FYI: Fixing your own Thermal Paste Problem

If you "fix" the thermal grease .. umm... abundance yourself, per AppleCare you void your warranty.
So if your cutting tape/removing noticable ammounts of paste, yes you warranty technically no longer exists.
HOWEVER, you can open up your MacMini and upgrade ram, HDD, etc. and they are cool with that.
Why I don't really know. It's a shame too, because I have my whole little set of tools and ArcticSilver 5 plus cleaner and solvent ready to go. Perhaps if everyone sends in the MBP for repair on this issue they will allow individuals to fix their own machines to reduce the load? Doubtfull.

Mr. PurplePirate,
I again must disagree with you. As far as apple is concerned this modification (not "opening the case") voids the warranty. As per the terms and conditions of said warranty they have final say.
All that being the case even if this ONLY voids say the logic board warranty, yea still no thanks.
Also your analogy is incorrect:
Tere is a good bit of established case law on this topic, especially from auto manufacturers attempting to deny warranty claims because of aftermarket modifications to their cars, however, just as with computers, the manufacturer must demonstrate that the particular modification caused the failed or defective product.
Do you think apple is going to take the time to demonstrate that fixing the thermal paste isnt what damaged your CPU 8 months later? Or that the fact the heat is now dissapating differently inside of your case than as designed (yes the gobs are to design spec) that the DVD rom, or RAM, or Hard Drive failing couln't have been caused by that? No, they arent. They are going to say item (e) says you cant change design, well you did. Tough.
Also unlike a car say that after your fix the CPU fails. You cant just gob on the paste then send it back in for repair and have them be all ahh okay now theres thermal paste to spec, lets fix this. No.
Trust me I have been dealing with this individual at apple for a few months now on various items, he knows what he is talking about, and he knows what resouces to check.
I honestly don't care what others do to their machines. I for one am not going to make any changes w/out written permission from Apple or have Apple resolve the problem themself. This machine is too critical to me, my education, and my business flat out. Yes it gets hot as ****, but it works and if the current design end up burning out the CPU in a year and a half, the warranty is there and they have to fix it.

Similar Messages

Does the MacBook have the thermal paste "problem"?

I'm really thinking about saving up my money to get a MacBook, but with all of the thermal paste "problems" with the MacBook Pro, I'm not sure if the MacBook has the same problems. Has anyone with a MacBook taken it apart and examined the thermal paste? I'm hoping that Apple has chnaged their instructions on how much thermal paste to apply in the MacBooks and MacBook Pros. If anyone has done this, or knows of any place on the web with pics of the MacBook taken apart, I would love to hear about it. Thanks in advance!
-MRCUR
Message was edited by: MRCUR

Some people have encountered very excessive amounts of paste on the MacBook as well, and one person out of curiosity went into his 12 inch Powerbook and found it glopped on there too -- and of course a healthy improvement in the thermal performance of the computer once it was done properly. Seems to be an ongoing Apple problem -- but not necessarily a problem in every machine, as some people have found much less excessive paste application and only a minimal improvement in thermal performnce after reapplying.
The MacBook is very much easier to disassemble than the other machines in part because the logic board and heat sink faces up and therefore you do not need to remove the logic board, but do please note that if you do take it apart, any damage that is deemed to have resulted from your repair will not be covered.

Itunes/apple, wake up and fix your tv shows downloading problems!

What gives with all the messed up tv episodes, there are episodes missing in Prison Break, season 1, as well as other episodes. A quick look at the reviews indicates a long list of upset users. Apple, at least let us know what is going on with all the missing episodes. I downloaded the whole first season of 24 and found one of the episodes wasn't the whole show, it was missing about 10 minutes at the end. Just let us know whats going on here, we're all in the dark!
IMac G5 Mac OS X (10.4.3)
IMac G5 Mac OS X (10.4.3)

I just discovered a really bizarre problem with Prison Break season 1. First of all, I bought the entire series and discovered, like many others, there was a duplicate episode. It seems they might be trying to fix this, because they've withdrawn all the later episodes after the duplicate - perhaps renaming and reposting them? But suddenly, my iTunes displays an exclamation mark next to the episode entitled Brother's Keeper (which really is the episode before that), indicating that the file doesn't exist on my disk. And it doesn't! The file has been removed and I did not delete it. It isn't in the trash or anywhere else. But I watched it last night! Has anyone else had experienced anything like this? A file just gone missing? To make things even worse, my purchase history lists all the episodes except this one - it is as if I never bought it! But the total charge on my account shows I bought one more episode and I have the file on my iPod. It's very strange and disturbing this...

