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Macbook Pro Retina 15 inch overheating and lagging while watching youtube videos

R

Redstoneq42

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 13, 2013
25
0
Ok guys, these are really two separate problems that may have the same cause. My Macbook Pro is the current top spec model (2.5GHz i7, 16GB RAM, 2GB GT 750M, 512GB SSD) and is only about a month old. My default browser is Chrome.

The first problem is the overheating. It seems to happen fairly often when watching YouTube videos. I've got iStat Menus so I can monitor a few things and notice that my temps can go up as high as 95C when watching youtube videos. The fans tend to flare up too and it gets a little noisy. Its a fairly hot night tonight and its running at 53C with two tabs (this and google) open as well as activity monitor open. I've just uninstalled Flash, but I haven't given it enough of a test run to see what happens. I have Youtube set to play HTML5 videos when possible anyway. Is this overheating common? Is there a solution that I can do myself?

The second problem is the lagging. I has only happened a handful of times, but it forces me to restart my Macbook when it does. Basically, youtube videos go out of sync with the audio, the dock and everything else becomes laggy and nothing I do seems to fix it other than a restart. Sometimes quitting Chrome fixes it, but it happens very shortly after opening it again. To be honest, it hasn't happened in a while, but its still a pain in the ass.

My old 2011 Macbook Pro never had any of these issues, but that thing bit the dust with the whole GPU failure thing.
 
Flash can do that to a system.

Your Mac is not overheating or it would shut itself down. 95 degrees is within normal operating temperature.

As for the lag, some apps can bog down systems resources. When running chrome I get occasional UI lag.
-----

This post by GGJStudios explains the operating temperatures of your system and offers some troubleshooting tips.
https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/16807759/
 
Redstoneq42 said:
The first problem is the overheating. It seems to happen fairly often when watching YouTube videos. I've got iStat Menus so I can monitor a few things and notice that my temps can go up as high as 95C when watching youtube videos. The fans tend to flare up too and it gets a little noisy.
Click to expand...
Your temps are normal. The Intel processors used in Macs are designed to automatically shut down to prevent damage if they truly overheat. CPU Tjmax = 105C (221F), GPU Tjmax = 100C (212F) on i3, i5, i7 processors. (Source: Intel)
​
Unless there is a rare defect in a Mac, most temps are well within the normal operating range, considering the workload being put on it. Websites with Flash content, games and other multimedia apps will put higher demand on the CPU/GPU, generating more heat. This is normal. If you're constantly putting high demands on your system, such as gaming or other multimedia tasks, expect temps to rise and fans to spin up accordingly. It's just your Mac doing its job to maintain temps within the normal range.
​
It is also quite normal for your Mac to become extremely hot to the touch during intensive operations. The aluminum body transfers heat more effectively than other materials used in computer casings, so you will feel the heat more. This doesn't indicate that it's overheating and will not harm the computer to be hot to the touch.
​
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 your fans are 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 (except the new MBP with retina display, which has intake vents along the sides at the bottom). 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. For Flash-related issues:
 
Redstoneq42 said:
Ok guys, these are really two separate problems that may have the same cause. My Macbook Pro is the current top spec model (2.5GHz i7, 16GB RAM, 2GB GT 750M, 512GB SSD) and is only about a month old. My default browser is Chrome.

The first problem is the overheating. It seems to happen fairly often when watching YouTube videos. I've got iStat Menus so I can monitor a few things and notice that my temps can go up as high as 95C when watching youtube videos. The fans tend to flare up too and it gets a little noisy. Its a fairly hot night tonight and its running at 53C with two tabs (this and google) open as well as activity monitor open. I've just uninstalled Flash, but I haven't given it enough of a test run to see what happens. I have Youtube set to play HTML5 videos when possible anyway. Is this overheating common? Is there a solution that I can do myself?

The second problem is the lagging. I has only happened a handful of times, but it forces me to restart my Macbook when it does. Basically, youtube videos go out of sync with the audio, the dock and everything else becomes laggy and nothing I do seems to fix it other than a restart. Sometimes quitting Chrome fixes it, but it happens very shortly after opening it again. To be honest, it hasn't happened in a while, but its still a pain in the ass.

