Thermal test of iPad's A5X chip shows operating temperature of 97 degrees F

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 106
    esoomesoom Posts: 155member
    Heck, I can't even get mine to warm up, what am I doing wrong?
  • Reply 22 of 106
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Red Oak View Post


    I went to an Apple store to see this for myself. I picked up the first display unit, felt the back left bottom in portrait mode, and immediately found the 'warm' spot. It was very noticeable



    I mentioned this on AI the day that I got it. It was evident but it's a little warmth, it's not scalding heat and you aren't going to get burned. The most difficult thing you might have to do is adjust your hand or rotate the device.



    Quote:

    I'm disappointed, especially given the other trade-offs in weight and thickness (albeit, very small). Now, add 'heat' to the list.



    Is it really a better option to say we'll stick with the 0.78 million pixel display so we don't have to make slightly thicker, heavier and warmer behind the GPU? I certainly don't think so.



    Quote:

    I can't understand why they used 45 nm for the A5X



    First of all, I don't know of any 28/32nm ARM CPUs that shipping in quantity right now. Qualcomm's Krait recently started shipping but the number of devices coming to market will sell less in total for the 6 months than iPads sold this past weekend.



    On top of that there is no way Apple would use Qualcomm's intermediary option just to get the smaller lithography for the CPU when it's the GPU that generating the heat. Is there is foundry that can produce smaller GPUs that still have the same performance? Img Tech's roadmap for Series 6 GPUs doesn't look like it'll be ready until 2013. So what process could they have used when they started building iPads last year and in quantity as last as January? I don't think there is any.



    Quote:

    Hopefully Apple team was all over this before launch and felt the compromises were absolutely necessary to get the Retina display out the door.



    Of course they were and of course it was a trade off. How else do you expect to get 3.1 million pixels without a more powerful GPU?



    Quote:

    They had a year to get it right.



    It sounds like you're saying the iPad HW team works on a model up until it launches and then jumps to the next model. I can assure that is not how it works. This iPad was in the works for well over a year and was finalized many months ago.



    Quote:

    If it was a matter of another 3-4 months to shrink key components, I would have held off the launch



    That probably wouldn't have made a difference for the quantities they needed but is always waiting for the next best thing to arrive really the best way to run a business when sourcing components?



    Bottom line: This is the best iPad, the best tablet, and has set the bar so high that Apple has an iPod-like domination of the tablet market for the foreseeable future.
  • Reply 23 of 106
    addaboxaddabox Posts: 12,665member
    Sigh. I'm trying to remember if there's been an Apple product rollout in the last 10 years or so that didn't feature an abrupt flurry of hysteria around some perceived failing. Hysteria, I might add, that typically blows away again as if it never happened, followed by every increasing sales and soaring consumer satisfaction numbers.
  • Reply 24 of 106
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by addabox View Post


    Sigh. I'm trying to remember if there's been an Apple product rollout in the last 10 years or so that didn't feature an abrupt flurry of hysteria around some perceived failing. Hysteria, I might add, that typically blows away again as if it never happened, followed by every increasing sales and soaring consumer satisfaction numbers.



    iPad (3) — heat issues

    iPad 2 — light bleed issues

    iPad — "What the frak is it for?" issues



    iPhone 4S — battery issues / they didn't redesign it issues

    iPhone 4 — antenna issues / glass is too easy to break issues

    iPhone 3GS — battery and heat issues / they didn't redesign it issues

    iPhone 3G — it's cheap plastic issues / it's thicker and heavier issues

    iPhone — lack of '3G' issues / "It's just a toy" issues / aluminium is too easy to scratch issues





    PS: Check out that link. Remember that gem?
  • Reply 25 of 106
    I think you'd have to hold an iPad 2 and iPad[ ] one after the other to see if the "warm spot" is really that dramatic, compared to another model. But of course it isn't. I mean... "warm spot?" Really?



    Pretty silly.
  • Reply 26 of 106
    My point is the following.



    If the iPad 3's external housing gets hotter, it may be partly because of better heat transfer from the processor to the external world. Something already mentioned elsewhere, namely heat produced by other parts such as LED backlights, is not directly contributing to peak temperatures in the processor.



    Further, given that the A5X has a metal housing, it may also be evacuating the heat better than the A4's plastic housing.



