MBA Running hot and loud...

[yonington]

Question for the group... I just got the new MBA (13', 1.8 GHz Core i5, 8GB RAM) and I am playing Trine. Every time I do, my computer gets really hot and the fan comes on in a serious way. So, a couple questions - is that normal? Is it okay? I attached a screen shot of iStat temps while playing the game. The CPU is running at 80 degrees...

I don't want to harm my computer - is there something I can do to mediate this?


Thanks!

 

[Dirtyharry50]

Question for the group... I just got the new MBA (13', 1.8 GHz Core i5, 8GB RAM) and I am playing Trine. Every time I do, my computer gets really hot and the fan comes on in a serious way. So, a couple questions - is that normal? Is it okay? I attached a screen shot of iStat temps while playing the game. The CPU is running at 80 degrees...

I don't want to harm my computer - is there something I can do to mediate this?


Thanks!

Too bad that doesn't display GPU temp which I imagine is also warm. It is probably fine and the increased fan noise normal as the cooling system does its job under load. I looked at the specs page for that computer on the Apple support site but it just mentioned ambient temp ranges, not the computer component temps themselves.

If you are concerned about this you should just call Apple support and get reliable answers from the source. It's part of what you pay for, quality support when you need it. And if you didn't buy into Apple Care, personally I would highly recommend it for the peace of mind and support for three full years. I bought it for my system and I'm glad I did.

Not to knock any of the good people here but if I was worried about my new computer melting, I would not trust folks on the Internet to tell me if everything is okay. I'd go to the source and get the information from Apple. So that's my advice to you.

 

[torana355]

Perfectly normal mate. My MBA's fan comes on when i have any CPU or GPU intensive task happening.

 

[doh123]

Question for the group... I just got the new MBA (13', 1.8 GHz Core i5, 8GB RAM) and I am playing Trine. Every time I do, my computer gets really hot and the fan comes on in a serious way. So, a couple questions - is that normal? Is it okay? I attached a screen shot of iStat temps while playing the game. The CPU is running at 80 degrees...

I don't want to harm my computer - is there something I can do to mediate this?


Thanks!

80 is fine... its spinning the fans faster as its supposed to to keep the heat down. Thats just how it operates and sounds like everything is running fine. make sure when your running it hard like that, that you keep airflow around it.. no sitting it on a bed or soft surface... you don't want to help it retain heat.

Too bad that doesn't display GPU temp which I imagine is also warm.

Its a Macbook Air, so its an Intel graphics core built into the CPU... so the CPU and GPU temp is the same thing.

 

[Kissaragi]

People need to stop worrying about all this stuff and just use their computer. Theres no need for temperature monitoring apps unless you've done some kind of hardware modification (unlikely on macs!)

Lifes complicated enough without people adding to it.

 

[Miharu]

This is normal, when I play games on my MBP 13" it gets to over 80°C and the fans go max speed and they are quite loud. I don't suppose a laptop cooler would help either since there is no ventilation in the bottom of the MBA.

 

[edddeduck]

Question for the group... I just got the new MBA (13', 1.8 GHz Core i5, 8GB RAM) and I am playing Trine. Every time I do, my computer gets really hot and the fan comes on in a serious way. So, a couple questions - is that normal? Is it okay? I attached a screen shot of iStat temps while playing the game. The CPU is running at 80 degrees...

I don't want to harm my computer - is there something I can do to mediate this?


Thanks!

It's normal for a MBA to run how while gaming. Propping your laptop up so some air can flow under it does help a little, as does making sure the vents are not covered or blocked. However even propped up when playing games you will hear the fan go onto full power and your CPU will get hot.

Modern machines and OS's have temperature management built in so if the temps get too hot the OS and the CPU will start to reduce power levels to lower the temperature before anything bad happens.

If you get worried you can always let it cool down and take a break, you should find it will quick drop back down if you quit the game and give it 5 mins.

Edwin