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New Macbook overheats in Hangouts and Skype, microphone input garbled

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Re: New Macbook overheats in Hangouts and Skype, microphone input garbled

#101

Post by coldtea »

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #83
coldtea wrote: post #72

Mac or PC, the idea that laptops should not get warm, or that you put them directly on your naked legs or something and then you complain about their heat is completely alien to me...

And yet, it's not that strange; laptop should be used on the lap, hence the name, right? High CPU usage, fine, but for regular things that should be perfectly optimized by now like watching videos or using Skype shouldn't cause as much heat as - apparently - it does.

>And yet, it's not that strange; laptop should be used on the lap, hence the name, right?

Maybe that's the origin of the name, but there are, well, desks, kitchen tables, folding trays on airplanes and tons of other things besides.

Who really uses their laptop "on the lap"? Is that a comfortable position to read or type in the first place?

Re: New Macbook overheats in Hangouts and Skype, microphone input garbled

#102

Post by fenomas »

jbrooksuk wrote: post #53
fenomas wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm relatively new to Macs, but it seems like it's partially a cultural thing. When I first got a macbook for work, I found my fingertips got really uncomfortable from how hot the keyboard and mousepad got, and assumed there was a problem to be solved, but several Mac-centric colleagues said they just got used to it. I wound up downloading some random app that lets you control when the fans turn on - and voila, a coo…

For those interested, it's likely smcFanControl - https://github.com/hholtmann/smcFanControl

That's not the one I had, but it looks better - thanks!

Re: New Macbook overheats in Hangouts and Skype, microphone input garbled

#103

Post by jackvalentine »

marincounty wrote: post #95
toomuchtodo wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They do test it, it's just that Apple values form over function. Because of this, they run their gear with a much slimmer thermal margin.

I sometimes wonder if this form over function is a bad idea? Wouldn't the average consumer like a product that was easily serviceable? I have an old Toshiba Satellite Pro s25-S607. It big(17" and I don't care about the weight), but it has been basically running 5 hrs/day for more than a decade. It does gave three fans, but they are quiet. I can work on it! I think the first company that builds a laptop that's easy to…

> Wouldn't the average consumer like a product that was easily serviceable?

The answer to this is a resounding "no".

Re: New Macbook overheats in Hangouts and Skype, microphone input garbled

#104

Post by Gigablah »

coldtea wrote: post #73
sz4kerto wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's the main reason I ended up buying a Zbook G2. During summer, the 2013 rMBP was unusable, basically.

Don't know about that, have a late 2013 rMBP and never had any problems. What exactly do you people do? Put the laptop on your bare (maybe even oiled) legs, while sunbathing?

No need to be condescending.

Re: New Macbook overheats in Hangouts and Skype, microphone input garbled

#105

Post by alanh »

TheOtherHobbes wrote: post #41
VeejayRampay wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You might have a point about Google Hangouts not being a technological stroke of genius, it obviously has its flaws but I'm not sure how that addresses the contents of the post. If all the computers were severely overheating and crashing when using Skype, then sure, by all means, get the pitchforks. But the thing is that my 4-year-old Macbook Pro can handle Hangouts and Skype just fine. The problem is really with new…

And some people want to render Blender clips or audio mixes. It's not Skype or Hangouts that are the problem. It's the fact that Apple has increasingly designed for looks, not practicality. I've yet to buy an Apple computer that could be used for full-processor computing. You might argue these are special use cases. IMO if you can't use the cycles you paid for, the design is bad and the machine isn't truly fit for pu…

I’m not sure why you’re being downvoted - here of all places. To me, it seems trivially true that Apple makes one decision regarding trade-offs (e.g.: iPhone thickness vs battery life) an everyone who doesn’t like it can only grin & bear it or take their business elsewhere. Like you, I’d like to see a little flexibility in this area.

Re: New Macbook overheats in Hangouts and Skype, microphone input garbled

#106

Post by vitd »

jackvalentine wrote: post #103
marincounty wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I sometimes wonder if this form over function is a bad idea? Wouldn't the average consumer like a product that was easily serviceable? I have an old Toshiba Satellite Pro s25-S607. It big(17" and I don't care about the weight), but it has been basically running 5 hrs/day for more than a decade. It does gave three fans, but they are quiet. I can work on it! I think the first company that builds a laptop that's easy to…

> Wouldn't the average consumer like a product that was easily serviceable? The answer to this is a resounding "no".

Not only that, but when Apple sells a computer to users who would like an easily serviceable product, they do quite a good job of it. Older Mac Pros are a joy to work in compared to many Windows PCs I've had to deal with. No thumbscrews, parts slide in and out easily, etc. The newer Mac Pros are fairly serviceable too, though there's not nearly as much reason to need to.

Re: New Macbook overheats in Hangouts and Skype, microphone input garbled

#107

Post by KyleBrandt »

I had the same problem with the first rMBP. I used Intel's power gadget and could see the CPU clocking down to .8 GHz after a few minutes of Google hangouts.

After a clean install and still having the problem Applecare let me schedule a pickup for my laptop. Had it back in less than a week and then everything was fine.

So the less was to gather the evidence with utilities (such as the Intel power gadget), and then once you know it is hardware problem you can just keep pushing until you get a replacement but feel perfectly justified since you have evidence.

Re: New Macbook overheats in Hangouts and Skype, microphone input garbled

#108

Post by vitd »

raverbashing wrote: post #18
jsjohnst wrote: post #9

Hangouts over taxes just about any machine, it's ridiculous. FCP exporting a 4k video uses less CPU than Hangouts does to show a choppy video feed.

> FCP exporting a 4k video uses less CPU than Hangouts I'd probably say it's busy waiting for IO for more time, hence not using the CPU as much Either that or Hangouts has some lack of optimization that's going ignored (like busy waits, etc)

Final Cut Pro X renders mostly on the GPU, so yes, it uses a lot less CPU than Hangouts, which apparently uses a software codec. Even if there's no hardware acceleration for VP9, you'd think they could use OpenCL, CUDA, or something else to take load off the CPU.

Re: New Macbook overheats in Hangouts and Skype, microphone input garbled

#109

Post by raverbashing »

vitd wrote: post #108
raverbashing wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> FCP exporting a 4k video uses less CPU than Hangouts I'd probably say it's busy waiting for IO for more time, hence not using the CPU as much Either that or Hangouts has some lack of optimization that's going ignored (like busy waits, etc)

Final Cut Pro X renders mostly on the GPU, so yes, it uses a lot less CPU than Hangouts, which apparently uses a software codec. Even if there's no hardware acceleration for VP9, you'd think they could use OpenCL, CUDA, or something else to take load off the CPU.

Yeah, but I guess the MacBooks or even MBPs with Intel graphics can't offload much of the work

Re: New Macbook overheats in Hangouts and Skype, microphone input garbled

#110

Post by PopeOfNope »

parasubvert wrote: post #92
PopeOfNope wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This has been an issue ever since they went unibody. A single, solid block of aluminum in direct contact with heat generating components. It's hard to believe they didn't intend the unibodies to act as heatsinks. Hasn't hurt their popularity at all, though.

I had a first generation MBP Intel back in 2006 , Core Duo, before the unibodies came out. Now THAT one was hot - I had to keep the fans cranked through software all the time or it would randomly shutdown from overheating. Apparently it was a misapplication of thermal paste in the manufacturing process. Other unibodies have been okay, the retina MBP being the best so far I find at even heat dissipation.

I also had a pre-unibody core duo. Mine was a 17 inch, though. Guess mine had all its thermal paste in the right place. :) It got hot enough to be uncomfortable, but not hot enough to burn.
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