Macbook Air really that hot? Real life experiences please.

Hello all,

I'm thinking of buying a Macbook Air but the main thing which is holding me back is the fact that in every single review the heat is mentioned as abysmal. How is this in real life? I'm looking for real life experiences. What about the heat while using Office, or playing xvid movies?

Thanks,
Dan

 

I'm not an Air owner, but i've felt the one's on display at Fry's, and they were pretty dern hot. It was enough to where the bottom felt very uncomfortable. This may have been because it was a display unit though.

 

Nearly all display units are extremely hot. The same with other notebooks and Mac notebooks included, it has to do with constantly running on display and being pushed to do stupid things by the people browsing the computers (ever checked the Photo Booth photos on display Macs? ). So its not the best comparison .

 

Heh, true

 

There's the odd time that my Air has got "hot", but never hot enough to the point that I couldn't have it on my lap if I wanted to.

 

hopefully the next macbook air with more energy efficient processors and energy efficient motherboard etc will solve all of these problems.

 

My experience with the Air (as echoed by many, many other users) is that, when I tax the CPUs for more than 15 minutes at 33% or higher load, one of the cores will shut down, and I basically have a single 1.6GHz CPU that is slow.

For those who claim that they do not have core shutdown problems, I dare them to run a program that puts their CPU loads at 50% for more than 15 minutes; then we'll see if their "properly working" Airs actually work like they were meant to.

From my experience, the Air is a lemon and should (and might) be recalled.

If Apple indeed releases the new MacBook with an aluminum enclosure, LED LCD, and LED keyboard, then, for the vast majority of users, the Air has no purpose.

 

My MBA runs cooler than my Macbook or Macbook Pro. For a given CPU load its typically 10 decrees C cooler.

Most of the time I've averaging < 50% average CPU load and the MBA feels as cool as it runs. On occasion when I'm doing something major and I push 75%+ average use for a half hour to several hours at a time it does warm up but has never been uncomfortable and I have never detected a core shutdown.

While I've never actually looked for a core shutdown I assume the result would be one core maxing to 100% and one going to 0% and overall performance getting slower. I've never encountered that even with hours at 75% (combined average) CPU. The closest thing I've seen (running MenuMatters) is load switching back and forth between the two cored (one goes up to say 75% and one down to say 25% and over say 10-20 seconds that load shifts back and forth).

Anyway, my MBA is my coolest running Macbook.

 

I just stress tested my Air for over 30 minutes with both CPU's maxed out. The CPU temp got to 71 and that was it. I did not see one core stop working so I'd have to say that my "properly working" Air does in fact work properly.

 

eitherway the in my opinion the current hardware in the mb air is pure crap, the processors are a big joke, the ssd is overpriced and not one of the high performing ones either, if they move to centrino 2 for the motherboard they could save physical space and get a 40% less energy consuming motherboard, the new processors are Core 2 duos that outperforms the current processor greatly and also uses less energy to function.

Besides centrino 2 also brings the new integrated graphics unit X4500 from intel that helps a lot more with video decoding than its predecessors.

I really think the next MB Air will be great and I might even consider it if the new Macbook is too chunky or not to my taste.

But I can honestly not recommend anyone to buy the current model because its simply crap.

 

Thanks for posting guys . I think I'll wait until October 14th and decide what notebook to get.. Hopefully the Macbook Air will feature Montevina and will be cooler..

 

I couldn't disagree more. The Air is far from "Crap". Statements such as that are completely absurd and without merit.

For an ultra-portable it succeeds with flying colors because it has enough power and features to be more than usable. Mine goes with me EVERYWHERE I go, and I barely know it's there.

I'm not going to say that it's for everyone, but some of the reasons people pick to complain about are just silly.

 

You clearly don't own a MBA so have no real world experience with one, nor do you address the OP's question. Stop wasting people's time with posts like this.

 

The C2D chip in the Air is just fine and is actually MUCH faster than comparable machines like the X300 Lenovo and Sony TZ, which both use ULV, low-clocking CPUs.

However, the Air is useless to me unless I get a magical one that actually works like it was intended to...meaning that I can get BOTH cores working all the time.

 

Well, I do have a lot of real world experience with them due to my brother owning one.

Sure in january this year some of this stuff was cutting edge and the only things around for the air, but now there is a lot better options out there for a cheaper price, yet the current model still uses overpriced crap hardware that could be replaced with hardware that would give it 1.5x or 2x the performance of what it currently has without increasing cost or energy usage.

And the main reason I think its crap is because of the ****ty processors in use atm which get core shutdowns and all the frigging issues that follow the current model. A "real" core2duo processor outperforms the air processors, and I'm happy to see that the next processors for the air are of that kindred and that they use less wattage but have a lot more performance, hopefully that will make sure that no more shutdowns and slowdowns will occur.

