Macbook Pro 2019 16" becomes hot even in easy tasks

[Basil_]

Hi!

Can someone tell me pls why is my Macbook Pro (16”, 2019, i7, 5300m) so warm while I’m using Mac OS? Recently I have changed thermal paste, cleaned fans… And in Windows (BootCamp) it works now much better, in games, I mean, much cooler. But it hasn’t solved this problem in Mac OS. I’m using the latest OS now: Ventura 13.5. I use sometimes also Mac Fan Control, but I don’t want to… I mean, why is it okay on Windows and bad on Mac OS?.. Sometimes it’s just warm on palm rest when I do almost nothing: maybe just some Safari tabs are open… I understand that that’s a problem in OS, in settings, but don’t know whether Apple will fix it for older Macbooks, such as mine. And maybe I should then find another solution…

Thank you in advance for your help!

 

[chrfr]

Hi!

Can someone tell me pls why is my Macbook Pro (16”, 2019, i7, 5300m) so warm while I’m using Mac OS? Recently I have changed thermal paste, cleaned fans…

This is just how they work. You can look in Activity Monitor to see if there's a particular process that's using a disproportionate amount of power but those computers do just run warm.

 

[Fishrrman]

Many complaints about those Intel 16" MBPs running "on the hot side".

Want to get rid of the heat?
Then get yourself an M2 MacBook Pro (either 14" or 16").
Much cooler...!

I have an M1 MacBook Pro 14", and the only time it gets warm is when the charger is plugged in.
(I never connect the charger unless it NEEDS to be charged).

 

[Basil_]

This is just how they work. You can look in Activity Monitor to see if there's a particular process that's using a disproportionate amount of power but those computers do just run warm.

Thank you for the answer ) I'll check it, but I don't think I will see something specific: just these tabs, 10% CPU maximum...

But why is it better in Windows then, on the same computer which is designed to run Mac OS?..

 

[Basil_]

Many complaints about those Intel 16" MBPs running "on the hot side".

Want to get rid of the heat?
Then get yourself an M2 MacBook Pro (either 14" or 16").
Much cooler...!

I have an M1 MacBook Pro 14", and the only time it gets warm is when the charger is plugged in.
(I never connect the charger unless it NEEDS to be charged).

Thank you for the answer Yes, this will be a solution but I need Windows sometimes and I am also happy to play something on it. Sometime later I will definitely switch to Apple Silicon, but now it's still good for me to stay on Intel. Of course, it has downsides, but why on Earth such a computer should be so warm while doing nothing?.. When on Windows it's much better...

Maybe I should downgrade to previous Mac OS's?..

 

[JPack]

One of the biggest benefits of Apple Silicon is the extremely low power usage during idle. Apple will put less and less effort into supporting Intel-based systems, so what you see today is not expected to change.

 

[chrfr]

Maybe I should downgrade to previous Mac OS's?..

It's unlikely that any version would perform dramatically different.

 

[appltech]

Beware of downgrading before Windows backup -- might be a loop with data loss.
Usage of some decent cooler stand or table (not sure how to describe them correctly) might help -- bought that for my sister's laptop (Asus Dash F15) where the internals are hotter -- and to my surprise it resolves the problem with heat

 

[profH]

Intel 16" MBP is a POS for exactly this reason -- traded it in and taking a 15in MBA for a spin. Got the 16GB RAM TB HD configuration, which they actually carry in stock at most Apple stores despite technically not being a "stock" configuration.

 

[richinaus]

Intel 16" MBP is a POS for exactly this reason -- traded it in and taking a 15in MBA for a spin. Got the 16GB RAM TB HD configuration, which they actually carry in stock at most Apple stores despite technically not being a "stock" configuration.

yep that 2019 16"MBP worst mac ever for me.

 

[profH]

While I don't regret dumping it for the trade-in credit, I am agonizing over what to replace it with (15/13in Air, 14in MBP, or nothing). Already have a 16in MBP Max as a desktop replacement and a 13 in M1; the former is awesome, the latter is great too but it doesn't have enough RAM (8GB).

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Thank you for the answer Yes, this will be a solution but I need Windows sometimes and I am also happy to play something on it. Sometime later I will definitely switch to Apple Silicon, but now it's still good for me to stay on Intel. Of course, it has downsides, but why on Earth such a computer should be so warm while doing nothing?.. When on Windows it's much better...

Maybe I should downgrade to previous Mac OS's?..

I have to admit your post makes me chuckle. You reference so warm as an issue (it probably is not), while those of us who used early laptops routinely saw temps that could burn your legs if you had shorts on (G3s were the worst IIRC). My 2016 MBP can get fairly hot when worked hard but I have never considered it problematic. So far the M2 Max MBP has only ever gotten warm.

 

[A Happening in Hades]

Hi, I have had the same model MacBook Pro you have since early 2020. At first it ran hot sometimes - especially when supporting an external monitor. When low power mode was introduced I switched the machine to that and ever since it runs as cool as a cucumber and still very fast. Admittedly I don't do video editing or 3D rendering but I generally have about a dozen apps running (including two browsers with a ton of tabs open) with multiple windows open as well. Maybe I'm lucky but if you haven't tried low power mode give it a go - you might be pleasantly surprised.

 

[Basil_]

Hi, I have had the same model MacBook Pro you have since early 2020. At first it ran hot sometimes - especially when supporting an external monitor. When low power mode was introduced I switched the machine to that and ever since it runs as cool as a cucumber and still very fast. Admittedly I don't do video editing or 3D rendering but I generally have about a dozen apps running (including two browsers with a ton of tabs open) with multiple windows open as well. Maybe I'm lucky but if you haven't tried low power mode give it a go - you might be pleasantly surprised.

