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Macbook Pro Retina freezing / crashing - fan control not working?

My newly acauired Macbook Pro Retina keeps freezing. I upgraded it immediatly to OSX Mountain Lion 10.8.


When I'm doing intensive stuff, it just freezes: screes stays normal, but keyboard/trackpad pointer don't do anything anymore, screen is frozen, clock stays at old time. When working in iPhoto or Aperture, it freezes after 5 minutes, sometimes immediatly again after restart. I can only push the power button for 10 seconds to restart, with a corrupt aperture library as a result 😟


Apple support does not help me, the keep harrassing me with test procedures as 'work a full day in safe mode'.


I started using the utility smcFanControl to keep an eye on the teperature, since I really have the idea the the cpu freezes because it is running hot, the body of the MBP feels extremely hot when the freezes occur, especialy the area above the keyboard. I also noticed that I don't hear the fans running. I thought first the fans were maybe not working.


So, smcFanControl learned me that the fans are indeed running. But the default minimum speeds are 2160rpm/left and 2000rpm/right. If I up the rpms to 3000 I start hearing them clearly.

So, I just experienced another freeze 10 minutes ago. Screen frowen, but now I see that temperature was 80degrees Celcius and the rpm was 2156. So, the fans have the default setting but keep running at minimum rpm.


Does anybody know if this is normal? At what temperature should the fans start running faster?


BTW before I found smcFanControl I read something about an SMC reset. I did that already, did not help. Though I'm not sure the reset really happend. There seems no way to find out if it did.


Anybody an idea?

Posted on Aug 22, 2012 4:08 PM

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3 replies

Oct 28, 2012 12:10 AM in response to MichaelTorfs

On my retina the fans don't actually kick past 2100/2000RPM until 95ºC 😠 which to me is totally unacceptable considering the Tjunction max is 105ºC for the i7 -- http://ark.intel.com/products/64889.


I assume they probably have it set not to use the fans aggressively to help conserve battery life, but they still could have a different fan profile for when the machine is plugged in, it doesn't make sense, these i7s run HOT.


For now, I have been using SMCfancontrol and bumping up the fan when under heavy load -- http://www.eidac.de/

Oct 28, 2012 1:04 AM in response to MichaelTorfs

If I were you, I'd keep taking the machine back into your local Apple Store or AASP until it is fixed. I am mistrustful of 'fan control' apps as they override Apple defaults and can prove harmful in the long run. You shouldn't be having 'freezes' on a new machine. You shouldn't be having temperature or fan issues on a new machine. While you may have to jump through some hoops doing what the AppleCare folks request of you, it's best to have the problems well documented when taking your machine in for repair - which is what I would do as soon as possible.


Clinton

Oct 28, 2012 10:23 AM in response to clintonfrombirmingham

clintonfrombirmingham wrote:


If I were you, I'd keep taking the machine back into your local Apple Store or AASP until it is fixed. I am mistrustful of 'fan control' apps as they override Apple defaults and can prove harmful in the long run. You shouldn't be having 'freezes' on a new machine. You shouldn't be having temperature or fan issues on a new machine. While you may have to jump through some hoops doing what the AppleCare folks request of you, it's best to have the problems well documented when taking your machine in for repair - which is what I would do as soon as possible.


Clinton


SMC fan control will only change the minimum default fan value --- Apple's default settings will always override to increase the RPMs of fans if necessary.

Macbook Pro Retina freezing / crashing - fan control not working?

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