mariyaa

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.

miketoy

Nice to hear about your cooler MBP.

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

idialman

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

miketoy

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.

idialman

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.

mariyaa

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

miketoy

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.

idialman

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?

mariyaa

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.

idialman

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