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Fans?

N

Nick012

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 28, 2007
142
0
This is probably a question that Google could answer but: 1. Googling the words 'Mac' and 'fan' are just gonna bring up loads of mac fan pages and 2. I just registered here so why not post?
Anyway, I'm gonna get a MacBook after I graduate from university (July). I was wondering about fans on them. Do MacBooks have fans? I know they don't have fan vents underneath them but they may still use them. More importantly, are the fans (if there are any) audible? My current laptop has 2 fans on the bottom and so watching movies and stuff on it is like watching a movie in a wind tunnel (they're extremely loud)
The fanless underside was a major factor in my decision to get a mac as my next laptop (that and batter life) so any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
 
I've had my MBP for a little over a month now, and I never hear the fans spin up while I'm doing anything except playing video games like World of Warcraft.

I watch DVDs and TV shows all the time and have never had fan noise cause any problems. Really, MacBooks are remarkably quiet compared to most of their PC notebook counterparts.
 
*dum de dum* Super Rokem is here. My MBP CD runs at 155 idle 180 load if i dont control fans. when I do manage fans drop 50.

oh this is all in the damn Fahrenheit system.


MBP 2 fans
MB 1 fan
moving from CD to C2D they improved cooling with better fans which compensated for the new added heat and lower temps. But its really a per computer thing. Some MBP run great out of box nice and cool and some run a bit hotter.
 
my macbook (core duo, not pro) runs quite hot, and I hear the fan come of fairly often. It's probably my biggest complaint with the notebook. That said, it's still a wonderful computer, and hardly a huge deal.
 
I too have a core duo macbook pro. You can control the fans manually with a little software widget in the menu bar. The intel laptops do have a reputation for being very toasty machines, but on the other hand they are near silent.

I use mine on a (recently unpopular) iCurve which I really enjoy. It keeps the machine cool while it's on my desk. Also just to clarify, the MacBook and Pro vent all the hot air toward the back, just underneath the screen. The MacBook Pro has 2 fans (I've disassembled one) which are small inch and a half(ish). They arn't conventional - they have horizontal blades that push the air out the back rather than regular "windmill" looking blades.

When the fans do finally come on - if you encode some video/audio or play a heavily 3D game - they make a medium sort of whir. This may sound like an odd thing to mention, but many PC laptops that I've used have fans that are quite quiet, but very high pitched which make them annoying even at low volume. On the other hand, my Dads work laptop (a compaq) has very low pitched fans that arn't so annoying but they make a lot of vibrational noise.

Lastly, my girlfriend has an iBook G4 which is quite literally silent. Her laptop is the quietest I've ever heard, but then again I wouldn't trade the performance of my MBP for a couple of decibels... the Macbooks are very nearly as quiet and many times faster.
 
Clarence said:
how do you control your fans on the MBP? software, or manual on-off?
Click to expand...


Way back ago, October I think, I got fed up with the temp of my MBP, and figured out how to change the speeds of the fans, though crude my computer was cooler, then after that newer and better software came out which does a great job, smcfancontrol is what I use today.
 
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