Equium A60 Overheating Issues - thermal paste fix

Hi,
Recently, I have been experiencing the same overheating problems seen by many others on this forum. I even discovered this forum by looking for a fix for the problem.
**This posting is to be used as a guide only - repairs are undertaken at your own risk**
Now, my laptop is sitting beside me, idling at about 50 degrees - which is a massive improvement over the 64 degrees it was running at yesterday!
To solve this, I used the method of blowing out all of the dust from the vents (covered in numerous posts in this forum). However, I also ventured to take apart the laptop and give it a THOROUGH clean. This is quite a long, complicated process - but not beyond everyone. Firstly - I used this guide found here to disassemble the laptop - http://www.irisvista.com/tech/laptops/ToshibaA65/satA65_1.htm - be careful to retain *ALL* parts removed!
Once this is completed, you will be left with the main board exposed. After this, I undid the screws holding the TFT on the hinge, and separated it from the chassis, so it was in two parts. I then carefully removed the TFT connector from its place on the motherboard. There is a tiny screw, securing an extra wire from the TFT ribbon to the chassis - I left this on, as I couldn?t remove it! Next, I removed the ribbon for the touchpad (with caution!), and carefully lifted the whole silver plastic part, right off of the chassis. Next, I disconnected the power switch from the motherboard - and completely took off the plastic part.
Now the whole heatsink assembly will be displayed. From here, it gets slightly more complicated - and involves removing your heatsink, and processor chip. If you are not willing to do this, or just think that you don?t want to fiddle around with the 'inner workings' - then have a good clean around the parts that are exposed, and replace all the parts which you have taken out. For people who are having worse overheating problems - the following steps did work for me quite well.
Exposed will be the heatsink and fan assembly. The silver screws on the metal heatsink are numbered - and I took these off sequentially. Next, I disconnected the fan power cables, and removed the screw to the far right of the large fan. The heatsink assembly should now lift clear of the chassis, exposing the processor assembly. Next, I took the processor off of the chassis. You should now have a processor, and a heatsink in front of you. On both should be a gunky, grey paste. This is known as thermal paste, and provides heat dispersion from the chip, to the heatsink. On my parts, the paste had bubbled from the heat, and shifted to the sides of the chip - away from where it was needed most. Now, I didn?t actually have any spare paste when I took it apart last night - so I got a guitar plectrum, and smoothed the paste from heatsink and chip, on to the surface of the chip. Once I covered the chip in a level amount of paste, I placed it back in the chassis, and refitted the heatsink. Finally, I replaced everything I had taken out - and the laptop powers on fine.
I realise that this might not work for everyone - I had nothing to do last night, and this was a last ditch attempt to improve the heat management of this laptop. Luckily for me it worked. I am looking into getting some thermal paste today, so that I can do a proper application of paste on to the chip before I re-assemble it again.
Obviously, if you have a warranty on the laptop, it is not a good idea to open it up, and perform this method. I only recommend people who are confident at performing this procedure to attempt it - it?s not dangerous - but you can mess up the insides of the laptop/ your processor, if you are not careful.
Good luck!
Sam

Thanks for the kudos.
Yes - just to re-illiterate - Do Not attempt this procedure if you do not feel confident, or have no experience. If in any doubt, find your nearest Toshiba service centre, and take it there. There is a potential to cause damage to the laptop if you do something wrong whilst having the chassis open.
Also, if the laptop is still under warrenty opening the cover and performing this procedure will void the warrenty

Sorry, Flagfox has encountered a problem. Please copy the report below and post it on our forums with a detailed explanation of what you were doing at the time so we can attempt to fix your issue. (English please) Flagfox version null (missing IPDB!)

Sorry, Flagfox has encountered a problem. Please copy the report below and post it on our forums with a detailed explanation of what you were doing at the time so we can attempt to fix your issue. (English please)
Flagfox version null (missing IPDB!)
ERROR MESSAGE: Fatal Flagfox startup error!
EXCEPTION THROWN: TypeError: ExtensionManager.getItemForID(id) is null
STACK TRACE: startup()@file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Vanessa%20Ecret/Programdata/Mozilla/Firefox/Profiles/9eyewkfc.default/extensions/%7B1018e4d6-728f-4b20-ad56-37578a4de76b%7D/chrome/flagfox/modules/flagfox.jsm:40
([object ChromeWindow])@file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Vanessa%20Ecret/Programdata/Mozilla/Firefox/Profiles/9eyewkfc.default/extensions/%7B1018e4d6-728f-4b20-ad56-37578a4de76b%7D/chrome/flagfox/modules/flagfox.jsm:160
Flagfox_loadForThisWindow([object Event])@chrome://flagfox/content/overlay.xul:16
BROWSER: Mozilla Firefox 3.6.6/20100625231939 (Gecko 1.9.2.6/20100625231939) using locale en-US on WINNT x86-msvc
This error and a Flagfox preferences dump has been sent to Tools -> Error Console. Please report this and any related errors so we can investigate your problem. Conversely, if you don't report this then it probably won't get fixed.
== i was update

