El Capitan acting up...slowness, overheating

[Kristina85]

It could be the battery - but as I said before, it's my best guess but one that I wouldn't bet a lot of money on. However, the battery almost certainly needs replacement anyway.

I don't think Apple will ship the battery to you.
https://support.apple.com/kb/index?page=servicefaq&geo=Canada&product=Macnotebooks
(The search results had Canada selected - just select your country.)

It's doesn't hurt to do the SMC reset again - I've seen the several times thing but I don't know if that's just OCD or not.

A different browser can make a difference in this way: different browsers will take differing levels of CPU power to process the same web page. I did a test a month or so ago and found that when viewing a YouTube video on my 2012 Mini, it took quite a bit more CPU to run in Firefox than in Safari. It also will vary depending on the graphics hardware you have. With the Intel HD4000, which is the GPU that I have, there are sometimes problems in viewing some YouTube videos on Firefox, sometimes this can be avoided if I don't use hardware acceleration. But then if I don't use hardware acceleration, it uses even more CPU power. These YouTube videos usually run problem-free in Safari with hardware acceleration. You can try and view the same video in the different browsers while seeing what kind of CPU usage and temperatures you have. If there's a big difference, then maybe it'll help if you use Safari (or whatever browser is more efficient) for those pages. I'm pretty certain Safari will turn out to be more efficient. I don't use Chrome but people say it's a resource hog.

HTML5 is a specification for the markup language used for web pages. In web video terms for the end-user, browsers such as Safari and Firefox support it when you install it, but for something like Adobe Flash, you have to install the plug-in to view it.

EDIT: Your latest post came as I was writing this. Hopefully you found the solution to your fan issue. But yes - if you want to continue to use the computer for a few more years, then you should replace the battery.

Treekram, thanks for all your thouthful posts. Once I fix this (tomorrow), i'll come back here to confirm that my theory was right...or I'll be seraching for other issues. Regarding Safari...and what you've written. I've been using firefox because of one plug in that is really important to me (it's a software that helps me read Japanese written languge). And I got so used to that browser that it's harder to make a switch. But would you say that Safair overall might be the smoother and better performer for Macs given it's one of the integrated apps with OS X?

also, still have a question regarding the battery: you say it needs replacement. But using it now, it shouldn't hurt my compuer right(that's also what the message says when I click on it:

"Service Battery: The battery isn’t functioning normally, and you may or may not notice a change in its behavior or the amount of charge it holds. Take your computer in for service. You can continue to use your battery before it’s checked without harming your computer."

the issue is that I really don't have access to any Apple service..but will be in couple of months in DC and there I can do it easily. Meanwhile I'd keep using this one (or I just found a vendor on-line here who sells this...but they don't seem to be an authorized dealer, though a shop that deals with all things by Apple..they do sell this battery, would that be a legit buy?)

 

[treekram]

What I do is mainly use Firefox but use Safari for YouTube. There may be embedded YouTube videos on sites when I'm using Firefox that I'll just view the video in Firefox. Videos are the content likely to take the most CPU/GPU power so maybe you can use the same strategy. If you need to use Flash, I don't know that it would make a lot of difference since both Safari and Firefox would use the same plug-in - you would need to test to see what the difference is. You will be able to tell if it's using Flash by doing a right-click (or control-click) and there will be an "About Adobe Flash Player" on the drop-down menu.

I would use an Apple authorized service center - I wouldn't use one that isn't authorized because frankly, you don't know what kind of battery they will provide as a replacement.

If you intend to replace your battery and because it's not easy to get to an Apple store, if possible, you should try to go to an authorized service dealer and buy the battery there. It may fix the kernel_task issue or may not. If it doesn't then make sure to book an appointment ahead of time in Washington DC (that's what you meant by DC?) to look at your kernel_task issue. Because the old battery MAY cause the kernel_task issue, I think it's just better if you have an Apple battery because if it's not resolved with a new battery, you can take it to a Genius Bar, have them take a look and they won't be able to blame it on the battery. If it's not easy to find an authorized service dealer, then you should just monitor your computer and how it's doing and make sure that the store in Washington can turn around your computer in the time that you're there. But I would really try to get a new battery as soon as possible. For me, on my Macbook (2007), I had an aging battery that started to bulge, causing the trackpad to malfunction (the battery still held a charge and like yours, it could operate a few hours on a charge). Luckily, for that model, it can be operated without the battery.

 

[Kristina85]

What I do is mainly use Firefox but use Safari for YouTube. There may be embedded YouTube videos on sites when I'm using Firefox that I'll just view the video in Firefox. Videos are the content likely to take the most CPU/GPU power so maybe you can use the same strategy. If you need to use Flash, I don't know that it would make a lot of difference since both Safari and Firefox would use the same plug-in - you would need to test to see what the difference is. You will be able to tell if it's using Flash by doing a right-click (or control-click) and there will be an "About Adobe Flash Player" on the drop-down menu.

I would use an Apple authorized service center - I wouldn't use one that isn't authorized because frankly, you don't know what kind of battery they will provide as a replacement.

If you intend to replace your battery and because it's not easy to get to an Apple store, if possible, you should try to go to an authorized service dealer and buy the battery there. It may fix the kernel_task issue or may not. If it doesn't then make sure to book an appointment ahead of time in Washington DC (that's what you meant by DC?) to look at your kernel_task issue. Because the old battery MAY cause the kernel_task issue, I think it's just better if you have an Apple battery because if it's not resolved with a new battery, you can take it to a Genius Bar, have them take a look and they won't be able to blame it on the battery. If it's not easy to find an authorized service dealer, then you should just monitor your computer and how it's doing and make sure that the store in Washington can turn around your computer in the time that you're there. But I would really try to get a new battery as soon as possible. For me, on my Macbook (2007), I had an aging battery that started to bulge, causing the trackpad to malfunction (the battery still held a charge and like yours, it could operate a few hours on a charge). Luckily, for that model, it can be operated without the battery.

wow, the battery began to bulge? That was sort of a shocker. I didn't know things of this sort could happen. Definitely I would not want that to happen. I think I could use this PC also without the battery, at least that's what I've learned on the web. Maybe I should take it out then.
So if I understood your reply, even if the overheating issue is fixe (i.e. if I make sure the cable is back...)and my Mac doesn't misbehave anymore (it's not now), you still think that I need to have the kernel_task looked at? I thought it was related to the overheating......ah, technology, so complicated.
Yes, I meant Washington DC, will be there for a while so I coul have it serviced there.
Again, thanks for replying to my posts - you've been very helpful.

 

[treekram]

In just looking at my Macbook battery, it wasn't that bad but the trackpad was affected. There's a lot of examples of much worse bulging - just search "laptop battery bulging".

I think that you can continue to use the battery until/unless you get more serious symptoms. Just monitor it, see if the message about the battery health changes or if the trackpad starts having problems or if the temperature in the battery starts to get noticeably hotter or if something with the battery starts to act differently.

Yes, I think if kernel_task continually is at a high level without you doing much on the computer, that is an issue that should be addressed. If it's not causing you problems now, I would wait until the battery is replaced to see if that solves the issue.

 

[Kristina85]

Great, got it!

 

[daument]

Fwiw .... Battery repairs

If you factory battery swells and damages any components in your machine, they will be covered even if the device is out of warranty as long as you pay for a new battery.

 

[treekram]

Fwiw .... Battery repairs

If you factory battery swells and damages any components in your machine, they will be covered even if the device is out of warranty as long as you pay for a new battery.

I haven't seen that mentioned before so that's good to know. Thanks.