Is my Dell Monitor C2722DE responsible for overheating my MBP ?

[anjanesh]

Does connecting my 2018 15.6" MacBookPro (Mojave) to the monitor (Dell C2722DE) overheat the laptop ? That sound (fan I think?) is always on when monitor is connected - if I switch off the monitor and use only the MacBookPro, the sound fades away.
Does monitor require more energy from the laptop itself ? I thought it was dependent on the power supply only.

 

[Basic75]

Attaching an external monitor to a MacBook Pro with a dGPU will force that dGPU to be used all the time. And when it heats up the fans need to kick in for cooling. Without the external monitor just the iGPU, integrated in the CPU, will be used unless you are using a graphically intensive application.

 

[arw]

Don’t worry about overheating, it is designed to behave like that and it doesn’t mean the monitor is drawing power from your MacBook:

Even for MacBooks without a dGPU, connecting an external monitor forces a different (i)GPU power state which leads to higher power consumption (=heat) and therefore the fans ramp up noticeably.
It is independent of the external display‘s model but gets more severe with increasing resolutions as more (GPU) computing power is needed to address the additional pixels. Even in idle.

 

[xraydoc]

Does connecting my 2018 15.6" MacBookPro (Mojave) to the monitor (Dell C2722DE) overheat the laptop ? That sound (fan I think?) is always on when monitor is connected - if I switch off the monitor and use only the MacBookPro, the sound fades away.
Does monitor require more energy from the laptop itself ? I thought it was dependent on the power supply only.

Normal for Intel-based MacBooks, especially those with a dedicated GPU (as others have said). Some machines moreso than others, too, as different GPUs produce differing amounts of heat when continuously active like that.

But the machine won’t “overheat.” It will run hot, but it won’t exceed its design specifications and melt itself down. Well, likely not.

 

[Basic75]

But the machine won’t “overheat.” It will run hot, but it won’t exceed its design specifications and melt itself down. Well, likely not.

As long as the ambient temperature does not exceed the allowed range, the fan ducts are not blocked, and the fans not clogged with dust, everything should be fine. I recommend elevating the machine a couple of centimetres in a way that maximises airflow.

 

[anjanesh]

I recommend elevating the machine a couple of centimetres in a way that maximises airflow.

How exactly do I elevate it ? Using a stand ?

 

[arw]

How exactly do I elevate it ? Using a stand ?

Anything that increases the distance between the MacBooks bottom and the surface it is standing on.
The important thing is that the bottom can “breathe“ better and can emit heat more easily.
You don‘t have to buy anything, you can try to be creative. It already helps placing something under the two rear feet.
I used a trivet like the following with the plastic feet facing the MacBook. Of course this is too slippery for using the integrated keyboard and trackpad.

Stainless Steel Trivet for Instant Pot - 2Pcs Stainless Steel Pot Trivets for Table Hot Pads for Kitchen Dining Table Decor - 7" by 7" Cooling Racks for Cooking and Baking Pans Set Pot and Pan Holder

2Pcs Kitchen Dining Table Runner Heat Resistant Pad Instant Countertop Kitchen Trivets for Hot Dishes: This cast iron pot holder is made of from the premium quality stainless steel, which is durable and sturdy for long period use, these trivets for hot dishes decorative have rubber feet for stron...

www.amazon.com

If you buy something, look for a stand/elevation with as little contact area with the MacBook as possible.
The following is a type of stand I would definitely AVOID as it reflects the bottoms heat right back to the MacBook.

Rain Design 10032 mStand Laptop Stand, Silver (Patented)

Designed to uplift. Made of a single sturdy piece of aluminum, mStand transforms your laptop into a stylish workstation with its elegant curves and silver-anodized finish. The single piece design solidly holds a laptop while the aluminum panel acts a heat sink to keep the laptop cool. A cable hol...

www.amazon.com

 

[Basic75]

How exactly do I elevate it ? Using a stand ?

A stand is a good choice. Or four small pieces of wood under the feet. Or two pencils in the right place.

 

[anjanesh]

Quick Question - will getting a 14" / 16" M2 MacBook Pro 64GB 2TB with macOS Ventura actually solve a lot of these issues ?
I was thinking of getting a second MBP beside the Intel one.

Because right now Im going paranoid with turning off and on the monitor every now and then just to get the fan sound & heat fade away. The first MBP I had in 2011 got the hard-disk (non-SSD) crash twice before I switched back to a Ubuntu laptop till I got the 2018 edition MBP Mojave.
Now I git push all code-related data daily and non code files in iCloud and occassionaly some manual backup via DropBox through FilaZilla Pro (am not running DropBox desktop sync). I am not into graphics, video or audio.

 

[arw]

Quick Question - will getting a 14" / 16" M2 MacBook Pro 64GB 2TB with macOS Ventura actually solve a lot of these issues ?
I was thinking of getting a second MBP beside the Intel one.

