12" heat issues
Just wondering if anyone has had the same experience as me with the 12" PowerBook G4. I use mine in closed lid mode most of the time - external monitor, keyboard and mouse. I've been leaving it on processing jobs, while I work on another machine or go out.
A couple of days ago I came back to the machine and noticed it was really hot, so hot that there were parts of it you couldn't hold your hands on (along the left hand side towards the video port). I also noticed that the fan hadn't come on.
I immediately popped the lid up about 20mm, and the fan came on within a few seconds, staying on full for about ten minutes.
Over the next day or so I observed it, and the fan *never* comes on when the lid is closed - as soon as you open the lid (even though the LCD doesn't come on) the fan come on. It seems to have got to the stage now that when the lid is just ajar like that the fan never goes off, *never* - even when the machine is quite cool again.
I called Apple support, they seem to believe it's a hardware problem - they said they couldn't find any references to such an issue.
Anyone seen anything remotely like this?
A couple of days ago I came back to the machine and noticed it was really hot, so hot that there were parts of it you couldn't hold your hands on (along the left hand side towards the video port). I also noticed that the fan hadn't come on.
I immediately popped the lid up about 20mm, and the fan came on within a few seconds, staying on full for about ten minutes.
Over the next day or so I observed it, and the fan *never* comes on when the lid is closed - as soon as you open the lid (even though the LCD doesn't come on) the fan come on. It seems to have got to the stage now that when the lid is just ajar like that the fan never goes off, *never* - even when the machine is quite cool again.
I called Apple support, they seem to believe it's a hardware problem - they said they couldn't find any references to such an issue.
Anyone seen anything remotely like this?
Comments
i'll check on clare's 12" pb when i get home.
they said they couldn't find any references to such an issue
A cynic might say it's part of their script, but most PowerBook users probably don't i) use them much in closed mode or ii) regularly perform tasks that should cause the fan to come on.
Stoo, I don't think I'm doing anything really unusual with it, just making it work for its keep.
Are there any others out there with over heating problems. Mine gets so hot you can't use it on your lap it is too uncomfortable!
Dazzle
Some Apple users are ridiculous. It is a subnotebook with a lot in it and it gets hot DEAL WITH IT. Apple is not going to "fix" anything on it if you send it back. Dazzle maybe you're new to computers but in a Rev 1 there will be problems. You can't do anything about it, even Apple isn't perfect. In the next rev I expect they will change this. In fact my hands sweat when I use it for a while (ew!) But when was the last time you bought a first model of something that was perfect?
I am not talking about alittle heat this is serious! If I were to use it on a varnished surface it would lift the varnish!
I have never heard a fan come on, is it very noticable when it does on the 12"? What is a Rev 1? Yes I understand that with the first of anything there may be minor production issues, but this is not minor when it causes the base to loose shape!
I had a new digital camera that wouldn't focus properly, lots of helpful people suggested it was a user problem. As a professional photographer I new it wasn't and the manufacturer replaced it admiting there was a definite issue. If something is fundamentaly wrong with a piece of kit I am not prepared to live with it, you might be able to do so, but I am not!
Dazzle
Odd that a monitor connection would add that much heat. It gets that hot even when I'm just typing in Word.
I don't use it in closed lid mode - I leave the lid open.
It clearly shows the 12" on the lap of the tall guy. In the instruction manual it says:
When using your PowerBook or when charging the battery, it is normal for the bottom of the case to get warm. For prolonged use, place your PowerBook on a flat, stable surface. The bottom of the PowerBook case functions as a cooling surface that transfers heat from inside the computer to the cooler air outside. The bottom of the case is raised slightly to allow airflow that keeps the unit within NORMAL operating temperatures.
I for one think that the whole purpose of having a PowerBook is not to have to use it on a flat stabble surface, but to be able to use it on a train journey or long haul flight as shown in the advert! If I had wanted to use a computer on a flat stable surface all the time I would have bought a PowerMac! I find the heat is unbareable when I use it on my lap.
What are your thoughts/comments to the above?
Dazzle
I have a 15" 1Ghz PowerBook and it gets very hot when doing CPU intensive tasks. The thing even has two fans and sometimes the bottom will almost burn you. I used to have a 400mhz PowerBook G4 as well and that got just as hot, although it did only have one fan in the back and not one in the side as well.
Whether or not you are really having heat problems is hard to say for sure. I remember not being able to hear the fan in my 400mhz PowerBook and getting worried, but I could tell it was on by putting my hand in the back. The fans in the 1Ghz are a lot bigger I think, and I have no problem hearing them when they come on. But, whether or not you are having real problems, you must realize that the 12" PowerBook you have is always going to be very hot when doing CPU intensive tasks.
Consider it! Keeping the screen shut is a bad call on a laptop that dissipates heat through the keyboard a bit.
Originally posted by mpls244
Odd that a monitor connection would add that much heat. It gets that hot even when I'm just typing in Word.
The hard drive is directly under the left palm rest. That is what makes the 12" so hot.
Not the processor (although it contributes) and not the monitor connection.