[ghostgrrl]

I've got a 12" AlBook on order (1.5 gHz, SuperDrive with the upgraded 100gb hard drive) and am doing some research on what external monitor to buy for this particular PowerBook given its tendency to run hot as it is. I wanted a monitor between 20"-24", but am afraid that using such a big display might cause it to run too hot. Don't really want the fan to kick in every three seconds! Am I better off going with a 17"? I would gladly trade off some screen real estate, if it meant that it would prolong the life of the PowerBook by going with a display that won't add to the heat issue. I'd like to know what 12" owners out there are using: brand, size, clarity and brightness of screen, etc. Would be interested in both positive and negative experiences so I have an idea as to what to buy as well as what to stay away from. All feedback would be much appreciated.

[maxintosh]

The heat will depend on resolution & demand, not the physical size of the monitor. Either way, don't worry about it. The computer is designed to take the heat, that's what the fans are for. It's not going to shorten its life appreciably, and if it does, it's Apple's fault. LCDs are cheap these days, esp. 17" and 19" ones. All the generic name brands use LCDs from bigger manufacturers like Samsung and LG.

[groovn72]

Originally posted by ghostgrrl:
I've got a 12" AlBook on order (1.5 gHz, SuperDrive with the upgraded 100gb hard drive) and am doing some research on what external monitor to buy for this particular PowerBook given its tendency to run hot as it is. I wanted a monitor between 20"-24", but am afraid that using such a big display might cause it to run too hot. Don't really want the fan to kick in every three seconds! Am I better off going with a 17"? I would gladly trade off some screen real estate, if it meant that it would prolong the life of the PowerBook by going with a display that won't add to the heat issue. I'd like to know what 12" owners out there are using: brand, size, clarity and brightness of screen, etc. Would be interested in both positive and negative experiences so I have an idea as to what to buy as well as what to stay away from. All feedback would be much appreciated.

Hi - I've just returned to Macs (had it less than a full week) so I'm a newbie of sorts. I'm obviously not expert, but I can tell you about my current experiences.

I have the same setup. However, I bought the 20" ACD.

Right now I am running Omniweb, Launcher, Entourage, Temperature Monitor, Drawthings, Konfabulator, Adium and playing songs on iTunes. According to my Konfabulator CPU monitor the CPU is running around 80%. iTunes really kicks it up so I've been connecting my iPod to my multimedia speakers sometimes.

Processor Topside: 117f
Graphics Processor: 132.8f (bad??)
Battery 89.6f
SmartDisk 105f

I'll run the same Apps tomorrow without the external connected and post my results - if that will be of any help. Oh, I also use a iCurve, which helps a little bit with airflow. I've considered getting a little fan to put underneath it but that might be overkill.

Barry

[Keiretsu]

- DELL 2005 FPW
- hp L2335

[TiUser]

I use the DELL 2005FPW and ACD 20" with my REV.C PB 12" at work and home respectively. Both screens are bright and sharp. I love the setup. However, the fan does come on almost continuously. Not really loud, but it is noticeable.

[iREZ]

I use a 17" Samsung SyncMaster with my PB (specs in sig) and the fan only comes on when doing video or playing games. I hardly ever get the fan when working on my Illustrator and photoshop files. I wish I had a 20" screen but 17" aint too bad I guess.

[ghostgrrl]

Barry,

Thanks for all the info! I'd really be interested to know what the differences in temps would be with and without the monitor hookup. It seems from the small sample we have here that the 20 inchers do get the fan to kick in more often whereas iREZ, who has a 17" Samsung reports that his fan kicks in mainly when running video and gaming. I currently have my eye on the ViewSonic VP201s, Samsung SyncMaster 213t, and Apple Cinema displays (ranging between 20"-21"), but now will also look into Dell since a couple of posters here have mentioned it. Where did you buy your ACD? I tried to do a search on it at the usual Mac internet sites and couldn't find it.

Originally posted by groovn72:
Hi - I've just returned to Macs (had it less than a full week) so I'm a newbie of sorts. I'm obviously not expert, but I can tell you about my current experiences.

I have the same setup. However, I bought the 20" ACD.

Right now I am running Omniweb, Launcher, Entourage, Temperature Monitor, Drawthings, Konfabulator, Adium and playing songs on iTunes. According to my Konfabulator CPU monitor the CPU is running around 80%. iTunes really kicks it up so I've been connecting my iPod to my multimedia speakers sometimes.

Processor Topside: 117f
Graphics Processor: 132.8f (bad??)
Battery 89.6f
SmartDisk 105f

I'll run the same Apps tomorrow without the external connected and post my results - if that will be of any help. Oh, I also use a iCurve, which helps a little bit with airflow. I've considered getting a little fan to put underneath it but that might be overkill.

