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TICKET ARCHIVE -> Powerbook G4 Temperature Problems
bounce - Oct 25, 2005 - 3:34 pm
hi,
i am a new mac user. i bought my powerbook g4 1.5Ghz 15'' combodrive 2 weeks ago.
i am using mac os x tiger v. 10.4.2
i think my computer is overheating, and i decide it to track the temperature so,i installed temperature monitor and it says that mac os x doesn't refresh the sensors so the program cannot show the current temperatures, only the temp. at the startup of the computer.
now, how can i fix this? or how can i track the temperature.
and one more thing, i heard no fan sound, is it normal?
looking forward...
umit
i am a new mac user. i bought my powerbook g4 1.5Ghz 15'' combodrive 2 weeks ago.
i am using mac os x tiger v. 10.4.2
i think my computer is overheating, and i decide it to track the temperature so,i installed temperature monitor and it says that mac os x doesn't refresh the sensors so the program cannot show the current temperatures, only the temp. at the startup of the computer.
now, how can i fix this? or how can i track the temperature.
and one more thing, i heard no fan sound, is it normal?
looking forward...
umit
Stuartpau - Oct 26, 2005 - 7:23 pm
If you never hear any fan noise from your Powerbook, there is a very good chance the fan is dead and if so, you are definitely overheating.
If you have only just bought this computer new, get it back to your dealer or Apple before it smokes completely.
You can alter the temperature monitoring via the terminal but by the time it getsd around to telling you, there is an overheating issue, your computer will probably be smoked so if it is new, don't mess around get Apple to fix it.
A lot of the time you will get no fan noise, but during times of intensive CPU or Drive useage, such as startup, you should get some fan noise .
--------
Stuarta
If you have only just bought this computer new, get it back to your dealer or Apple before it smokes completely.
You can alter the temperature monitoring via the terminal but by the time it getsd around to telling you, there is an overheating issue, your computer will probably be smoked so if it is new, don't mess around get Apple to fix it.
A lot of the time you will get no fan noise, but during times of intensive CPU or Drive useage, such as startup, you should get some fan noise .
--------
Stuarta
bounce - Oct 26, 2005 - 9:36 pm
thanks for the answer.
and 1 more thing to ask; how can i alter the temp. monitoring via terminal?
what will i enter there?
and, can i make temperature monitor shows the lasest temp?.
and 1 more thing to ask; how can i alter the temp. monitoring via terminal?
what will i enter there?
and, can i make temperature monitor shows the lasest temp?.
Stuartpau - Oct 27, 2005 - 12:39 pm
Off hand I can't recall the commands to use to get the temp readings in the terminal, not being a Unix geek and never having had the need.
The only reason I know it can be done was I read an article on how to change the output of some of the system monitoring apps (The small Apps that are part of the OS) and one of them was related to this issue
I might be able to locate the article again I wil just have to try and recall where it was.
Let me see if I can get that info, the only issue is that it might have been in Panther and may not come over without some changes inti Tiger, but if you really want me to, I can try and see if I can find it OK.
--------
Stuarta
The only reason I know it can be done was I read an article on how to change the output of some of the system monitoring apps (The small Apps that are part of the OS) and one of them was related to this issue
I might be able to locate the article again I wil just have to try and recall where it was.
Let me see if I can get that info, the only issue is that it might have been in Panther and may not come over without some changes inti Tiger, but if you really want me to, I can try and see if I can find it OK.
--------
Stuarta
Stuartpau - Oct 27, 2005 - 12:59 pm
Anotherthing you might try, is one of the apps from this shareware site
http://www.kezer.net/shareware.html
They claim to be able to monitor and even graph you Macs Temp, using the Interrnal sensors.
Just because the OS does not refresh the sensors, does not mean a properly written App can't.
I cannot guarantee any of these Apps simply because I don't use them/
As for the Powerbook itself, they can run a long time with no fan noise at all if the environment is cool or cold, that is the reason for the large thin metal case it is a heat sink.