Because right now Im going paranoid with turning off and on the monitor every now and then just to get the fan sound & heat fade away. The first MBP I had in 2011 got the hard-disk (non-SSD) crash twice before I switched back to a Ubuntu laptop till I got the 2018 edition MBP Mojave.
Now I git push all code-related data daily and non code files in iCloud and occassionaly some manual backup via DropBox through FilaZilla Pro (am not running DropBox desktop sync). I am not into graphics, video or audio.

Yes. From what I read, Apple Silicon MacBooks run way cooler (even with external displays connected).
There’s no need to wait for M2 14“/16“ to be announced, an M1 (Pro/Max) is more than sufficient.
And if you don‘t require the larger display size, a 13“ Air (M1 or M2) is fanless and still more powerful than your current MBP.

edit: Some info regarding CPU performance. Assuming you have the fastest i9 MBP (8950HK) the Geekbench scores are 1067 / 4813 whereas even the M1 Air scores 1706 / 7422.

 

[anjanesh]

There’s no need to wait for M2 14“/16“ to be announced, an M1 (Pro/Max) is more than sufficient.
And if you don‘t require the larger display size, a 13“ Air (M1 or M2) is fanless and still more powerful than your current MBP.

I guess M2 Air 24GB 2TB would be more than enough too. Was just wondering if Pro's MAX chip with 64GB RAM would be more efficient.

 

[arw]

I guess M2 Air 24GB 2TB would be more than enough too.

I‘d definitely say yes.
When you bump up the specs of the Air, it is often recommended to buy a 14“ MBP because for the relatively small extra charge, you get a significantly better machine (performance, screen, cooling system). This is absolutely relative and you have to decide for yourself. Different retailers deals vary from Apples official prices.
Air M2 (8C / 8C / 16C), 24GB, 2TB: 2400$
Air M2 (8C / 10C / 16C), 24GB, 2TB: 2500$
MBP M1 Pro (8C / 14C / 16C), 32Gb, 2TB: 3000$

Was just wondering if Pro's MAX chip with 64GB RAM would be more efficient.

Efficiency is not equal to absolute power consumption / heat dissipation.
While the M1 Max is more powerful in absolute terms, it is less efficient in 90% of the base M1 performance spectrum.
As you can see in the graph below, for moderate use, the base M1 is more efficient than the M1 Pro/Max.
The base M2 on the other hand should be more efficient than the base M1. According to tests, the M2 runs hotter than the M1 but delivers better performance.

Introducing M1 Pro and M1 Max: the most powerful chips Apple has ever built

Apple today announced M1 Pro and M1 Max, the next breakthrough chips for the Mac.

www.apple.com

Apple unveils M2 with breakthrough performance and capabilities

Apple today announced M2, beginning the next generation of Apple silicon designed specifically for the Mac.

www.apple.com

 

[anjanesh]

Thanks for your reply arc.

Air M2 (8C / 8C / 16C), 24GB, 2TB: 2400$
Air M2 (8C / 10C / 16C), 24GB, 2TB: 2500$
MBP M1 Pro (8C / 14C / 16C), 32Gb, 2TB: 3000$

Im looking at the official Apple India site - https://www.apple.com/in/shop/buy-m...m2-chip-with-8-core-cpu-and-10-core-gpu-512gb - which comes to ~$3036 which is >$500 more from the US site !
https://www.apple.com/in/shop/buy-mac/macbook-pro/14-inch-space-grey-8-core-cpu-14-core-gpu-512gb - $3583 - still >$500 more.

 

[arw]

Thanks for your reply arc.
Im looking at the official Apple India site - https://www.apple.com/in/shop/buy-m...m2-chip-with-8-core-cpu-and-10-core-gpu-512gb - which comes to ~$3036 which is >$500 more from the US site !
https://www.apple.com/in/shop/buy-mac/macbook-pro/14-inch-space-grey-8-core-cpu-14-core-gpu-512gb - $3583 - still >$500 more.

I totally agree with you; for me the additional 500$ also wouldn't be worth it, but most around here disagree.
That's why I wrote "relatively".
I also wouldn't pay the 800$ for upgrading to 2 TB but that's my personal choice. My local SSDs only contain the system, applications and user accounts (150 GB in total). All data and VMs lie on significantly cheaper external SSDs or a local network server. If you travel a lot or need the insane read/write speeds of Apples SSDs then this is not applicable.

 

[anjanesh]

My current 2018 Mojave MBP has 512GB out of which 200+ GB still available. Over a 4 year period. So I guess I can easily manage with 1TB - >$500 in saving - so $2550 - its just that some dev dependency folders take up a whole lot of space which I delete occasionally. node_modules to be specific. This is the only reason for choosing 2TB in the first place. I have GitHub, iCloud, DropBox and Google Drive. No physical external drives.

Zero travel. Laptop's never off the desk. I would've tried going for a Mac Studio Ultra instead ($4800), but voltage fluctuations and power failures are common in India - not so very much where I live but happens. Then, I would need to get a good power backup. And powering off devices during thunderstorms - this I don't have to do with laptops since it can work on battery for a few hrs. Hence MBP / MBA.