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MacBook pro late 2011 fan is always on!

A

alfredoy1991

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 25, 2010
9
0
Hello MacRumours forum,

I recently purchased a 15.4" MacBook pro, early 2011 model and the fan is always on! I did two smc resets, a PRAM reset and a factory reset which still didn't relieve the problem. I have a limited warranty on it and I was wondering what else I can do?

Additionally, the fan turns on the second my MacBook is on and is very audible. No apps running.

Thanks for any help!

Additional info: as I was doing a factory reset, fan was on and stayed on afterwards.
 
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The fans are meant to be always on, otherwise the notebook will overheat. If the fans are off then something is broken.
 
My friend has the same laptop model but his is almost never on unless he has many apps running. My fan is very audible. Thanks for the post though.
 
If the laptop is not running any apps then normal fan speed is around 2000 to 3000 RPM. If you are not running any Apps and the fan speed is >4000 RPM then something is wrong.
 
alfredoy1991 said:
I recently purchased a 15.4" MacBook pro, early 2011 model and the fan is always on!
Click to expand...
All Mac computers have fans that are always on. It's normal.
alfredoy1991 said:
a PRAM reset
Click to expand...
PRAM/NVRAM has nothing to do with fan issues. Resetting it will not help.
alfredoy1991 said:
Additionally, the fan turns on the second my MacBook is on. No apps running.
Click to expand...
There are always apps/processes running if your Mac is on, whether you see them or not.
alfredoy1991 said:
My friend has the same laptop model but his is almost never on unless he has many apps running.
Click to expand...
Unless his Mac is defective, his fans are on, whether he hears them or not.

Your fans are always on when your Mac is on, spinning at a minimum of 2000 rpm (for MBPs) or 1800 rpm (for MBAs, MBs and minis). iMacs have 3 fans with minimum speeds in the 800-1200 range. They will spin faster as needed to keep temps at a safe level. If they're spinning up without increased heat, try resetting the SMC. (PRAM/NVRAM has nothing to do with these issues, so resetting it will not help.)

The intake and exhaust vents are in the back of the computer near the hinge on all Mac notebooks. The iMac vent is a slot on the back near the top of the computer. Make sure the vents remain unblocked to allow your computer to perform at its best.

Learn about the fans in your Mac
Apple Portables: Operating temperature
 
Actually just reading your initial post, if the laptop is new, Spotlight, the Mac OS X search tool may still be indexing your hard drive. This can take a few hours, and does put a significant load on the processor and will cause the fans to speed up.
 
James Craner said:
Actually just reading your initial post, if the laptop is new, Spotlight, the Mac OS X search tool may still be indexing your hard drive. This can take a few hours, and does put a significant load on the processor and will cause the fans to speed up.
Click to expand...
This is certainly a possibility. If a drive is constantly active or your CPU utilization is high (possibly with increased temps and fan speed) when you're not running any major apps, check to see if Spotlight is indexing by looking at the Menu Bar icon:
attachment.php
(not indexing)
attachment.php
(indexing) (pulsing dot)​
Launch Activity Monitor and change "My Processes" at the top to "All Processes", then click on the CPU column heading once or twice, so the arrow points downward (highest values on top). Then look to see what may be consuming system resources.
 
Thanks for the post monkeybrainz. I understand the MacBook gets hot but mine turns on when the laptop isn't even remotely hot. I live in Vancouver and in a cold house. The fan turns on right when I open my laptop from sleep. I will look into smc control but I was hoping for solution that would make my fan would act the way it did when I first bought it (quiet).
 
alfredoy1991 said:
Thanks for the post monkeybrainz. I understand the MacBook gets hot but mine turns on when the laptop isn't even remotely hot. I live in Vancouver and in a cold house. The fan turns on right when I open my laptop from sleep. I will look into smc control but I was hoping for solution that would make my fan would act the way it did when I first bought it (quiet).
Click to expand...
Before getting any 3rd party app, which you don't need, read the instructions and links I've posted.
 
