Simple Changes to Prevent Your MacBook Pro Retina Overheating Is your Macbook Pro retina overheating to the point where you can’t even hold it in your lap? The issues go beyond your discomfort—computers operating at higher temperatures won’t last very long, as the components tend to wear out faster than a computer operating at normal temperatures. Keeping your computer at a reasonable temperature is good for both your comfort and your pocketbook. 1, Make a Simple Setting Change Try out this system tweak to lower your computer’s temperatures: System Preferences Energy Saver Uncheck “ Automatic Graphics Switching” Believe it or not, that is one of the simplest and most effective ways keep your computer’s temperature in check. This simple settings tweak changes how your computer delegates graphics processing. Your computer will only use its graphics hardware to process your on-screen graphics.
This will make sure your computer’s components will only do the work they’re optimized to do, instead of switching between multiple components for higher graphics performance. This tweak isn’t available on all models of the MacBook Pro, only ones with a discreet graphics card. Try this tweak instead if you can’t turn off automatic graphics switching: System Preferences Energy Saver Graphics Choose “ Better Battery Life” This setting will lower the your computer’s performance slightly, thus increasing your battery life and decreasing how hot your computer will become.
If this still isn’t enough, there are some other things to try outside of software tweaks: 2. Use laptop cooling fans to reduce your MacBook Pro’s heat Your MacBook Pro has built-in fans that work to keep your computer at stable temperatures. The fans do their best, but the computer will start to suffer if temperatures reach higher than 75 C, something that can happen when using taxing graphic processing software like Final Cut Pro, Adobe Photoshop, or Blender 3D modeling. This is especially true in the case of the MacBook Pro with retina display as the high-resolution display is very taxing on the computer’s hardware.
This is where external fans can be a godsend, keeping your CPU and other critical components at a stable operating temperature. Laptop cooling pads come in many shapes, sizes, and even color options. This product is the simplest option for solving your MacBook Pro overheating problems. It will protect your lap/table from the heat of your computer and it will use its patented filling, which it calls “Heatshift technology” to cool your device. This type of pad requires no batteries or cords and you don’t need to cool it down in the refrigerator. This is one of the better rated brands and the 16 inch pad costs about $35. You can get similar pads for around $15, but their reviews are less stellar.
The Tree New Bee pushes air toward a laptop to more actively cool down the overheating MacBook. This particularly product has four fans and a heat-drawing metal base.
You can adjust the fan speeds. The stand requires power via a USB cord, but it provides extra USB ports to offset the loss. You can nab the Tree New Bee for about $18 (and it’s one of the best rated and best selling on Amazon) and other brands offer similar pricing. If you don’t want a stand or pad underneath your laptop, consider adding a small side fan to push air your way. The Opolar mounts in two ways to the side of your computer and allows you to manage its 13 (!!) speeds and specific air temperature from a LED display.
The Opolar doesn’t require charging or cords and advertises a 5,000 lifespan. Other ways to prevent your MacBook Pro retina overheating The very first thing to do when you’re you find your MacBook Pro overheating is to clean up your house (so to speak). Is a simple Mac cleaning product that does just that: it rids your MacBook Air of useless junk files, thus giving you more storage space. I think there is a point that many have missed with overheating Mac’s that may very well solve your problem. Is your Mac getting air to the CPU, is there anything blocking your air supply.
In my case, I tried everything, the problem was eventually tracked down to the fan, constantly high revs followed by CPU spiking. After speaking with many geeks and specialists who told me otherwise, I bought some air spray and sprayed the vents at the side of my Mac Pro Retina Mid 2012 – I saw some dirt coming out immediately, and my Mac started working a lot better. However, when I opened my Mac to see if there was any other dust inside, I was astonished by how much dirt was in there, it compressed and fine like tobacco, perhaps the person who had my Mac before I bought it had a pet. Anyways, not my Mac works like a dream, my Logic Pro eats up all the sound libraries I thought would never work and it’s super fast.
The moral of the story is clean your Mac inside, if you have fan problems as failure to cool down the CPU caused by air blockage will cause your Mac to do all sorts of weird things. When my friend bought a 2014 MacBook Pro, it was always overheating, with the fans constantly blowing full blast. (Refurbished by Apple.) My own 2011 MacBook Air had also overheated from the day I bought it.
