Macbook - Cooling Off Tips
If you have one of those 1st Generation Macbooks or any Macbooks, you may experience overheating through no fault of your own except through normal computer use. How can your macbook cool down? Here are some of my tips that I would like to share with you.
Remove the plastic strip between your vents
This has been discussed at length but what the heck...remove the plastic strip that is located on the bottom of your macbook. I have known some people to keep the plastic on their couches so the couch remains clean but your macbook will get dirty and your macbook will get scratches, so deal with it.
Unplug any USB devices not in use
USB Devices are powered by the Macbook USB ports, this in turn causes the Macbook to provide more power to the USB ports. The USB ports are located next to the Hot Zone of the Macbook. By the way, when this Hot Zone (situated next to the Battery compartment of the Macbook) gets really Hot, the Macbook reaches a temperature of 175 Degrees Fahrenheit and then guess what?, the Macbook shuts down.
Take a break
I am guilty of not doing this myself but taking a break and turning down the display down can be good for both you and your macbook. Before taking a break, dial down the brightness of your macbook, just press the F1 Function keys until the screen goes dark and your macbook will decrease in internal temperature. Then when you come back to your macbook, you can restore the screen's brightness by pressing the F2 Function key. It's that easy!
Remove that DVD
DVDs, CDs, Flash Drives, if you're not using them, eject them. Your macbook is on standby status ready to access a certain CD track or a specific DVD chapter or a directory on your Flash Drive. I have learned through experience that the Macbook overheats when a DVD is in the drive. Think of it this way, Macbooks get hot when DVD/CDs are in use. Remove that DVD, it will save a few degrees.
Rest your Macbook on a ledge or window sill
I am not responsible for
any broken Macbooks so listen good... Find a stable
leveled edge or window sill, place your Macbook such
that the bottom of the Macbook is well ventilated.
Believe it, this method works much better than a
regular Fan-based Laptop cooler and is more pleasant
than working on a desk
Flip your macbook
Flip your macbook so
that the battery cover is showing face up. This helps
air ventilate through the macbook and causing heat to
dissipate much faster. This works the same way Laptop
stands work in practice.
Do not buy a laptop cooler
Some people swear by their laptop coolers and they
might work, but I think laptop coolers only work on PC
Laptops and not Macbooks. I bought an Antec Notebook
with the dual fans...within months the fans went bust,
and it seemed to be doing more harm than good. Do
yourself a favor and look for other methods of cooling
your macbook like taking a break. Cheap laptops coolers
that are purchased at Circuit City Best Buy
do not match up to the real fans that are used in
Desktop cooling systems.