MacBook Pro Heat Issue

Question

I just recently received my MacBook Pro this past Wednesday and I've been addicted since. This is the first Mac I've ever owned and felt it was time to move onto something better and more stable than M$. I do use Linux but it doesn't have near the support like Mac does except maybe Suse (only because of Novell).
My problem is my MacBook Pro gets very hot. I've read the entire book that came with my machine and I noticed that it said that the operating temps are between 50-95F (10-35C). Am I reading/understanding this wrong? I've performed average use of my machine and have used a Class 2 Laser thermometer (made by Stanley) to take the temp and i've reached up to 115 degrees F just above my function keys.
If i remember correctly from left to right it goes Northbridge, GPU, and then CPU. The 115 mark was at my CPU on the far right side. I also never hear the fan on this machine come on. This is the quietest lappie I've ever heard after extended use. You hear the fans spin up all the time in the Dells, Gateways, Compaqs, etc.
One of my coworkers turned me to the overheating issue with these machines and it made me quite nervous. I understand that they had somebody who had cerebral palsy apply the thermal grease. What i gather and understand is that is now become an insulator instead of an adhesive. Is there a Real way to remedy this situation?
I've read stories of people having this issue and stating they took the machine apart themselves, cleaned up the goop, reapplied AS5 and their temps dropped (from reports) 15-25F and even only 2 degrees F. I know that silicon can take a beating in the heat but i'm kind of worried about the other components in my machine.
Is this firmware update really going to make a difference or is this some form of coverup? I'm being cynical now but i'm worried that such a great product is going to be a very large paperweight. I ran tests on my old Gateway 600 series laptop (top of the line when i got it) and it hangs and about 98-99F at its high points. The fan also kicks on and is loud as **** but seems to cool it enough to be reasonable. Although, this machine does make me quite warm when sitting on my lap.
Does anyone have ANY ideas as to what can be done? Or what have you done to try and remedy the issue? Am I doomed like the rest of you that have this lappie? I haven't seen anything from apple about this issue other than some firmware update.
Thanks for the help and ideas in advance!
17" MacBook Pro   Mac OS X (10.4.6)   2.16GHz / 2GB RAM / 120GB HD

Answer 1

Master P, you did misunderstand Apple's specifications for the range of operating temperatures. Those specifications apply to the ambient environment in which you operate the computer. In other words, Apple recommends against using your computer if your room temperature is at 95 F or above, or below 50 F -- temperatures that would be uncomfortable both for you and the computer. Of course some people such as photojournalists do productively use their MBPs in extreme environments such as the Sahara Desert or the upper slopes of Mount Everest, but I'm sure they understand they are reducing the life expectancy of some of the components, such as the hard drive in the computer.
A temperature of 115 F or higher on the metal strip behind the function keys is perfectly OK. You don't need to touch that strip to use the computer. My criterion is whether the parts that I need to touch remain comfortable -- the keyboard, trackpad and wrist rest areas. They do on my computer, although the left wrist area can reach body temperature after extended use.
In my opinion the recommendations to remove and reapply thermal grease fall into the Urban Myth category and do not make technical sense. And performing that "fix" will likely void the warranty and an AppleCare policy, should you subsequently have a logic board or CPU failure. The "fix" will be immediately visible to Apple service folk should the computer have to be sent in for repair.
No, you are not doomed. My CPU temperatures after hours of operation generally run in the 40 to mid-50 C range, depending on what I'm doing. At the moment CoreDuo Temp is reporting 48 C. Continuous 100% load of both processors for extended periods results in CPU temperatures in the 60s-70s C, which is well below the maximum continuous operating temperatures specified by Intel.
The SMART disk temperature of my 7,200 rpm hard drive has always been reported by Hardware Monitor to stay well below the operating temperature maximum of 55 C recommended by Seagate.
So I expect to get years of useful service from the MBP.
Both because I like the tilt for typing and because it provides an additional heat sink to cool the computer in heavy use, I use an aluminum tilt stand whether the MPB is on my desk or in my lap. I use a KoolSink because it's very portable, but there are many laptop stands that work well.