperDuper disc clone flawlessly back to the new MPB, losing only 2 days of production

Maybe I'm not a TOTAL idiot.

The odd thing is, the new one is a week 16 build, whereas my old one was week 24. And here's the really odd thing: the new (older) MBP never gets above 135°. I tested it by running two "yes > /dev/null" processes, pegging the processor at 100%, running at 2.17 GHZ for over 5 minutes. During my test, CoreDuoTemp never showed a temp over 135°, nor did the case get too hot for my lap! The fans did kick in but were never at a bothersome level. The CPU never throttled back at all.

My theory is that this MBP has had some rework TLC from Apple - maybe the thermal paste thing or some adjustment of how the fans kick in? In any case it is a nice consolation prize that my replacement MBP runs so much cooler.

I'm looking to buy software to clone the HDD in my Macbook so that in case the HDD is messed up, I can just switch the cloned HDD into the Macbook. Can you tell me the brand of the cloning software you used and where can I buy it in the US? Thanks.

Convert · Aug 4, 2006, 12:41 AM

I use SuperDuper, which in fact was super duper in getting me back in business in about 20 minutes. In my case I backed up by cloning my drive to an external firewire drive. SuperDuper makes the backup drive bootable, so when I got my replacement MBP I justed booted from the SuperDuper clone and ran the restore. It literally took around 20 minutes and maybe 3 clicks. The program link is below. Unquestionably the best $30 I've ever spent.

http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDup...scription.html

CincyGamer · Aug 4, 2006, 12:54 AM

Thanks for the laptop!!.. it does work hot, but runs alot better since I reformatted it.. Sorry you cant have it back. Finders keepers , losers weepers.

CincyGamer · Aug 4, 2006, 02:24 AM

i'm just kidding.. but sorry about your luck

MacPhly · Aug 4, 2006, 01:10 PM

Originally Posted by Convert

I use SuperDuper, which in fact was super duper in getting me back in business in about 20 minutes. In my case I backed up by cloning my drive to an external firewire drive. SuperDuper makes the backup drive bootable, so when I got my replacement MBP I justed booted from the SuperDuper clone and ran the restore. It literally took around 20 minutes and maybe 3 clicks. The program link is below. Unquestionably the best $30 I've ever spent.

http://www.shirt-pocket.com/SuperDup...scription.html

Thanks for the quick reply Convert.

Just wondering, does the MBP have something like the Thinkpad where you can password lock the Windows OS, or the HDD so that the laptop finder/thief will be unable to pry into your HDD contents? Or is there any third-party vendor who can supply this feature - anyone?

kw14 · Aug 4, 2006, 04:24 PM

System Preferences-->Security-->Require password to wake from sleep or screen saver...Check.

masugu · Aug 5, 2006, 11:26 AM

I bought a Nike running watch for $80 in the Portland airport/ Thought I was being smart as i did not have to pay sales tax. Then, I left it on the plane.

I bought a new one in CA - and paid tax & more.

Of course this is not a PowerBook issue, but I sympathize with Convert.

Convert · Aug 8, 2006, 04:49 AM

System Preferences / Security / Filevault is an option which encrypts your entire user directory. I tried it once and had some problems with temp files (caches, etc) not being handled correctly so I've turned it off. I am thinking about creating a special "commerce" user account which would run FileVault and using it only for e-commerce transactions.

Originally Posted by MacPhly

Thanks for the quick reply Convert.

Just wondering, does the MBP have something like the Thinkpad where you can password lock the Windows OS, or the HDD so that the laptop finder/thief will be unable to pry into your HDD contents? Or is there any third-party vendor who can supply this feature - anyone?

Convert · Aug 8, 2006, 04:50 AM

It is odd knowing that somewhere out there sits my $3000 laptop on someone elses lap.

Originally Posted by CincyGamer

i'm just kidding.. but sorry about your luck