Sorry, the Flagfox extension has encountered a problem. The following error output and a Flagfox preferences dump has been sent to Tools -> Error Console.
FLAGFOX VERSION: 4.1.x (missing IPDB!)
ERROR MESSAGE: Fatal Flagfox startup error!
EXCEPTION THROWN: TypeError: addon is null
STACK TRACE:
(null)@resource://flagfox/flagfox.jsm:70
safeCall((function (addon) {try {FlagfoxVersion = addon.version;var ip4db = addon.getResourceURI(IPv4DBfilename).QueryInterface(Components.interfaces.nsIFileURL).file;var ip6db = addon.getResourceURI(IPv6DBfilename).QueryInterface(Components.interfaces.nsIFileURL).file;ipdb.init(ip4db, ip6db);checkIPDBage();ready = true;} catch (e) {handleStartupError(e);}}),null)@resource://gre/modules/AddonManager.jsm:48
([object Object])@resource://gre/modules/AddonManager.jsm:897
AOC_callNext()@resource://gre/modules/AddonManager.jsm:118
(null)@resource://gre/modules/AddonManager.jsm:892
PL_getAddon("{1018e4d6-728f-4b20-ad56-37578a4de76b}",(function (aAddon) {if (aAddon) {safeCall(aCallback, aAddon);} else {aCaller.callNext();}}))@resource:///modules/PluginProvider.jsm:79
callProvider([object Object],"getAddonByID",null,"{1018e4d6-728f-4b20-ad56-37578a4de76b}",(function (aAddon) {if (aAddon) {safeCall(aCallback, aAddon);} else {aCaller.callNext();}}))@resource://gre/modules/AddonManager.jsm:76
([object Object],[object Object])@resource://gre/modules/AddonManager.jsm:888
AOC_callNext()@resource://gre/modules/AddonManager.jsm:124
(null)@resource://gre/modules/AddonManager.jsm:892
(null)@resource:///modules/XPIProvider.jsm:3047
([object Array])@resource:///modules/XPIProvider.jsm:4864
(0)@resource:///modules/XPIProvider.jsm:3867
BROWSER: Mozilla Firefox 7.0.1 (Gecko 7.0.1 / 20110928134238)
OS: Windows NT 6.1 (WINNT x86-msvc windows)
LOCALE: en-us content / en-us UI / en-us OS
Select and copy the error report above. In order to fix this problem for you and others, please read and follow the troubleshooting and bug reporting instructions on the Flagfox support forums. Please post an abundance of information with any error reports, namely what you were doing at the time that may have triggered this. (English please)

I'm new to Mac and I have a Mac Mini. Could you please tell me how I could paste an URL to a video downloader like "Coolmuster Video Downloader for Mac"? I can copy the url but I could not paste it on the downloader. I appreciate your help to my problem.

I'm new to Mac and I have a Mac Mini. Could you please tell me how I could paste an URL to a video downloader like "Coolmuster Video Downloader for Mac"? I can copy the url but I could not paste it on the downloader. I appreciate your help to my problem.

Is this happing because the external is formatted to PC and not mac?
Yes that is correct.
Will I need to get a mac external hard drive if I wish to continue to save my documents like this?
If you no longer use a PC you could format this drive for the Mac. However be aware that formatting a drive will erase all the data on it. So you would need someplace to copy the data off this drive to while you did the re-format and then you could copy the data back.
You could get another drive, format it for the Mac and copy the data to it. Then re-format the original drive and use it as a backup drive. Always good to have backups.
Post back with the drive type and size of the current drive, if you are doing backups now and how and if you still need to access this drive from a PC.
regards

When are you going to fix your 12_0_0_77.exe Application Error problem?

When are you going to fix your 12_0_0_77.exe Application Error problem?

What error specifically?
What OS amd what browser?

Problem using European Galaxy S4 with Bring-Your-Own-Device

Hi!
I recently moved back to the United States from The Netherlands. While living in The Netherlands, I bought a Galaxy S4 and used that phone with a European carrier (Vodafone).
Now that I'm back in the United States I'd like to sign up for Verizon Wireless' service on my S4 via the Bring-Your-Own-Device program, but my phone's IMEI is not recognized by Verizon (online I received an error message stating "The phone associated with the Device ID you entered is not compatible with the Verizon Wireless network"; I also tried in a Verizon Wireless store and they were unable to find my IMEI in their system either).
I bought the phone brand new so I'm the original owner, and all Vodafone contract phones are supposed to be unlocked by default.
The phone does have a disclaimer saying that it's a European model, and must be used for at least 5 minutes on a European carrier before it will be eligible to be used on a non-European service. However, I definitely used it on the European network for more than 5 minutes, so this shouldn't be a problem either.
So - any idea why my IMEI can't be found by Verizon Wireless? I'd really like to use the Verizon Wireless service with my existing phone!

Verizon only has Verizon IMEI numbers in its database. what happened to you will happen to anyone who tries to activate a non-Verizon phone.
You you can try an already Verizon activated SIM from another Verizon phone and put it in your phone. However, you may still have a problem since Verizon tech is still based on CDMA for basic voice calls and the European model probably does not have that capability.

