For me you always need to validate the SW first in the chase to reduce operating temperatures. Just for YT Safari is adequate, and Apple is not seemingly moving on VP9, likely never. Block the ads with AdGuard or Wiper extensions.
Personally I have mixed thoughts on replacing the thermal paste, as to be frank it's not going to make a huge difference to older Mac's as their cooling systems are generally barely adequate in the first place. You also need to consider the type of TIM; many types of high performance paste/grease needs to be replaced at periodic intervals and some will degrade if exposed to greater than 80C, some will migrate, all rendering them questionable for notebooks. Liquid Metal is for those that know and understand the preparation and risks, nor does it play well with bare copper.
Apple's application of thermal paste and choice is often maligned, equally too much paste is not an issue as long as the clamping force is within specification, just looks a mess. With the actual paste being designed for longevity not absolute performance. My 2011 15" remains on stock paste and I see no reason to change it. If anything it now runs cooler (likely firmware & OS optimisations) On the Intel Power Gadget all core test the fans don't even max out (5K), with Handbrake CPU still hold over 3GHz. New thermal paste it might see a reduction of 5% - 10% and removing the Logic Board on such an old notebook presents it own risks.
TBH what I'd recommend is; carefully clean up the cooling system, switch to Safari for YT, run an AD blocker, elevate the rear of the MBP 1/2" and you might just find it runs a lot cooler.
n.b. 13" & 15" tend to operate very differently, especially with external displays, with the 15" running far hotter.
A rather
canned reply from the day;
I still have a stock 2011 15" MBP in the house so feel I am reasonably well versed; key as others have stated is to keep the GPU as cool as reasonably practicable, equally much will be dependant on your usage/workflow. There are some practical things that can be done to help;
Being an owner & user of the 15" MacBook Pro forever; Over the years the 15" has frequently struggled with it`s thermals, especially when an external display is connected as the dGPU switches by default, internal temperatures soar, equally there are some steps that can be taken to reduce the systems temperature;
- Elevate the rear, aluminium passive coolers generally work best (I use RainDesign's mStand)
- Increase base fan RPM to 3K or as much as you are comfortable with (MacsFanControl or SMC Fan Control)
- Limit the dGPU's usage with gSwitch or gfxCardStatus (need to verify model & OS compatibility)
- Swap out Chrome for Chrome Canary as it`s generally more optimised for OS X and will extend battery run time, reduce thermals (not validated for many a year)
- Swap out VLC for Movist as again it's a reduced load on CPU/GPU
- Uninstall or block Flash
- Install an ad blocker AdGuard or Wipr works well
- Powered coolers are very much a "mixed bag" when it comes to Mac portables, you need one that has a high capacity (100 CFM minimum) and preferably a large single fan, this can help to keep the 15" internal fans below 4K which for many is good enough as often it's this point and beyond where the fans become intrusive. Don't expect a powered cooler impact internal temperatures, beyond a couple of degrees.
- Older notebooks can benefit from cleaning of the cooling system (compressed air cans can damage fans, I use a rechargeable blower)
- Retina's can benefit from cleaning of the cooling system, as the heat syncs are far smaller and loose efficiency faster, due to build up of dust (special drive required to open the notebooks base plate)
- Replacing the thermal paste has been hit & miss over the years, some with very positive results, some with no improvement at all over stock or worse. Personally I would only do this on a Mac Portable that was either very old and/or one that I can confirm was definitely running considerably hotter than stock.
- If your MBP has a discrete GPU, it will fire up when an external display is connected as default, temperatures will rise rapidly
- Consider a specific vertical stand when using a MPB in "Clamshell" mode allowing for greater circulation of air. Some recommend inverting the MBP in the stand with the exhaust at the top & intake at the bottom (Retina's)
The key to a cooler quieter life with a 15" MacBook Pro is several incremental changes that do add up to reduce thermals. From my experience over the years if your going to push a 15"/17" MBP hard the fans are going to max out fast, with associated temperature & noise. If your using it with a moderate load life can be made far more tolerable. For the most part your MBP runs hot as that's how Apple designed it, the trade off for form over, function, thin & light...
The old adage still applies; it's easier to keep the notebook cool, than cool-down an already overly hot system. This being said it`s not strictly necessary, equally it`s nice to know that there are some options for reducing temperature out there.
FWIW Late 2011 15" OS X 10.13.6 High Sierra, Radeon dGPU limited by gSwitch (1.9.7), stock as per factory, 3,139 days young today
Q-6
