Ask Jacob
Does my MacBook Pro need a fan to boot properly?
Friday, May 14, 2010 / Laptops & Notebooks, Repair
Dear Jacob,
My Macbook Pro’s (15″ inch; 2.4ghz, 2008) left fan was making a lot of noise. I am out of warranty, so I opened the laptop to see what was wrong. The fan died and has lost all the blades (computer is still taken apart right now).
Until I buy a new fan, can I disconnect the cable that powers the fan and run my computer without it – does my MacBook Pro need a fan or will that prevent the Macbook Pro from powering on or prevent anything else in the computer from running correctly? I understand it will heat up on that side, but I wouldn’t mind that if it were the only thing that would happen since it doesn’t have the blades anyways, and its only making noise right now.
Thank you for your help.
Ronald
The MacBook Pro will boot up without the fan connected. The temperature sensors on your system will keep an eye on the temp and shut you down if it gets dangerous for the components. Just save often and keep an eye on the heat. If you let the heat rise to much it may shorten the life of your MacBook Pro Battery and hard drive, not to mention the remaining fan will spin full speed to compensate.
Good luck
Jacob
