Macbook Pro 2011 Fan cannot run higher than 1000 rpm

My MBP fan is making loud noises like something is jamming it so it has to work harder than usual to spin. Right now it is running at about 900 rpm according to smcFanControl. My temperature is ~60ºC (not sure if this relevant).
I have tried taking off the back cover and cleaning the dust off the fan with compressed air. This significantly lowered my temperature from ~70 ºC to ~50 ºC.
If more information is needed, please specify what and instruct me how to find them.

You don't mention which MacBook Pro you have, but in any case, if you look at the instructions for opening the system to replace the HDD/SSD then you should be able to see the cooling fans. Take a look and make sure they don't have a large dust build-up, and possibly even use a can of compressed air to clean them out a bit. I know that I need to do that with my system a couple times a year due to dog hair & dust build-up, but my fans never get as bad as yours seem.
If you are still under Apple Care, you might want to make an appointment at a Genius Bar and have them take a look at the system. If it is a bad fan, and you are still under Apple Care, they will fix/replace it for free.

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MacBook Pro's fans start running at high speed when the computer is asleep. Normal?

The other night, my MacBook Pro's fans started running at high speed when the computer was asleep. Loud enough to wake me up. And this just kept on going until I finally decided to turn the computer off. Is this normal? Is this anything to worry about?

This is not normal. See if a SMC reset solves the problem:
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3964
Ciao.

After Mountain Lion install, my MacBook Pro's fan is running non-stop.

After Mountain Lion install, my MacBook Pro's fan is running non-stop and you can hear the insides working extra hard. Is this normal? It's very loud and annoying?

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964?viewlocale=en_US

One of my MacBook Pro's fans is running at full speed

Out of the blue today, my 2011 MacBook Pro started fans went mental when I awoke if from it's sleep. They started running at full speed, far louder than I've ever heard them before. I searched through other discussions and it suggested I try an SMC reset. I performed one of these with no success.
I then opened smcFanControl and noticed that my leftside fan was running at 7000rpm+ and the rightside fan was running at normal speed 2000rpm. It randomly spools on and off high speed and I cannot find any fixes or similar problems online. Can anyone suggest a fix for this or should I be taking it to a repairer?
FYI my logic board was only replaced in April under warranty so could it be faulty?

Hi andyBall_uk
SMC fan control measures temp also. Currently running at 47*C as you can see in the screenshot below. I tried overriding the fan speeds...works for the right fan but not the left one so it appears only the left fan has the fault.
The weird thing is, when you press your finger down anywhere on the left speaker next to the built-in keyboard, the fan slows back down to normal speed, but when you let go it speeds back up again. I might open it up in the morning to see if any of the connections are loose, because it seems weird that this happens with a small amount of pressure applied to the body. Also of you tilt the macbook it sometimes slows back down to normal speed (but sometimes stays at high speed). I will let you know how I go. Thanks for your suggestion/s

Macbook pro 2011 early cannot find right resolution for external display and keeps flickering

I have a macbook pro 2011 early running 10.9, and a LG FLATRON W2242T external screen. Also, I have a VGA to miniport from Apple and a VGA to HDMI, plus a HDMI to miniport(from Apple). By just connect with VGA to miniport to my MBP, it just flickers few times and stops detecting. But by connect VGA to HDMI converter and HDMI to miniport to my MBP, it keeps flickering, a non-stop flickering. The external screen always shows no signal. However, if I connect my MBP to my TV through HDMI to miniport, it works fine. But connecting the VGA port to my TV, it gets the same problem. I have tried clear my PRAM many times, and it gets the same result. Does anyone have the same problem? Thanks

Macbook Pro 15" Early 2011 external display won't work as it used while Snow Leopard, I hate you Lion so far. I cannot even Go Back!
Did you bother to backup or clone your SL installation before dumping it?

