So my MB Pro Core Duo from 2006 is running pretty sluggish as of late. I know its been a while and most likely I need a new one but I'm plan to hold out a bit longer. iStat is showing my right fan is out (its been out for a long time). I've been using a program to run the left one at max to keep from getting too hot. If I get a new fan should this help it to run better? I have Onyx installed and have done a few other things that I think should help. I have 4.8 gigs available in free space. Other stats 2 gigs of ram. I see some temps in the 130's on iStat. What else can I do to reduce sluggishness? Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
2006 MB Pro Intel Sluggish/Fan out
- Thread starter wtmcghee
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Are those temps in fahrenheit or celsius? Since you only have 4.8GB of free space, the files are being written to the inner tracks of the hard drive (which take more time to access), and therefore it slows down your computer. A tip: replace the fan and upgrade your hard drive to something that is at least 80GB larger. My old White MacBook was very slow with its 120GB hard drive with 10GB free, but when I upgraded it to a 320GB hard drive, it was writing to the outer tracks of the hard drive (faster to access) and resulted in a faster machine.
Temps are in Fahrenheit. I downloaded Disk Inventory X and I am deleting a lot of the things that are taking up a lot of space that I don't need. iTunes is honestly the bulk at about 40 gigs. How much should new fan help and is that something I can buy from ifixit.com and have them install at Genius bar?
Unfortunately, no. The genius bar will only install their own parts, not something purchased off the internet. I recommend purchasing the fan from iFixit, and following their guide on how to replace the fan. I have used their guides for everything from taking apart my iPhone to reapplying thermal paste on my MBP. Having a dead fan is not good for your computer, but since your temps are around 130ºF it is not a pressing issue. I think your main bottleneck is the hard drive writing to/reading from the inner tracks.
I've tried using their guides before to install RAM which was supposed to be easier on their tier of installs. This one falls under difficult so I'm not going to try that. I guess I could take it to a repair store around where I live and have them do it? Is only having 1 of 2 fans working slowing the computer down at all? Thanks for all the help so far.
Yes. Since the CPU/GPU (processor/graphics card) run hotter, they throttle themselves down so that they don't produce as much heat. When a processor and/or graphics card throttle themselves down, they run a lot slower. But, the hottest idle temperature on my 13" MacBook Pro with all fans working is the processor temperature. At idle, the processor temperature is around 115ºF, so your 130ºF is not that far off. Can you tell me what the temperatures of the CPU, the heatsink(s), and the CPU diode are?
Oh and you're welcome! I love helping people!
Sure.
CPU = 139
GPU = 128
GPU HS = 130
HS A = 106
HS B = 103
I don't have any info on iStat for CPU Diode. I do see HD Mac at 110 though.
That's not too bad... If that is at idle, it would most likely get hotter than the processor's thermal capacity when under load. This means that it will shut down if you are encoding video, watching/playing flash, etc... I would recommend going to a computer repair place near you, and ask them if they would install a new fan inside it and if you need to supply the fan. Then you should ask them to properly reapply thermal paste. Only have them repair it if they will install the fan and reapply thermal paste for $75 or under (including the cost of the fan). If they charge more than that to repair it, I would just recommend cranking up those RPM's on the working fan and waiting until you can buy a new MacBook Pro. Some people have stated that they have had success with getting the non-working fan to work if they hit the casing. Since your right fan doesn't work, hit the right speaker (but not too hard, not hard enough to cause damage) and see if the fan will spin up again.
Ok, that's good to know. I can buy a fan for $50 right now off ifixt but I assume I can find the same fan somewhere cheaper off newegg or something like that and then take it to a place nearby. Ha I actually tried knocking the right side top and bottom when it first actually happened about a year or so ago and to no avail. I appreciate all the advice, I'm going to look for a cheaper fan and repair place to do the work. Anything else you can recommend? I feel like the only thing that really ever happens is Safari gets jerky and crashes some but I figure that is because the computer is old. Thanks for all the help. I already have 24 gigs free and working on more.
How big is your hard drive? If its a 120GB or less, 24gb is enough to improve the performance. I would recommend using Google Chrome instead of safari. The fan in your MBP is special to pre-unibody MacBook Pros. You can only find those fans on iFixit or other mac part sellers. So I guess all you can do is pay $50 to buy it. But before you buy it, go to a local computer repair shop and ask them how much it would cost to install a new fan. Go to the apple store first to see if they might be willing to do it free (if you have one near you).
Working with a 100 gig drive. There is an Apple store down the street. I might give them a call and see about that because I figure they would have to order the fan anyway, I doubt it would be in stock there. Haven't checked on any local shops yet. I might try calling on both places tomorrow.
Make an appointment at the genius bar and take it in. Unless you get a really grouchy genius, it is possible that they will repair it for free.
No problem. Private message me if you have any more questions. I would also like it if you updated me on if you get it repaired, who repairs it, etc...