2020 Macbook Pro overheating

@yebubbleman

What is a ‘normal’ temp for the MacBook Pro 13”?

my temp runs consistently between 90-105 degrees on the CPU and a little higher on the battery. The fan has never came on outside of safe mode, and diagnostics according to Temperature Gauge. The fan speed stays at -1RPM. Maybe that is a speed?

Macs can run at 60 C all day long.

A Mac approaching 100 C should have the fans at maximum. Since the fans are always on at least 800 RPM, that -1 is indicative a problem that needs service, and soon.

near 100 C your Mac is at risk of doing an emergency power-down to save itself from damage.

Thank you Yebubbleman,

> it’s still not prioritizing a cooler running system over a quiet one in the way that the 16” MacBook Pro does

This is my concern. I want a cooler running system, especially when I work the machine hard.

> less better but still markedly improved on the Four-Port 2020 13” MacBook Pro

hmmm, that was the one I was thinking of (the 16" is too big for my requirements)

I have even seen complaints even about the four-port 13" model, which may or not be legitimate, but I don't want to risk it.

I am not in an urgent hurry and don't want the hassle of going back and forth to Apple Stores, especially in the current times, if problems occur later on, so I will almost definitely wait for the new MacBooks and probably buy one of those instead.

Thanks again for your analysis.

I would recommend getting the 4 ports.

I bought the 2-port 13" MBP model. One port is used for the charger, leaving only one port for peripherals. I got a Satechi hub from Apple and plug into it my external monitor and my La Cie backup. That leaves one port on the hub free for other uses.

The problem is that the La Cie wouldn't work plugged into the hub because the hub wouldn't supply it enough power. So I plugged the La Cie into one port, and my charging cord into the hub. But since changing that, the monitor has a bit of trouble connecting through the hub to the laptop.

I followed the advice on this thread and just bought a USB plug-in cooler with fans to keep my 2020 13" two-port MBP from getting hot. I think that's the best solution for me. My 2013 MBP would get warm, but never hot.

Because of the hub issue, I will plug the cooler into a USB electrical plug and that plug into an extension cord, into an electrical outlet.

For me it's a choice between buying the current four-port 13" now or waiting for the upcoming Apple Silicon models - I have more or less made up my mind - not between the current four-port or two-port models.

I accept that each new model comes with its own problems initially, but Apple Silicon/ARM models are not just another upgrade - see Yebubbleman's comments above and read elsewhere.

Also, as I said above, I am in no urgent hurry, so I will wait to see if the upcoming models produce less heat and fan noise, which is fairly likely, given the chips are expected to be more power efficient. If there are major teething problems, I will either wait a few more months until they are sorted out, or buy another Mac model instead. This means I will probably buy at the end of this year or early next year.

Take my advice return it get full refund I have been chasing them for a year now. Got it repaired twice problem still there, asked for full refund they denied and now they would like me to bring it in for third repair. It’s so frustrating to use this laptop all you can feel the heat everywhere I hate to type on it so got external keyboard.

btw I have MacBook Pro 2019 13”

I am now using the laptop cooler that I bought (a KLIM cyclone laptop cooler) and it keeps my MBP13" completely cool.

If this overheating problem is a design issue, then it can't be repaired. And there would be no point in trying to replace my 13" with another because it would have the same problem. So for me, a simple laptop cooler solves the problem.

A lot of my work involves including graphics, and I have a lot of graphics files on Keynote. So in order to preserve access to those files, and be able to modify them for other uses, I need to stay with Apple.

Yes, it's disappointing that Apple dropped it's ethics and released an (expensive) laptop that it probably knew would have these heating issues - or if it didn't know beforehand - did not make any noises about making things right for those of us who purchased it. I suppose they could claim that other laptop brands also have heating issues, but setting the bar low isn't much of an excuse.

However, I would be cutting off my nose to spite my face if I insisted on a full return of my money, then bought a PC - for then I'd lose hundreds of my hours worth of my Keynote files.

I am thinking of buying the 13 inch mbp, but just stumbled onto these threads...and even more alarming, over 500 people clicked the "me too" button... May I ask if the heating problem is relative to either the " 2 thunderbolt" 13 in mbp or the "4 thunderbolt" 13 in mbp? Or is this problem in both (seeing that the "2 thunderbolt" model has one fan, while the "4 thunderbolt" has two fans?

Thanks for the info

The 13" model I bought had four thunderbolt ports and overheated very quickly. It would often hover around 34 degrees on the palm rest which was too hot for my wrists and hands. The machine specifications were MBP 13.3 SG/2.8GHZ QC/16GB/1TB. Apple was supportive; they did what they could to help but the overheating didn't go away after phone calls to Apple Support and a visit to the Apple store. I returned the 13" and bought a 16" (2.6GHZ/6-Core Intel Core i7/16Gb 2667 MHz DDR4/ 1TB) which has just arrived. I hope the 16" won't overheat; it's not as portable as the 13" but larger so hopefully the heat dissipates. I had to trade one aspect with another; meaning I simply couldn't work on the 13" due to the heat problem. I'll use my iPad for portability and connect via the Cloud for general documents and use the 16" for desktop work and travel, if necessary. As I've just opened the 16" computer, I measured the heat with a Laser Thermometer. During the Apple update download the hinge of the machine measured at 40 degrees and the palm rest at 30 degrees (note = during software download it is expected to be very hot) and after all downloads were installed, the keyboard and hinge measured between 29 and 30 degrees. Ironically my five year old MacBook Air (1,7GHz Intel Core i7 and 8GB 1600 Mhz) always sits at around 28 degrees after being on for the entire day. As to which computer you should buy; it's a tough call. If you can find a new but older version of a MacBook Air or Pro then consider buying one of them. However, the newer computers have good sound, a nice soft keyboard and downloading appears to be much easier.

I’ve had the same problem on my two fan four thunderbolt 10th ten intel processor MacBook Pro, let alone my 2018 MacBook Air. It ran hot over simple things like YouTube. Returned my MB PRO and just got an iPad Pro instead.

Wow I also have got a brand new 13 inch 2020 mac, with upgrade ram and storage. The only reason I upgraded is because my 2015 mac was "sometimes" overheating only while using huge files. But this brand new, mac is overheating only when using the internet, let alone going to explode when I open large files. What is the solution to fixing this or should I just keep my old mac haha?

I'm not a tech person. But from what I know now, I'd say either immediately get a laptop cooling pad (I have a KLIM cyclone with 5 fans that I keep plugged into a dedicated USB wall plug) or, if you can afford it and you're still within the 14 days return window, return the 13" and get the 16" because people on this site think it doesn't have these overheating problems.

Whatever people are suggesting on this discussion thread is of no use I have tried everything went back to Apple got parts replaced nothing changed after 2 repairs. Even if you get it replaced the problem will be there. Return it if you have time or keep using it and bear the heat.

performance is absolutely fine but you gotta tolerate the heat because mostly fans don’t kick in on time.

All the models have heating problem even the 16 inches. What’s the point of getting such an expensive laptop when you have to use it uncomfortably .

Apple is not ready to accept that there is a problem this happens when you try to squeeze in parts in tiny chassis.