Did 4.1.2 fix YOUR USB Audio problems? Not mine...

I'm curious to hear from the other folks who were having issues with 4.1.1 freezing/sluggish while using USB speakers or USB audio converters. I have a Xitel USB-to-SPDIF converter that has worked flawlessly since 10.3 in EVERY app...until GB 4.1.1. I was expecting 4.1.2 to fix it for me as suggested, however there seems to be no change for me. If I select either USB Audio in GB preferences, or "System Setting" (which is always my USB Audio), GB is totally hosed. Spinning beachball, freezing, can only Force Quit. If I select Built-in Audio (internal speaker), then all is well. If I switch back to USB Audio, totally hosed again. What's unbelievable is that there isn't even a 3rd-party driver in the mix here, the Xitel uses Apple's built-in generic USB audio device support!!
Did 4.1.2 fix YOUR USB Audio woes??
Apple, still more work to do! Please help!

I'm also having audio issues on my new late 2013 iMac via the USB headset. Audio starts playing fine and then static starts creeping into the audio until it drowns out the sound. Only way to fix is to unplug the headset and then plug it back into the USB port.
I've tested the headset on other PCs and my older iMac and the issue doesn't show up.
I've re-installed Mavericks on the iMac, without nuking my data, but that still doesn't solve the issue.
I've logged a case with Apple support and they had me run a program which gathered up a bunch of information to send to their engineering team. No updates yet so far.
Just one question for those that also have this issue. Did you restore your data from a Time Machine backup, or is this issue also happening on the Mac that's fresh out of the box?
I'm wondering if this issue could be caused by restoring data from my Time Machine, but I don't want to go through the hassle of nuking my entier hard drive and having to reinstall everything from scratch just to fix this issue.

MacBook Pro (mid 2010, 15", i5) - heat, thermal paste and genius bar...

Hi all,
I'd like some advice. I own a mid 2010 core i5 15" MBP which I purchased when they were released (April 2010 or something like that). Since then the laptop has worked more or less OK but it's always been plagued with high temperatures, 75C+ in idle... with basically nothing running or something light such as just Safari (*without* Flash, as I only open Chrome when a website I need doesn't work without Flash; everywhere else, for example YouTube etc, I just use the HTML5 version of the players). The fans stay almost always at 6K rpm, and only rarely they run at a lower speed - when for example I switch the laptop on after having left it switched off for a while, etc. So the fans seem to work OK and seem to respond to the temperature; I have even tried resetting SMC several times, but no difference.
It just looks like the CPU runs hotter than it should. I have default energy saving settings, and don't have any software installed that may keep the CPU running high - such as Caffeine, SmartSleep, etc. Anyway, even a clean install of the OS (Lion) won't make any difference. If I leave the laptop switched off for a while and I switch it on again, within a minute or two the temperature is high again even if I don't open anything else. Even if in the activity monitor there's nothing using a lot of CPU. The temperature also does go further up if I run something CPU intensive such as Handbrake.
While the laptop has worked almost always OK (I do think that some freezes or other occasional stability issues may also depend on temperature), I don't think it's running as well as it could / should from a temperature point of view.
I have read lots of discussions in here and elsewhere, and from direct experience with other laptops (Apple and not) in the past, I believe the issue may likely be related to poor application of the thermal paste. I could re-apply it (for example the AS5 or similar) myself very easily, but I don't want to void the warranty.
I have the 3-years Apple Care, but I have never needed to ask Apple for support before, so I don't know how it works.
Sorry for the lengty introduction... here's the questions:
- Can I just go to the nearest Apple Store (London, Regent St.) or am I *required* to book an appointment with the "genius" bar?
- Is it likely they will take into consideration my advice to reapply the thermal paste as this is quite likely the source of the problem?
- What is the likelihood that they may just replace my laptop with a newer one?
- Does the AppleCare entitle me with some particular privileges for what concerns support?
- I have also upgraded the RAM to 8GB a few months ago, and replaced the HDD (which I use as external drive) with an SSD. Do I need to restore the original components in the laptop before going to the AppleStore? Or is this not needed since RAM and HDD are user-replaceable parts?
Thanks a lot in advance for your help!
Vito

Hello V-MA!
I found this webpage: http://osx86.wikidot.com/known-issues#toc1
by googeling for "com.apple.NVDAResman"
Probably you have to remove the Geforce Grafic drivers as discribed here. But please wait until some others in the forum confirm this.
If you don't understand how to do these commands with Terminal, ask once again for help.
In your message you did not metion, that you just updated 1 hour and something your OS ("System uptime in nanoseconds: 6688834587150"). This is an important information.
marek

