MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015) Potential Cooling Issues

[Yebubbleman]

I currently own a MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015). It's got the 3.1GHz 5th Generation (Broadwell) Core i7, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. Currently, it's running a fully patched and up-to-date installation of macOS Crapalina (10.15.7); with all current Safari and Security Updated having been applied.

I've long noticed that simple things like updating Mac App Store apps, updating Microsoft 365 Apps (Microsoft Office via subscription and not installed via the Mac App Store), updating Blizzard games, updating Chrome and VLC, that all of these things cause the fans to ramp up like crazy; only dying down once I've stopped running those things. And, again, I'm specifically saying with "updating" these things rather than doing any thing intensive in them.

I would've just figured that this is normal considering that x86-64 computers all generally roll this way and that Apple's do especially given the thinness factor. However, I took out a MacBook Air (13-inch, Mid 2014) and started installing apps on it (sort of in similar fashion to my updating apps on the Early 2015 13-inch MacBook Pro) and found that, while that machine's fans did ramp up a lot; it was to nowhere near as crazy or as constant of a degree.

Considering this is the last USB-A equipped Intel MacBook Pro to be able to run macOS Monterey in the fall, I'd like to keep it going for as long as I can. Worst case scenario, I'll bite the bullet and replace it with a similarly specc'ed 2020 Intel 4-port model (seeing as I do still have a need for an Intel MacBook Pro in my tech life) or a 2020 Intel 2-port model, assuming I can find a good deal on eBay or the Apple Certified Refurbished Mac section of the Apple Online Store. But it'd be nice to not have to, seeing as my needs are otherwise being met by this one.

I'm going to make a Genius Bar appointment to have them look at it and see what my options are. But, in the meantime, have any of you had similar issues with this particular MacBook Pro? I should probably add that the top case/battery/keyboard/unibody was replaced a little over a year ago (and I figure that, as part of that process, they'd likely have to remove and reseat the heatsink [and therefore re-apply thermal paste in the process]).

 

[Macdctr]

If you haven't refreshed the thermal paste then I would recommend you doing this first. I did that to my Early 2015 3.1GHz i7/16GB 13-inch MBP and have not experienced excessive ramped fan speeds on my laptop when updating apps and I use mine for photo processing work using Lightroom.

My guess is that the thermal paste in your machine is probably the original thermal paste when the laptop was built. I wouldn't make any assumptions that the Genius Bar removed the heatsink when swapping out logic boards because you can still swap out logic boards without removing the heatsink. I know because I recently rebuilt another 2015 13-inch MBP using a spare i5 logic board without having to remove the heatsink.

 

[Yebubbleman]

If you haven't refreshed the thermal paste then I would recommend you doing this first. I did that to my Early 2015 3.1GHz i7/16GB 13-inch MBP and have not experienced excessive ramped fan speeds on my laptop when updating apps and I use mine for photo processing work using Lightroom.

My guess is that the thermal paste in your machine is probably the original thermal paste when the laptop was built. I wouldn't make any assumptions that the Genius Bar removed the heatsink when swapping out logic boards because you can still swap out logic boards without removing the heatsink. I know because I recently rebuilt another 2015 13-inch MBP using a spare i5 logic board without having to remove the heatsink.

I should probably add that a year ago, it was a mail-in repair. But I'd imagine your assessment applies to the depot just as much as it does to the Genius Bar.

 

[Macdctr]

I should probably add that a year ago, it was a mail-in repair. But I'd imagine your assessment applies to the depot just as much as it does to the Genius Bar.

You are correct sir

 

[Yebubbleman]

You are correct sir

Figures.

I'll certainly assess accordingly!

 

[Macdctr]

Figures.

I'll certainly assess accordingly!

good luck

 

[pshufd]

My workplace had these as our standard work systems (I'd say we bought tens of thousands of them) and the fans would come on with not much running. We used Zoom a lot and the fans got noisy while running Zoom. I had my own 15 inch models that I used for work as they run cooler and have twice the compute power of the 13s. I'm typing on a 2015 MacBook Pro 15 running Monterey right now and it's very nice.

I have the laptop with the lid closed standing on four wooden spools. Under the laptop is a dual case-fan device running off of wall power. The fans can put out up to 165 CFM. The CPU is running at 54 degrees and the internal fans are running at 2,163 RPMs so pretty chill. This is during the summer. The temps will go down ten degrees in the winter as I'm in an unheated basement.

If you don't require Intel, I'd highly recommend upgrading to a MacBook Air M1. My daughter has one and it's quite a remarkable system.