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Clamshell Mode discussion [merged]

ksj1 said:
Heat rises...
Click to expand...
For still-standing air, this is true. When there's basically any air movement involved whatsoever (IE, winds, or fans, in this case), convection has basically zero effect. (For a practical example, hot air balloons are gigantic, yet still cannot carry all that much weight.) Even so, it's probably better to keep the laptop with the hot air vent turned upwards, so that warm air cannot amass near/around the casing.
 
SDColorado said:
I think I may pre-order this one. It’s pricey, but I like the look and design and they have put some thought into heat management.

https://hengedocks.com/products/vertical-macbook-pro-2-0
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I used a Henge vertical doc on my 2015 MBP, worked well and the design is really nice. The benefit, of course, is that the footprint is small. The downside that has stopped me using it is that you need to remove the device from the dock and open it to get it started up then close and put it back in the dock. Minor I suppose but a hassle nonetheless if you are doing it often.

The other again minor issue is using the two USB-C at the top assuming you have them.

With the Arcbook stand there is enough room to open it and get it started without removing.
 
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The only thing I've noticed in my 2012 MBP is that it runs warmer in clamshell mode. Now I've never had it in a vertical position and that may indeed change things, but my concern is thermal management. when I push the laptop I feel the heat emanating from the keyboard (not a lot, not burning hot), so that heat will have nowhere to go, at least easily.
 
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LeeW said:
I used a Henge vertical doc on my 2015 MBP, worked well and the design is really nice. The benefit, of course, is that the footprint is small. The downside that has stopped me using it is that you need to remove the device from the dock and open it to get it started up then close and put it back in the dock. Minor I suppose but a hassle nonetheless if you are doing it often.

The other again minor issue is using the two USB-C at the top assuming you have them.

With the Arcbook stand there is enough room to open it and get it started without removing.
Click to expand...

I also use Henge docking station for my 2011. You can avoid having to open/start/close/dock situation by using automatic turn on scheduling. I have mine set to turn on automatically everyday just before my work starts.
 
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To be honest whatever works for you just make sure it's ventilated. If you are hammering the device for hours each day then you may want to be careful with clamshell, without a doubt it will cause more heat. That aluminum casing likes heat and retains it too well once it spreads across the case away from the fans.
 
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That is not a position I would feel comfortable keeping my MBP in. It's form over functionality. The vents are facing the bottom. And what if you wanted to use it as a second monitor? Simply no. I use the Rain Design mStand. It's on a raised platform with the vents upward at an angle. If I feel like I'm doing too much I can always just open the computer. As a bonus the bottom can be used for storage. I used to store my iPad underneath until I got a dedicated stand when I bought a bigger desk. It's an overall superior product in both design and functionality. I would never recommend a vertical stand to anybody.

I mean really....

m123ama.jpg


VS

5394141705_f9830303e4_o.jpg
 
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Royksöpp said:
It's form over functionality.
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No, it's what I want.

Royksöpp said:
And what if you wanted to use it as a second monitor?
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In my case it would be a 3rd monitor, no requirement for that so no need for the MBP to be open.

Royksöpp said:
I use the Rain Design mStand
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I have no space for that and even if I did I wouldn't use the MBP in that position, in fact for me that is unusable, that stand's only real purpose is for viewing the screen. If I did want the device open and I had space it would lay flat on the desk so I could actually use the keyboard comfortably.

I mean really, people are different.
 
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LeeW said:
I used a Henge vertical doc on my 2015 MBP, worked well and the design is really nice. The benefit, of course, is that the footprint is small. The downside that has stopped me using it is that you need to remove the device from the dock and open it to get it started up then close and put it back in the dock. Minor I suppose but a hassle nonetheless if you are doing it often.

The other again minor issue is using the two USB-C at the top assuming you have them.

With the Arcbook stand there is enough room to open it and get it started without removing.
Click to expand...
Wow. Looks really funny that way!
 
LeeW said:
No, it's what I want.



In my case it would be a 3rd monitor, no requirement for that so need for the MBP to be open.



I have no space for that and even if I did I wouldn't use the MBP in that position, in fact for me that is unusable, that stand's only real purpose is for viewing the screen. If I did want the device open and I had space it would lay flat on the desk so I could actually use the keyboard comfortably.

I mean really, people are different.
Click to expand...


You asked for peoples opinions, no need to get snappy. A simple, that's not what I'm looking for would have been a more appropriate response.
 
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LeeW said:
I used a Henge vertical doc on my 2015 MBP, worked well and the design is really nice. The benefit, of course, is that the footprint is small. The downside that has stopped me using it is that you need to remove the device from the dock and open it to get it started up then close and put it back in the dock. Minor I suppose but a hassle nonetheless if you are doing it often.
Click to expand...

Strange. I used a Henge vertical on my late-October 2013 15" MBP for four years and never once had to do this. I just closed it, pushed it in, made sure it was seated firmly, and then did some random taps on my external (both bluetooth) touchpad and/or keyboard. It almost always fired right up, although sometimes it could take as much as thirty seconds before both screens came to life.

VERY occasionally it would fail to "see" one of the monitors, and I'd have to pull it out, open it up, and then start the process over again. But that only happened a few times over the years. What was much more common for me was that I wouldn't get it seated firmly enough for both monitor cables or the magsafe to connect properly. The friction screw design of that dock also meant its connectors would slowly get pushed down to the point they wouldn't connect properly at all until I got out the right sized Allen key to reposition everything.

