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    MacBook users: Use smcFanControl

    «1
    nicknewmannicknewman Posts: 76 New Member
    in The Sims 3 Mac Discussion
    I don't know if I'm alone here, but I've noticed that this game pushes the cpu to some pretty high temperatures (high 70's C) on default fan settings. As a result, you might notice the bottom of your case - especially if it's a unibody - getting dangerously hot. Go ahead and touch it during your next play-session and you'll see what I mean. Using this little app you can change the minimum fan speed and keep your machine running a lot cooler under the stress the game puts on it.

    Just adjust the minimum fan speed to something much higher than default when you're about to play the Sims 3. I usually go all out and set it to 6000 rpms for the duration of play. You can even create pre-sets for quick changing.

    http://www.eidac.de/

    Comments

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      kheet24kheet24 Posts: 1 New Member
      edited June 2009
      Thank you so much! My new macbook heats up like CRAZY when playing, so hopefully this helps. Will the hot temps hurt my computer or is the fan taking care of it?
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      sicembearssicembears Posts: 37 New Member
      edited June 2009
      I'm having the same problem which is why I think it freezes and crashes. I've tried this program and some others to control the fan speed but have no luck playing the game over 2-5 minutes. I'm using 1.1.45.1 of the game. :(

      Chipset Model: GeForce 8600M GT
      Type: GPU
      Bus: PCIe
      PCIe Lane Width: x16
      VRAM (Total): 256 MB
      Vendor: NVIDIA (0x10de)
      Device ID: 0x0407
      Revision ID: 0x00a1
      ROM Revision: 3212
      Displays:
      Color LCD:
      Resolution: 1440 x 900
      Pixel Depth: 32-Bit Color (ARGB8888)
      Main Display: Yes
      Mirror: Off
      Online: Yes
      Built-In: Yes
      Display Connector:
      Status: No Display Connected


      Model Name: MacBook Pro
      Model Identifier: MacBookPro4,1
      Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
      Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz
      Number Of Processors: 1
      Total Number Of Cores: 2
      L2 Cache: 3 MB
      Memory: 2 GB
      Bus Speed: 800 MHz
      Boot ROM Version: MBP41.00C1.B03
      SMC Version (system): 1.27f2
      Serial Number (system): W883502UYJX
      Hardware UUID: DAAC6435-DAE9-5A98-98DE-5073D3507A37
      Sudden Motion Sensor:
      State: Enabled
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      firecrackermamafirecrackermama Posts: 6 New Member
      edited June 2009
      Thank you! I certainly was concerned about this..don't want to ruin my baby. :)
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      nicknewmannicknewman Posts: 76 New Member
      edited June 2009
      kheet24 wrote:
      Thank you so much! My new macbook heats up like CRAZY when playing, so hopefully this helps. Will the hot temps hurt my computer or is the fan taking care of it?

      Well, there's a monitor that appears on your MenuBar after you run the app, so you'll be able to monitor your temperature and rpms from there. Anything upwards of 80 celsius is getting a bit too hot. At those temperatures, the bottom of the casing gets to the point where it's almost too hot to touch.

      Just create a new preset for the Sims, set the minimum fan speed to 6000, and then choose that preset when you want to play the game. Mine hovers around 65-70 degrees @ 6000 rpms and the case is only slightly warm. It will be quite a bit noisier than you're used to, but it's worth it IMO. When you're done playing, remember to switch back the "default" preset so you don't wear out your fan by running at at high speeds all the time.
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      sunshinejenn03sunshinejenn03 Posts: 157 Member
      edited June 2009
      way cool, thanks!
      ccdedef9-211b-4e2c-bb1f-e55a0b05f020.jpg
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      hokiepokie07hokiepokie07 Posts: 14 New Member
      edited June 2009
      good deal.

      what is the normal temperature the macbook pro should be usually?
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      stephensim04stephensim04 Posts: 9 New Member
      edited June 2009
      I have a Macbook Pro unibody and i was concerned the laptop was getting too hot. I done some research and found that the maximum temperature the CPU can withstand is 105 C. I was alarmed to see that while playing the sims 3 the CPU was operating at almost 99 C!!!
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      intheclear12intheclear12 Posts: 82 Member
      edited June 2009
      Thanks for this! I just downloaded it. My casing got SO hot while playing. I could feel it around the keyboard when moving around in the game. Thank you! :)
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      nicknewmannicknewman Posts: 76 New Member
      edited June 2009
      hokiepokie07 wrote:
      good deal.

      what is the normal temperature the macbook pro should be usually?

      Depends what you're doing. Just surfing the net mine runs about 45-50 degrees. Downloading ups the temperature a little bit, though. Idle temperature will probably be something like 40. After waking from sleep you'll probably see temps in the low 30's.
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      CallieRose15CallieRose15 Posts: 7 New Member
      edited June 2009
      Cool, thanks for posting, my white MacBook gets pretty hot.
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      ScraverXScraverX Posts: 762 New Member
      edited June 2009
      I run mine sitting on a usb powered notebook cooler but I nabbed this anyway just to try.