Macbook Pro 2011, Graphic automatic switch - High Res, antiglare screen

I have had a hugh problem with my new macbook Pro, 2011 with High Res, Antiglare screen. The automatic Graphic switching causes the screen to flicker about every 10 seconds when the comuter gets hot. It happens whenever a graphic intents piece of software has been active for some time and I return to the desktop. After two attempts to repair the computer I have installed gfxCardstatus and turned off the systems own autoswitching. This has eliminated the problem. But I hope that Apple will come up with a software update, that will make its own OS capable of controlling the autoswitch for the High Res screen.

Hey andersand! Look, I don't have a definite solution for you but I do have a 3rd Party application that I use to manually switch between graphics cards! It's called GFXCardStatus and you can choose what graphics you want to use from a drop-down menu in your menu bar.
You're right to assume that the graphics switching would cause the flickering and not something else, and I think that using this software would at least reduce the amount of flickering that occurs.
Link here, http://codykrieger.com/gfxCardStatus and when you've installed it a tried it out, tell me if it improves at all. Good Luck!
(This was my first reply to any post ever!)

Can I upgrade the HD on my mid 2009 macbook pro 13" to a SSD higher than 256gb?

I have a mid 2009 MacBook Pro 13". I use it every day for school since september of 2009. I have a HUGE iTunes library (around 150gb) and I use DAW software to create music. I'm looking to upgrade from my current 250GB 5400-rpm Serial ATA hard drive to a larger SSD. I want to do this for the speed of an SSD and I need more hard drive space. Is there anyway to upgrade my macbook to a SSD in the ballpark of 500GB-1TB?? On Apple's technical spesifications it says I cannot upgrade to an SDD with more than 256GB. Is this really true or is there any way around this?
Thanks in advance!

The tech specs list the upgrades that were available from Apple when that model was being sold new. They don't necessarily reflect the aftermarket-upgradabaility. I don't believe there'd be any reason you couldn't put a hard drive/SSD of whatever capacity you want in that MBP (of course it needs to be the right physical size).
That being said, it's good practice to make sure you have a window to return it just in case.
Yeah what Bob said.
Message was edited by: Andy-J-D

Macbook Pro 2011 just started running extremely slow

After recent OS upgrades and general teenager use, the MacBook Pro all the sudden is running extremely slow. I am not a really technical person, what should I do to fix? I will start backing up now.
Thank you
Matt