    Also, opening up the case may not give a representative idea of the processor temperature, because of different heat conduction to the outer shell.



    The only reliable measurement would be to access the on-chip temperature sensors.

    Maybe there would be no FUD articles to publish if it would actually turn out that the actual dye temperature in the iPad3's processor is hardly different from that in the previous models. Would such a realization put CR, the NYT and others to shame? Probably not, they wouldn't even admit their unscientific mistake. They would simply start looking at something else to pick on.
  • Reply 27 of 106
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    First off anybody with any sense wold have expected more heat simply due to he more powerful chips and backlighting. Speaking of which that backlighting is most likely spread out a bit, the CPU is a point load. Thus it really looks like most of the heat is coming from the backlight. I believe somebody has already measured the power draw of the backlight so I really have to wonder what the debate is all about.



    In any event I was watching an iTunesU video last night, with the iPad plugged in an didn't notice any heat issues.
  • Reply 28 of 106
    davemcm76davemcm76 Posts: 268member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Esoom View Post


    Heck, I can't even get mine to warm up, what am I doing wrong?



    Try playing the updated for retina Real Racing 2HD for 20 minutes or so.... there is definitely a warm spot that is definitely warmer than it was on the iPad 2 but it's not "hot" by any definition, and anybody with even the faintest grip on physics (and reality) will know that doubling the number of cores on a chip and then pushing them all really hard is going to produce some extra heat... beyond that, in "normal" use (email / facebook / etc) I've yet to find any noticeable temperature difference to my iPad 2.



    I'd say it's possibly more an indicator that Apple have improved the heat flow away from the hotter running (it has to be, see "physics" for more details) A5X chip with the new metal heat spreader identified in the iFixIt teardown - I mean lets face it that big aluminium rear case makes an ideal heatsink



    I still say it's a non issue that certain sites are blowing out of all proportion in order to find something (anything!) to complain about to grab page hits and ad revenue in the ensuing hater frenzy.
  • Reply 29 of 106
    rabbit_coachrabbit_coach Posts: 1,114member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DeanSolecki View Post


    I think you'd have to hold an iPad 2 and iPad[ ] one after the other to see if the "warm spot" is really that dramatic, compared to another model. But of course it isn't. I mean... "warm spot?" Really?



    Pretty silly.



    It's all about who get's the most clicks in YouTube. AI shouldn't even provide links to click on IMHO. They just add to this silly hysteria. One 5-7°C warmer than the other ??!?? And they take the trouble to loose the warranty of such a nice device over this kind of bogus. Is there no end to this kind of craziness?
  • Reply 30 of 106
    Outside air temperatures records in at least 20 US States are hotter than the iPad's warm spot.



    http://www.usatoday.com/weather/wheat7.htm
  • Reply 31 of 106
    rabbit_coachrabbit_coach Posts: 1,114member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by DaveMcM76 View Post


    I mean lets face it that big aluminium rear case makes an ideal heatsink .



    Exactly what I thought, when I saw the pics.

    Makes perfectly sense to let the additional heat escape. What better to use than good old aluminium with such a nice heat conductivity.
  • Reply 32 of 106
    The iPad 2 has a 25 watt battery, and can last upto 10 hours. The new iPad has a 42.5 watt battery and can last up to 10 hours. A little less than twice the energy is being expended in the same time period means more heat - simple as that.
  • Reply 33 of 106
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Rxlewis View Post


    The iPad 2 has a 25 watt battery, and can last upto 10 hours. The new iPad has a 42.5 watt battery and can last up to 10 hours. A little less than twice the energy is being expended in the same time period means more heat - simple as that.



    Not necessarily. Well yes, but in a few years a proc with this same power as this will run significantly cooler, so it's not simply cut and dried like that.
  • Reply 34 of 106
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


    Not necessarily. Well yes, but in a few years a proc with this same power as this will run significantly cooler, so it's not simply cut and dried like that.



    What do you mean by "same power"?
  • Reply 35 of 106
    lightknightlightknight Posts: 2,312member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tylerk36 View Post


    Place next to a bread pan with bread dough and it should help the bread rise. Nice.



