cavemonkey50 Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Great news MacBook owners! Apple has just posted a new firmware update. MacBook SMC Firmware Update 1.0 changes the MacBook's fan behavior, thus fixing the mooing issue while bringing down the overall temperature of the unit. Initial results of this firmware update are very positive. The mooing issue is now gone for good and the temperature drop is astounding. Some users are reporting as much as a 20C drop in temperature. The fixes don't come for free, however. The MacBook's fans will now run at a very low speed all of the time. I personally don't notice it at all, and only hear the fans when my ears are directly up against the fan vent. For a 20C drop in temperature, a small increase in sound is worth it. If you're looking to download MacBook SMC Firmware Update 1.0, you can get it on Apple's website or download it from Software Update. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colonel Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 I just updated my firmware, and I've already noticed a tempurature drop. Also, the moo is gone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glassJAw Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Is it a good drop or just a meh, it did a little, I've been reading up on it and a lot of people are unimpressed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swad Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Yeah, I'm curious too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavemonkey50 Posted August 18, 2006 Author Share Posted August 18, 2006 Before the firmware update, I was running about 70C when plugged in and in better performance mode. I was running about 65C when on battery and in battery saving mode. Both of those temperatures are during moderate internet surfing. I look at my temps now, and I was doing around 50C right after the update and plugged in. At this moment I'm running at 31C while on battery power. So, I would defenitely say the temperature change is dramatic. I barely notice the fan, so it's not a problem at all for me having the fan constantly on. So far no change in battery life either, so staying cool doesn't seem to affect the longevity of the battery. Overall, I'm very pleased with the update. I feel like my MacBook is complete now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colonel Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Mine's ALOT cooler too. It usually ran at about 180F and now it runs at about 110F Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LlamaV3 Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Now I just need something this useful for the macbook pro. i'm sick of it nearly burning me when i pick it up. maybe they are just waiting for the merom chips to cool it down, which isn't much use for those of us with existing mbp's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
munky Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 initial reports show merom is likely to run HOTTER, so i wouldnt hold your breath: http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=1975 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmk Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 Yeah, but maybe now they know hot to make them cooler (see the macbook firmware). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ampTK Posted August 18, 2006 Share Posted August 18, 2006 For what I've read, the merom runs hotter only on full load (and the differece is very small), but actually runs cooler most of the time (not much cooler either) The TDP messuarment is for worst case scenario heat dissipation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K4bren Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 I am seeing a huge difference already. I was running at around 160 - 170 F, now I'm at 85-100 F. Great job Apple! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superhai Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 Higher temperature, and higher temperature shifts would cause an overall shortening of lifespan of product. So if those concerns are only minor they would be unecessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
netzen7 Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 I'm going to guess this is the same update that all of the portables have gotten. Fans on low, all the time, and more aggressive cpu speed adjusting to idle when not busy. What this fix did for me on the MBP is give me an overal 20c drop in average use. It did NOT keep the unit from discomfortable heat if I'm working it hard - but it did make it a laptop again for the majority of things I do. Office and Internet work is now cool. 3D Gaming and intense cpu work (like rendering) and it is as warm as ever. I don't foresee any major change in this, even with merom. The chips get hot, and the stylish design doesn't offer anyplace for heat dissipation, other than through the slim case. This is just a fact of life, and a small price to pay for an otherwise awesome unit. The heat is not hot beyond specification, so there is no danger here, just a little discomfort if you aren't paying attention in certain usage scenerios. This is NOT a reason to avoid one of these machines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Another User Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 Seems to get now: 54c - 60c when doing simple / soft tasks 57c- 70c with Pro Tools LE and heavy sessions... I hope it'll fix the random shut-downs issue. I'm checking this one.... no news yet about that one... I'm still not going to use my warranty till Apple will know what the hell is the issue. I think it's something in the SMC/PMU or other "firmwarish" thing that got the be fixed... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i1sam Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 Seems to get now:54c - 60c when doing simple / soft tasks 57c- 70c with Pro Tools LE and heavy sessions... I hope it'll fix the random shut-downs issue. I'm checking this one.... no news yet about that one... I'm still not going to use my warranty till Apple will know what the hell is the issue. I think it's something in the SMC/PMU or other "firmwarish" thing that got the be fixed... I can assure you this will not fix random shutdown.... the problem been around for months now for the few of us unlucky macbook users, once it started the random will be more random (frequent) shutdown... my macbook was already enroute to apple repair center... see here for video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LU8chsw1Rk and multiple threads discussing this random shutown here http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?t...62&tstart=0 and here http://forum.insanelymac.com/index.php?showtopic=25092 and lot more in google. if you will have this... it will be disappointing and you might curse someone.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
non sequitur Posted August 19, 2006 Share Posted August 19, 2006 im really happy to hear about these temperature drops. having the computer run at 33 degrees celsius instead of 80 or 90 will be great for people with those hot (pun intended) macbooks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Another User Posted August 20, 2006 Share Posted August 20, 2006 Yep. It doesn't fix the shutdown. just make the fan "always on" and the machine cooler... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mebster Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 I would have assumed to make the system cooler the fan basically needs to work harder. This I thought would obviously cause four major down sides. 1. Increase noise (I notice cavemonkey50 said he barely noticed any increase - good) 2. Lower batter capacity (I take note again) 3. Lower battery lifespan. 4. Shortening the lifespan of the fan. If it doesn't cause any of these problems then it's fantastic but that it might. Does anyone think these are unnecessary concerns? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
netzen7 Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 I can only speak to the MBP, noise no worries, unless I put an ear against the case I can't hear it running. Battery, I noticed no difference, and I am going to venture it is because of the more aggressive CPU idle is conserving as much or more power than the fans use. As for life of the fan, I would think no worries. .. every Intel notebook I've ever had used the fans all of the time. Still, I agree with you, the things you mention are the tradeoffs to be concerned with. I find the fix a good one, with gains listed above outweighing theoretical losses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
munky Posted August 21, 2006 Share Posted August 21, 2006 the fan is so quiet its barely noticeable. it did make my macbook a bit cooler - the top right and the underside used to become too hot to touch - now they are merely very warm. to be honest, it concerned me that the machine was getting so hot with no signs of the fans turning on, so for me this is a good move by apple. nice of them to release it the day after i got my macbook, too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electric Posted August 22, 2006 Share Posted August 22, 2006 What are you guys using to monitor temperatures? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arnaldo Ortega Posted August 27, 2006 Share Posted August 27, 2006 What are you guys using to monitor temperatures? CoreDuoTemp v0.91 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hajk Posted September 1, 2006 Share Posted September 1, 2006 What are you guys using to monitor temperatures? CoreDuoTemp v. 1.0 now situated in upper menu. With the firmware update my normal (not doing much) temp has gone from 65 -> 55 degrees C, even while the processor speed is then 1.5GHz (it used to be 1.33GHz before). When running a Parallels VM (with Ubuntu/Linux), the drop in temperature is more dramatic: from 75 -> 55 deg, and the speed dropped from maximum 1.83 -> 1.5GHz. I can't hear the fan at all, but then my hearing isn't what it used to be... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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