Hi guys! My Macbook Air has been overheating as of late... sometimes even at the simplest of tasks. I usually only have 2 windows open, one for googling and one for browsing videos. I've googled around and found out that a lot of peeps have been having the same issue with their Macbook Air. Also, the software named " Coolbook " keeps coming up. Does anyone of you have the same issue? If so, how were you able to solve it? Does anyone here know where I could get a copy of Coolbook? I've already called multiple Digital Hub outlets and they don't have it. Hoping for your assistance. Thanks!
same with my macbook, check my post on the bottom part of the page http://www.philmug.ph/forum/showthread.php?t=39961&page=9
This is a common problem encountered by MBA users, I do find it irritating when one of the cores shutdown due to excessive heat and it becomes a chore to watch videos or do photo processing because of sluggish performance. Make sure to update your EFI firmware, and to use a laptop cooler - it might not seem like much, but I noticed that my unit cools down when using a cooler.
Have you tried installing Fan Control? I don't have an Air but My Macbook Pro tends to get hot when viewing Flash and encoding video but I was able to reduce that by bumping up the fan to 2500 RPM minimum with Fan Control.
Hope this quote helps you Shinobi, you can also try to install SMC Fan Control to monitor the heat of your mac..and try to use cooling fans while using you MB, it can help lessen the heat production and regarding with Coolbook, you can order it online. Here's the link.
@Shinobi coolbook is not available at digital walker, you can get it here. im using it right now. here's a solution for you: - coolbook - reapply thermal paste (acrtic silver is highly recommended)
Or you can purchase Coolbook for $10. oops, skinhead posted first while i was composing this during a meeting, sorry was looking for Jason Snell's (Macworld Editor) video podcast on this.
Thanks stevezone, skinhead and ijingo! I've read about one suggesting to have thermal paste re-applied. Unfortunately, my MBA's already out of warranty so I can't have the shops to do this for me, apart from I'm not comfortable opening the MBA's case myself. Skinhead: Are you also using an MBA? If yes, just how big was the difference between the time you didn't have Coolbook from the time you installed it? Is it really as good as they say it is online? Also, is Coolbook enough or should I also install the SMC Fan Control along with it? If so, would you care to share your Coolbook settings? BTW, my MBA's a Rev A. Thanks again!
yes im using a revA 1.8 harddrive version, re: the settings its really different on every processor so you need to do it on your own. Go to macrumors, theres a tutorial as well as users giving tips on maximizing the app. if it was me i would try reapplying the thermal paste first, it's really easy you wont even sweat doing it.
Hi guys, I've asked some friends in the office and they suggested that before I go ahead with getting Coolbook, I might as well try Apple's official fix: http://support.apple.com/downloads/MacBook_Air_SMC_Update_1_0 Has anyone here tried this? Did it work for you? Also, I keep on reading about folks who've done an SMC Reset to resolve this issue. Some were successful and some weren't. Nonetheless, could someone please tell me how one goes about doing this on the MBA? Much appreciated!!!
I downloaded and installed this update before, unfortunately I still get "stutters" from my video if I play one after the other. There's a noticeable sluggishness after hearing the fan whirring like crazy - my guess is that one of the cores is being shutdown to compensate for the heat. So when that happens, I do one of several things: turn the AC on, use a laptop cooler, or just exit the program and wait for the heat to dissipate. @Skinhead- re: applying the thermal paste, is that a DIY project, or is that covered by Applecare? and OT, same skinhead who got my ram before?
Forgot to mention, to do an SMC Reset, turn the Air off, press and hold the LEFT shift key+control+option, then press the power button once. Wait 5-10 seconds, and press the power key again to turn it on.
Thanks silverfox! I did the SMC Reset as instructed. I did it twice since I wasn't sure if I waited 5 seconds the 1st time I did it. I hope that was ok. I also tried installing the Macbook Air SMC Update 1.0 from the Apple website but after I finished, it advised me that I already had the latest version to begin with. It left me wondering. Lastly, I did install smcFanControl 2.2.2 and have just finished playing with the fan settings... from Default to High RPM and then back again! hehe! BTW, correct me if I'm wrong but should I leave it on Default 1800 RPM when the MBA's temp is just about reasonable ( say 40 - 60 Celsius ) and then rev it up to 6200 RPM when things get a bit toasty? I use an entry level MBA Rev A. Please do suggest some safe temperature ceilings with their approximate RPMs so I can mix and match'em depending on the area I'm currently in. Lastly, I skipped on installing the Coolbook for now since I wanna see how the smcFanControl will ( hopefully can! ) handle things from here. Right now, 3:29AM, I'm getting 43'C at 1795rpm since I left the fan speed on Default. I have my electric fan on speed no. 1 directly aimed at the MBA. I just wanted to add that since I noticed that the MBA's grills are located on the bottom, I've quit putting my Air on top of my LaRobe carrying case and have now just begun allowing it to sit on my study on all its four rubber soles... I believe it gets to breathe easier that way. My MBA seems to be at ease playing between 43 - 46'C with just the Philmug site, Frostwire, Google and ITunes on the sides... but the moment I tried playing a video on Youtube, the temp skyrocketed from 43 to 58'C! WILD!!!
Another alternative is to use Quicktime instead of Flash when viewing Youtube. Here is how to do it: http://www.macosxhints.com/article.php?story=20080421213854552 It should reduce the stuttering and heat a bit because QT is much more efficient then Adobe Flash.
You might want to check out this product, I'm planning on getting one as well: http://www.thermapak.com/heatshift/index.php
@silverfox: Thanks for the heads up! First time I've heard of this product. I'll give it a shot if all else fails. @Salaryman Ryan: Thanks for the suggestion. I'll give it a try as soon as I get back to my MBA. BTW, would you still advise me to install Coolbook so I can undervolt and adjust the clock speed on the MBA? I just realized now that all the smcFanControl does is allow me to play with the fan settings. I've heard of folks who've been able to undervolt their MBAs yet still allow it to run at 1.6GHz C2D thus allowing the MBA to be cooler apart from extending the battery life. The only downside is that the MBA might crash due to severe undervoltage so manually re-adjusting voltage will do the trick. Will installing this update help? http://support.apple.com/downloads/MacBook_Air_EFI_Firmware_Update_1_1 I don't wanna install too many updates for fear of too many things going around my MBA. Lastly, will smcFanControl be able to co-exist with Coolbook or should I make a choice between one or the other? I apologize for having way too many questions. I just feel that this would be the best site where one could seek assistance without fear of being rebuked. Thank you so much for all your assistance.
hi, shinobi--i would stick to the official updates and steer clear of undervolting and all that jazz. the MBA does heat up if you don't provide for sufficient ventilation. putting it on a laptop stand will often suffice. (putting it on a soft pillow on your lap--which i do when working from my lazyboy--will almost certainly guarantee overheating.) if it gets so warm that it becomes unresponsive (your mouse, for example, will refuse to cooperate), put it to sleep for a few minutes. that will cool it down.
I've been searching for online shops that will ship the Thermapak to Manila but haven't had any success yet. The product is also known as Heatshift and iXoft.
Thanks for the suggestion pen. I was just trying to think out of the box since the Apple discussion board have at times cited the Apple provided updates as being futile exercises in resolving this issue. I nonetheless tried them out first before resorting to 3rd party fixes. This is my first Mac and there's nothing I'd love more than to be able to play with it from all sides and leave no options untried. Besides, Apple has once more proven its smarts by designing something as revolutionary as the MBA... but I can't help but wonder why someone other than them was smart enough to design something like Coolbook, among others. Heck, it's already a known issue, so who better provide the definitive solution than Apple themselves right?
