"I wanted to give Sebastian as well as anyone else a bit of advice. SMC FanControl2 (and the other similar programs out there) ARE wonderful ideas; but don't rely on them for long term solutions.. I would suggest taking your Macbook/Macbook Pros in and having the thermal sensors inspected for damage or other general defects.

I too was having trouble with fatal graphical corruptions as well as random shutdowns of my Core Duo MBP and finally had enough of it on Sunday August 9th.

Thinking that it was the known issue of the amount of heat sink compound on the CPU/GPU/Chipset units, (this was noted on very early (ATI X1600 based) MacBook Pros years ago (early MBP page here had several posts on this) with some pix showing thick slabs of compound. There were also some notes (years ago) on a wire being replaced due to contact/shorting against a heatpipe IIRC.-Mike). I completely disassembled my system intending to clean it and start from scratch.

I was almost finished removing everything when I discovered that one of the wires attached to the right thermal sensor had broken at the solder point. I completely removed it and reassembled my MBP then turned it on. (Removed it? (not resoldered the wire) With no sensor connection (open ckt) to the thermal sensor (if a PTC thermistor type) the system would see that (NC) as max temp (infinite resistance) and downclock speeds/increase fan speeds, etc. But not sure what type of sensor is used there. I'd be curious what Apple Hardware Test reported also (before take-apart) but if it was shutting down the test may not have completed.-Mike) It is now 5 days later and my system has not had a single shut down or issue with graphical corruption, even when running programs like Second Life and Phantasy Star Universe (natively in XP) at their highest settings. I will admit that I am glad that the new sensor I ordered from iFixit arrived today, but all things considered, I'd say it was a chance well taken.

I'm not 100% certain as to what was occurring, but it seems very likely the broken wire was shorting out and causing the sensor to report incorrect temps from the nearby GPU and forcing the shutdowns.
(He later wrote)
I completely removed it (sensor connection). Surprisingly I did not notice a serious increase in fan activity as a result of this action. (If ran with no sensor connection it would have been interesting to see what was reported with (freeware) utils like iStat Pro or Temperature Monitor as well as reported clock speeds.-Mike) I submitted a question to Apple Tech Support about that observation, but it appears that (on the original Core Duo models at least) it is possible for a MBP to function at a normal capacity with just one sensor installed.

Then again, I wasn't too anxious to really push my system either... It is out of warranty (even applecare) and I haven't saved enough to purchase a new one yet.
-Joel S."

I asked he report back after replacing the sensor. (Also added this as a FYI to the previous page on MacBook Pro Video/GPU problems.
With later (C2D) MBP's the possible use of flawed Nvidia chips is still another concern (I wish Apple would officially comment if any production runs of MBPs used those flawed GPUs.)

PowerBook G4 SuperDrive Upgrade Kit Price drops
Our current kits provide a properly rom configured SuperDrive DL that offers up to 8X DVD R/RW, 6X DVD-DL (8.5GB per disc), 5X DVD-RAM, and 24X CD R/RW burn speeds. This is an internal upgrade that replaces the currently installed optical drive and is fully compatible with AppleÌs iLife (iDVD, iPhoto, etc), Roxio Toast, Finder Disc Burner, etc. No trade in required (although up to $32.50 offered in rebate back for a working PowerBook optical drive).
For PowerBook G4/400 to 667MHz Models with a CD-ROM/DVD-ROM only drive - cost $139.99 or $149.99 w/Software + Media Bundle. (Was $159.99 & $169.99, $20 Drop)
For all other PowerBook G4 Models (Ti 15" and G4 Alum 12/15/17" 667MHz to 1.67GHz), the cost is now $97.99 or $107.99 w/Software + Media Bundle.
The software/media bundle includes NTI Dragonburn DVD-DL/CD Software, EMC Backup, and 10 pcs of 8X DVD-R Media w/jewel cases. Warranty is 1yr and OWC Professional installation is also available.

"Here are some tips for getting the best accuracy out of Dynolicious:
First, make sure you have the iPhone mounted correctly. It is critical that the iPhone is facing the front of the vehicle. It can be angled up or down, but not side to side. See the images in the "manual" section of the setup screen if this is not clear.

Run the calibration from the setup menu. This compensates for inaccuracies in your iPhone's accelerometer. (If you are one of the people who's phone will not calibrate, make sure you update to Dynolicious v1.1)

Make sure that your test surface is fairly level. If you start or end facing uphill or downhill, this will significantly affect your numbers.

If your aim is to measure HP, try not to jerk the car at takeoff. A smooth acceleration at takeoff and then wide open throttle will generate the most consistent results. (v1.1 should be more resiliant against rough takeoffs and provide better HP results.)

Make sure that the weight specified includes all passengers, cargo, accessories, etc.

Make sure the iPhone is mounted so that it cannot move relative to the car. Cradles that bounce while driving have a serious effect on accuracy.

If you believe you are getting false triggering, meaning that the timer starts before you start accelerating, please increase the trigger value in the settings.
Hope this helps,
Justin
BunsenTech, LLC "

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