Barry

[groovn72]

Originally posted by ghostgrrl:
Barry,

Thanks for all the info! I'd really be interested to know what the differences in temps would be with and without the monitor hookup.

Where did you buy your ACD? I tried to do a search on it at the usual Mac internet sites and couldn't find it.

I bought the ACD at the Apple store. I'm in graduate school so I recieved the student discount. I saved $100.

Same apps running...

Without the monitor:

Processor topside: 115F
Graphics Processor 127F
Battery 87F
Smartdisk 105.8

Note: Processor is running in the high 50's - it was around high 60's-80 something with the monitor connected.

The larger monitor at home is really nice for writing assignments and doing powerpoint presentations - if you work from home you'll really enjoy it. The 12" is ok for writing but the screen is a bit cramped.

Barry

[ghostgrrl]

Originally posted by groovn72:
I bought the ACD at the Apple store. I'm in graduate school so I recieved the student discount. I saved $100.

Same apps running...

Without the monitor:

Processor topside: 115F
Graphics Processor 127F
Battery 87F
Smartdisk 105.8

Note: Processor is running in the high 50's - it was around high 60's-80 something with the monitor connected.

The larger monitor at home is really nice for writing assignments and doing powerpoint presentations - if you work from home you'll really enjoy it. The 12" is ok for writing but the screen is a bit cramped.

Barry

Wow, I thought there would be a lot more disparity in the temps without the monitor, but I guess not. Makes me feel a little better. Oh, and didn't realize that ACD was an acronym for the Apple display (duh! and you thought you were a newbie!) Thought it was a manufacturer's name... Am kind of leaning towards that model because I would get a nifty corporate discount... Still want to look into the Dell, though before I make the leap.

[Simon]

Originally posted by ghostgrrl:
Wow, I thought there would be a lot more disparity in the temps without the monitor, but I guess not.

I'm pretty amazed as well about that fact. On the rev B 12" I have here, using an external 20" ACD makes the temperature go from 46C/115F to 49C/120F. That may not sound like a lot, but it's a crucial difference because it means in one case there's silence and in the other fan noise (even when idling).

[iREZ]

I haven't tried this myself, but if the fan noise would drive you up the walll you could try running your machine on Automatic mode. I know this stops the 15" and 17" to stop the fan noise, maybe this could stop the fan noise while connected to a display. Probably not a sure fix, but worth a shot.

[Simon]

Originally posted by iREZ:
I haven't tried this myself, but if the fan noise would drive you up the walll you could try running your machine on Automatic mode. I know this stops the 15" and 17" to stop the fan noise, maybe this could stop the fan noise while connected to a display. Probably not a sure fix, but worth a shot.

Good idea.

I've tried different energy settings on the rev B 12" myself. Unfortunately, as long as the 20" ACD is connected, I see no real change in temperature when I go from auto to reduced and therefor fan noise is still the same. OTOH the PowerBook indeed feels snappier (GUI response) when running in high rather than in auto, but this is at the expense of running at around 52C/126F with considerable fan noise.

What I find strange, is that there seems to be a difference when I run a 21" Eizo TFT at the office compared to my 20" ACD at home. The Eizo is running at 1600x1200, so on this screen the PowerBook actually has to display more pixels, but the temperature seems to be lower and thus fan noise is less annoying. Now, it could be that my office is a degree or so cooler than my study at home, but there's certainly no big difference in room temperature. The only other difference I can think of is that the Eizo is 4:3 while the ACD is 16:10 and I guess this could have an influence on the GPU load - however I doubt that a change of ratio has more influence on GPU load/temperature than 9% more pixels.

[biposto]

Do you people run the pb with the lid closed?
Maybe it stays cooler if you leave it open?

[Simon]

Originally posted by biposto:
Do you people run the pb with the lid closed?
Maybe it stays cooler if you leave it open?

I've tried it. Didn't even lower the temperature by one single degree.

[Agent69]

Personally, I would go with the 20" ACD.

[iREZ]

Yeah, I gotta agree that the 20" ACD is a gorgeous compliment to the 12" PB, fan noise or not.

[Simon]

Originally posted by iREZ:
Yeah, I gotta agree that the 20" ACD is a gorgeous compliment to the 12" PB, fan noise or not.

Hell yeah.

[maxintosh]

I got my Rev D. 12" PB today and hooked it up to an Acer 17" LCD. The fan is on but it's extremely quiet... I have to practically put my ear next to it to hear it. I'm happy about that Awesome machine!!!

[ghostgrrl]

Is a 12" AlBook's 64mb of VRAM enough in making an ACD 23" (or any display above 21") a viable choice?