Anyhoo I can understand that any criticism of a overpriced crap purchase will make some people hit the roof, but thats just my opinion, I respect yours and I expect you to respect mine.

Either way lets hope apple introduces a updated model at the 14th so my brother at least can get a computer that does what its advertised to do without all the problems.

 

Actually, let's hope that the new MacBook is great, so that Apple will can the Air and relegate it to nothing more than an experimentation for the upcoming MacBook

 

Cite your testing methodology and how you determine that one core shuts down so that others can try duplicate your results.

Until then, these are unsubstantiated claims and nothing but FUD!

 

I understand that you must be agitated about buying a possible $1800 lemon, but one would have to reside in a bubble not to have noticed that lots of Air owners have experienced core shutdowns. Check Apple's discussion page and just see how many users have this major design flaw. My claims are not "unsubstantiated"; they are facts, just like the fact of other Air meltdowns. The onus is on Apple and its supporters to prove that the Air actually works for most users.

Here is my detailed report on a normal days around 4PM:

- 4PM EST: I watch the 800kbps feed of the Red Sox game on MLB.TV; browser is Safari, hooked up to my 1080p HDTV (Air display turned OFF). CPU temps are around 65C or so, fans well over 4000rpm, but everything stable for first 15 minutes.
- 4:15PM: I open up FireFox and browse the Red Sox forum, typing responses and reading threads. CPU is now over 50% at times, temps at 70C or above, fans going the full 6000rpm.
- 4:30PM: I click on the MLB.com Gameday link to see the line score and game scoring. CPU now at over 75% at times, temps around 75C, fans blazing at full speed. After a few minutes, one of the Cores apparently shuts down because the temps are rising even with the fans going full blast. Now, the video feed begins to jump 5-10 frames per second and graphics are slow in FireFox. Opening up a finder window is now several seconds slower than normal.

This is a typical experience of my Air.

Above is a fairly common occurrence for Air owners. I do not know the percentage of Air units that actually do not have core shutdowns, but most people who assert that their Air works just fine do not provide enough detail on their usage patterns. If one uses the Air like it was a netbook, then core shutdown issues are far less likely to arise.

 

That's not what's annoying me at the moment pumpkin.

And what are you using to know that one core has shut down? Can your "problem" be duplicated if you don't connect your Air to your TV? Is it just that site that causes problems, or are there other similar sites which can cause the problem?

There's just too many variables with your example, all of which could be a contributing factor to the problem. Unless you start narrowing them down, your testing methodology is extremely flawed and can not be relied upon.

So in other words, it's hit or miss whether or not this can be duplicated.

The Air isn't meant to be a powerhouse Desktop replacement (which SHOULD be obvious). Next you'll be telling me that you're having problems running Final Cut Pro.

 

Saying something is an overpriced piece of crap is not an opinion - its a statement. Saying you think something is an overpriced piece of crap is an opinion.

Knowing someone with a MBA is not exactly "real world experience" and you failed to address the OP question so it really did not have any value to this thread.

Your reasoning behind your statement seems to be flawed. The MBA does use a "real" C2D chip of a particular density and performs as well as any other C2D chips of that density. Yes, this is no longer the latest version of the chip, and as with all microchips they tend to get faster over time. That does not mean previous generation chips cease to become "real"

As to MBA's Core's shutting down, I have heard several accounts of Core's shutting down under heavy use. I can only assume its related to some envrionmental or cooling issue or an actual chip defect as I can max out my CPU for hours and both cores seem to continue to work fine. Others have similar experiences. So the best we can say that some machines under some circumstances have exhibited this issue and some have not. That hardly makes the model as a whole "crap"

As to "overpriced", take a look at any other thin and light or ultra compact laptop with similar specs and you'll see the MBA is competatively priced from a hardware perspective.

So while I respect your right to express an opinion, in this case I find the reasoning flawed so I don't really respect the opinion.

I have a number of criticisms of the MBA myself and I don't "hit the roof" when valid criticisms are put forth. I'm not fond of the 2gb RAM limit. The HD transfer rate is very slow and I think limiting the drive to 5mm thick was extremely unfortunate, as was choosing a PATA interface.

Hopefully Apple will continue to improve the MBA line as they have with their others. But for now and for the next year or two my first generation MBA will be acceptable (and even satisfying if I can get to a 120ish GB hd).

 

Well put!!

 

yea not respecting other peoples opinions and misinterpreting someones post is really well put, but well I cant really be bothered any more.

 

Perhaps you should read this part again and realize why your opinion isn't really an opinion.

