Late 2012 MacBook Pro acting slow and overheating, not living up to the "Pro" name

[TheMasterOfTech]

I have a MacBook Pro late 2012 with 8gb of ram intel hd graphics and a 128gb ssd and it is overheating all the time and is quite slow. I have had it for just over a year and only now the problems have really started. Example: I have a song playing in the background with 1-2 other tabs open in safari AND its on the screen saver, and then the fans ramp up to max and it gets really hot. and when Im in garage band I can only have 6 midi tracks open before the audio engine breaks. do you guys have any idea how to speed it up and cool it down so it doesn't heat up so much?

(EDIT: Im probably going to be getting a newer MacBook Pro/iMac soon, but thanks for the help)

 

[Dave Braine]

Well, it is rather old. I fitted a SSD to mine recently, and it made a great difference to the speed. It wasn't overheating though.

 

[rovostrov]

I take the back off mine about once a year and use canned-air to blow out the dust from the inside and the fans.
Over time, quite a bit can accumulate. That might explain the overheating issue

 

[Adarna]

It appears that the heat sink fan and possibly the internals are clogged with 9+ years of dust.

Watch this video on how to clean the internals

 

[Justin L Franks]

Yeah, it's probably full of dust. I'd also replace the SSD with a larger one while you have it open.

 

[charlie6]

With a machine that old you probably have a LOT of software on it. You might consider completely reinstalling your operating system to clear out 10 years of applications and settings that you don't need.

 

[Amethyst1]

After cleaning out the dust from the fans as recommended, consider reapplying thermal paste to the CPU and GPU (if it's a 15"). The old thermal paste may have dried up by now, severely reducing its effectiveness.

Also, make sure your battery is working. If it isn't, the CPU is heavily underclocked, slowing everything down to a crawl.

 

[charlie6]

You might find these articles helpful.

How to See Which Applications Are Draining Your Mac’s Battery

How to See Which Applications Are Draining Your Mac's Battery

Your Mac tracks the "energy impact" of each running application in a few places.

www.howtogeek.com

How to View All Running Apps & Processes in Mac OS X

How to View All Running Apps & Processes in Mac OS X

There are a variety of ways to see all applications or programs which are running on a Mac, ranging from only seeing “windowed” apps running in the graphical front end, to revealing eve…

osxdaily.com

 

[TheMasterOfTech]

With a machine that old you probably have a LOT of software on it. You might consider completely reinstalling your operating system to clear out 10 years of applications and settings that you don't need.

That is one of the things I'm thinking about trying but I have no place to put all of my data from my MacBook that isn't cluttering it up...

 

[McScooby]

That is one of the things I'm thinking about trying but I have no place to put all of my data from my MacBook that isn't cluttering it up...

2 ways to do it - get iCloud & up storage to above 128GB & transfer all data to the cloud for apps you can re-download.

or get a 256/512/1/2TB SSD, put it in a caddy & format/install it as a new mac or carbon coby cloner to copy your existing drive, then insert to your mac, simples!

 

[hobowankenobi]

If you have updated the OS to run anything on APFS (10.13 or newer)...there is your answer. APFS simply will not run decently on a HD, SSD required. Faster is better, so an old SSD could still see issues.

8GB of RAM is light too. RAM is pretty cheap, and 16GB + a good SSD will max this machine out.

As has been mentioned, there could also be software cruft too, so the best bet would be to backup everything, swap out the drive for a modern SSD, and install a fresh OS.

To pinpoint the source of heat, open Activity Monitor and pay attention to CPU use. Whatever is eating the CPU cycles is generating the heat. Also, a good time to monitor RAM use, as memory pressure (swap space use) will exacerbate heat and lag issues.

 

[MBAir2010]

TheMasterOfTech​

don't feel bad, my MacBook is so old, Tom Edison designed it's backlit keyboard.
my MacBook is so old, Youtube only plays AARP videos and ads
my MacBook is so old, I can fit a cassette tape in the HDMI port
my MacBook is so old, Tim cook was a Dishwasher when this was released.
my MacBook is so old, wine and cheese take turns envying this laptop!