MBP and the Thermal Paste Discussions

I've read with interest the postings on this web site regarding the MBP heat issues and the possibility that too much thermal paste is causing that problem. I've spent quite a few years designing computer motherboards using Intel processor chips, and want to share some thoughts on the topic. I only mention my background because one thing this business has taught me is that we can all be easily mislead by our test data if our process for gathering the data isn't rigorous (and, believe me, I've learned that lesson many times).
First, the excess thermal paste is definitely a problem, regardless of whether it is the root cause of the heat issue. Some of the photos posted on the various web sites show thermal paste covering bypass capacitors on the chip carriers (the green fiberglass boards that carry the CPU and GPU die). Thermal pastes can cause stray capacitances that can interfere with circuit operation. Standard industry practice is to use only as much paste as is necessary to achieve a layer that is about as thin as a single layer of tissue paper (or less). The amount used by Apple is far too large, particularly because the paste in coming into contact with other electrical components and conductors. A common failure mode associated with degraded bypass capacitors is random (and unrepeatable) crashes due to corrupted digital data in the processor chip.
In addition, all thermal pastes contain various types of fluids. Over time, these fluids evaporate, and frequently they condense elsewhere inside a computer. When CD drives were first introduced years ago, a common cause of mid-lifetime failures was condensates on the optics of the laser. The condensation fogs the lens and interferes with the ability of the laser to focus while reading and writing data. The contamination was traced to outgassing by thermal pastes, greases, sulfurized elastomers, and similar items used to build the computer. (Note that the Apple service manual for the MBP refers to the thermal paste as “thermal grease”.) Consumer electronics manufacturers learned to minimize the use of such materials in computer designs. The amount of thermal paste shown in the Apple service manual is very large, and I wouldn't rule out that it might contribute to future DVD drive failures.
It is difficult to say, based on the available data, that reducing the amount of thermal paste actually contributes to improving the thermal behavior of the MBP. Part of the problem is that the procedure to remove the pastes involves disassembling the laptop, and this introduces the possibility that the disassembly/reassembly process is inadvertently fixing the problem.
First, the high case temperatures could be the result of loose or poorly placed thermal sensors. If the disassembly/reassembly process fixed a loose sensor, or loose sensor electrical connection, or placed the sensor in a better position, you would get lower case temperatures, and possibly (inadvertently) attribute this to less paste.
Second, the cooling system design in the MBP requires that the die caps on the chip carriers be pressed tightly against the pads on the heat sink, so that heat is transferred efficiently. If the MBP is not assembled properly, (i.e., if the logic board mounting screws are not properly torqued, or the logic board is not mechanically aligned properly to ensure a tight fit to the heat sink), it is possible that this will manifest itself as high case temperatures. In the Intel processor chips there are two paths for heat to travel – out of the die cap, and through the electrical contacts to the motherboard. If the die cap isn’t properly cooled, heat will instead go into the motherboard, and the case temperature will rise. There is a possibility that the disassembly/reassembly process will fix a loose or misaligned logic board problem, with the result that the case temp will be reduced.
Also, if you work through the details of the thermal model that results from excess paste, it's hard to see how it would result in more heat to the case and less to the heat sink. Most of the photos on the web appear to show thin paste on top of the die, indicating that there was probably a low thermal resistance path to the heat sink prior to disassembly. The excess paste to the sides will simply further reduce the thermal resistance between the chip carrier and the heat sink. I may be missing something, but it's hard to envision how this lower thermal resistivity between the CPU and the heat sink drives more heat into the case. But it is also possible that the disassembly process destroys evidence of the actual connection to the heat sink, so this failure mode is hard to judge.
The best way to determine if removing the excess paste is actually helping would be to measure the exhaust air temperature from the cooling fans before and after removing the excess paste. I haven't seen such data, but if it were taken, and showed that the exhaust air was at a significantly higher temperature after the fix than before it, then we would know that the fix worked. If not, then the heat is going elsewhere, and it is possible that fix has actually made things worse.
Finally, all the symptoms we're seeing can be explained by poor software calibration and/or incorrect software control of the CPU clock speed. I wouldn't rule out a software fix at his point.
I'm not saying removing the paste is not a fix, only that there are still open questions that remain to be answered. It would be hard for me to recommend that anyone rework an MBP for the thermal problem in the absence of additional data.
For myself, I own an MBP, and though I have access to an electronics lab and some great technicians, I intend to buy Applecare, and in the meantime wait for a fix (or at least more information) from Apple.
Best of luck to everyone who has this issue - thats what we get for being early adopters.
G5 2.5 DP Mac OS X (10.4)
G5 2.5 DP Mac OS X (10.4)
G5 2.5 DP Mac OS X (10.4)
G5 2.5 DP Mac OS X (10.4)
G5 2.5 DP Mac OS X (10.4)
G5 2.5 DP Mac OS X (10.4)

Well I replaced my thermal compound and the temperature on my cpu went down and the temperature of my case went down also. The fans also kick in sooner leaving me to believe that the heat is being properly distributed the heatsink whereas before it was not as there was too much thermal compound making it act like an insulator.
I cannot say if the exhaust air is any hotter, but I know overall my laptop is much more cooler and never gets extremely HOT. Even under heavy loads the areas where it used to get really hot, above f keys, palm area, underneath the MBP are not hot to the point where someone could burn themself at all.
I really do hope that Apple does address this issue because I could not live with the heat before, I always had to hook up an external keyboard because my hands got too sweaty from the palm rest and the keyboard. Now everything is operating like any other laptop I've owned and I am a very satisifed Apple user. Let's hope that Apple is really looking into it and will have a reasonable answers for all MBP users in a reasonable amount of time.

