Overheating and slight static electric shocks

Hi
I first want to say that I am in no way technical!!
I bought a Macbook Pro 15" late last year, so it is about 6 months old at this stage. I am concerned with 2 things. Firstly the heat that the machine is generating - I am not a gamer nor do I use many applications at the same time - usually all I have open are Finder, Firefox (maybe 3 tabs) and Skype. I did the iStat Nano app and the CPU is running at between 58 and 62 C. The heat is located on the top right side of the macbook (say from the bottom of the keyboard say the letter 'V' up and to the left edge of the machine). The rest of the device is about 10C cooler.
Is this normal? Can it be reduced? I can't even hear the fans but the iStat says that they are going at just under 2000 rpm.
The second issue is that on the edges of the computer I am getting mild (static) electric shocks. Is this normal(??)? I am not really generating much static myself so I assume it is coming from the device.
I would appreciate your views.
Regards
Adam

Hi adam, and a warm welcome to the forums.
A temperature of 58 to 62º for the CPU is really not all that high for an MBP (or any notebook running on a Core2Duo chip. It is the sort of temperature that usually occurs with moderate CPU use.The maximum operating temperature for these processors is around 100ºC. The fans usually start to kick up a little in speed when the temps reach around 70ºC, but won't reach full speed until it is significantly hotter than this.
Many people think that web browsers like Firefox or Safari are "low CPU" usage applications, but , depending on what sort of sites you are visiting, they can actually impose a substantial load. If you visit any sites that use Flash, for example, you will find that CPU usage by Firefox or Safari skyrocket.
Open up "Activity Monitor" (in your utilities folder) and keep an eye on Firefox's CPU usage while you visit various websites.
Head to http://www.cnn.com/video/ in Firefox and play the "lead" video , for example, and you will usually see CPU usage in Firefox increase to somewhere in the 60 to 80% range. Many, many sites use Flash for one purpose or another these days.
(Skype usually doesn't use much CPU, unless you fire up its video mode, in which case it too can become a heavy load)
So I wouldn't be worried about the temperatures you mention.
The "mild shock" matter that you mention is a longstanding issue with notebook computers of many brands. I first experienced it myself when using a PB12 in a remote part of Queensland a few years ago. The power supply of the unit that I was staying in was not properly earthed (and may have even had the "neutral" and "active" wiring reversed). I received noticeable shocks from the body of the computer.
Many people have also reported this issue when using the two pin "duckhead adaptor" in their MBPs, instead of the earthed three pin cord. It is also a common occurrence when using unearthed "two pin" power adaptors in a variety of PC notebooks.
It also happens with Dells - see http://crave.cnet.co.uk/laptops/0,39029450,49295100,00.htm and, it would seem, reading the comments HERE to HPs , Compaqs, Sonys, Thinkpads etc etc. Seems , in fact to be a common feature of Notebook computers when using 2 pin power adaptors, though the amount of metal that is directly contactable may affect the extent which people noticing it! http://forums.reghardware.co.uk/forum/1/2008/01/18/dellm1530_electicshock/ provides more examples from a wide variety of makers.
You will find further discussion of the matter with respect to MBPs at http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=11031457#11031457
As long as the place where you are using your computer has a proper earth you should be able to overcome the problem altogether by using the power cord with the three pin , earthed, plug, rather than the two pin plug that lets you connect the power block itself directly into a powerpoint.
In summary, I wouldn't be unduly worried about either of your issues, though the "shock" issue can be unpleasant and annoying. I avoid it myself by always using the power cord with the earthed three pin plug, which resolves it completely as long as the wiring in your building is properly hooked up!
Cheers
Rod
Message was edited by: Rod Hagen

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Overheating and slight static electric shocks

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