My MacBook Pro 15" Retina Late 2013 over the past few months was having severe problems with fan noise despite having very low CPU usage [monitored using iStat Menus]
The Fan would be running at top speed - around 6400 rpm despite the lack of CPU activity.
I tried resetting SMC. It did not help.
I found that dust can build up on the fans over time. The accumulation of dust would partially block air flow forcing the Mac to run the fan at a faster pace to control the Mac's temperature.
While the Mac was running, I used a Giotto's Rocket Air Blaster - not canned air which risks shorting the computer - to hand blow air into the fans in the back while the MacBook Pro's lid was closed and the computer attached to an external monitor.
The intakes are at the center, the air outlets are on the sides. I blew air on both the inlets and outlets to jog the dust loose. Some dust blew out.
Immediately, and amazingly, my MacBook Pro quieted down!
Now, the fan RPM is a quiet 4400 RPM rather than the banshee 6400 RPM.
I'll later open up the back of the MacBook Pro when it is turned off to remove any dust.
Dust removal should be a standard procedure in the MacBook's user manual.
On Mac Pros, there are air filters one can place on the computer to keep it clean. But you can't do that easily on the MacBook Pro.