Macbook Pro 15 mid 2015 randomly freezing

[Robbe1889]

Hi,
I got a MacBook Pro Retina 15 Mid 2015 with an i7 2,2Ghz and no dedicated gpu.
I upgraded my 256gb ssd to 1TB a few years ago and did not have any problems before I did a clean install, and replaced my almost not working battery (sometimes 30 min, sometimes 1h) with one from iFixit. I also replaced the thermal paste.
After I did this the mac was working fine for a few weeks, but due to the OS coming from another mac and having some lang boot issues (40 min to cold boot) I decided to clean install my mac. After this the problems started.
I clean installed monetary from a USB (last supported version).
After this my mac started to freeze sometimes when just browsing the web (this in chrome, edge, safari, ...) The browser would not respond, some background processes like google drive, amphetamine, ... where also not responding, but copyless2 and other things where responding.
Sometimes the dock was not responsive but other times it was. I would get the color ball spinning in my browser with nothing further happening for 5 to 20 minutes depending on the moment. Switching desktops happend smooth with almost no frame drops.
When I disabled hardware acceleration in my browser it did not seem occur. But even watching YT is impossible this way.
This was happening when plugged in and when on battery.
So I thought something was wrong with the iGPU, but running benchmarks and stresstests show better or the same results as I find online with acceptable temperatures for a mac.
After this I did a clean installed again starting from high sierra and upgrading gradually to monterey, but still the same behaviour.
So then I clean installed Big Sur which also has the same behaviour.
I am really out of ideas of what it can be or what I can do, I really like my mac and would like to keep using it, or atleast wait on apple m3 to buy a new one.

Can anybody help?
Thanks a lot
Robbe

 

[Fishrrman]

I'd put the factory 256gb SSD back in, and see if that changes anything.
(yes, I realize "it's smaller"...)

 

[ifrit05]

I previously had a 13" 2015 base model that exhibited the same issues. Cleaning/repasting the CPU did not help. I eventually upgraded to a M1P MBP 2021 14". I think the hardware was just aging IMO (plus, discovered the batteries were starting to swell a little).

 

[Robbe1889]

I'd put the factory 256gb SSD back in, and see if that changes anything.
(yes, I realize "it's smaller"...)

Hi, thanks for the reply, I think I was not clear in my original post, sorry, I will change that.
The larger ssd I put in 2 or 3 years ago when I swapped it from a mid 2014 macbook pro, and then it didn't have any problems. It its now the last few months after my clean install.

 

[Fishrrman]

"It its now the last few months after my clean install."

Hmmm....
Might be time to back up, then completely erase the drive and re-install the OS (and then restore from your backup).

One other thing to try:
In "users & groups", create a NEW "test account" with administrative privileges.
Don't put anything "into it" -- keep it "lean and bare".
Then log out of your "regular" account and into the test account.
Does this change anything?

 

[Robbe1889]

"It its now the last few months after my clean install."

Hmmm....
Might be time to back up, then completely erase the drive and re-install the OS (and then restore from your backup).

One other thing to try:
In "users & groups", create a NEW "test account" with administrative privileges.
Don't put anything "into it" -- keep it "lean and bare".
Then log out of your "regular" account and into the test account.
Does this change anything?

Hi, thanks
The last thing I will try, the clean install I did on 3 different ways the past 2 weeks so that didn't help.