If you eally want to make sure the fan is not working, get into a warm environment and do a lot of file copying, as that gets the HD moving it generates heat and once the amount of heat gets beyond the ability of the case to handle the fan should come on.
I will have to check it out, but there is a possibility that if the fan is down then Micromat's Tech Tool Pro the latest version might let you know if the fan is down, again I cannot guarantee that one.
IF you are judging the temperature by how the Laptop feels on you Lap so to speak, well it doess t pretty hot, I have to put a thin book between me and the machine when I am using it or it is very uncomfortable and even the book will get hot eventually and I still will hear no fan noise now that it is fall here.
IT has only taken a 5º temperature change in my living room and the fan at the moment never seems to come on.
The bottom line with a new system just purchased is really not to mess with it, but make sure Apple tells you it is OK or fixes it. IF their tech support tells you it is OK, make sure you get the name and the extension of the support tech, and also the date and time you caled them. You will need that at least for future verification in case of system failure. Also if they give you a case number keep that filed
This article might be of interest to you as well.
<<<<<<<<>>>>>>
Gene Cowan
Dave Sawyer wrote:
The new 15-inch PowerBook G4 is 13.7 inches wide, 9.5 inches deep, and 1.1 inches thick. The Titanium PowerBook is 13.4 inches wide, 9.49 inches deep, and 1.04 inches thick. ... If anyone feels that's a huge change or can even notice it without directly comparing the two side-by-side, they're way too picky.
Yup - it's subjective, and I said that my opinions on the new Powerbook and it's design were just that - my opinions.
I don't really have a way to measure the Powerbook so precisely, but I did set the old and new ones next to each other and on top of one another. There's a heck of a lot more difference in the size than those measurements indicate (I don't know how they measured to come up with those figures), and the rounded corners and thick screen certainly make it SEEM much larger - perception is important, especially with such heavily designed products as Apple makes. And when you use your Powerbook and feel that it's larger than the old one, having precise measurements to the decimal point doesn't ease your feeling in the slightest. It's how you feel about your Macintosh that makes it such a rallying point for so many users. Again, all just my personal opinion.
Your opinions may vary, and that's what makes the Mac world so diverse.
October 1
15" & 12" Aluminum PB: heat
Kurt Tappe
My 15" Aluminum PB (1.25Ghz) does get uncomfortably hot; too hot to hold in the lap. But if you set the processor to "Reduced" in the Energy Saver preference pane, the temperature drops to lap-friendly levels. I've been using mine like this since day 2 when I discovered this side benefit.
Avi Bortnick
Related to the heat questions of the new Powerbooks, can any 15-inch Aluminum Powerbook owners comment on the amount of noise from the cooling fan?
Jamie Flournoy
I have a pre-September (867MHz) 12" Powerbook G4 and I've been using Marcel Bresink's Temperature Monitor with it. This program measures internal temperature via whatever it can find via the kernel- an integrated CPU sensor or a separate sensor component. On my machine it says it is using an "ADM 1031 Temperature Sensor."
I mention this to point out that what's being measured is internal temperature (on the motherboard somewhere?), not surface temperature. Indoors, with an ambient temperature of about 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature varies between ~129 F and ~148 F. The fan turns on just above 145 F. Using the SuperDrive for reading or writing seems to make it hotter, but the real surprise was that War Craft III reliably pushes the temperature up to 159 F. I tried to counter that by substituting a mounted Toast image for the physical CD (the game won't play without the CD or an image of the CD mounted), but it had no effect on the reported temperature.
BTW, all of this is with the CPU set for performance (not for battery life), and with the PB sitting on top of a desk with nothing obstructing heat dissipation. (At one point I decided to see what would happen if I rested it on top of a couple of pencils to give it 1/4" of clearance underneath, and it didn't seem to have much effect on heat dissipation.)
Hope this little lot helps
--------
Stuarta
http://www.kezer.net/shareware.html
They claim to be able to monitor and even graph you Macs Temp, using the Interrnal sensors.
Just because the OS does not refresh the sensors, does not mean a properly written App can't.
