“Due to the recent media hype surrounding the new MacBooks and the lack of actual experimentation, I decided to take matters into my own hands,” Brian Krische writes for Krische onLine.
“Since I work in the IT department of a factory that uses all Dell computers, I was able to borrow a brand new Dell Latitude D620 for a few hours. Also readily available to me was an Oakton InfraPro infrared thermometer and my very own MacBook,” Krische reports. “There has been a significant negative response to the amount of heat emitted from the MacBooks. Since I own a MacBook, why not put it it to the test?”
Krische pitted the Apple MacBook against the Dell Latitude D620 with each laptop playing the same film (The Hills Have Eyes) without interruption while running from battery power. Krische checked the temperature of four zones on both the top-side and bottom-side of each portable and recorded the exact temperatures upon the successful startup of the operating system, after one hour of playtime, and at the end of the movie (1 hour 45 min).
Krische writes, “In the end, it appears to be that, in certain spots, the MacBook is significantly hotter than the Dell, but its average temperature is very close to that of the Dell. Take this information as you will. I ensure you that both laptops were checked with the upmost scrutiny. In my opinion, I think that the MacBook is a great alternative to the PC dominated computer market. It does run a little bit hotter than the Dell, but I remind you that the MacBook lacks cooling fans that are built into the Dell.”
Full article with graphs and charts showing the precise temperatures of both units here.
MacDailyNews Note: The MacBook does indeed have a cooling fan. See video of it in action (and “mooing”) here.
Related articles:
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AP: Apple’s MacBook should give makers of Windows-only notebooks nightmares – July 07, 2006
Survey shows big jump in consumer interest in buying Apple Mac; Dell takes steep slide – July 06, 2006
Boston Herald: Apple MacBook superior to iBook predecessor in every way – July 03, 2006
Report: Apple MacBook shipments stronger than expected; 15-inch MacBook (not Pro) model planned? – July 03, 2006
MSNBC’s Krakow: Apple’s MacBook ‘the best notebook computer I’ve ever used’ – June 28, 2006
The Washington Times: Apple’s new 13-inch MacBook ‘is one powerful, affordable Mac portable’ – June 23, 2006
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Review: Tom Bihn ‘Smart Alec’ backpack for Apple MacBook and MacBook Pro models – June 19, 2006
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Washington Post: Apple MacBook leaves iBook in the dust – June 11, 2006
Mossberg: Apple’s new MacBook surprisingly inexpensive, offers vastly superior Mac OS X – June 08, 2006
Time Magazine on Apple’s 13-inch MacBook: ‘Dell and HP should be very worried’ – June 07, 2006
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Thurrott: Look at Apple’s MacBook and ‘you might just find your perfect notebook’ – May 31, 2006
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Personal Computer World review: Apple MacBook – May 22, 2006
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Ars Technica reviews Apple MacBook – May 19, 2006
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Analyst: MacBooks are best consumer notebooks Apple has created, sure to be big winners – May 18, 2006
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the MacBook has lots of fans, don’t know what he’s talking about!!
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All hail our bovine overlords.
Great. Now test it while running an actual good movie.
I’ve heard other people write that the MBP has no fans. Mine does, but they are so quiet that you don’t notice them. My hard drive is as loud just spinning at idle.
I thought so! I knew this MacBook is too hot stuff was crap. They made fans to sit your “laptop” on way before the MacBook was ever made, The way people are talking you would think that all the laptop cooling assesories were made only for the MacBook.
The only area that showed to be significantly hotter was the upper right corner of the bottom. Most of the temps were pretty much the same +/-. Although 14˚is quite a bit more, the Macbook is thinner. 119˚ is quite hot to say the least. The Core Duo’s simply seem run hot in a laptop form factor (regardless of manufacturer). Hopefully the Merom will be cooler?
“it appears to be that, in certain spots, the MacBook is significantly hotter than the Dell”
Hotter, as in sexier?
You know, the same goes for girls: Some are significantly hotter is certain spots than others.
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^^^ seem to run hot
Did anyone else not hear the mooing in that video?
