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MacBook Pro gets hot because fan is not on

Hello community,


I am using a 2020 MacBook Pro Quad-Core Intel Core i5 with 16 GB of RAM. This version is the one without the M1 chip.


Sometimes, the MacBook gets really hot, after which it turns on the fan at full speed, making a lot of noise.


I downloaded Macs Fan Control software and saw that the fan is off (0 RPM) up until the point where it gets really hot and after which it will blow at full speed (7000 RPM).


I now set the value at a constant value of 4000 RPM with the software. But I was wondering, why does Apple not make the fan simply spin all the time at a lower speed. Because this is sort of like all or or nothing behavior (it is either off and then blows full speed to cool the laptop down).


Thanks for your responses!

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 11.5

Posted on Aug 13, 2021 12:57 AM

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2 replies

Aug 13, 2021 2:01 AM in response to toine85

toine85:

Depending on how you set the choice of sensors, 'Macs Fan Control'

results can vary substantially. ~ The free version has a lot of potential.

..And learning how to customize settings/sensors could help..


My quad-core server does OK & Macs Fan Control helps.


I've used several versions across a dozen years; now have 4 working

Macs, two desktop & two portable, here. Have you utilized "Activity

Monitor" to help determine the contributors to overheat symptom?


• Activity Monitor User Guide [Table of Contents] - Apple Support

https://support.apple.com/guide/activity-monitor/toc


Usually heat occurs when some factor is overworking more often

than would otherwise be necessary; eventually fans get excessive.


The Macs Fan Control allows the conscious user to balance Sensor

locations and Fan speeds. The MacBook Pro quad-core could just

running some applications, or useless anti-virus, in the background.


An idea of what may be contributing to this, may be helpful to shut

off the Macs Fan Control, and run EtreCheck; it generates a report in

detail and should be set to gather all the information it can. The free

version would be adequate, if you study instructions & run it right.


• Using EtreCheck - Apple Community

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6172


• How to use Add Text feature when Posting Large Amounts of Text, ie: an Etrecheck Report - Apple Community

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-250000211


You may need to try resetting SMC: (a power-related reset)


This has more than one set of instructions; depends on

hardware your Mac has, so it is tricky to actually reset.

• How to reset the SMC of your Mac - Apple Support

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201295


and maybe also NVRAM too, while you're at it:

• Reset NVRAM or PRAM on your Mac - Apple Support

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204063


[These 2 are not something a user/owner of Apple M1 'SoC' Silicon

would need to do. The new gen hardware uses other options.]


There's more; while you've got some homework to do.


As a part-time volunteer here since 2003, I've sampled

a lot & had some prior hands-on tech experience, too.


MacBook Pro gets hot because fan is not on

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