MBP Fans sensitive to video stresses but not CPU stresses

[ventro]

This is is on a 2.33 C2D MBP, pushing a 30" ACD at 2560x1600 in closed lid mode.

It's weird. I can run a really CPU intensive task like Chess and the temperature of the processor rises to 80C, and the fans will still be really low.

But say I open up Google Earth or something. The fans, all of a sudden, kick in and go into jet-engine mode, while the CPU stays at a modest 57C.

It's as if the temperature of the system was dependent on CPU usage, but the velocity of the fans was dependent on the videocard usage.

What's the deal?

 

[Fearless Leader]

This is is on a 2.33 C2D MBP, pushing a 30" ACD at 2560x1600 in closed lid mode.

It's weird. I can run a really CPU intensive task like Chess and the temperature of the processor rises to 80C, and the fans will still be really low.

But say I open up Google Earth or something. The fans, all of a sudden, kick in and go into jet-engine mode, while the CPU stays at a modest 57C.

It's as if the temperature of the system was dependent on CPU usage, but the velocity of the fans was dependent on the videocard usage.

What's the deal?

Chess? If thats taxing your comp you got some issues.
Anyways its just the temps that control the fans. They spit data into the smc which controls the fans. The graphics cards put out alot of heat and are less tolerable of it, If they get too hot they start messing up horribly. Soo bad in fact that it used to crash my computer regularly while playing wow. Then then the fancontrol apps came out. Oh yah my scripts too. The CD and C2D put out a lot, a lot, of heat and are a bit more tolerable of the heat.

 

[Jeef690]

Actually chess is VERY cpu intensive as it is constantly undergoing rigorous calculations ot determine its beheavior. It is not graphically intensive of course...