Australian Mag Says 17-inch MacBook Pro Hot Enough to Boil Water

An Australian computer magazine says the inside of the new MacBook Pro is reaching temperatures higher than the boiling point of water when running benchmarks, but may be confused about what processor is in the hardware they tested.
Zara Baxter and John Gillooly of Australian PC Authority said in a recent report that they noticed the high temperatures while reviewing the new 17-inch MacBook Pro.
The pair did not report temperatures on the outside of the case hot enough to boil water. (Sorry, multitaskers who like tea.)
Though the magazine said repeatedly its MacBook Pro had a Core i7 processor in it, there is no such product in the U.S. or Australian Apple Stores, nor did Apple make any reference to such a product in its recent announcements. Rather, the 17-inch MacBook Pro listed in both stores uses a 2.53 GHz Core i5.
The 15-inch MacBook Pro is available with a 2.66 GHz Core i7.
Australian PC Authority said while they were testing the "Core i7-620M based 17-inch MacBook Pro" they noticed problems running benchmarks, and wondered if the processor was getting too hot.
They said they alleviated the problem by turning the MacBook Pro onto its side, exposing the bottom of the computer to the air.
The reviewers then booted into Windows and ran more tests, and said the processor's cores approached the boiling point of water.
Baxter and Gillooly left the MacBook Pro to cool off overnight, and were able to make the processor's temperature go past water's boling point on the next day, in both Windows and Mac OS X. They said the chassis was hot to the touch, at about 102 degrees Celsius.
Though their screenshot of a tool called HWMonitor says their MacBook Pro has a Core i5, the writers added an update at the end of the article, saying the software was out of date and "incorrectly reports the CPU as a Core i5."
To make matters more confusing, Intel publishes maximum temperatures for processor cases, but the reviewers were looking at core temperature, not case temperature. But if they were indeed using a MacBook with a Core i7, the high temperatures are within Intel's operating specifications for the processor.
Baxter and Gillooly made no indication of whether they had contacted Apple for a resolution. They did not say whether they used a thermometer to verify the temperatures reported by their software tools.
Moreover, Baxter and Gillooly said nothing about how they acquired a 17-inch MacBook Pro that came equipped with a Core i7 processor.
MacDailyNews has used strong language in a rebuttal.
Editor's note: There is indeed a 17-inch MacBook Pro with a Core i7 processor available in the Apple store. We apologize for any confusion.
MatthewF
April 27, 2010 at 10:19pm
To quote the article, "They said the chassis was hot to the touch, at about 102 degrees Celsius."Celsius = Centigrade, as you know.
ggarthe
April 27, 2010 at 5:26am
The 2.66GHz Core i7 is a $200 BTO option for the 17" MBP, has been since they were updated a couple weeks ago.
scalawag
April 27, 2010 at 3:36am
Am I being a bit thick here! I thought water generally boils at 100 Centigrade.This refers to 102 Fahrenheit which is about 39 Centigrade, and nowhere near enough to boil water!!!
scalawag
April 27, 2010 at 3:36am
Am I being a bit thick here! I thought water generally boils at 100 Centigrade.This refers to 102 Fahrenheit which is about 39 Centigrade, and nowhere near enough to boil water!!!
jiubreyn
April 27, 2010 at 3:05am
It's hard to believe a story when those running the tests aren't even sure what product they're testing in the first place. Sounds like they ran the story prematurely for the hits/attention it would bring in.
MatthewF
April 27, 2010 at 2:17am
I know Apple's only been pushing the I7 on the 15", it's pretty straightforward getting a 17" with the I7.
1. Go to Apple.com
2. Click on Shop
3. Click on MacBook Pro
4. Click Select under 17"
5. Click the radio button next to 2.66GHz Intel Core i7
6. Click Add to Cart
MacAddict4Life
April 27, 2010 at 1:43am
You are aware that the 17" MacBook Pro is available with an i7 as a custom configuration option, right?
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