On my Air, I had replaced the thermal paste after learning this is a common problem with Apple computers (as well as every other brand.) Replacing the paste made all the difference on both the Air and the Pro. When I got around to replacing my old Air, I immediately replaced the paste on the new computer. (Air’s are quite easy if you know what you’re doing. Pro’s can be difficult to very difficult, depending on the particular model.) If you know how and your computer isn’t under warranty, I strongly suggest this even if your computer isn’t currently overheating. If your computer is overheating and it’s still under warranty, ask Apple to do it. The reason I did it myself was to ensure it was done properly, and with the best thermal paste available.
(About $10 for high-quality thermal paste.) Over the years I’ve repaired quite a few notebook computers by the likes of Dell and HP. Without exception, there was far too much paste used; the paste had hardened (because of low quality paste and/or age); and it was obvious the paste had not been applied properly in the first place. Paste should always be of the best quality available regardless of cost, and applied as thinly and sparingly as possible for maximum performance. I have this set up, a Vintage 2010 MBPro 17 inch and a Cinema Display (30) inch for a month and only noticed something was wrong today. I did not think maybe I could do much at source without some knowledge so obviously without much I drilled a small hole at the top of the 30 inch Cinema Display at each end where that was overly hot.
The hole was cautious and I may enlarge it later to allow the heat that is there to circulate away. I shut everything down and kept close to the presumed frame alloy. But I needed to check my priority should be the source of the heat without getting super technical.The trick on this page of system preferences simplifying the graphics cards sounds great and I just did it. I also placed the two Apple expensive adaptors where I can see them and on a grill./.not for heat but for cooling as they were hotter than I would like. I have a 20 year old car and when the ABS pump fails due to cold solder joints (caused by hot/cold stresses over 2 decades!the cost can be more than the value of the well kept car.
(And yes I have drilled holes here and there for obscure reasons) So three cheers to this page and those who made something good better. Yes I have Done the Switching. I had a problem When my Mac Pro got hot it affected the LCD Screen very bad all the pictures looked blotchy & real Bad. I Am Pro Photographer shoot Hi Def Images larger files. The Screen had a strange Pattern.
Apple says thats no good are willing to Replace the Computer. Its only 2 months old. I also Run a Cooling Fan made for 17″ underneath the Computer.
After Apple Tech told me to shutdown & restart with power button & immediately hold down the ALT, COMMAND,P&R buttons the comp will sound twice then let go. This Cleared the Problem. Last month in sleep mode it hot very hot couldn’t hold the Computer.
I am going to ask them to replace it as it got so hot might have damaged some components. Used to be SONY Technician for a long time. Getting Hot is a BAD Problem. This shouldn’t happen. Not enough ventilation since its very thin. I will try it for a few days since I have unchecked Automatic Graphics Switching.
I think this will help. Thanks Michelle, I tried it and it worked! I also read on another thread that leaving your laptop on a soft “cushion like” surface tends to prevent the fan for letting the air flow out properly, thus causing the laptop to over heat quicker. I had been resting my Macbook on top of my foamy laptop cover as a way to prevent it from scratching the bottom – maybe that was part of it too.
Regardless of what did it, I’ve had the monitor plugged in all day and my laptop hasn’t experienced any lagging yet. Thanks again for the help! Hi there, I’ve got a late 2011 Macbook Pro 17″. Im trying to use an external monitor (HP), connected with a HDMI-Thunderbolt cable. After the monitor has been connected to the MBP for about 45mins, my MBP suddenly starts to lag, and and slows down to a crawl.
When I disconnect the monitor from the MBP, the laptops performance gradually goes back to normal. When I check the activity monitor (which is tough because everything at this point is painfully slow), nothing seems to be taking any significant amount of CPU. I should also mention that while the monitor is connected, the MBP gets progressively hotter and the fans start to work harder. Anyone ever encounter this issue or know how to fix this? Seems to me that an external monitor should not be putting so much stress on the MBP.
Thanks, Jordan. Got my first ever Mac yesterday, the top of the line 2014(mid)rMBP and I could not for the life of me figure out why it was so hot when only using a small amount of resources running Safari and the likes. Thanks so much for the tip, turning Automatic Graphics Switching off did the trick!
50 C cooler while idle now! I am so happy I got the one with Nvidia graphics instead of onboard only 😀 Gotta be said, I usually plug it into my UHD 4k monitor so the CPU graphics are realy being fried with that setup. Just wanted to say Thanks and share my experience 🙂.