Macbook Pro Overheating

[Macadascar]

Hi,

Lately, my MBP 15" 2013 retina has been overheating when I play League of Legends, an issue that has never come up in the past. The fans can't seem to keep up and therefore I constantly play at 20 fps, when before I used to play at a constant 60. One thing I've noticed is that my charger gets really hot. I'll plug it in to my laptop, and within 5 minutes it'll get extremely hot to the point where it hurts to touch. Could this be a factor in my laptop overheating?

 

[Cuniac]

Check to see if both fans are running. Early last year my MBP was running slow and I couldn't figure out why. I loaded my iStat Dashboard app to see if the CPU was being used by something else, and only one fan was registering activity. The other one had died.

 

[bobcan]

As above, make sure fans ARE running properly, AND also make sure the fan cooling passages are 'dirt free' as well _ Just like an Automotive Radiator, if you fill one 'with bugs' the engine overheats when taken up near to the maximum level on a hot day!!

 

[Mr. Retrofire]

@Macadascar: AFAIK, the fan(s) need(s) regular cleaning, if you use CPU/GPU intensive applications > 1 year on (r)MBPs.

See also:
The (left?) fan in my Early-2011 17" MBP:
https://forums.macrumors.com/attachments/fan_dust-jpg.481508/
and
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/15-retina-noisy-right-fan.1754947/#post-19377137

 

[Queen6]

Been a 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 on as default, internal temperatures soar;

• Elevate the rear, aluminium passive coolers generally work best (I use RainDesign`s mStand & iLap)
• 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 gfxCardStatus
• Swap out Chrome for Chrome Canary as it`s way more optimised for OS X and will extend battery run time, reduce thermals
• Swap out VLC for Movist as again it`s a reduced load on CPU/GPU
• Uninstall or block Flash
• 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
• Cleaning the cooling system is also an option, depending on which year, the complexity varies. A good an indication as any is the environment.
• Replacing the thermal paste has been hit & miss, some with very positive results, some with no improvement over stock. Personally I would only do this on a Mac Portable that was either very old, or one that I can confirm was definitely running hotter than stock.

The key to a quiet 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" hard the fans are going to max out fast, with associated noise. If your using it with a moderate load life can be made quieter For the most part your MBP runs hot as that`s how Apple designed it, the trade of for form over, function, thin & light...

The old adage still applies; it`s easier to keep a system cool, than cool-down an already hot machine. This being said it`s not strictly necessary, equally it`s nice to know that there are options for reducing temperature out there

More on cooling
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/cooling-pad-for-rmpb.1493580/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/cooling-pad-for-rmpb.1493580/

Q-6

 

[Mr. Retrofire]

@Queen6: That sounds cool.

 

[iSheep5S]

Once you sort your issue, just get a cheap Windows laptop for gaming. I baby my rMBP which may be madness considering the price of them but i enjoy using it.

I got a decent used Windows laptop, AMD equipped. Very lucky purchase but take your time and look for one. Basically from an old guy that couldn't work the thing out (stuck to a phone/tablet instead) the laptop was months old.

As i have said many times, Mac for social, browsing etc. Windows for gaming. Heck a Mac heats up playing candy crush...

 

[augustya]

Check to see if both fans are running. Early last year my MBP was running slow and I couldn't figure out why. I loaded my iStat Dashboard app to see if the CPU was being used by something else, and only one fan was registering activity. The other one had died.

where in iStat Menus can one see if both the fans are registering activity or not ? How to find this in iStat Menus ?

 

[Cuniac]

I use this version http://mac.softpedia.com/get/Dashboard-Widgets/Status-Info/iStat-pro.shtml