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mbp 15 c2d low idle, high temps

K

kaitanium

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 9, 2010
14
0
ok i tried to see if this problem would correct itself since it basically started on its own but it hasnt.

my mbp 15 c2d 2.66, 1st gen unibody was running a cool 40-44C on idle two weeks ago, no pgrms running, cold boot. when i turned it on one of the days back then i notice to my shock that it would ramp up fast to an average 70C idle on a cold boot and would hit 90C easily if i just watched a youtube vid (not even hd) without anything else open.

what in the world happened between those two days when the laptop was off to cause this? i did reapply thermal paste many months before but it was running fine at 44C idle for months.

since its out of warranty anyways i opened it up again to see if i needed to re-reapply paste, heres what i found, all the paste to the edges with barely any on the die or copper of the heatsink. (i reapplied it and now it still idles at 70ishC). looks like it just evaporated or dissipated!

any ideas? its arctic mx2
fd8b6bc8.jpg


4a6592f4.jpg


facts:
-using SMCfancontrol to monitor, fans at default (also disabled this and use istat but nothing changed)
-yes both fans are spinning, i had the case open to make sure they were
 
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Your Mac is not overheating. The Intel processors used in Macs are designed to automatically shut down to prevent damage if they truly overheat (around 100C/212F - 105C/221F, depending on your processor). iStat Pro will give you accurate readings of your temps, among other things.

Unless there is a rare defect in your Mac, your temps are well within the normal operating range, considering the workload you're putting 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.

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). They will spin faster as needed to keep temps at a safe level. If they're spinning up without increased heat, try resetting the SMC. PRAM/NVRAM has nothing to do with these issues, so resetting it will not help. Also, make sure you don't block the vents, which are located at the rear, near the hinge.

Learn about the fans in your Mac
Apple Portables: Operating temperature

Launch Activity Monitor and change "My Processes" at the top to "All Processes". Then look to see what apps may be placing high demands on your CPU/GPU.
 
yea i understand they arent "overheating" per say but its more of that 30C temp hike that totally grabbed my attention as it wasnt my "normal." one day it was 40ish idle, next day its 70ish idle.

im just staring at the comp right now (not the one im using) and its idling at 76C. fans are normal, they dont really spin up. they average the 2k rpm. even at 90C they dont spin up and stay at 2k which is weird also to me.

i dont see anything too out of the ordinary on activity monitor. do you guys?
089aad55.png
 
yea nothings really using up too much. maybe launchd which goes from 0.0 to 11.3 sometimes. everything else is at 0.x - max 7.0 of %cpu usage. kernel task has 64 threads though and is the highest usage at idle.

comp now idling at 74C with a cooling pad under it (but i suppose that doesnt help)
 
kaitanium:

Your CPU seems quite busy. My old 2008 macbook pro is over 95% idle most of the time, and that's with Chrome open (no flash running though).

- check which programs are being launched while booting. Maybe something crashes there. I don't see why launchd should ever use the CPU when you're not actually starting a program.

- reboot, don't start any programs. Check if the CPU load stays the same

- create a new user, reboot, log into the new user. Check CPU load + temperature

- maybe send another screenshot of activity monitor, with _all processes_ displayed!

Hope any of this helps.
 
thundersteele said:
kaitanium:

Your CPU seems quite busy. My old 2008 macbook pro is over 95% idle most of the time, and that's with Chrome open (no flash running though).

- check which programs are being launched while booting. Maybe something crashes there. I don't see why launchd should ever use the CPU when you're not actually starting a program.

- reboot, don't start any programs. Check if the CPU load stays the same

- create a new user, reboot, log into the new user. Check CPU load + temperature

- maybe send another screenshot of activity monitor, with _all processes_ displayed!

Hope any of this helps.
Click to expand...

yea ill give those tips a shot. #2 probably wont do anything as ive tested that with a cold boot from the unit being off.

here is a screen shot currently. idling at 75C, no programs open (at least nothing i started). need 2 screenshots to get all of it in.
705b0a9a.png

c17a41cb.png


there are 3 programs that are "always on"
1. sugarsync (my cloud storage)
2. SMCfancontrol
3. freeMem

if you are right that your 08 mbp stays 95% idle, then mines a super busy bee. again ill give your suggestions a shot now and report back
 
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brand new user account doesnt seem to do much either. same temps too. now theres 3 launchd. i entered this account on a fresh restart of the comp (didnt just logout/login)

dc7e1756.png


6f87f291.png
 
i think you may be onto something regarding system idle. i just asked my friend who has a quad i7 and his is at 98% idle too (even if mine is a veteran c2d).

heres a non populated screen shot. if system idle is at 44% and launchd isnt doing much, nor is kernel, then what is?

ae456b7a.png
 
How about sorting the activity monitor display by %CPU load?

Try to quit processes one at a time and see if that fixes the problem. Must be a software going rogue!
 
For performance issues, there are a few things you can check (some you have already):
  • Check your Login Items under System Preferences > Accounts to see what you have automatically launching.
  • Also check /Library/LaunchAgents/ and /Users/yourusername/Library/LaunchAgents/ for items launching at startup
  • Look at what widgets you may have running.
  • Launch Activity Monitor and change "My Processes" at the top to "All Processes". Then look to see what may be consuming system resources.
  • Take a look at the System Memory tab at the bottom of Activity Monitor to see if you have excessive "page outs", a sign that you may benefit from more RAM.
  • Make sure you're not running any 3rd party antivirus app, as many of those will drain resources, reducing performance. They're not needed to protect your Mac.
 
lots of different options people are chipping in. looks like i need to change the title of my thread to macbook idle going bonkers!


GGJstudios said:
For performance issues, there are a few things you can check (some you have already):
  • Check your Login Items under System Preferences > Accounts to see what you have automatically launching.
  • Also check /Library/LaunchAgents/ and /Users/yourusername/Library/LaunchAgents/ for items launching at startup
  • Look at what widgets you may have running.
  • Launch Activity Monitor and change "My Processes" at the top to "All Processes". Then look to see what may be consuming system resources.
  • Take a look at the System Memory tab at the bottom of Activity Monitor to see if you have excessive "page outs", a sign that you may benefit from more RAM.
  • Make sure you're not running any 3rd party antivirus app, as many of those will drain resources, reducing performance. They're not needed to protect your Mac.
Click to expand...

ok i have to check your #1 and 2. ive maxed my ram at 8gb already so i doubt its that. no antivirus other than clamxav which is a passive scanner anyways.
 
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