      Wouldn't say it gets hot around the keys while playing but it does get warm so it can't hurt having both, right? Right. :D
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      SeshanSeshan Posts: 26 New Member
      edited June 2009
      Also don't forget the reasons the casing get's so hot is because it is meant to. It uses passive cooling to help cool it. You are better off not having it flat on something, get a notebook cooler or a stand so It can get some air flow.
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      ScraverXScraverX Posts: 762 New Member
      edited June 2009
      Seshan wrote:
      Also don't forget the reasons the casing get's so hot is because it is meant to. It uses passive cooling to help cool it. You are better off not having it flat on something, get a notebook cooler or a stand so It can get some air flow.

      In this regard, even a couple lengths of cork from a wine bottle blu-tacked under the rear feet will make a small difference to airflow under the body. This is true for /any/ notebook.
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      intheclear12intheclear12 Posts: 82 Member
      edited June 2009
      The only thing I'm concerned about is that I play the game for 3 hours at a time sometimes-will having the fan on at 6000rpm for 3 hours hurt it? I think it could run the fan out faster so I don't know if I should continue using this program...what do you guys think?
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      nicknewmannicknewman Posts: 76 New Member
      edited June 2009
      intheclear12 wrote:
      The only thing I'm concerned about is that I play the game for 3 hours at a time sometimes-will having the fan on at 6000rpm for 3 hours hurt it? I think it could run the fan out faster so I don't know if I should continue using this program...what do you guys think?

      It's entirely possible that running the fan @ 6000 rpms for extended periods of time could affect the overall lifespan of your fan. It's certainly more likely to affect the fan negatively than running it as default speed is. Maybe one day in the future your fan will die a couple months earlier than it might have otherwise. Then again, it might not. There are no guarantees. Fans go bad all the time - even when running at default.

      Bottom line: if your machine is running hot enough to possibly damage other, more critical components, the tradeoff might be worth it. Even if your fan dies someday down the road, they are cheap and easy to replace.
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      intheclear12intheclear12 Posts: 82 Member
      edited June 2009
      Yeah that makes sense. Ok, so I'll continue using it then. Like you said, I'd rather run the fan out than break something else more important. Thank you, I appreciate it! :)
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      nicknewmannicknewman Posts: 76 New Member
      edited June 2009
      Yeah, but like I said, if you don't think you need to use it, then don't. Also, 6000 is what I have been using, but if you're worried, try 3000 (or even less) and just cmd-tab out every now and then to check your temp. If it stays under 80, I'd say you're fine.
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      ScraverXScraverX Posts: 762 New Member
      edited June 2009
      With this app setting the fan to 3600rpm minimum + plus my notebook cooler I'm sitting around 70C during game play. With the game being the only thing running at full res with default Medium settings.
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      jeremielarinjeremielarin Posts: 3 New Member
      edited June 2009
      Hey Guys! Just wanted to mention something your processor can withstand a lot of heat but within the intel chip lies a sensor that tells the cpu to shutdown if it gets hot to the point where it will damage the cpu so you dont really worry about that. As far as the fan well again you should not worry about that also I mean your macbook has sensors all around it so the fan will spin accordingly to what it needs to be spinning at. Just make sure your laptop is on a flat surface or a stand and not on a bed or carpet or anything that can prevent the laptop from breathing.

      Hope this helps!
      Jeremie
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      Santwon1PSantwon1P Posts: 53 New Member
      edited June 2009
      That's a good idea. I'll check it out later today. I also have one of those chill mat's from a department store. I like having other fans run in addition to the one my macbook has. I was worried about touching hot aluminum casing!
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      AndybillAndybill Posts: 6 New Member
      edited June 2009
      Another note: running a Uni MBP with the battery REMOVED will cause it to run ~10 C cooler.
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      ScraverXScraverX Posts: 762 New Member
      edited June 2009
      hmmmm....

      Of course if you have one of the /super/ new MBP's 15" or 17" you can't remove the battery without voiding the warranty. ;)
      Post edited by Unknown User on
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      AndybillAndybill Posts: 6 New Member
      edited June 2009
      quite right about the newer models, my bad.

      Something odd i noticed about removing the battery: the fps dropped. makes no sense to me, will have to keep battery in now!
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      mutelightmutelight Posts: 468 Member
      edited June 2009
      It is not a good idea to remove the battery, the machine is designed to always have the battery in the system which is why they have chips that control them from being overcharged.
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      TwilightWaterlilyTwilightWaterlily Posts: 182 New Member
      edited June 2009
      So, I downloaded this app from the link you sent, but when I click on it to open the application, nothing happens. The FAQs, etc. seem to have downloaded fine, though. Any ideas why this is happening? Am I missing something really obvious here?
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