    Use it as a bread pan!

    iBreadPan... the app that makes your bread rise!
  • Reply 36 of 106
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


    Not necessarily. Well yes, but in a few years a proc with this same power as this will run significantly cooler, so it's not simply cut and dried like that.



    It may be possible, in a few years, to develop more a efficient processor, but more effiecent means either less energy (fewer watts) OR more speed for the same energy (equal wattage). If they are expending the same amount of energy it will produce the same amount of heat ... Simple as that.



    Please don't get me wrong- I don't see ANY issue with this at all, and really find all of this "hot" controversy amusing.
  • Reply 37 of 106
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    iPad started at 27 degrees C (80.6 degrees F) and warmed up to 32-33 degrees C (89.6-91.4 degrees F), while the iPad 2 started at 24 degrees C (75.2 degrees F) and only climbed to 25-26 degrees C (77-78.8 degrees F).



    Repair Labs said it was was unable to reproduce the 116 degree F temperatures that Consumer Reports noted earlier on Tuesday, though it did note that holding the new iPad 3 "could be noticeably warmer after only a few minutes use," especially if held where the A5X is located.



    Separate tests conducted by Tested found a maximum temperature of 82 degrees F on the third-generation iPad when playing "Infinity Blade II," the same app used by Consumer Reports in its tests.



    An infrared test conducted earlier this week by a Dutch site found the new iPad to have reached 92.5 degrees F during a GLBenchmark test, almost 10 degrees hotter than the 83 degrees F measured on the iPad 2 during the same test.



    Let's see. The Dutch site shows a maximum of 92.5 degrees on the external case running GL Benchmark. Repair Labs shows a maximum if 97 degrees ON THE CHIP and 92 degrees external running Netflix. Tested showed a maximum of 82 degrees running 82 degrees running Infinity Blade.



    Consumer Reports shows 116 degrees running Infinity Blade.



    Hmmm. Who to believe? I guess it won't be the first time CR has faked results to get attention:

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv...20900-idx.html



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Red Oak View Post


    I went to an Apple store to see this for myself. I picked up the first display unit, felt the back left bottom in portrait mode, and immediately found the 'warm' spot. It was very noticeable



    I'm disappointed, especially given the other trade-offs in weight and thickness (albeit, very small). Now, add 'heat' to the list. I can't understand why they used 45 nm for the A5X



    Hopefully Apple team was all over this before launch and felt the compromises were absolutely necessary to get the Retina display out the door.



    They had a year to get it right. If it was a matter of another 3-4 months to shrink key components, I would have held off the launch



    That's absurd.



    First, you don't have any idea how long it would have taken to shrink the CPU. It's really funny how people can make claims like that without having any clue.



    Second, it's an obvious result. The unit uses almost twice as much power as the previous one. Power doesn't just disappear, it must go somewhere. A tiny portion of it is dissipated as light (although total light output didn't change much from iPad 2 to iPad 3, so that's not going to account for the difference). The rest must be heat - regardless of how heavy or thick the device is. It is not surprising that it's slightly warmer.



    I have a clue for you - a 300 HP car engine puts out more heat than a 100 HP car engine, too. I guess CR should be investigating the car manufacturers. If a radiator hose breaks, just think of how much faster that high performance car will overheat.



    There are no reports of the device overheating to the point of shutting off. Apple says it meets their specifications. And even the most anti-Apple reports claim that it's not too hot to hold.



    People are just stirring up a controversy where none exists.
  • Reply 38 of 106
    "We were not able to replicate the same temperatures that Consumer Reports were getting"

    Well that's an open statement with no qualification whatsoever.



    Considering they did not mention the games tests it makes it look intended to be quite misleading.
  • Reply 39 of 106
    In other news, Al Gore says the new iPad is contributing to Global warming but he still wants one so he can surf the net he invented.
  • Reply 40 of 106
    A warm iPad might be a great feature. My hands often freeze when using ipad outside in the winter time. Now, I have a hand warmer. Hopefully it will still feel warm when temperature outside is 30 degrees Fahrenheit.



    99.9% of the time, I use the iPad in landscape, my hands never touch the "hot" area. With a case over the iPad, who's going to notice? And who in their right mind will be leaving their iPad without a protective case?



    That reminds me, Apple's magnetic cover is just pure garbage. It doesn't protect the iPad at all.
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