Macbook Pro too hot?

[lazypoet]

Hello,

My mid 2010 Macbook Pro has been reaching more easily higher temperatures recently, 80-85 celcius. I installed smc fan control to try to manage it, but I haven't seen much difference right now. It's hot weather these days, up to 30 degrees outside, could this affect it? Right now my computer is at 79 celcius and I'm only on safari and itunes. I find that it slightly burns my palms while resting on the computer while working.

* Could it be my fans not reaching max speed?
* Is "old computer" a good argument for this kind of heat? (I have a fast SSD).
* I have over 80 gb free space.
* I heard somewhere it could be bad RAM.

Any advice?

 

[New_Mac_Smell]

First thing is just make sure it's clean. Open it up at clean any dust from the fans, as that seriously effects heat dissipation. After you've done that or if you'd already done it then you can look for other hardware issues. Like when you say "my computer" do you mean the computer itself, or is it the CPU? It could be possible that whatever thermal compound they used on the CPU has all but gone away for instance, check activity monitor to see how much stress the CPU is under. But you need to clean first then isolate from there.

 

[lazypoet]

I'll add these two screen caps, maybe the reason why my computers so hot?
[doublepost=1497785913][/doublepost]

First thing is just make sure it's clean. Open it up at clean any dust from the fans, as that seriously effects heat dissipation. After you've done that or if you'd already done it then you can look for other hardware issues. Like when you say "my computer" do you mean the computer itself, or is it the CPU? It could be possible that whatever thermal compound they used on the CPU has all but gone away for instance, check activity monitor to see how much stress the CPU is under. But you need to clean first then isolate from there.

I'll open it up, is it ok to vaccum clean the thing? (very gently)

 

[New_Mac_Smell]

I'll add these two screen caps, maybe the reason why my computers so hot?
[doublepost=1497785913][/doublepost]
I'll open it up, is it ok to vaccum clean the thing? (very gently)

Hmm have you recently upgraded the OS? Photos is busy doing it's thing which can take a long time depending on how many photos you have. If that's been hanging for a while there could be something wrong with it.

Also ideally no, do not use a vacuum cleaner as it can cause static, and on an open case I'd recommend against it. The best thing is to use compressed air, if it's particularly dirty you can use Isopropanol spray (Contact cleaner, let it dry fully and avoid battery or take it out if possible), or if in a pinch cotton wool buds and time. Just make sure the fans aren't gunked up and any vents are clear.

 

[lazypoet]

Hmm have you recently upgraded the OS? Photos is busy doing it's thing which can take a long time depending on how many photos you have. If that's been hanging for a while there could be something wrong with it.

Also ideally no, do not use a vacuum cleaner as it can cause static, and on an open case I'd recommend against it. The best thing is to use compressed air, if it's particularly dirty you can use Isopropanol spray (Contact cleaner, let it dry fully and avoid battery or take it out if possible), or if in a pinch cotton wool buds and time. Just make sure the fans aren't gunked up and any vents are clear.

Ill do the cotton wool buds cause it doesn't look that dusty and i don't have compressed air today. Ill let you know how it went. thank you!

 

[Lennyvalentin]

I'll open it up, is it ok to vaccum clean the thing? (very gently)

No, not really.

Well, yes, it could work, but vacuum cleaners tend to generate high levels of static electricty due to flow of air over a plastic nozzle, and static electricity is really bad for electronics. Your computer might get flaky and unreliable (crash unexpectedly, corrupt files and so on), or it could die outright if you're really unlucky.

It's better to stay safe, buy canned compressed air instead to blow out your computer with.

Careful when cleaning the tiny fan(s) though. Put a finger on the fan hub to make sure you don't over-rev the fan, as that could damage the bearings.

By the way! Canned compressed air is not actual air, it's a hydrocarbon which is easier to liquefy. Do not use indoors, if you care about your health... Also, don't smoke while using it.

 

[lazypoet]

Good news and bad news. The increased temperature in general is lowered to 56 celcius, however when i opened photos again it jumped to 90 celcius. I suspect this might be related to the fact that I haven't opened the software in some time, it has been updated and it looks for faces, etc. In the photos.

