Heat related CPU Throttling (2019 Macbook Pro 15-inch 32 GB)

Question

Level 1

8 points

Heat related CPU Throttling (2019 Macbook Pro 15-inch 32 GB)

I have a 2019 15-inch Macbook Pro with 32 GB of RAM. I keep my Macbook Pro connected to two external monitors at all times.

I am having a problem where my machine gets super hot right in the area right above the touch bar and intermittent CPU throttling, which results in everything running SUPER SLOW.

None of the sensors are showing crazy temperatures, all are below 150F but yet my fans are running at full speed. I have attached screenshots from iStat Menus.

Appreciate any help.

Thanks!

PS: I would take it to an Apple Store but right now that's not an option due to coronavirus.

Fans running at full speed at all times although temperature sensors showing normal temperatures

Red spikes are the CPU being throttled

MacBook Pro 15”, macOS 10.15

Posted on May 12, 2020 11:53 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Best reply

zsadsdqw Author

Level 1

8 points

May 15, 2020 2:52 PM in response to zsadsdqw

Hey guys, so I figured it out.....it was GOOGLE CHROME.......crazy right? I generally have like 20-30 tabs open at once, a lot of them quite resource intensive. I never suspected the Chrome browser so I was checking everything else. I rebooted multiple times, was almost about to reinstall my OS. But then I figured, I might as well try to switch all my open tabs to Safari before I went that route and lo and behold, it starts working smoothly again.

So its OFFICIAL, Google Chrome on MacOS is now malware.

This is what my CPU usage looks like now (without the throttling), which is very normal:

This is what it looked like before when I was using Chrome:

Reply

Answer 2

ryane77

Community Specialist

May 13, 2020 3:44 PM in response to zsadsdqw

Hello zsadsdqw,

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities!

I understand from your post that your fans are running at full speed on your MacBook Pro. In a situation like this resetting the System Management Controller may help. This article will provide you with the steps on how to reset the System Management Controller:

How to reset the SMC of your Mac - Apple Support

Best Regards.

Reply

Answer 3

May 14, 2020 6:50 AM in response to zsadsdqw

zsadsdqw,

If the temperature of your Mac exceeds the acceptable operating temperatures as described in the article below, you may want to contact Apple Support for additional assistance:

Keep your Mac notebook within acceptable operating temperatures - Apple Support

Contact Apple Support

Take Care.

Reply

Answer 4

zsadsdqw Author

Level 1

8 points

May 13, 2020 11:11 PM in response to ryane77

I have already taken all the software related steps including the one you have mentioned but it has not solved the problem. With the massive amounts of heat being generated, my guess is it is a heat issue (hardware related) rather than a software issue.

Reply