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I have noticed in that past 24 hours that two rigid and straight "lines" have developed as bulges on my Mid 2010 MacBook Pro 15 inch.

They are noticeable when looking at it in the light and you can easily feel that they are raised above the case.

They appear on the outer shell of the case (right of the mouse and near the keyboard)

The bottom of the Mac is not warped. The hard drive also appears to be in good condition.

Initially, I thought this was due to a battery failure and removed the battery. Despite this, the battery was fine (not warped or bulging). I noticed that the two bulges in the case appear over where the hard drive is in a MacBook Pro.

There is also a "semi circular" bulge near these two lines.

What could be causing these if it is not the battery? Also, is there any chance that these bulges could expand?

Edit: After further inspection it appears to have occurred exactly over the bridge that holds the hard drive in place. (the long black piece with the two screws in it).

I have added a picture. Sorry, they are really hard to see.

enter image description here

Note: The two lines look like shadows and are somewhat difficult to see in (any) photo.

Edit: more photos

image

The second image (below) shows what is under the bulge. Maybe something looks out of place?

image

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  • Did you disassemble the device before? – Max Ried Jul 28 '15 at 9:48
  • Yes and I had been running several intensive porgams for about a week (causing it to run really hot). Could this be a cause (running really hot)? – Ghost Koi Jul 28 '15 at 16:13
  • Unlikely. What did you change in there? – Max Ried Jul 28 '15 at 16:20
  • @Max Ried Roughly 3 months ago I upgraded my hard drive and RAM (added 4gb to 4gb- both with the same frequency/model numbe). Roughly one month ago I was told after running an Apple Diagnostic at the Genius Bar that my hard drive was failing (they didn't give any specifics). I asked and they said it would probably run for a while until it failed. I could not switch it and move my data before this trip so I had planned to do it when I returned (in another week). I don't see how any of this could cause a warping effect in my shell though? The hard drive works and looks fine also. – Ghost Koi Jul 28 '15 at 17:44
  • Laptop harddrives come in different heights. Do you still have the old one? – Max Ried Jul 28 '15 at 17:48
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This is the result of excess force squeezing the wrist pad against the internal components.

In your other question asking about heat stress is a no go. Aluminum doesn't weaken or deform that way in temperature ranges where plastic won't melt and batteries don't catch fire. The bulge in the other question is really compression bending the case inward and components sticking up. Think aluminum foil placed over one large ridged potato chip - press lightly with a finger and you will see the ridges below the foil.

Why not upload a picture if you have an example, or is this a hypothetical case?

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  • How much force would it take to cause that kind of damage though? Is that a possibility? – Ghost Koi Jul 29 '15 at 4:23
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    Not that much force. If it were in a bag and someone sat on it, that would do it. 50 pounds under the right circumstances (if the case were supported only on the bottom in that area - say the power adapter was also in the bag and pressing against the bottom by the hard drive.) I've seen dozens of Macs that had that exact damage, so people are clearly getting them into situations where enough force to bend is present, yet the machines still work perfectly well and are not damaged functionally. – bmike♦ Jul 29 '15 at 13:00
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I doubt that the Mac would get so hot internally that the metal would warp before the Mac shut itself down. There are thermal sensors throughout the unit designed to keep it from thermal overload.

Did this actually happen to you? How is it warped?

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  • If you could, take a look at the linked question. My MacBook Pro is warped around where my hard drive is. I can't seem to find a reasonable explanation though. – Ghost Koi Jul 28 '15 at 19:41
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    Changed my answer to reflect that the unit in question is a MB Pro, not a MB Unibody (white plastic). Seeing that the melting point of aluminum is 1,221 deg F, and that the forging temperature (soft enough to change shape without cracking) is between 600 & 900 deg F, I doubt the heat caused the warpage. (I was astounded to find out that aluminum BOILS at 4,566 deg F!) – IconDaemon Jul 28 '15 at 19:53
  • @IconDaemom Can you think of anything that would have caused what I am experiencing? – Ghost Koi Jul 28 '15 at 19:54
  • Was it dropped? Just asking. – bjbk Jul 28 '15 at 20:23
  • Not to my knowledge. I removed the hard drive to check and nothing was damaged/warped internally. Everything looks fine. Is it possible that someone just hit it? If so, why would it bulge out? – Ghost Koi Jul 28 '15 at 20:29

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