Early 2011 MacBook Pro- The thermal paste discussion.

It is my goal to clear up the questions and concerns Apple customers have been having regarding heat or fan related concerns with Early 2011 MacBook Pros. If your MacBook Pro was produced within the last few months the thermal issue has been resolved and it will likely not be in issue for you. If you are still wondering if your computer is effected or what the real issue is keep reading.
The MacBook Cools itself by 2 main methods: active and passive. The active cooling is via a fan that blows air through a heatsync and into a tube called a heat pipe which leads to the back of the computer where the hot air is discharged through a vent at the bottom of the screen behind the hinge. The fan lowers the air pressure inside the case causing outside air is drawn in the case, displacing the hot air inside and helping to cool the other components.
The computer uses passive cooling to remove the residual heat from the processor which comes mostly in the form of radiant heat. Passive cooling is also used to cool the other components of the computer (memory, disk drives, battery etc). Passive cooling works by conductive heat transfer ie. syncing to the case of the computer. Some of the heat then is radiated. Some of it is transferred from the outside of the case via convective cooling; the foot pads on the bottom cover are designed to raise it up just enough to allow air underneath for convection to occur. (Convection is the process in which hot air to rises and is displaced by cooler air.) The rest of the heat from the bottom cover is absorbed by whatever surface you have the computer on.
The processor will not sync to the case very much if the board is assembled properly however the other components of the computer will, requiring the case to be in open air to allow for passive cooling to take place.
If you have some sort of covering such as a plastic snap on case it will likely interfere with passive cooling in all of it's 3 of it forms, this will cause the computer to be abnormally hot. I recently saw someone in the Apple store with a MacBook Air experiencing abnormal heating due to a plastic snap case so this particular problem is not unique to MacBook Pros and it is not the cause of the issue being discussed here. I do not recommend the use or anything that covers the computer while it is running with the exception of something that covers the back of the display panel only. If you are worried about your computer getting damaged go and buy a laptop insurance policy from Worth Ave group. The insurance does not cover cosmetic damage or misplaced items but will cover accidental damage including spills. This insurance also covers theft, vandalism and natural disasters, is quite inexpensive and the claims process and deductible is similar to most phone insurance plans (which they also offer).
User induced overheating can also occur when the computer is placed on an improper surface such as a couch cushion, car seat, bed, pillow etc. Doing this can interfere with both passive and active cooling.
As I mentioned earlier In all likelihood if your computer was produced after May it is not affected. I personally have been in posession of 3 MacBook Pros, one produced before May which had the problem, one after which had no problems and one produced more recently that has mind blowing thermal performance way beyond all of my expectations.
So the question at this point is exactly what is the problem, how can it be diagnosed and how can it be rectified.
After extensive research and testing I have determined the issue to be related to improper application thermal paste. I involuntarily became involved in this pursuit as a result of the problems I was experiencing and I did not initially come at from an objective viewpoint but rather one of cautious skepticism. I had anticipated before purchasing my computer that there may be a thermal issue. This anticipaion came as a result of reading an article on ifixit.com about the disassembly of the brand new early 2011 MacBook Pro. When the technician performing the disassembly removed the main heat sync he expressed concern about how much much thermal paste was present, expressing that it seemed excessive. This lead the technician to question wether or not it would cause heating problems.
Proper application of thermal paste is critical to the functionality of the active cooling system and when applied improperly will not properly transfer the heat to the heat-sync which in turn gets cooled by the fan. Proper application of thermal paste insures the heat is removed from the case as efficiently as possible. Doing this both reduces the speed at which the fan needs to run in a lot of situations and prevents too much heat from the processor needing to be cooled by passive means. If is is not applied properly it will eventually lead to overheating of the case as well as the other components of the computer. This can cause damage firstly to the computer's battery and can also significantly shorten the life computer. (Or any other kind of electronic device for that matter.)
The problem can be diagnosed by testing the computer using a program called System Load or any other software that will put your computers proscessor use up to its maximum and keep it there indefinitely. Placing full load on your GPU at the same time during the test is also recommended. Keep in mind, if you are using your computer the fan will spin up if needed for additional cooling. You should expect the fan go up to its maximum speed during the test, it is not in of itself an indication of a negative result. Make sure to have the computer plugged in, fully charged and on a proper surface. A desk or other flat surface should be fine. Exceptions would include the top of a refrigerator since it has insulation just underneath the metal exterior or any surface that is heated by any means such as a dryer or other appliance.
(The temps to follow are in ºF)
Run the test for up to 1 hour. If the case of the computer breaks 93 degrees your unit is likely affected. Expect the unit to even possibly reach temps approaching and exceeding 100º, if this happens immediately abort the test. Also look for the processor temp shooting up to around 180 in the first 30 seconds and the fan spinning up right away. Typically on a properly functioning unit the temperature of the case will end up being somewhere in the neighborhood of 88-91º. If this test is preformed in a room with a normal ambient room temperature of about 68 degrees. Even after an hour the case of the computer should not be significantly hot, just warm to the touch. On a normally operating unit the fan will start to kick in within 90 seconds or so and may not reach full speed even after several minuets.
At one point the case of my computer actually reached 95º during normal web browsing.
This is a problem that I have had successfully corrected twice by reapplication of thermal paste. The first time was on a machine produced prior to may and the second was after a logic board was replaced at the repair depot. (I suspect the inventory turnover is lower for boards than whole computers resulting in a board from the initial production run being installed in my computer.)
If you forget everything I just wrote remember this. #1 if you are using your computer hard enough the fan will end up running at high speed at some point. #2 This problem is not in any way related to the design of the MacBook Pro, or its use/application. #3 This mostly not a problem of the CPU being too hot; these Sandy Bridge CPUs are rated for 212ºf and will routinely be in the neighborhood of 200º, this is hotter than other chips but well within design limits. #4 I have done everything in my power to make sure that this problem has been corrected and I have every logical and evidenced based reason to believe it has been resolved in machines produced after may. #5 This is not an Apple acknolidged issue. Technicians will tell you that there is no problem because these higher temps are normal and within operating limits and if they weren't the machine would shut itself off. (This is a bit extreme; just like a lot of other devices such as electronics, toaster ovens and space heaters with thermal overload protection this automatic shutoff is intended to occur when damage or risk of fire is imminent because the device is WAY outside of normal operating paramaters.) They will also not tell you when asked what these limits are, that they know what they are or in some cases that such figures they even exsist.
I stake my personal and professional reputation on the accuracy of my findings, it is my job as a private consultant to help my clients to resolve complicated and expensive issues just like this one.
Bottom line if you are having a problem and Apple won't fix it on warranty don't ditch your machine, just pay to have it done yourself. In most cases you can pay have it done at the Apple store. It will probably cost you less than 100.00, and it will not void your warranty as long as the work is done by Apple certified technician. It will be well worth it; after all in spite of this MacBook Pro's are hands down the best portable computers on the market, with an industry leading warranty and support to back it up. On it's worst day Apple's service and support is better than any computer/ consumer electronics company, even on its best day.
I hope this helps to clarify this issue! I also hope it will help anyone affected to resolve the problem instead of resorting to a refund and settling for something else.