 

[lcubed]

those are classic signs of a failing battery on a MBP.
the fans max out and the cpu slows to a crawl.

my 2011 MBP had these symptoms and a replacement battery from OWC resolved the issue

 

[TheMasterOfTech]

those are classic signs of a failing battery on a MBP.
the fans max out and the cpu slows to a crawl.

my 2011 MBP had these symptoms and a replacement battery from OWC resolved the issue

As a matter of fact, my MacBook Pro does have some battery issues. Coconut battery is reporting 60% battery health,mac os is saying service the battery and it actually has only 335 charge cycles

 

[TheMasterOfTech]

If you have updated the OS to run anything on APFS (10.13 or newer)...there is your answer. APFS simply will not run decently on a HD, SSD required. Faster is better, so an old SSD could still see issues.

8GB of RAM is light too. RAM is pretty cheap, and 16GB + a good SSD will max this machine out.

As has been mentioned, there could also be software cruft too, so the best bet would be to backup everything, swap out the drive for a modern SSD, and install a fresh OS.

To pinpoint the source of heat, open Activity Monitor and pay attention to CPU use. Whatever is eating the CPU cycles is generating the heat. Also, a good time to monitor RAM use, as memory pressure (swap space use) will exacerbate heat and lag issues.

It is a Late 2012, which means:
Non upgradeable RAM
No support for MacOS X 10.7
Only SSDs available
Less ports
Worse general repairability/upgradeability

 

[hobowankenobi]

It is a Late 2012, which means:
Non upgradeable RAM
No support for MacOS X 10.7
Only SSDs available
Less ports
Worse general repairability/upgradeability

Not upgradeable RAM? So...not this? Sounds like it must be a Retna....10,1 or later. If so, obviously all one can do is optimise use, and minimize RAM use by quitting everything not essential.

 

[TheMasterOfTech]

Not upgradeable RAM? So...not this? Sounds like it must be a Retna....10,1 or later. If so, obviously all one can do is optimise use, and minimize RAM use by quitting everything not essential.

Yes it is a Retina 10,1 model, which actually sucks because if it wasn't I would have upgraded it

 

[Macyourdayy]

I have a MacBook Pro late 2012 with 8gb of ram intel hd graphics and a 128gb ssd and it is overheating all the time and is quite slow. I have had it for just over a year and only now the problems have really started. Example: I have a song playing in the background with 1-2 other tabs open in safari AND its on the screen saver, and then the fans ramp up to max and it gets really hot. and when Im in garage band I can only have 6 midi tracks open before the audio engine breaks. do you guys have any idea how to speed it up and cool it down so it doesn't heat up so much?

(EDIT: Im probably going to be getting a newer MacBook Pro/iMac soon, but thanks for the help)

A lot of it is background processes on web pages (data mining, JavaScript, etc), Mail.app background processes, kernel tasks and so on. Open Activity Monitor to see what apps are sucking power. You really should go for 16GB ram to give apps some breathing space, that really is the minimum on intel. How loaded up is you tiny drive? File swapping will burn everything down and make it all crawl, not as badly as spinning drives obviously.
A major problem will be the old thermal paste on the cpu and heat sink though. There are many tutorials on youtube from reputable channels. The safest thing for less techie types would be a much larger drive and ram upgrade though. Forget the "screensaver", just dim the screen, and seeing what web pages do while you’re not watching is terrifying on the Activity Monitor.

 

[Macyourdayy]

A lot of it is background processes on web pages (data mining, JavaScript, etc), Mail.app background processes, kernel tasks and so on. Open Activity Monitor to see what apps are sucking power. You really should go for 16GB ram to give apps some breathing space, that really is the minimum on intel. How loaded up is you tiny drive? File swapping will burn everything down and make it all crawl, not as badly as spinning drives obviously.
A major problem will be the old thermal paste on the cpu and heat sink though. There are many tutorials on youtube from reputable channels. The safest thing for less techie types would be a much larger drive and ram upgrade though. Forget the "screensaver", just dim the screen, and seeing what web pages do while you’re not watching is terrifying on the Activity Monitor.

