To those of you with 1st gen Macbook Pros, beware....

[tzhu07]

I've always felt that my Macbook Pro run pretty hot, but after years of use it just kept getting hotter.

So I finally decided that I would dust off all the component and check out the status of the CPU. Well, it turns out, the pictures below are what's inside:

Fan area:
http://www.majorindulgence.com/file_exc ... /dusty.JPG

CPU and Graphics core:
http://www.majorindulgence.com/file_exc ... grease.JPG
http://www.majorindulgence.com/file_exc ... rease2.JPG

Unbelievable. Probably only 50% of the air could actually be exhausted, and the thermal grease on the cores completely dried up.

After cleaning the crap out of my machine and applying Arctic Silver 5 on the 3 contact areas, it now runs cooler and quieter than before. Hopefully this fix will extend the life of my Macbook Pro just a little longer.

[NeilBlanchard]

All computers get dusty, especially in dustier environments. All computers require cleaning.

[johnniecache7]

Apple is known build cheap, sell high this nothing new concerning the quality of apple products.

[NeilBlanchard]

Johnnie,

I'm not sure what you are saying has anything to do with this thread; whether or not what you are saying is true.

Dust gets into any computer, and it depends on the environment how much/what kind of dust gets in there.

[tzhu07]

The dust part I know you all realize, but gutting out the logic board is also something that's necessary after a few years since Apple puts some cheap ceramic stuff on the cores. That part people may not realize how bad it is, and the fact that it's a bitch to excavate the logic board.

I do appreciate how Apple has optimized the space and made it so thin...

[Wibla]

Dust happens to any electronic component, fan or not. What makes the problem worse in this case is that the thermal paste is bad, and Apple is notorious for making this part hard to get at in their laptops...

[dhanson865]

Johnnie,

I'm not sure what you are saying has anything to do with this thread; whether or not what you are saying is true.

Dust gets into any computer, and it depends on the environment how much/what kind of dust gets in there.

What you are saying is true and what johnnie is saying is reasonably accurate as well, though I wouldn't word it quite the same.

Note I like many things about Apple but they do have their haters, fanbois, and everything in-between for many valid reasons.

Apple tends to engineer for no interaction/cleaning/repair inside systems when possible. To the extent that they have given their customers warranty hassles in the past for opening the system to do anything at all with it.

They also tend to sell systems at higher gross margins (http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/ ... s/profits/ has them in 8th place out of the largest companies in the world in terms of profit margins).

Of course if your warranty expires and you are competent you should immediately open it up and clean it out. You can even go the extra step and apply better thermal material or replace the aging fan(s).

If the warranty is still valid and you know dust is an issue get Apple to clean it while you wait or find out if using compressed air or another cleaning method doesn't void your warranty. Document the heck out of anything you do as to:

* Who told you to do it
* What they told you to do
* When they told you to do it

as that sort of documentation could get your warranty extended or get a repair authorized outside of the warranty period.

If you have any concerns read up on everything on the apple web site and hit up http://consumerist.com/company/apple/ reading any article about repairs or warranty issues for tips before you get into a pickle.

This little excerpt is from the Worst Company In America 2011 Sweet 16: Apple Vs. AT&T where AT&T was rated worse so Apple only makes it in the 9th-16th place tie list.

Macbooks and fires- There have been well documented cases of the magsafe power adapter catching fire, and it prompted a lawsuit in recent months. According to the suit: "Unbeknownst to [the client], in 2007 and 2008, Apple had received numerous complaints posted on its own Apple store website alerting Apple to heating, burning and sparking problems with its MagSafe adapters," the suit reads, according to the aforementioned source.

http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/apple- ... -fire.html

Macbooks and burns- Of course most manufacturers of laptops no longer call them “laptops” and encourage you to always keep your notebook in a hard surface. But Macbooks have show a propensity to get decidedly hotter than normal notebooks, some users even claiming that their computers reach temps of over 203 F. This has resulted in people burning their hands while trying to move their Macbooks in addition to the occasional burned lap .

http://consumerist.com/2010/04/a-macboo ... -skin.html
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jsp ... ID=1812279

disclaimer: This is not legal advice. I have no knowledge of what Apple is required to do for you in regards to warranty issues. Do your homework to see how things work in your city, state, country.

[bonestonne]

This may be true for the 13" model, but the 15" and larger do not have this problem. The processors have good even spacing, and while they do get hot, it's by thermal design, not so much dust. I know because I own a first generation MacBook Pro 15", and I have taken it apart many times to replace parts.

That's also a very small Logic board (motherboard), so it's almost ridiculous that you're complaining that it gets hot.