2011 Macbook Pro Still Going - But fan can get noisy....

[mrk123]

MACBOOK PRO 2011 - 13 INCH - HIGH SIERRA 10.13.6
1GB SSD - 16GB RAM

Amazingly this beast still going.
I can run Adobe PS, AI + PREM as well as 50 tabs on Firefox, and it holds out.

Right now I have FOREFOX (30 TABS), ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR + THUNDERBIRD and it's ok.

Sometimes though the fan kicks in and it can get a bit noisy, not horrible noise, just a whiney fan noise.. Then like now it is radio silence, no noise.

I don't want to buy a new macpro, anything i can do software or hardware side of tings?

New fan?

 

[matrix07]

Ha, my wife’s still using this. She has never asked for a new one. 😀

 

[Alpha Centauri]

You can open the built in Activity Monitor App to gauge what processes are consuming most resources of the CPU and/ or memory, memory pressure. I guess you're starting to tax a 12 yr old laptop with uses outside basic browsing, emails. Some other ideas:

1. open the base, check for accumulation of dust.
2. if you're feeling brave, repasting the CPU.
3. iStatMenus enables manual fan control, provides a plethora of additional stats/ info.
4. larger SSD if it's nearing capacity.

I mean, I'm still part-time using my mid 2009 MBP but it's patched for Catalina and the fans do try take off if running YT for example. But then it's a C2D with maxed 8GB RAM also.

 

[mrk123]

Ha, my wife’s still using this. She has never asked for a new one. 😀

She is using the same mac as me?
Well I am obvioulsy pushing mine a bit more.
I hope someone has some suggestions..?

 

[Queen6]

I've still got a 2011 15" MBP, clean out the fans every 12 months that's about it. Get's noisy under full load, always has done. Just a few screws on the base, be carful as fans are fragile.


Q-6

 

[OrenLindsey]

I gave an old 2010 MacBook Pro to my friend a few months ago. It has a faster chip than his Chromebook 😂

 

[mrk123]

I've still got a 2011 15" MBP, clean out the fans every 12 months that's about it. Get's noisy under full load, always has done. Just a few screws on the base, be carful as fans are fragile.
View attachment 2308676

Q-6

Pull the fan out completely?
Or just the bottom case?

 

[mrk123]

The black plastic stripping has come away at the back, peeling away, looks like it has slowly melted over the last decad, now exposing what appears to be circuitry? Need I be worried?

 

[matrix07]

She is using the same mac as me?

Yes, 2011 MBP. She hasn't complained ha ha.

 

[Queen6]

Pull the fan out completely?
Or just the bottom case?

Just clean out the fan and heatsink, should be no need to remove. You'll know more once the baseplate is removed. I have an air blower which works well. I also stabilise the fans so they dont overly spin up in the airflow of the blower (no metal tools in the case). If you want to go further use the guide from iFixit saves a lot of pain. As power is on as long as the battery is connected.

While mine is a 15" same production year. The fans on mine have some small foam seals that are starting to degrade. I replaced with some double sided foam tape.

Not very apparent in this picture, may have been a minor iteration by Apple as the Late 2011 15" were ferociously hot with the i7 and notorious for the dGPU failing due to heat stress. Mine's been apart for cleaning a good few times so never has too much build up of dust. Mostly I open it to check the battery is OK. Be wary of "tinned air" as the blast can damage the fan blades.

As for the strip I'd just stick it back on with as little adhesive as possible, Just in case need to remove. toothpick works well to apply as at times less is more.

Q-6

 

[Valdaquendë]

My advice: remove the bottom case cover and use an air gun or can of air to blow out the fans. Keep the nozzle a few inches away from the device to prevent overdoing it. Blow into the round openings that you see the fans' impellers in (see the photo in Queen6's excellent post above) and, in the fan housings, blow "upward" (in the photo) to blow the dust, lint, etc., out of each fan's vent grille.

If excessive fan noise is a problem when they are reasonably clean and performing normally, I suggest using MacsFanControl. It is an excellent and free utility that does two important things: it monitors the temperature of various components in your MBP and it allows you to control the fans' speeds (and therefore temps) to arrive at a sensible balance between heat and noise. In some cases, like that of having replaced a hard drive with an SSD, it can be indispensable; in iMacs, for example, the SSD does not interface with the HDD temp sensors in hardware so the fans sometimes turn on full-bore. MacsFanControl can be set to start at boot, regulating the temps and noise as you wish.

These old MBPs are golden, in terms of longevity. My 2008 MBP is still my road system and has served me (and through me, my clients) for 15 years. I maxed out its RAM (6GB) and installed a 1TB SSD about 5 years ago and it is still going strong, giving me access to resources, contacts and pretty much everything I need everywhere in my range of service.