2

On my MBP (13-inch, Mid 2012), I note that the "fan" starts regularly for very little. Could anyone be able to tell me why is it the case and what can I do to fix it?

I know if the fan starts it is because the temperature is to height, but I don't know what to do to decrease the temperature when I work on my computer.

enter image description here

enter image description here

enter image description here

That last picture comes from the SMCfanControl application. Is it normal?

Sandra Ross
  • 259
  • 3
    It looks like you're using a lot of your CPU. This will heat up your computer. VMs generally use a lot of CPU power, and therefore heat up the computer, kicking the fans into action. Try turning off your VM and your temperature and fan speed will drop. Lower CPU usage = lower temps = lower fan speeds – NoahL Nov 01 '16 at 03:42
  • 1
    You never want your CPU above ~96 degrees Celsius. Your computer will try to keep your CPU lower, around 50 degrees. – NoahL Nov 01 '16 at 03:43
  • 1
    NoahL is correct: your fans are turning on because your computer is hot, your computer is hot because you're using lots of CPU power, and you're using lots of CPU power because you're running a virtual machine in VirtualBox. Anything you can do to limit your use of a VM (suspending it when not active, quitting VirtualBox when not in use, etc.) will help mitigate the problem, but otherwise I don't think there's anything you can do. – Tuesday Nov 01 '16 at 05:11
  • Yes, it's VirtualBox. I run Parallels and VMware Fusion (other virtualization programs) on my MacBook Air and it pegs the CPU and drives the fan up too. Just close VirtualBox when you're not using it. – SamAndrew81 Nov 01 '16 at 17:34

2 Answers2

0

Open Activity Monitor and check the "Energy" tab. Click on "Energy Impact" to see what is using the most energy. This is likely what is causing the heat. Close this program when not in use. You can monitor the temp with Temperature Monitor (built into OS X). Spotlight > Temperature Monitor

Also, this 3rd party program can help, SMCfanControl: https://www.eidac.de

SamAndrew81
  • 273
0

One thing you can try is resetting the SMC.

Since your MacBook Pro has a built-in battery, here’s what you do:

  1. Shut down your computer
  2. Keep the MagSafe adapter (or power cable) plugged in.
  3. Press at the same time shiftcontroloption (on the left side of the keyboard) and the power button
  4. Let go
  5. Turn your computer back on with the power button.

Hope this helps. Let us know how you go.

Monomeeth
  • 64,558
  • Sorry, I've tried your suggestion, but it doesn't work – Sandra Ross Nov 01 '16 at 01:03
  • In what sense do you mean it doesn't work? Actually, come to think of it, it's not very clear from your question what the problem is? Can you clarify what it is that's concerning you? Computer fans are designed to run when necessary, and your question says (if I understand it correctly) that they come on for short periods of time. Is that correct? If so, is there a reason why this concerns you (e.g. the computer fans are suddenly behaving differently to how they've always behaved)? I see you're also running a VirtualBox, have you always run that or is that only a recent activity? – Monomeeth Nov 01 '16 at 03:48
  • @SandraRoss the problem is not the fans running high, it's that the computer is using so much CPU, its heating up and the fans are speeding up. Look at the pic with the temp and fan speed. Temp is almost 70 C. Any computer with that CPU temp is going to be running higher than normal fan RPMs. The way to slow down the fans is to use less CPU-intensive processes. I bet quitting VirtualBox VM would lower the fan speed almost instantly – NoahL Nov 01 '16 at 05:14
  • @NoahL Ok, but at 67 degrees I wouldn't be at all worried. The OP, however, seems quite stressed about it. I'm just wondering if their concern is more about the fans whirring away and making noise rather than anything else? I guess my point is, if it weren't for the fans, would there have been any other symptoms that concerned the OP (e.g. crashes, sluggish response times, spinning beach ball, etc)? If the fans are only coming on for short periods, why be worried about it? This resource - which can be filtered - clearly shows 69 degrees is nothing unusual. – Monomeeth Nov 01 '16 at 06:15
  • On my MBP, I regularly have fans speeding up to 6000 RPM based on CPU usage. Unless you are experiencing other symptoms, @SandraRoss, I don't think you should be worried about it. It's just normal behavior. – NoahL Nov 01 '16 at 06:18
  • @SandraRoss I agree entirely. My MBP temp is regularly between 66 and 81 degrees, and my fans are regularly at 6200 RPM when my CPU usage is high. If, however, the fans are spinning too high all the time, then you need to check what's hogging your CPU. In your case it appears that VirtualBox is the culprit. For many people it's often something less obvious, e.g. I've seen MacBook fans spin like crazy and run wild because of the printer they were connected to. – Monomeeth Nov 01 '16 at 06:26
  • If my battery is due and I don't use de MagSafe, does it could contribute to increasing the temperature? – Sandra Ross Nov 01 '16 at 11:09