For what it's worth, I have a similar problem on the 2019 MBP 16" laptop.
Intermittently, the laptop temp skyrockets from normal temps (55–60 C / 130–140 F on CPU Core 1 temp sensor) to absurdly high temps (75 C / 167 F) that make the laptop painful to the touch in the area near the speaker vents and especially so above the menu bar (above the control strip). Simultaneously, during those heat spikes, I have noticeable degradation of performance.
This is regardless of my usage habits or apps I have open.
I noticed the heat issue when I first set up the laptop (bought brand new), but I thought it might just be some background processes with caching/cleanup or whatever other things happen in the background when setting up a new computer. But, this remains to be an issue.
It's unpredictable. Occasionally, I've returned home to find it in the middle of a "heat flash". Other times, it will go for hours with no problem. It happens whether it's plugged in or not.
Specs
- Overview
- macOS Catalina version 10.15.7
- 2.4 GHz 8-Core Intel Core I9
- 64 GB 2667 MHz DDR4
- AMD Radeon Pro 5500M 8GB
- Intel UHD Graphics 630 1536MB
- Display
- 16-inch display (3072 x 1920)
- AMD Radeon Pro 5500M 8GB
Typical usage
- Plugged in (via CalDigit TS3 Plus) that has some accessories connected to it:
- Some midi devices (turned off until needed)
- 1 external hard drive, low RPM and separate power source
- Sound mixer, also separate power source
- Note that I've tried plugging charger in directly, without connecting the CalDigit TS3, but it didn't resolve the issue.
- Wifi enabled
- No external monitor, keyboard, or mouse
- Propped up to permit airflow all around the laptop base
- Laptop keyboard, lights at lowest setting while still being on
- Display brightness typically 50–75%, leaning more toward 50%
- App usage
- During work:
- 3 Safari windows with maybe 3-10 tabs each, varying throughout the day. Sites are typical for my role — gmail, calendar, one or two google documents/sheets, Jira, and some miscellaneous sites for research
- Slack
- Zoom (main app open, occasionally have a call, and occasionally share screen/video during the call)
- Occasionally Figma, but only when needed
- When not working:
- Only Ableton open, everything else closed
- Or, Discord + a few Safari windows
- Only one user logged in at a time
What I've done so far
- Checked activity monitor duding these points in time.
- WindowServer seems to consistently have a surprisingly high %CPU (i.e., I wouldn't expect window server to be >20% when only activity monitor is open, and I see it go well over 100% during the heat spikes).
- Turned off automatic graphics switching.
- No effect, symptom persists
- Turned off transparency.
- No effect, symptom persists
- Checked contents of /Library/LaunchAgents AND ~/Library/LaunchAgents
- Adobe Creative Cloud
- A license service (iLOK) for audio plugins that I use on Ableton
- Paragon software notification agent (supports NTFS for Mac)
- Nothing suspicious
- Checked contents of ~/Library/Application Support
- Checked contents of /Library/LaunchDaemons
- Checked all applications, nothing out of the ordinary
- Checked Preferences > Users > (each user) > Login Items
- Very few items here
- Nothing suspicious
- Cleared all caches/history/etc from Safari
- No effect, symptom persists
I'm at a loss. The intermittent heat spikes (and corresponding performance degradation) are particularly a nuisance when creating music. Despite being the primary driver behind my purchase, I wouldn't trust this device in a live music performance setting.
I'm disappointed, to say the least.