My old 2011 Macbook Pro never had any of these issues, but that thing bit the dust with the whole GPU failure thing.
Click to expand...

Simple solution: Don't use Chrome. It's a massive resource hog and power drain.
 
Time and again people have said it here !! "DO NOT USE CHROME ON A MAC" It is the worst Browser ever made to be used on a MAC !!

Please Only use Safari and Mozilla Firefox and report back if you see any difference !
 
I'm in the same situation as you (2011 model to a 2014) and had the same issues with temps (not lag). I did switch to Firefox and my computer is generally cooler and doesn't spike as high when playing videos.
 
Just found the solution. Turn of Automatic Graphics Switching in the Energy Saver settings and it seems to drop things down by ~20C.

No, I will not stop using Chrome. I've tried every other browser. I like chromes extensions, UI and features.
 
Redstoneq42 said:
Just found the solution. Turn of Automatic Graphics Switching in the Energy Saver settings and it seems to drop things down by ~20C.

No, I will not stop using Chrome. I've tried every other browser. I like chromes extensions, UI and features.
Click to expand...

With that option off your Mac will always use it's discrete graphics and should cause heat. :confused:
 
Bizarre. Tuning off automatic graphics switching means it will engage the dGPU for everything and disable the iGPU (at least it does on the 2012 rMBP). If anything, you'd think that would make it run warmer.

To everybody suggesting this is somehow the fault of either Chrome or Flash: seriously? A quad-core i7 machine is going to stutter while playing back Youtube videos with the Flash player? Pretty sure no. My 2012 model's CPU barely breaks a sweat watching Youtube in Chrome with Flash. If yours does, it's not normal. And it is certainly not normal to have the audio and video fall out of sync or to become stuttery. Chrome also does not make my system "lag" in the way the OP describes, and I typically run both it and Safari side-by-side all day long.

Now, don't misunderstand me: I am not trying to claim that Flash is somehow a model of efficiency. We all know that it isn't. I only run Flash in Chrome because I refuse to install it in Safari. Battery life is better when I do basic browsing in Safari without a Flash plug-in (and thus no damn Flash ads needlessly chewing up CPU). When I need to access something that is Flash-based, that's when I swipe over to Chrome. But to suggest that a Youtube video playing in the Flash player in a Chrome tab can bring a system like the 15" rMBP to its knees is ludicrous on the face of it. Unless there is some terrible bug in Flash or Chrome or both (something that I wouldn't dismiss), everyday lightweight Flash and/or Chrome use shouldn't be causing the OP's symptoms.

That the OP would discover that forcing the dGPU on actually makes his system run not only better but also cooler while doing the same kinds of things on it is very weird, though. His system would have Iris Pro for iGPU while mine has HD 4000. Could it be an Iris Pro driver problem or bug that he is managing to trigger?

-- Nathan
 
Redstoneq42 said:
No, I will not stop using Chrome. I've tried every other browser. I like chromes extensions, UI and features.
Click to expand...

Well, Then also add a line to your original post then, that if someone suggests a solution, I may or may not implement it. So no one will waste time further !! :rolleyes:
 
Agree with the above comment, I donʻt have Flash installed; rather, I use Chrome when I need to view Flash based content.

OP, as to your top of the line rMBP w/ 750M stuttering and not being able to properly stream Youtube within Chrome, the problems you describe are irregular. I have the a 15-inch, mid 2014 rMBP, 16 GB RAM, 256 GB, Iris Pro. If I attempt to stream HD video on Youtube, my temps jump to around 51-55 degrees celsius. CPU utilization: User 12%, System 3%, and video streams properly. No hiccups, no weird audio sync issues. Your computerʻs behavior is not normal.

As other members have mentioned, if itʻs not too much of a hassle, perhaps itʻs time to switch to Safari. After all, itʻs extremely efficient and works beautifully with Mavericks to conserve battery power when possible.

Good luck!
 
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