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The activity monitor is showing strange things, like kernel CPU % usage being way above 100%, between 200% - 1.000%.

enter image description here

At the same time the cooling fan is running at max speed and the CPU temperature seems to be 47°. At the same time, everything started to react very slowly.

I am only running chrome with 3 tabs open.

What could be the problem? Am I reading the % correctly and why would it show >100%?

user1721135
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1 Answers1

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Not sure where you get the CPU temperature but it does not seem to be accurate, if the CPU usage is so high.

For detailed and accurate report on the CPU I use

that creates report like this

Intel

To possibly solve your mystery...

Open Console in your Utility Folder

The Type "Kernel" in the search box.

Now you can see what Kernel is busy with.

You can copy and paste here for us to help you with reading.

kernel

In this case my kernel is running at 6% CPU

Ruskes
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  • How did you get the 6%? – Natsfan Sep 21 '18 at 19:21
  • @jmh in activity monitor, and in Intel power gadget – Ruskes Sep 21 '18 at 19:58
  • I get the CPU temperature from smcFancrontrol, thx for the tip, I'll check the results the next time this happens! Do you think my SMC is reading the temperature wrong? – user1721135 Sep 21 '18 at 20:59
  • @user1721135 no I do not think the SMC is reporting wrong since your Fan is correctly running at full speed, but I do not know about the 3D party "smcFancontrol" and how well it works. Clearly it does not report correctly, since you can not have 1000% CPU load and it been cool, at only 40 Dgr. – Ruskes Sep 21 '18 at 21:20
  • But 48° isn't actually very hot. Why would the fan run at full speed, even if the CPU load is high? Isn't it about the temperature, rather than the CPU usage? – user1721135 Sep 23 '18 at 08:07
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    @user1721135 I believe your "smcFancontrol" is not reporting the temp correctly. Use the Intel tool. CPU usage and temperature go together. Your CPU temperature should read 110 Dgr. – Ruskes Sep 23 '18 at 15:29
  • I installed it and get about 10° difference! I wonder where SMC gets its temperature reading from. – user1721135 Sep 23 '18 at 18:35
  • so now you have 58 Dgr and CPU at 1000% ? – Ruskes Sep 23 '18 at 18:45
  • Now everything is normal. From time to time it starts acting up, then it gets better for a while, I will keep watching what is happening. – user1721135 Sep 29 '18 at 21:12