With all Intel Core Duo laptops using the same chipsets, CPU, and graphics cards, why would we expect that the MacBook would run hotter OR cooler than any other laptop with the same technologies? In fact, it’s well documented now that Apple has *underclocked* the graphics card – presumably in the very interested of lowering heat output.
Duh. It’s not an Apple issue. It’s a Core Duo platform issue. Granted, some platforms could vent the heat better than others, but they would by definition need to be louder, as faster fans would be the primary method to draw heat away from a body-contacting surface and out some sort of vent aperture.
Let’s use our brains. This is NOT a big deal, nor is it a problem unique to MacBooks. If you don’t like it, wait for Apple to release a Core Solo version, or perhaps just go buy an Origami. LOL.
does 114º seem to be a bit much to have your fingers resting on it?
Elequent as ever there Microsoft#1
LOL is that the IQ level we can expect for Mac haters?
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MDNW – ‘Chance’ What chance is there that Mac haters still buy Apple iPods?
Microsoft#1
– If you are going to abuse us Mac fans, please learn how to do it properly using the correct spellings and grammatical composition. Otherwise we will all see you for the woolly back you really are.
Perhaps ‘gay ass’ is a more stylish and hip type of ‘dumb ass’?
love the “Zango” ad at the bottom. Doesn’t even work on a Mac. Nice one, MDN. Getting paid for click-thrus that have no payoff for the advertiser. Sweeet!!
macaholic – perhaps…..
But I’m Gay and certainly not dumb! (in all meanings of the word).
That extra 10-15 degrees in some spots will be enough to push some components past their temperature tolerances, or at least significantly reduce their lives.
The “Average” comment is just dumb. The problem is a concentration of heat in a point which ins’t being removed or spread out, which will lessen component life and/or cause a failure.
“why would we expect that the MacBook would run hotter OR cooler than any other laptop with the same technologies?”
From an engineering point of view, a laptop which has hot spots 15 degrees higher than another unit is running significantly hotter, even if the average temperature of the case is the same. The curves for component life are not linear with tempeature. That last 15 degrees hurts you much more than the first 105
This setup for generating heat emission is highly inappropriate:
– MPEG movie decoding is i/o intensive rather than cpu intensive
– Due to different codec implementation and optimization cpu usage will greatly differ on MB and Dell.
– Probably only a single core is used and the cpu clocks down to 1.5 Ghz or less. Otherwise different settings for image resampling (e.g. de-interlacing) might contribute to cpu usage diversion.
– Battery operation triggers power saving mode, which will also have an effect on heat production.
– The DVD drive itself will prodice heat emission.
In a proper setup both units have to be connected to the power supply and usage of each core on both cpus should reach 100% for a constant period of time.
wait, how come everyone here is so pleased with these results? So what, the Dell is somewhat cooler – or as warm as the current setup. But how can this be good news??? Didn’t a Dell blow up because of overheating some week ago? I’d say that Apple better be worried about these news. Next time it might be one of those 15′ macbooks going of in a crowded Airbus.
“wait, how come everyone here is so pleased with these results?”
Cognitive Dissonance.
To Micro$oft #1, it is also a lot hotter in Miami Beach than it is in Redmond, WA, but just like using a Macbook, the beauty and performance and things to see and do are a lot greater.
Be a sheep with your Micro$oft 3rd party hardware conglomeration, or be something unique and individual with a Mac. You get to choose, troll.
in the words of someone very profound, Paris Hilton “that’s hot”.
As for the “gay ass” vs. “dumb ass” debate — why can’t we all just get along, like these guys?
It doesn’t look like that theoretical Macbook is going to be going off in a A380 anytime soon.
It would have been nice if the RAM had been identical. In some cases – not likely this – it matters (more swapping out to virtual memory adds heat from disk use).
Good thinking to test four quarters and tops and bottoms. Now maybe someone will be able to figure out where extra cooling is needed.
Cooling devices have been around longer than any MacIntel, not just the MacBook. I bought this small structural-foam device a couple of years back after noting my G4 iBook was ‘warm’. All it does is raises the hinge end up the better part of an inch to provide better free air flow through, and under, the computer – and insulates your lap. For a lot more money I could have bought a device that did all that and blew air against the bottom of the system … adding the effect of an external fan to that of the internal one. No, this is not unique to MacBooks.