 

[Queen6]

Excuse the somewhat "canned" response; So Being an 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 by default, internal temperatures soar (100C), equally there are some steps that can be taken to reduce the systems temperature;

• 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 generally 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
• Install an ad blocker Wipr or AdGuard works well
• 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
• Older notebooks can benefit from cleaning of the cooling system
• Retina`s can benefit from cleaning of the cooling system, as the heat syncs are far smaller and loose efficiency faster, due to build up of dust
• 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.
• If your MBP has a discrete GPU, it will fire up when an external display is connected as default, temperatures will rise rapidly.
• Consider a specific vertical stand when using a MPB in "Clamshell" mode allowing for greater circulation of air. Some recommend inverting the MBP in the stand with the exhaust at the top & intake at the bottom (Retina`s)

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"/17" hard the fans are going to max out fast, with associated temperature & 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 off for form over, function, thin & light...

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

Q-6

 

[lazypoet]

Wow, that's a grade A comment, thank you! So much good advice, i do have a stand so that it's elevated from the table, I use safari instead of Chrome. I block flash i block ads. I cleaned the cooling system today. I don't connect external displays. Will swap out VLC. What side effects will I have if I limit the dGPU?
Can I use a program like Sketch while limiting the dGPU?

How do I diagnose if thermal paste needs to be changed?

I'm considering an upgrade to the newer macbook pros, do you think they suffer similar heating problems?

 

[New_Mac_Smell]

Wow, that's a grade A comment, thank you! So much good advice, i do have a stand so that it's elevated from the table, I use safari instead of Chrome. I block flash i block ads. I cleaned the cooling system today. I don't connect external displays. Will swap out VLC. What side effects will I have if I limit the dGPU?
Can I use a program like Sketch while limiting the dGPU?

How do I diagnose if thermal paste needs to be changed?

I'm considering an upgrade to the newer macbook pros, do you think they suffer similar heating problems?

You can't really diagnose a thermal paste problem, it's more if you've tried everything else and it's still not working it's likely to be the paste, and changing isn't too difficult and is cheap. If you're planning an upgrade though I wouldn't worry about it. Your computer isn't shutting down so isn't critical heat, more uncomfortable.

It's more than likely Photos scanning through everything and updating, which can take days.

Haven't had any heating problems with my 2016, gets warm during a game or something but nothing uncomfortable. They're very quite and cool.

 

[Queen6]

Wow, that's a grade A comment, thank you! So much good advice, i do have a stand so that it's elevated from the table, I use safari instead of Chrome. I block flash i block ads. I cleaned the cooling system today. I don't connect external displays. Will swap out VLC. What side effects will I have if I limit the dGPU?
Can I use a program like Sketch while limiting the dGPU?

How do I diagnose if thermal paste needs to be changed?

I'm considering an upgrade to the newer macbook pros, do you think they suffer similar heating problems?

Personally I have never repasted the the CPU/dGPU, in your case it may be worth considering. If no disrespect intended, you know what your doing inside a notebook go for it, if not seek out an independent Mac specialist.

80C-85C is actually ok for the CPU, I would be more concerned on the dGPU assuming your running a 15" I would recommend trying Mac Fan Control it's a big advancement over the likes of SMC Fan Control. You can also try a small USB fan situated to the left or right of the MBP, might be surprised at the difference it can make.

I still keep an Early 2008 15" MBP (pre unibody) around purely for sentimental reason, that one used to idle at 80C-85C once it was hooked up to a HD external display The 2011 15" was probably one of the worst; capable of draining the battery under full load, fans screaming like a turbo jet and temperatures as high as 103C That said it still runs today and my daughter has been trying to kill it 3/4 years.

Sketch; not sure, just limit the MBP to using the integrated graphics first, it will either work or not as the case may be. For a reasonably cool MBP you'll need to look at around 2013 onwards, I would recommend doing the homework as MBP seem superficially the same year on year, equally some models perform better than others, pointless having more power on paper only to loose out to an older iteration due to thermal throttling. 2015 "may" have this issue, best to speak with those that own

I would put my money on 2013, 2014 or 2017, equally the latest model is an acquired taste, given the port & keyboard situation. To me the best 15" MBP's are the 2nd/3rd Gen's as the 1st Gen generally has some issues and the later models don't represent good value versus the competition.

Q-6

 

[Romanesq]

Remove and disassemble the fans and clean with WD40 or Silicana. Then you'll see a heat improvement. Video here shows how for the pre-2012 units: