Macbook pro 13'' running slow with high fan

[lcmania]

hi all

i have a macbook 13'' mid 2009 mountain lion 10.8 6gig ram , ive had the mac for 2weeks and the past 4days its been running slow and the fan is constantly spinning fast very load even when the mac is cool and it wont turn off even if i shut down and restart

i've tried a smc , pram reset and no difference

I've uninstalled every software apart from final cur pro what ive put on the mac and still no difference

i've installed onxy to clear the caches and no help

the kernal task is using up 300-600 of ram as i boot up

any ideas of what the problem could be???

 

[simsaladimbamba]

Open Activity Monitor and select All Processes and then sort by CPU to show you the process(es) slowing down your Mac or speeding up your fan(s) or causing more heat.

Using Activity Monitor to show you CPU and RAM usage​

 

[lcmania]

this is my activity monitor

 

[simsaladimbamba]

this is my activity monitor

Taking screenshots in Mac OS X

As you did not sort by CPU but by RAM, I cannot see any CPU intensive processes, but then again, the CPU tab does not show any high CPU usage anyway.

If an SMC reset cannot bring the fans down, use iStat Nano to show you temperature (don't forget to report the scale, as Fahrenheit is not as common as Celsius) and fan speed.

 

[GGJstudios]

this is my activity monitor

Follow these steps exactly. Don't skip any steps and use the links to learn how to take and post screenshots.

1. Launch Activity Monitor
2. Change "My Processes" at the top to "All Processes"
3. Click on the CPU column heading once or twice, so the arrow points downward (highest values on top).
4. Click on the System Memory tab at the bottom.
5. Take a screen shot of the whole Activity Monitor window, then scroll down to see the rest of the list, take another screen shot
6. Post your screenshots.

 

[lcmania]

ok Ive tried istat nano and its saying the the fan is at , exhaust - 6208rpm
tempt , mac os - 83
enclosure bottom - 77

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[a33a]

ok Ive tried istat nano and its saying the the fan is at , exhaust - 6208rpm
tempt , mac os - 83
enclosure bottom - 77

Seems to be running quite hot and consequently the fan also runs high.
I take it the Mac you have is not brand new, has the problem been there since you obtained it 2 weeks ago?

I'm in no way an expert but I would point to a cooling (of the CPU, perhaps a loose heatsink; disintegrated thermal paste) issue. Definitely excess heat coming from somewhere though.
Does the laptop physically feel hot (the bottom mainly)?

 

[dragonev]

I think the fan activity is the common issue with the majority of Macs except those with Retina. Thus, I wouldn't be too worried.

 

[lcmania]

ive had it for 2weeks and it was running fine but for the past 4 days the fan has been runnin high non stop and the macs been runnin slower

and its really cool at the bottom i never allow it to get hot

 

[a33a]

ive had it for 2weeks and it was running fine but for the past 4 days the fan has been runnin high non stop and the macs been runnin slower

and its really cool at the bottom i never allow it to get hot

Are those temps fahrenheit or celsius?
If they are celsius, and the bottom does not feel warm, then there is something definitely wrong with the temperature sensors.

 

[GGJstudios]

ive had it for 2weeks and it was running fine but for the past 4 days the fan has been runnin high non stop and the macs been runnin slower

and its really cool at the bottom i never allow it to get hot

I would try resetting the SMC again. PRAM/NVRAM has nothing to do with battery/power/charging issues. Resetting it will not help. There is nothing in your Activity Monitor screen shots to indicate high demands on system resources.

Are those temps fahrenheit or celsius?

Celsius.

 

[a33a]

I would try resetting the SMC again.

This ^.
I have read somewhere on this forum that that the key combo (Shift-Control-Option keys and the power button at the same time.), should be held for around 50 seconds.

 

[GGJstudios]

This ^.
I have read somewhere on this forum that that the key combo (Shift-Control-Option keys and the power button at the same time.), should be held for around 50 seconds.

The steps to resetting the SMC are in the link I posted that you quoted. You don't need to hold the buttons down for 50 seconds.

 

[a33a]

The steps to resetting the SMC are in the link I posted that you quoted. You don't need to hold the buttons down for 50 seconds.

Update: had a friend call Apple (I can't reach them from where I am right now), and they said that to do a succesful SMC reset, I should try to hold the buttons for 50 (fifty) seconds.

I did this, counting pretty slowly, and after that the laptop seemed to recognize the adapter again every time I connected it. Will see how long it lasts this time.

Think they should update their website and let people know that they should hold the SMC reset combination for 50 seconds...

^ I read this admittedly on another forum. Obviously the provenance and reliability of said statement is questionable, but it should exemplify the need to hold the combo for a considerable period of time (perhaps not quite 50 seconds but longer then say 3 seconds.

 

[GGJstudios]

^ I read this admittedly on another forum. Obviously the provenance and reliability of said statement is questionable, but it should exemplify the need to hold the combo for a considerable period of time (perhaps not quite 50 seconds but longer then say 3 seconds.

I think someone just made that up, like so much other misinformation that gets spread around the internet. You can successfully reset the SMC simply by pressing the buttons simultaneously. No time period is specified in Apple's instructions and I've reset the SMC on many Macs by holding the buttons for only a second or two.

 

[lcmania]

an smc reset seemed to work after the second time and the fans come off and the macs running normal thanks guys