Gaming on my MBP 2011 for 24 hours?

[SlickShoes]

Hi Folks! I am looking for some advice here(also posted this in the MBP section).

This October I am taking part in a gaming marathon (24 hours non stop) for a local charity. I will be playing the ARMA2 mod DayZ and trying to survive for the entire 24 hours and will also be streaming my experience at the same time.

What I want to know is if anyone has any experience doing something like this, will my laptop at any point overheat or suffer badly from playing a single game for an entire 24 hours?

Would it be a good plan to source a second computer and possibly switch to that from my MBP at some point to allow it to have a break?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

spec of the mac is: 2.2Ghz i7, 8GB ram, 6750m 1GB, 500GB 7200rpm HDD and playing in Windows 7 since the game can't play in OSX.

 

[204353]

While I've not played for a straight 24 hours with my MacBook Pro (specs in signature), I've had some pretty hardcore sessions with it lasting most of a day.

As long as you don't block the vents, your Mac shouldn't have any issues. I'd recommend, however, that you open it up, take the fans out and clear the heat-sinks of any dust that may have built up since you got the machine. A while ago, my Mac started to have heat problems and slowdowns, so I cleaned out the fans and sinks. It solved the problem immediately! Bear in mind that you'd need a T6 Torx screwdriver to take out the fans, should you decide to do this.

Anyway, MacBook Pros are built for high-performance and also regulate themselves to prevent overheating. Just make sure it's got plenty of room to breathe, and maybe put it on a stand, and you should enjoy a great gaming marathon!

 

[SlickShoes]

Cheers, I usually open it up every couple of months and make sure it's not collecting too much dust.

I am going to connect it up to a monitor, k/b and mouse and use it at a desk to try and eliminate any heat issues that would occur from having it actually on my lap or just flat on a desk!

 

[204353]

Cheers, I usually open it up every couple of months and make sure it's not collecting too much dust.

I am going to connect it up to a monitor, k/b and mouse and use it at a desk to try and eliminate any heat issues that would occur from having it actually on my lap or just flat on a desk!

Bear in mind that the unibody MacBook Pros don't ventilate themselves properly with the lid closed. The hinge vent almost completely closes with the lid down, so gaming via and external monitor with it in clamshell mode would be a bad idea!

These machines are clearly designed to be used in the normal 'notebook' way: flat on a desk with the lid open.

 

[Json81]

As long as the battery doesn't run out it should be fine.
Original charger doesn't have enough power for full CPU/GPU load,
but I think you would need a longer session for that to happen.

My late 2011 with 6770m lost about 3% charge while playing for 1.5 hour.

 

[SlickShoes]

Bear in mind that the unibody MacBook Pros don't ventilate themselves properly with the lid closed. The hinge vent almost completely closes with the lid down, so gaming via and external monitor with it in clamshell mode would be a bad idea!

These machines are clearly designed to be used in the normal 'notebook' way: flat on a desk with the lid open.

Lid will be open as I will be using the webcam and have a map open on that screen the entire time.

 

[arashb]

Just don't put it on your lap and you'll be fine :]. You'll probably overheat before the computer does, seems like our macs like to use the enclosures as a heatsink

 

[204353]

Lid will be open as I will be using the webcam and have a map open on that screen the entire time.

Awesome.

Good luck with the marathon!

 

[SlickShoes]

Thanks again for the advice! I'll be doing my best not to fall asleep at any point!

 

[revenent]

I sometimes just leave the game running without quitting for more then a day. As long as you play it on a table and not on the bed i think you should be fine. It gets pretty hot though....

 

[miles01110]

Bear in mind that the unibody MacBook Pros don't ventilate themselves properly with the lid closed. The hinge vent almost completely closes with the lid down, so gaming via and external monitor with it in clamshell mode would be a bad idea!

Other than this statement being entirely incorrect, good advice! Apple provides guidance on how to use your machine in clamshell mode. It's fine to use it however you want in clamshell mode.

 

[204353]

Other than this statement being entirely incorrect, good advice! Apple provides guidance on how to use your machine in clamshell mode. It's fine to use it however you want in clamshell mode.

Let me explain again. While you can use your MacBook Pro in clamshell mode, it's really not advisable to do intensive tasks such as gaming with the lid closed. Close a unibody MacBook Pro and look at the hinge at the back.

You'll see that the slit for the fan exhaust becomes far narrower than normal when the lid is down, which vastly reduces the efficiency of the fans. This is enough to keep it cool for normal tasks, but not enough for heavy loads. It'll still work, but the CPU (and probably GPU) will throttle massively and reduce performance.

 

[doh123]

Just from experience, the whole machine gets MUCH hotter far easier when running it with the screen down.... this means it doesn't vent the heat as good.