But that was it. 99% of the time I dropped it in and after a few moments it'd fire right up. Maybe it was my bluetooth stuff?

I got the redesigned one for my new 2018 MBP and like it a lot. Again, I don't do anything special to get it working, just close the MBP, drop it in, and I'm good to go.

The 2 USB-C connectors are permanently mounted, so they can't be pushed out of position. It wakes up and synchs to the monitors a lot faster, too. Great product!
 
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dscottj said:
VERY occasionally it would fail to "see" one of the monitors
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To be fair I think this was my issue with the monitors at that time, it just wouldn't see either until I opened the MBP and all of sudden they both woke up.
 
Mine is for years in clamshell mode.

Never had any problem with it.


The fact that I am disconnecting it from my monitor maybe few times a year is why am I waiting for new Mac Mini. I do not have any need for a laptop. Desktop is still the king, IMO. Comfy chair, 27 inch screen and a cup of fresh coffee! For those who do not want only to "run through" the life, but actually take a moment and live it. :)
 
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[doublepost=1534086570][/doublepost]
StellarVixen said:
The fact that I am disconnecting it from my monitor maybe few times a year is why am I waiting for new Mac Mini. I do not have any need for a laptop. Desktop is still the king, IMO. Comfy chair, 27 inch screen and a cup of fresh coffee! For those who do not want only to "run through" the life, but actually take a moment and live it. :)
Click to expand...

Spot on, I am in the same position, if the new Mac Mini brings something worthwhile to the table (or my desk) it will be ordered in a flash. I mean I find having the MBP useful but it's been a purchase designed to solve a problem of having no useful headless Mac alternative than me needing a laptop.
 
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I have a 2014 MBP with a Hengedock setup. I never had a problem until I upgraded to High Sierra, although I think upgrading to a 4K monitor exacerbated things even more. I hadn't taken into consideration the amount of power a 4K monitor needs and as a result it deteriorated my MBP's overall performance, partly because of throttling. Prior to that no issues in 3 years of using clamshell mode.

One of the things I'm considering is getting an eGPU to offload the display work, as I assume it would render the heating issue moot then and make the MBP more capable of handling multiple displays and occasional gaming, but still need to do more research.
 
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LincolnsiPod said:
I have a 2014 MBP with a Hengedock setup. I never had a problem until I upgraded to High Sierra, although I think upgrading to a 4K monitor exacerbated things even more. I hadn't taken into consideration the amount of power a 4K monitor needs and as a result it deteriorated my MBP's overall performance, partly because of throttling. Prior to that no issues in 3 years of using clamshell mode.

One of the things I'm considering is getting an eGPU to offload the display work, as I assume it would render the heating issue moot then and make the MBP more capable of handling multiple displays and occasional gaming, but still need to do more research.
Click to expand...


That is the setup that I was thinking about with the 4K display, Hengedock, and eGPU. I was hoping that it wouldn't render too much heat with the eGPU doing some of the heavy lifting.
 
SDColorado said:
That is the setup that I was thinking about with the 4K display, Hengedock, and eGPU. I was hoping that it wouldn't render too much heat with the eGPU doing some of the heavy lifting.
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I was checking prices to compare iMac and MBP, and there's a $300 difference between the iMac specs and a MBP 2018 equivalent (with the MBP being more). eGPU would add significantly to the cost though. Gonna be a hard decision, in one sense an iMac is cheaper overall with better hardware and gives me a second monitor, but I would still need an MBP anyway, so having both an iMac and MBP will wind up costing more long term.
 
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LeeW said:
If Apple had any concerns they would not be publishing advice on it. https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201834

People will be along to tell you it ruins the battery, it ruins the screen, it ruins your life and a puppy will die because of clamshell. I have been running MBP's for years in clamshell on a vertical stand. Never had any issues. And yes 95% of the time it's in that setup using two external monitors.
Click to expand...

If it ever runs too hot, flip it upside down.
You have the ventilator exhaust pointing downwards, while heat wants to rise.
 
LincolnsiPod said:
I was checking prices to compare iMac and MBP, and there's a $300 difference between the iMac specs and a MBP 2018 equivalent (with the MBP being more). eGPU would add significantly to the cost though. Gonna be a hard decision, in one sense an iMac is cheaper overall with better hardware and gives me a second monitor, but I would still need an MBP anyway, so having both an iMac and MBP will wind up costing more long term.
Click to expand...

That’s what I am looking at. I currently have an iMac and a MBP, but I am thinking that setup will get me down to one computer rather than 2. Most of what I do is on the laptop, but I need the desktop environment often enough to warrant the display and eGPU, but not really 2 computers.

So, updated my ‘16 to an ‘18, gave my wife the ‘16. Selling her 13”, an older 17” I have and the iMac and putting the money toward the eGPU and display setup
 
SDColorado said:
That’s what I am looking at. I currently have an iMac and a MBP, but I am thinking that setup will get me down to one computer rather than 2. Most of what I do is on the laptop, but I need the desktop environment often enough to warrant the display and eGPU, but not really 2 computers.

So, updated my ‘16 to an ‘18, gave my wife the ‘16. Selling her 13”, an older 17” I have and the iMac and putting the money toward the eGPU and display setup
Click to expand...

Sounds like a plan!
 
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