HOT!!! Apple Mac Powerbook G4 at DVinfo.net

Ismail Aslam · April 2nd, 2006, 01:25 AM

Hi everyone,

hope all are doing fine, would it be possible to get some advice regarding my Apple powerbook 15inch 1.67ghz 512ram which i have had for around 5 months. I'm not sure if this is common with laptops but as i tend to use many for long number of hours 10-14 hours a day but sometimes less, it gets extremly hot from underneath, not te whole laptop but more towards the upper half of the bottom, not the half where the battery is?

I was just wondering is this normal or should i get this checked out, also is there a normal temperture it should stay at and should i be using it for such long periods of time? {i dont literally mean 12-14 hours but that how long its on for, sometimes i just clost the laptop and leave it in sleep mode}

Any help would be appreciated

Best Regards

Issy

Shane Ross · April 2nd, 2006, 05:39 AM

Mine gets hot too. Mainly if it is on my lap. On the table it is a tad cooler.

But yeah...hot....

Dave Halliday · April 2nd, 2006, 08:30 AM

The title of your post made it sound like you're fencing stolen goods instead instead of inquiring about temperature. lol

Boyd Ostroff · April 2nd, 2006, 09:14 AM

Yes, the powerbooks run really hot. I have one of the first generation 15" aluminum G4's and it's often unpleasant to use on my lap. Before that I had a Titanium powerbook and it was also really hot. They never came up with a G4 that ran very cool, and couldn't even get close to a usable system with a G5. That's probably the main motivation for Apple switching to Intel.

Meryem Ersoz · April 2nd, 2006, 09:57 AM

they had a battery recall on the 15 inch model because of it running too hot. you should check the website and see if yours qualifies.

Ismail Aslam · April 3rd, 2006, 03:43 PM

Thanks for the reply, my battery is not listed, so that seems ok, and from what fellow dvinfo users suggest is its normal.

Once again thanks for the help :>

Jonathan Jones · April 3rd, 2006, 05:39 PM

Yeah....they get hot....really hot. If you actually computed with this puppy in your lap, and you were wearing a pair of shorts or something, that allowed for contact of the underside of the Powerbook to bare skin, you would soon be regretting it (unless you were sitting in the snow and using the Mac as heat source...in which case wearing shorts is equally unadvisable).

I tend to use one of those coolpad riser things under my laptop to increase the amount of allowable airflow under the unit...I think it helps a little in keeping the Mac slightly cooler.
-Jon

Jason Robinson · April 3rd, 2006, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ismail Aslam

Thanks for the reply, my battery is not listed, so that seems ok, and from what fellow dvinfo users suggest is its normal.

Once again thanks for the help :>

I have built many computers (though not laptops) from scratch and a primary concern is always air flow. Small and thin laptops (like the Powerbooks) are not going to have the same sort of air flow necessary to real run cool. Also, running the needed fans takes up more juice which eats into the run times. It is always a trade off. My system (Alienware laptop) runs hot even with 4 fans.... but that is because it has RAID hard drives and a P4HT (the biggest problem is the CPU).

The best way to keep them cool is give them air flow. I tilt my laptop and have an external fan blowing onto the bottom of the system so the internal fans don't have to work as hard. My system gets about 10-14 hours of use a day (Vegas Render machine) so my usage is far above what can be expected for a laptop. It still gets hot (especially right over the hard drives) so I try to keep the ambient air temp in my office below 70F.

jason

Patrick Bienvenu · April 14th, 2006, 05:16 AM

I also have a g4 that was overheating. Apple support said to uninstall virux - which they have discontinued since it causes the powerbook to run hot. I did it -- and its now just about as cold as ice. I also have a "sticky" pad underneath to help with airflow. Link below was provided by apple.
http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n301291

Ismail Aslam · April 16th, 2006, 02:25 PM

Hi,

thanks for the response. i dont have virex, does that mean there might be something wrong with my machine? from the previous posts i take that as a no?

Jack D. Hubbard · April 19th, 2006, 12:35 AM

All the G4 laptops run hot. Price of doing business.