hello all
you can try this:
Go to system preferences > settings > built in display > see bottom of window.
check "show mirroring options in the menu bar when available". then click "airplay display" > and select your device.
That's what happened to my MBP - 15-inch, Late 2011 model.

Whether or not to change stock thermal paste on early 2009 unibody 17" MBP CPU?

I have a first generation (early 2009) unibody 17" MBP, now out of warranty / Apple Care. It's been working fine in general, however I've been increasingly concerned about the CPU temps when I encode with Hand Brake, and some times when doing things in VMWare (Win XP) and in OS X at the same time. Under those two sets of circumstances, my CPU temp (as read out by iStat Menus 3) routinely hits 100 C. (I've never seen it hotter than 102 - 103, it'll hang around 100 for a while, then eventually cool down to mid 90's as a new equilibrium seems to be reached. Will hang there until the processor intensive task is done, then quickly cool off.) Generally idles in the 40's.
I've looked and looked, and found no reassuring consensus on whether or not changing the stock Apple glob of thermal grease for a thin application of Arctic Silver will help this situation. I've found as many no's as yes's on the matter, and about as many different views on the details of MBP cooling as posters expressing them.
So, what I'm really looking for is whether or not anyone's collected a lot of data points on the subject, and can paint any sort of trend based upon a large denominator of users reporting their experiences. I did find links to a website that apparently did this in 2005, or thereabouts, but all those links are dead, and that was well before the dawn of the unibody anyway.
Was wondering if anyone knew of a source of knowledge on this issue that draws from more than educated hypothesis, or one's own experiences.
I'm already planning on routinely jacking up the fan speeds when doing these CPU heavy tasks, and I elevate the computer off the table to help with ventilation. Also, I've seen several people say that the CPU was made to handle these temps, however, I looked at the Intel data sheets on these processors (<http://download.intel.com/design/mobile/datashts/32012001.pdf>, page 102), and the max tjunction temp is 105C, which I'm getting awfully close to whenever I encode.
Thank you!
early 2009 17" MBP (very good condition)
2.93 Core 2 Duo
8 GB RAM
750 GB HD
latest Lion

