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Pr0grammer

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 2, 2009
25
0
Since I got my MBP 13" last September, I've been having problems with the CPU getting to worrying heat levels under normal use. With about 10 regular applications (e.g. Safari/Mail/iTunes) open and CPU usage around 20-25%, it runs at 60-65C, but when the CPU gets pushed up to 100% (normally by DirectoryService, if anyone can explain that then please respond as well), it get anywhere from 75C to 95+C (the highest I've seen was 103C during a Flash game). I use it on both my lap and on a desk, and both have similar results. smcFanControl doesn't help much; it frequently does this even when I keep the fan at 5000rpm. Does anyone have any experience with anything like this or have anything to suggest on how to keep it cooler?
 
If the small metal area above the F3 and F4 keys doesn't burn your fingerprints off, it's not going to splode.

However, it shouldn't be getting this hot running normal apps. I constantly run iChat, Skype, Mail, Safari and iTunes and it feels like most PC's do when they're asleep!

(I kinda find it sad that such big fat machines don't have better heat management, and when they try to solve it with higher rpm fans it just turns into a big hair dryer, even when it's idle!)

Are you certain you're not blocking the vent?
 
The metal doesn't get painfully hot except on the underside, and the vent isn't blocked at all. (And ironically, the Windows laptop I came from actually had much better heat management than the MBP does, at least in terms of temperatures. It never got much above 70C under 100% load.)

Whenever the CPU goes way up it's almost always due to DirectoryService; judging by from what I've seen it's some sort of networking issue. Would using a hosts file block on ads have any chance of causing this?
 
I don't have anything called DirectoryService running in my Activity Monitor.

Perhaps try running your MBP without the hosts file block to see if that stops your problem.

You shouldn't be running that hot (but don't worry, the MBP will shout down once it gets to 104° so that the CPU doesn't overheat).
 
Yeah bru, I'm running Safari, iChat, iTunes, Mail, and Skype for a total of 13% cpu (average) and it's registering 30ºc, at least according to iStat.

What means of measuring are you using? I'm going to staple my palm to my forehead if you say "mercury thermometer".
 
30C? I've never seen it get that low, even coming right out of sleep mode.

And no lol, I'm not that old-school. I use smcFanControl and iStat Menus; both of them report the same thing.
 
iStat, for some reason, doesn't allow me to see CPU temp, only Battery and Hard Drive...wtf? Anyway, my Battery reads 30ºc, and yours?
 
Link, because I don't know how to resize preview images :(

If you use "shift-command-4", a crosshair appears, and then you can grab any part of the screen that you want.

I think that you may have your Battery temp in your menu bar instead of your CPU temp. If you go to your iStat menu preferences, and go to the 'Sensors' section, you'll see what you're displaying.
 
Surely you would have known that I'm not THAT noobtacular...I took a complete screeny so that the entire setting could be understood without explaining what apps are running and what CPU percentage is being used so forth.

As I said, iStat only allows me to monitor Battery and Hard Drive temps...
 
Surely you would have known that I'm not THAT noobtacular...I took a complete screeny so that the entire setting could be understood without explaining what apps are running and what CPU percentage is being used so forth.

As I said, iStat only allows me to monitor Battery and Hard Drive temps...

I use iStat Menus, and I have my CPU temp in the Menu bar. Here's a sufficient screen-capture:
 

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Here's an even MOAR efficient sufficient shot!

Hiyaw!
1Mb8


No option for CPU on t3h MacBook Pro :(
 
13"?

Maybe because I'm using Snow Leopard? Is there some sort of option or checkbox to show moar options?

EDIT: Shook the idiot out of my brain and found this! I shall put it in my shiny box. Not only is it FOAR shiny things, but it itself is shiny!! ^.^

1Mbq

1Mbs


BTW, sorry for the unintentional hijack, I'll pay the fare, honest!
 
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