Okay, just saw it was a retina model ? All you can do is stick a big drive in it and replace the worse than useless thermal paste.

 

[TheMasterOfTech]

A lot of it is background processes on web pages (data mining, JavaScript, etc), Mail.app background processes, kernel tasks and so on. Open Activity Monitor to see what apps are sucking power. You really should go for 16GB ram to give apps some breathing space, that really is the minimum on intel. How loaded up is you tiny drive? File swapping will burn everything down and make it all crawl, not as badly as spinning drives obviously.
A major problem will be the old thermal paste on the cpu and heat sink though. There are many tutorials on youtube from reputable channels. The safest thing for less techie types would be a much larger drive and ram upgrade though. Forget the "screensaver", just dim the screen, and seeing what web pages do while you’re not watching is terrifying on the Activity Monitor.

I can't upgrade the RAM because it is the retina model instead of the unibody model and I know I should get a larger drive but I just don't know how to transfer my data. I also can't really do the thermal paste thing because I have more experience in repairing iPhones than other apple devices and I'm afraid I would just wreck it and loose the parts. If there is any dummy-proof guide for changing thermal paste I would like to see it

 

[MBAir2010]

I'm afraid I would just wreck it and loose the parts. If there is any dummy-proof guide for changing thermal paste I would like to see it

“You (hopefully) use toothpaste?”
that is what our tech repair leader said to those he trained to repair computers a decade ago.
just wipe any excess paste from the surrounding areas.

 

[DeltaMac]

Replace the thermal paste

MacBook Pro 15" Retina Display Mid 2012 Heat Sink Replacement

Things heating up inside your MacBook Pro with Retina Display? Could be trouble with the heat sink. Use this guide to show you how to remove the...

www.ifixit.com

(I don't think that "dummy-proof" really exists, but these steps are pretty good to get you there. Read through the steps first - the last step has a link with tips on what to do with that paste

 

[lcubed]

I can't upgrade the RAM because it is the retina model instead of the unibody model and I know I should get a larger drive but I just don't know how to transfer my data. I also can't really do the thermal paste thing because I have more experience in repairing iPhones than other apple devices and I'm afraid I would just wreck it and loose the parts. If there is any dummy-proof guide for changing thermal paste I would like to see it

the folks over at Macsales have SSD bundles which include a cheap USB3.0 case, usb 3.0 cable along with the memory card. put the 'new' memory into the case,
clone the internal drive (i like CCC for this). open up your machine and swap the 'new' memory SSD for the apple one. instructions and video on the Macsales website.

or you could buy the SSD, external case and cable ad hoc and just follow the video.

Ifixit has a guide for getting to the heat sink. might as well do that while you're swapping the SSD.

MacBook Pro 13" Retina Display Late 2012 Heat Sink Replacement

Use this guide to replace the heat sink.

www.ifixit.com

Ifixit also has guides for the SSD replacement and battery replacement.

 

[Rob_Boss]

I had a similar issue where i could only use my mac as a laptop in the winter. after 5 minutes of use on a hot summer's day, it would become so slow to the point it was unusable..until i had a bright idea. I would connect my mac to my tv via HDMI, then run the cable to my kitchen, and put my macbook in the freezer...worked like a charm. as much fun as that was, i eventually retired it after cracking the screen.

years later, i finally cracked it open...and the amount of dust was unbelievable. as soon as i dusted it out it was running fine, the constantly running fan barely kicks on anymore. crack the back and take a look. could save you a ton of time (and electricity).

it is worth noting that the battery was pretty shot too if i remember. today it needs to be plugged in to stay on more than 10 minutes.

I'm actually in the process of searching for a screen replacement and upgrading my ssd. this thing up. pretty amazing it made it through this for so long

 

[lcubed]

wow! those fans look like you were working in a saw mill!