I say go for it. About a year ago I had to replace the fan system on my old Dell i8200. To do that I had to take the complete system apart. So while I had everything out of the case, laying there in pieces/parts (including taking the heatsink system completely off the CPU/GPU) I cleaned everything and applied Arctic Silver to both CPU/GPU. System ran cooler then the first day I took it out of the box new.
Personally I would disregard the comment above. Yes you can use WAY to Much thermal paste but if you cover the complete CPU with a thin even layer (even if it is a little to much) it will still work fine, as long as you move the heatsink around when resetting it to even it all out.
From reports from other Mac users, the one that have Baked there logic boards to fix the 2008 NVidia problem that Apple refuses to stand up for, that when they took there systems apart there was thermal paste everywhere. Clearly Apple assemblers think that if a little is good a whole bunch is better. Which isn't the case. But what do they care. The assemblers need something like Macdonald's has for dispensing Ketchup. One squirt and you always get the same amount.
Go For It.
Good Luck.

Is there a fix for "ebay" listing "duration" problem?

This is what happens "every time" I list a new item for sale on Ebay and get to the choice of "listing duration".
You normally have a choice of days (1,3,5,7,10). It's always set on one of them before I attempt to change it. It is usually on 3 days, but I almost always change it to "5 days". Unfortunately, when I choose "5 days" it automatically snaps back to 3 days. I end up trying to change this 15-20 times before I can get it to stick.
Called Ebay support, and they suggested I change browsers. So, I did. Went back to IE and did not have the same problem at all.
Just for fun, I went back to Firefox and again, as usual ... same problem. Just keeps snapping back to something I don't want.
<nowiki>*******</nowiki> Now, I am here asking for help, as I do prefer using Firefox! So, if you have a fix for this problem, please share! *******
Thank You.

We can help you but you'll need to do me a big favor.
I will need your Troubleshooting Information. You can find this by typing '''about:support''' in your url bar and pressing enter. On this page, you will see a "Copy text to clipboard" button at the top of the page. Click it and then paste all the information here in this thread.
Read this article for mode detailed instructions and screenshots:
[https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/use-troubleshooting-information-page-fix-firefox#w_accessing-the-troubleshooting-information-page Accessing the Troubleshooting Information page]
I believe one of your addons is causing this problem. You can try disabling them on your own and see if that solves the problem. To do that quickly, use Firefox's Safe Mode by doing these steps:
*Click the menu button [[Image:New Fx Menu]], click Help [[Image:Help-29]] <br>and select '''Restart with Add-ons Disabled....'''
*Firefox will start up with the Firefox Safe Mode dialog. <br>Click the '''Start in Safe Mode''' button.
See this article for more info:
[https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-firefox-issues-using-safe-mode#w_how-to-start-firefox-in-safe-mode Firefox Safe Mode - Disable addons]

NX8800GT T2D512E OC : Thermal paste replacement ?

Hi there,
because of thermal issues -mainly with the RAM- on my NX8800GT T2D512E OC, and after some more or less succesful tests with different options (manual fan setting, add case fan, etc...), I would like to have the opinion of the community on an alternate solution.
I noticed that the thermal paste between the chips (GPU and RAM) and the heatsink is some kind of bubblegum of (I guess) poor quality. So I thought about replacing it by some better paste, like Arctic Silver.
Do you think that :
1- it can be done ? I guess that the contact can be achieved between the chips and the heatsink without problem... but....I'm not sure
2- the performance improvment will be real ?
Any feedback or personnal experience on that point would be great

Quote from: flobelix on 21-January-08, 23:15:24
As Aaron said Arctic Silver wouldn't be able to replace the thick heat pads used for the mem and without those will be fried in no time.
If you really wanna improve cooling of your GT use Accelero S1 Rev. 2 plus Turbo Module which is used by a manufacturer for an oc 8800GT.
An 8800GT example: http://www.arctic-cooling.com/vgapartners2.php?idx=148
An alternative would be Arctic Cooling Accelero Xtreme 8800 but it is not released yet.
Hi Flobelix,
problem with such replacement heatsinks with fans, is that -as far as I know- they do not use the power supply of the VGA itself, which means it can't be automatically controlled by the driver depending on its heat.
In that case, I have the choice between manually controlling it (I hate that) or suffering from its noise...
Anyway, both of you said that the AS5 won't be thick enough to have a contact between the chips and the heatsink.
On that point, I am not really sure : the heatsink is fixed to the car through screws pulled by springs. So if the height of the GPU and of the ram is reported on the heatsinks, a contact can be achieved.
And here is my (point 1) problem : I' m not sure of this...

FYI: Fixing your own Thermal Paste Problem

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for