Hey! Thank you very much! I've downloaded recently an app for switching off the turbo boost and it has helped a lot! Maybe I should also try this lower power mode

 

[Basil_]

Beware of downgrading before Windows backup -- might be a loop with data loss.
Usage of some decent cooler stand or table (not sure how to describe them correctly) might help -- bought that for my sister's laptop (Asus Dash F15) where the internals are hotter -- and to my surprise it resolves the problem with heat

Thanks for warning! But I've decided to stay on the actual version, because this turbo boost switching off app has solved my problem )

 

[Basil_]

I have to admit your post makes me chuckle. You reference so warm as an issue (it probably is not), while those of us who used early laptops routinely saw temps that could burn your legs if you had shorts on (G3s were the worst IIRC). My 2016 MBP can get fairly hot when worked hard but I have never considered it problematic. So far the M2 Max MBP has only ever gotten warm.

But I have read that Apple had made a progress in designing their cooling systems for this model! )) That's why it was too strange that it was so hot at almost no load. Now, thanks to switching off turbo boost, it's much better and I have no problems with it getting warm at some load )

 

[ThunderSkunk]

There are a number of things you can do to help with the heat buildup in the 2019s. The easy way id to put some little half inch rubber feet under the back corners (yes it tilts the machine slightly like the MBA design) to help a bit of airflow get under the machine where its hottest. Then, you can buy $10 worth of 1mm thermal pads from Amazon, and watch this video

to learn where to place these pads to transfer heat surges from the couple cubic cm of already-hot air volume inside the computer to the back half of the large aluminum bottom plate of the machine, which, since you’ve elevated it, can cool like a radiator. significant performance improvements are possible.

Briefly it was a concern that sending heat to the panel could heat the batteries up front, shortening their lifespan, until everyone noticed that the batteries have thermal sensors in them as well and will absolutely throttle the machine if they come within a couple degrees of these temps. There is no downside, other than that you will feel more of the heat of the machine bc its being sent to outside better, but that is helping the inside run cooler.

To go further, people have figured out how to throttle and undervolt the overzealous AMD GPU’s So they run less power hungry and scrub off less heat. Apple could have made these improvements & given us an an option of normal and high performance graphics modes, like graphics switching in sysprefs, but they didnt bother, so its up to the users to work out ourselves, or throw the whole machine out and run around telling everyone to buy a new one (ignoring that new ones cant run windows).

More:

https://www.reddit.com/r/macbookpro/comments/gs6bal

https://www.reddit.com/r/macbookpro/comments/klxhp8

 

[orestes13]

I ran into this issue with my MBP 15" (2018, i9, Vega 20) as well. It would constantly run hot and the fans would be spinning pretty fast all the time along with high CPU usage.

The solution for me was to exclude the bootcamp partition from the spotlight search results. Immediately my CPU usage and temperatures/fans came down.

Pretty sure there is a bug in Monterey/Ventura with some of the Intel chips and Bootcamp that creates this issue.

 

[Shortpay]

If I only knew that Apple was jumping from a 14nm to a 5nm chip I would have never bought 2017, 2018 or 2019 Mac laptop.

I'd buy a 2020 MBA 13" and 2021 MBP 16" instead.

 

[Flav]

Hi!

Can someone tell me pls why is my Macbook Pro (16”, 2019, i7, 5300m) so warm while I’m using Mac OS? Recently I have changed thermal paste, cleaned fans… And in Windows (BootCamp) it works now much better, in games, I mean, much cooler. But it hasn’t solved this problem in Mac OS. I’m using the latest OS now: Ventura 13.5. I use sometimes also Mac Fan Control, but I don’t want to… I mean, why is it okay on Windows and bad on Mac OS?.. Sometimes it’s just warm on palm rest when I do almost nothing: maybe just some Safari tabs are open… I understand that that’s a problem in OS, in settings, but don’t know whether Apple will fix it for older Macbooks, such as mine. And maybe I should then find another solution…

Thank you in advance for your help!

I have a MacBook Pro 15" 2017. While still quad core at 2.8 GHz, it still generates a lot of heat because it regularly spikes to 3.1-3.3 GHz. That is called Turbo Boost technology from intel. While it's nice because it improves the general responsiveness of the laptop, it generates a lot of excess heat and puts load on the battery. The temps are regularly quite high even during simple tasks and the keyboard becomes a bit unpleasant to type on. Mainly during summer as the ambient temperature is high, 28C +

I found an app that turns off Turbo Boost and it solves the heat issue completely for me. The max CPU clock becomes limited to 2.8 GHz and there is no excessive heat or battery usage. I notice a loss in responsiveness though. There is a easy on/off switch to toggle it in case you need the full performance for something.

Here is the app, there is a free version also but you'd have to enable it manually every time.

Turbo Boost Switcher for OSX / macOS

Turbo Boost Switcher for macOS. Save battery of your Mac, cool your CPU and reduce fans noise

tbswitcher.rugarciap.com

I hope it helps. Good luck.

 

[genexx]

Yep i had the Turbo Boost Switcher as well on my I7 Hackintosh Laptop, then also use a Fan Control Programm to have the basic Fan speed a bit Higher and Constant so it does not spin so often......

If not selling and getting an MBA M2.....