MacBook Issues With Flash Overheating
Steve Jobs once said that Flash was the No. one reason reason Apple's computers crashed. Adobe's Flash software may be a popular platform for streaming video content on the Internet, but the Mac version of the Flash player has a number of software and hardware issues that tax computer resources and cause overheating in MacBooks.
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Operating Surfaces
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MacBooks, like all laptops, have an internal system of fans that automatically adjust how hard they spin with how hard a computer's CPU and graphics card are working. These fans blow the heat these components produce away from the other hardware components through air vents along the computer's body. If you put the laptop down on a soft surface, such as a pillow or blanket, then the material could block these vents and prevent the hot air from escaping. When this happens, your MacBook will overheat regardless of what programs it is running.
Flash Performance Issues
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If your computer is overheating when you run Flash, and your MacBook's vents are not blocked, then your problems could be due to Apple's longstanding performance issues with that particular piece of software. According to Apple these performance issues come from the programming of Flash's OS X implementation and its use of an older hardware decoder for its file format. These issues translate into increased resource usage and occasional laptop overheating.
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Boot Camp
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Apple's issues with Flash can be amplified when you are dual booting Microsoft's Windows operating system with Boot Camp. Windows does not run perfectly on Apple's hardware. The Boot Camp drivers provide an interface for Microsoft's operating system to use the MacBook's hardware, but the imperfect hardware compatibility translates into additional processing power for every task. When Flash's existing issues with resource use combine with the extra resources that Windows uses on a MacBook, the overheating can become even more acute.
Preventative Measures
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Because Flash is closed, proprietary, software and its performance issues with MacBooks are long standing, there are not any specific measures that will completely solve overheating issues. From the perspective of software and settings, all you can do is make sure that you are have downloaded and applied the performance and security patches from Adobe. You can also purchase a peripheral that provides additional cooling for the MacBook, but understand that streaming Flash videos could still overheat or crash your laptop.
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References
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