Jack D. Hubbard · April 19th, 2006, 12:48 AM

All the G4 laptops run hot. Price of doing business.

April 2nd, 2006, 01:25 AM	#1
Ismail Aslam Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 71	HOT!!! Apple Mac Powerbook G4 Hi everyone, hope all are doing fine, would it be possible to get some advice regarding my Apple powerbook 15inch 1.67ghz 512ram which i have had for around 5 months. I'm not sure if this is common with laptops but as i tend to use many for long number of hours 10-14 hours a day but sometimes less, it gets extremly hot from underneath, not te whole laptop but more towards the upper half of the bottom, not the half where the battery is? I was just wondering is this normal or should i get this checked out, also is there a normal temperture it should stay at and should i be using it for such long periods of time? {i dont literally mean 12-14 hours but that how long its on for, sometimes i just clost the laptop and leave it in sleep mode} Any help would be appreciated Best Regards Issy __________________ Is your life really yours...

April 3rd, 2006, 03:43 PM	#6
Ismail Aslam Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 71	Thanks for the reply, my battery is not listed, so that seems ok, and from what fellow dvinfo users suggest is its normal. Once again thanks for the help :> __________________ Is your life really yours...

April 3rd, 2006, 05:39 PM	#7
Jonathan Jones Trustee Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Healdsburg, California Posts: 1,138	Yeah....they get hot....really hot. If you actually computed with this puppy in your lap, and you were wearing a pair of shorts or something, that allowed for contact of the underside of the Powerbook to bare skin, you would soon be regretting it (unless you were sitting in the snow and using the Mac as heat source...in which case wearing shorts is equally unadvisable). I tend to use one of those coolpad riser things under my laptop to increase the amount of allowable airflow under the unit...I think it helps a little in keeping the Mac slightly cooler. -Jon __________________ "Are we to go on record, sir, with our assertion that the 'pink hearts, yellow moons, orange stars, and green clovers' are, in point of fact', magically delicious?" - Walter Hollarhan before the House Subcommittee on Integrity in Advertising - May, 1974

April 14th, 2006, 05:16 AM	#9
Patrick Bienvenu New Boot Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Tampa, Florida Posts: 23	G4 Temp Fix I also have a g4 that was overheating. Apple support said to uninstall virux - which they have discontinued since it causes the powerbook to run hot. I did it -- and its now just about as cold as ice. I also have a "sticky" pad underneath to help with airflow. Link below was provided by apple. http://www.info.apple.com/kbnum/n301291

April 16th, 2006, 02:25 PM	#10
Ismail Aslam Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 71	Hi, thanks for the response. i dont have virex, does that mean there might be something wrong with my machine? from the previous posts i take that as a no? __________________ Is your life really yours...

April 2nd, 2006, 05:39 AM	#2
Shane Ross Major Player Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Los Angeles, USA Posts: 539	Mine gets hot too. Mainly if it is on my lap. On the table it is a tad cooler. But yeah...hot....

April 2nd, 2006, 08:30 AM	#3
Dave Halliday Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Washington DC Posts: 116	The title of your post made it sound like you're fencing stolen goods instead instead of inquiring about temperature. lol

April 2nd, 2006, 09:14 AM	#4
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,787	Yes, the powerbooks run really hot. I have one of the first generation 15" aluminum G4's and it's often unpleasant to use on my lap. Before that I had a Titanium powerbook and it was also really hot. They never came up with a G4 that ran very cool, and couldn't even get close to a usable system with a G5. That's probably the main motivation for Apple switching to Intel.

April 2nd, 2006, 09:57 AM	#5
Meryem Ersoz Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 3,015	they had a battery recall on the 15 inch model because of it running too hot. you should check the website and see if yours qualifies.

April 19th, 2006, 12:35 AM	#11
Jack D. Hubbard Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Menlo Park, CA Posts: 342	Warm they are... All the G4 laptops run hot. Price of doing business.

April 19th, 2006, 12:48 AM	#12
Jack D. Hubbard Major Player Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Menlo Park, CA Posts: 342	Warm they are... All the G4 laptops run hot. Price of doing business.