Kernel Task over 400% CPU usage

The kernel is using excessive processor cycles. Below are some possible causes for the condition.

Throttling

When it gets high temperature readings from the hardware, or a low-voltage reading from the battery, the kernel may try to compensate by interrupting the processor(s) to slow them down and reduce power consumption. This condition can be due to:

☞ a buildup of dust on the logic board

☞ high ambient temperature

☞ a worn-out or faulty battery in a portable

☞ the malfunction of a cooling fan, a temperature sensor, a voltage sensor, or some other internal component

Note that if the problem is caused by a sensor, there may be no actual overheating or undervoltage.

If the computer is portable, test with and without the AC adapter connected. If kernel_task hogs the processor only on battery power, the fault is in the battery or the logic board. If it happens only on AC power, charging is causing the machine to heat up. That may be normal on some models. CPU usage should drop when charging is complete.

Apple Diagnostics or the Apple Hardware Test, though not very reliable, is sometimes able to detect a fault. For more thorough hardware testing, make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store, or go to another authorized service provider.

If nothing is wrong with the hardware, then whatever you can do to improve cooling may help.

Installed software

User-installed software that includes a device driver or other kernel code may thrash the kernel. That category includes virtualization software, such as Parallels and VMware, as well as most commercial "anti-virus" products. Some system-monitoring applications, such as "iStat," can also contribute to the problem. You can test for this possibility by completely disabling or removing the software according to the developer's instructions, or starting in safe mode. Note, however, that disabling a system modification without removing it or testing in safe mode may not be as easy as you think.

Corrupt NVRAM or SMC data

Sometimes the problem is cleared up by resetting the NVRAM or the SMC.

External display

Connecting an external LCD display to some MacBook Pro models while the lid is open may cause this issue. If applicable, test by closing the lid or disconnecting the display. You might get better results with a newer LED display.

It may be indexing or some other background task, however 4 GB of RAM is a more realistic minimum for running Mavericks, for it to run smoothy 8 GB of RAM is recommend or if you can get over the expense 16 GB of RAM, this will free up and give the machine a bit of "wriggle room" if the problem persists longer than a few days come back to us, best of luck

I had the same issue with a MacBook Pro 13" Mid-2012 laptop running Yosemite. After disabling everything I finally gave up and removed the power: the machine went into sleep mode immediately, which was weird as it wasn't showing orange on the magsafe connector. Once I re-attached the power the magsafe led went orange, after hitting the power button the machine came out of sleep and the CPU usage went to normal levels.

In fact the machine was purchased as a desktop machine due to it's convenient size and has never been removed from the power. This seems to have resulted in it slowly draining the battery, getting into a weird high CPU state and then never recharging.