Too many posts are coming in to address. That's great! What I meant when I can't hear my friend's fan is that it's practically inaudible. My other friend has a 2006 MacBook and that one is inaudible too if it's running little to no apps. There is a big difference from mine to theirs. I'll check spotlight.
 
I think the first thing you should do is to download a copy of iStat Pro, which will tell you how fast the fans are spinning. If it is more than 3000 RPM with no applications running, do what GGJstudios suggests and use activity monitor to see what is using significant CPU processing power.

Activity Monitor.jpg

In Activity Monitor you can click on the column heading to sort the list, click on the %CPU time to see what processes are using most of the CPU time.

iStatPro is free and be obtained here.

istatpro-sml.png
 
alfredoy1991 said:
Too many posts are coming in to address. That's great! What I meant when I can't hear my friend's fan is that it's practically inaudible. My other friend has a 2006 MacBook and that one is inaudible too if it's running little to no apps. There is a big difference from mine to theirs. I'll check spotlight.
Click to expand...

The 2011 MacBook Pro's have much more powerful CPU's and GPU's than a 2006 MacBook. The new MacBook Pro's have a reputation of running with slightly more fan noise than previous generations of MacBook Pro's. As long as the fans are not running more than they should be, take it is a sign that they are doing their job and keeping your notebook cool.
 
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I see that the fans are running at the 2000rpm each. Why is it so loud then?
 
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alfredoy1991 said:
Image

Image

I see that the fans are running at the 2000rpm each. Why is it so loud then?
Click to expand...
As suggested earlier, change "My Processes" at the top to "All Processes". Also, your fans are running at the minimum speed. Nothing will change that. Your temps are quite normal. If your fans at minimum speed are what you consider too loud, take it to Apple to have them check it.
 
A fan speed of 2000 ish RPM is completely normal for a MacBook Pro and your temperatures are fine as well. You can relax. Fan noise can be somewhat subjective.
 
One thing I have noticed in your screenshot is spotlight is currently indexing your hard disk. This might explain the increased noise as the Hard Disk will be pretty busy at the moment.

----------

Well in your new screen shot the indexing appears to have stopped now :)

----------

Just one final thought that occurred to me, check that you don't still have a optical disk in your DVD drive as that might be generating the additional noise.
 
James Craner said:
One thing I have noticed in your screenshot is spotlight is currently indexing your hard disk. This might explain the increased noise as the Hard Disk will be pretty busy at the moment.

----------

Well in your new screen shot the indexing appears to have stopped now :)
Click to expand...
Or it's possible that it's still indexing and the screen capture happened to catch it just as the pulsing dot was gone (between pulses). It does appear, based on CPU utilization and fan speed, however, that the indexing may be complete.
 
Macbook Pro Fan Continually Running

I just had this problem and my son advised me to carry out the following which worked...

Try a "false startup". Remove the battery and disconnect from the power supply, then attempt startup (hold the button down for at least 5 seconds). This resets the machine's power allocation controls to default levels. That fixed my incessant fan.

If the battery has run down because of the fan and will not restart, be sure the power cord to the Macbook is attached, then follow the above.
 
Are you sure the noise you hear is emitted by the fans? It might just as well be the HD... (unless you have an SSD of course)
Try putting your hand on the right palmrest - if it's the HD the noise will become somewhat less prominent.
 
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yflyer said:
I just had this problem and my son advised me to carry out the following which worked...

Try a "false startup". Remove the battery and disconnect from the power supply, then attempt startup (hold the button down for at least 5 seconds). This resets the machine's power allocation controls to default levels. That fixed my incessant fan.

If the battery has run down because of the fan and will not restart, be sure the power cord to the Macbook is attached, then follow the above.
Click to expand...

The batteries aren't user removable in the 2009-2011 models.
 
yflyer said:
Try a "false startup". Remove the battery and disconnect from the power supply, then attempt startup (hold the button down for at least 5 seconds).
Click to expand...
That's not a "false startup". That's called resetting the SMC, as was recommended in post #6 of this thread. See the link there for a more complete description.
 
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