Macbooks are great machines for all sorts of media applications, and most of the time they work perfectly. Sometimes, however, problems crop up. One of the most common ones you might encounter with your media-making mac is overheating. Luckily, this problem is usually easy to fix!
Overheating has variety of symptoms. The most obvious signs are that the Mac’s aluminum body is hot to the touch, and the fans are noisily spinning as fast as they can. In extreme cases, the mac might even shut down midway through heavy workloads.
Before running out to return your Mac, there are some simple fixes to try. Let’s have a look at them.
MacBook or Mac?
After a few months of use, it’s pretty normal for a MacBook to gather some dust. This is just the result of being thrown in rucksacks, used in dusty libraries, taken outdoors, and, if you’re anything like me, generally just worked with in places no one sane would take their computer. When you put the Mac under a heavy processing load, say editing video, exporting RAW images, or rendering a complex animation, the dust can prevent it from properly cooling down.
On the other hand, if your iMac, Mac Mini or Mac Pro is overheating something major may be wrong. Although they’ll also gather some dust (more if you have furry pets), it should be no where near as much as a MacBook. They’ve got better ventilation and aren’t taken out to weird locations. An iMac, even under heavy load, shouldn’t be overheating at all.
With that said, whether you’re using a MacBook or a Mac, the tips in this tutorial will help you address some common causes of overheating.
Check the Surface It’s Resting On
The first thing to check is the surface the Mac is resting on. On any recent MacBook, the air vents are beneath the screen hinge and along the underside of the edges. If the Mac is resting on a soft surface—like the duvet in your bed—it can block cool air from entering and hot air from leaving. If you put the Mac under a heavy workload, it could start overheating. Don’t edit video in bed!
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