So yes, jim's comments were VERY well put.

 

If the macbook air is running hot, remove the heatsink, take off the original thermal compound. And throw on some arctic silver 5 or mx-1

 

Thanks for all the replies . I will, however, wait two more weeks and decide what to do. The Sony Vaio Z is very appealing too - but it has a nvidia GPU (and we all know nvidia ****ed up).

As for applying termal paste, J12, does this void your warrenty?

 

I own MBA and it doesn't get "really that hot". Yep, the temperature does get to 71 degs when I put it on my bed which blocks it's heating vents. On table the machine is a champion (the temp regulates at 39-41 degs during browsing, working on Office, etc), however the temperature increases while backing up to an external drive through Time Machine, say 68-71 degs.

I am very happy with my MBA and it perfectly fits my needs and the temperature is not a concern to me or I feel is any problem with it.

 

Well, I don't really see the Vaio Z as a real alternative to the air, rather more of alternative to the macbook. I don't think the new 9 series gpus got any problems though.

Neither I or my brother got the qualifications to open up a MB Air and reapply thermal paste etc.

Hopefully they'll get it right in the next revision.

Either way, I'll retract my "statement/opinion" that the hardware is crap, I apologize for having used a offensive tone towards the machine. Though I just find it weird wherever I read MB Air related forums most people seem to have problems with the temperatures/coreshutdowns etc. But as some say people who got faulty machines usually make more noise. ^^

The hardware is still very flawed for the price their selling it, I just hope they don't wait till january to update it, so my brother can get the new one, I might buy one also if they use new hardware. I don't have any problems with the machines design or lack of ports, It's really great in physique.

 

Thermal paste would not help (it might be better for a short while - but then essentially will be the same). There are many forums about why changing thermal paste does not work.
The problem with MBA is that it is using it's aliuminium case as a heatsink. That's why the case gets hot (like with MBP) and if you are using MBA or MBP for other purposes than just browsing web - it will not be safe to put it on your lap. Just compare any Apple notebook to Lenovo (for example T61) and you will see the huge difference (I owned MBP and now have T61p. T61p is way more powerful and it is twice cooler and fan spins at half the speed of MBP).

 

I owned a MBA 1.6Ghz for a bit, and it got WAY less hot than my MacBook Pro. I could use it on my bare legs with no issue for general stuff. I could never do that with my toaster of a MacBook Pro. The Air is the best laptop I've ever used (Apple-wise) for heat.

 

Mac's are designed to look "Cool" and run quietly but that tends to actually make heat retention more difficult to mitigate.

The more "sleek" and "quiet" the laptop the harder is is to design effective cooling. I have not experienced any core shutdowns due to heat, nor have I had any Mac's develop any thermal failures. But they do generally run warmer and feel warmer under use than many more conventional looking laptops I've owned.

It also means they are effected faster by environmental conditions (warm environment, accumulated dirt in the cooling system, and blocked or restricted vents).

Maybe I am just careful - always running MenuMatters to track temperatures and SMC Fan control to be able to increase fan speed if I notice the CPU temps climbing. Usually if I see the temp exceeding 70C I look for a cause or actively increase fan speed. It does not happen a lot but I forget sometimes and put it on too soft a surface or am doing something really CPU intensive for a long period.

If I were you brother I'd go see a Mac Genius at an Apple store, reproduce the problem for them and see what they have to say. I would hope they would think it a potential defect in that particular machine and want to check it out. I'd be very interested in hearing whatever they said.

 

1) What are you using to determine CPU load and does it monotor cores separately?
2) What are you using to monitor temps and Fan Speed?

I would recommend MenuMatters as it can monitor core usage individually.

What you are describing almost sounds more like you are maxing out the machine. If a core shuts down temps should start to drop not continue climbing and you should see a spike on the remaining core to 100%.

Is there a lot of disk load with the MLB thing? When I'm doing something both CPU and DISK intensive (like say processing video) the machine can exhibit symptoms similar to what you are describing but the CPU is just high, not maxed and both cores are running. But on occasion that combination of high cpu and heavy disk load will cause noticeable system speed degradation. Bottom line is its not a very powerful machine (no machine this size is) and if you exceed its capabilities it slows down. I've found its disk to be much more a source of performance issues than its CPU though.

Hope this helps.

 

Well the sad thing is we don't have Apple stores in Sweden and we pay roughly 50% more for the products but thats not here nor there I guess...

He's waiting for the 14th to see if a new air is released so he can exchange his current one for the new one, if not he will probably just exchange it for one of the current gens, he has been contemplating the new Macbook though if its portable enough for him, but I doubt that will ease his mind since its a first gen and is bound to get some problems too, so I guess we will have to wait and see.