I have used my 14” M1 Pro with an external Dell 4K monitor in clamshell mode a few times. No heat issues whatsoever. Mostly photo editing and web browsing though, so nothing super intensive. Works great as far as I’m concerned!
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14" + clamshell mode best compromise?
- Thread starter nquinn
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I use my MBP 14" in clamshell mode 80% of my time.
Rarely does it even start the fans and I have it hooked up to 2x Huawei Mateview 4.2K monitors. Honestly I gotta say this is the best possible combo because you just have to remove the thunderbolt cable and off you go to work on the go.
I do have to restart it because I get this weird aspect ratio bug when removing the thunderbolt cable who is hooked up to two monitors to it...
Rarely does it even start the fans and I have it hooked up to 2x Huawei Mateview 4.2K monitors. Honestly I gotta say this is the best possible combo because you just have to remove the thunderbolt cable and off you go to work on the go.
I do have to restart it because I get this weird aspect ratio bug when removing the thunderbolt cable who is hooked up to two monitors to it...
M1 MBA in clamshell mode here 95% of the time. Stood upright in a Twelve South BookArc. Wired keyboard, wireless mouse, and I use Apple's USB-C AV adaptor (HDMI to display, dongle for mouse, power; keyboard is plugged into the MBA direct).
Works great, no overheating. Wake from sleep is fine - just need to tap the keyboard or mouse a few times and it comes back to life.
Obviously the MBA is different to the MBP in terms of thermals, but these machines ARE designed to be used in clamshell mode, as well as open, so I wouldn't worry about it too much.
Works great, no overheating. Wake from sleep is fine - just need to tap the keyboard or mouse a few times and it comes back to life.
Obviously the MBA is different to the MBP in terms of thermals, but these machines ARE designed to be used in clamshell mode, as well as open, so I wouldn't worry about it too much.
Having it opened or closed doesn't affect thermals. It is in fact designed to be used closed and with an external monitor. It pulls air in the sides and pushed out the back there is no venting around the keyboard that closing it would block. The M1 runs very cool open or closed I haven't even had the fans run yet and that's with Final Cut Pro as well.
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There are vents that direct air over the display when its open, those get blocked when the laptop is closed.
The vent still blows on the screen when it's closed there is still an air gap there. The vent of more for cooling the screen when it's in use if the display is shut and off there is no need for cooling. The internals of the computer are still cooled the same way. If you close the display and look under you can see those same vents also come out underneath the computer if the display is closed.
If this where an issue and Macs weren't meant to be used like this I'm pretty sure Apple wouldn't sell accessories that hold the Mac while closed for this purpose.
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Not saying that it can't be used just that for my workflow its much warmer when the clamshell is closed. If you're browsing the web or doing some light workflows I am sure it's fine. Also I am really only talking about the Max and not the Pro
I have a 14" maxed ram and GPU, I always have this open and have my email open on the laptop whilst I work on the bigger monitor. I have occasionally kept if closed and worked in photoshop, illustrator and Indesign and have not had any issues with fan noise. The laptop is on an open sloped raised stand about 10 cm above the desk. No issues with waking from sleep.
Overall so much better than the 2019 Intel that it replaced.
Overall so much better than the 2019 Intel that it replaced.
I did a couple tests with TG pro with it closed and using final cut both render and export it still didn't get hot enough for the fans to kick in.
Yeah, I don’t have an AS MBP, but I know Apple said using even Intel MBP in clamshell isn’t a problem so I can only conclude a cooler running AS MBP would be even less of a problem.
Yeah, I think when closed it’s engineered to redirect the air out the bottom/back of the laptop. It might be a tad less airflow than when it’s open, but if that was a problem at all, I don’t think Apple would officially condone clamshell mode:
“If you use an external keyboard and mouse with your Mac notebook, you can close the built-in display after you connect your external display.”
Connect a display to your Mac - Apple Support
Mac computers support one or more external displays, depending on the Mac model. Here's how to connect an external display.
Exactly this! The vent looks to be split so when the display is closed the hinge will reroute the airflow out the back. When it's open it uses both.Yeah, I don’t have an AS MBP, but I know Apple said using even Intel MBP in clamshell isn’t a problem so I can only conclude a cooler running AS MBP would be even less of a problem.
Yeah, I think when closed it’s engineered to redirect the air out the bottom/back of the laptop. It might be a tad less airflow than when it’s open, but if that was a problem at all, I don’t think Apple would officially condone clamshell mode:
“If you use an external keyboard and mouse with your Mac notebook, you can close the built-in display after you connect your external display.”
Connect a display to your Mac - Apple Support
Mac computers support one or more external displays, depending on the Mac model. Here's how to connect an external display.support.apple.com
I know Apple are sometimes a little odd with their decisions and products (the way the Magic Mouse plugs in to charge, etc), but laptops in general, and MacBooks in particular, are of course designed to be run both open and in clamshell mode. And yes, a MacBook will get warmer in clamshell mode, but that's perfectly within design tolerance. I had a 2019 Lenovo X1 Carbon that was hot enough to fry an egg on when OPEN, and in clamshell mode was like a radiating heater for my office in winter.
Use your MacBook Air/Pro in clamshell mode and don't worry about it.
Use your MacBook Air/Pro in clamshell mode and don't worry about it.