I cannot guarantee any of these Apps simply because I don't use them/
As for the Powerbook itself, they can run a long time with no fan noise at all if the environment is cool or cold, that is the reason for the large thin metal case it is a heat sink.
If you eally want to make sure the fan is not working, get into a warm environment and do a lot of file copying, as that gets the HD moving it generates heat and once the amount of heat gets beyond the ability of the case to handle the fan should come on.
I will have to check it out, but there is a possibility that if the fan is down then Micromat's Tech Tool Pro the latest version might let you know if the fan is down, again I cannot guarantee that one.
IF you are judging the temperature by how the Laptop feels on you Lap so to speak, well it doess t pretty hot, I have to put a thin book between me and the machine when I am using it or it is very uncomfortable and even the book will get hot eventually and I still will hear no fan noise now that it is fall here.
IT has only taken a 5º temperature change in my living room and the fan at the moment never seems to come on.
The bottom line with a new system just purchased is really not to mess with it, but make sure Apple tells you it is OK or fixes it. IF their tech support tells you it is OK, make sure you get the name and the extension of the support tech, and also the date and time you caled them. You will need that at least for future verification in case of system failure. Also if they give you a case number keep that filed
This article might be of interest to you as well.
<<<<<<<<
Gene Cowan
Dave Sawyer wrote:
The new 15-inch PowerBook G4 is 13.7 inches wide, 9.5 inches deep, and 1.1 inches thick. The Titanium PowerBook is 13.4 inches wide, 9.49 inches deep, and 1.04 inches thick. ... If anyone feels that's a huge change or can even notice it without directly comparing the two side-by-side, they're way too picky.
Yup - it's subjective, and I said that my opinions on the new Powerbook and it's design were just that - my opinions.
I don't really have a way to measure the Powerbook so precisely, but I did set the old and new ones next to each other and on top of one another. There's a heck of a lot more difference in the size than those measurements indicate (I don't know how they measured to come up with those figures), and the rounded corners and thick screen certainly make it SEEM much larger - perception is important, especially with such heavily designed products as Apple makes. And when you use your Powerbook and feel that it's larger than the old one, having precise measurements to the decimal point doesn't ease your feeling in the slightest. It's how you feel about your Macintosh that makes it such a rallying point for so many users. Again, all just my personal opinion.
Your opinions may vary, and that's what makes the Mac world so diverse.
October 1
15" & 12" Aluminum PB: heat
Kurt Tappe
My 15" Aluminum PB (1.25Ghz) does get uncomfortably hot; too hot to hold in the lap. But if you set the processor to "Reduced" in the Energy Saver preference pane, the temperature drops to lap-friendly levels. I've been using mine like this since day 2 when I discovered this side benefit.
Avi Bortnick
Related to the heat questions of the new Powerbooks, can any 15-inch Aluminum Powerbook owners comment on the amount of noise from the cooling fan?
Jamie Flournoy
I have a pre-September (867MHz) 12" Powerbook G4 and I've been using Marcel Bresink's Temperature Monitor with it. This program measures internal temperature via whatever it can find via the kernel- an integrated CPU sensor or a separate sensor component. On my machine it says it is using an "ADM 1031 Temperature Sensor."
I mention this to point out that what's being measured is internal temperature (on the motherboard somewhere?), not surface temperature. Indoors, with an ambient temperature of about 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature varies between ~129 F and ~148 F. The fan turns on just above 145 F. Using the SuperDrive for reading or writing seems to make it hotter, but the real surprise was that War Craft III reliably pushes the temperature up to 159 F. I tried to counter that by substituting a mounted Toast image for the physical CD (the game won't play without the CD or an image of the CD mounted), but it had no effect on the reported temperature.
BTW, all of this is with the CPU set for performance (not for battery life), and with the PB sitting on top of a desk with nothing obstructing heat dissipation. (At one point I decided to see what would happen if I rested it on top of a couple of pencils to give it 1/4" of clearance underneath, and it didn't seem to have much effect on heat dissipation.)
Hope this little lot helps
--------
Stuarta
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