You may be able to improve the speed with some software work but it could also be your disk or SSD is corrupt or failing.
Try resetting PRAM and SMC:
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH4405
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
Is it faster now? If not, proceed.
Restart in Safe Mode:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1564?viewlocale=en_US
If it boots faster then uninstall all unnecessary login items >User&Groups>Login items. Unlock the padlock. Remove them with the minus -
Also uninstall internet plug-ins in your browsers.
Is it faster now? If not, proceed.
Backup your data immediately:
Before proceeding you should make sure you have a current backup. If it has been getting slower over time your disk could be a failing slowly. SATA drives have two retry modes: short and long. They can continue operating as read errors are increasing. The long retry cycle is very long and can cause significant performance degradation. If it has started long retries then it is likely to get worse and eventually fail. SSDs also have a failure mode where the fail slowly.
Time Machine Basics: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1427
Most commonly used backup methods:
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3045
Methodology to protect your data. Backups vs. Archives. Long-term data protection:
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6031
Spotlight: If Spotlight is continually running, re-index Spotlight:
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2409
Low disk space:
If your disk has less than 10% free space or less than 15 GB free it can slow down your Mac. For information on how to clear disk space see https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5634300?tstart=30 .
Disk Diagnosis and Repair; Runaway Processes:
See Kappy’s suggestions "Things You Can Do To Resolve Slow Downs” at https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5635990?tstart=0
- Directions on how to detect a failing drive
- How to repair a filesystem on a working drive.
- How to check for runaway processes hogging the processor time.
Additional suggestions in "Why is my computer slow?” are particularly good.
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3521
In the "Something is wrong with your machine” section.
- Corrupted Caches
Using Onyx to clear the caches.
- Step by Step to Fix your Mac:
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3353
(I learned a lot reading this document. Good stuff.)
- A clean install.
After you have backed up your system twice.
Preferably with one of the backups being a clone.
Time Machine restores are complex and can sometimes fail.
You don’t want to risk all your data on one backup as you wipe out the data on your Mac.
As part of this clean install procedure erase the disk with Security Option Zero
that writes zeros to all sectors and remaps bad sectors as it does so.
That is a time consuming operation, but worth it.
See https://discussions.apple.com/message/24057867#24057867
Additional suggestions:
http://www.macworld.com/article/2026650/mac-troubleshooting-what-to-do-when-your -computer-is-too-slow.html
and Mac Performance Guide: http://www.thesafemac.com/mpg/
Hardware replacement or upgrade?
Hopefully by now your Mac is back to its normal speed. If a hardware repair is indicated take it to an Genius bar at an Apple store for a free diagnosis and estimate of repairs. If it is under warranty or AppleCare they will repair it for free. If not, you can compare their estimate with DIY repairs.
Genius reservation http://www.apple.com/retail/geniusbar/ .
or find an Apple Authorized Service Provider https://locate.apple.com/country
You can speed it up further by upgrading some hardware. (Do not upgrade the hardware if it is still covered by the warranty or AppleCare.) For the following memory, disk or SSD replacements and upgrades check out OWC http://eshop.macsales.com/, Crucial: http://www.crucial.com/ and Kingston http://www.kingston.com/us/. You will need to know your Mac the year and season your Mac was first sold and model number which can be found here:
 > About This Mac > More Info… > System Report > Model Identifier:
If your Mac has 2 or 4 GB of RAM, consider an upgrade to 8 GB (if the memory is upgradeable). An 8 GB memory upgrade is only $100. When I upgraded a MacBook from 2 GB o 8 GB it booted thee times faster.
If your Mac has a disk and it won’t repair properly, is low on disk space, or you just want a considerably faster disk, check out an upgrade to an SSD-Hybrid disk. Google "Seagate 1TB Solid State Hybrid Drive SATA 6Gbps 64MB Cache 2.5-Inch" or consider an SSD (120 to 480 GB).
OWC has SSD replacements and upgrades for MacBook Airs and Retina MacBook Pros.
Good luck. May the software fixes do the trick.

Why is my MacBook Pro (2011 13 inch) running slowly?

Problem description:
MacBook Pro running slow
EtreCheck version: 2.1.8 (121)
Report generated February 2, 2015 at 6:42:16 PM EST
Download EtreCheck from http://etresoft.com/etrecheck
Click the [Click for support] links for help with non-Apple products.
Click the [Click for details] links for more information about that line.
Hardware Information: ℹ️
    MacBook Pro (13-inch, Early 2011) (Technical Specifications)
    MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro8,1
    1 2.3 GHz Intel Core i5 CPU: 2-core
    4 GB RAM Upgradeable
        BANK 0/DIMM0
            2 GB DDR3 1333 MHz ok
        BANK 1/DIMM0
            2 GB DDR3 1333 MHz ok
    Bluetooth: Old - Handoff/Airdrop2 not supported
    Wireless: en1: 802.11 a/b/g/n
    Battery Health: Normal - Cycle count 425
Video Information: ℹ️
    Intel HD Graphics 3000 - VRAM: 384 MB
        Color LCD 1280 x 800
System Software: ℹ️
    OS X 10.9.5 (13F34) - Time since boot: 32 days 6:8:56
Disk Information: ℹ️
    TOSHIBA MK3265GSXF disk0 : (320.07 GB)
        EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted> : 210 MB
        Macintosh HD (disk0s2) / : 319.21 GB (244.93 GB free)
        Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted> [Recovery]: 650 MB
    OPTIARC DVD RW AD-5970H
USB Information: ℹ️
    Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
    Apple Inc. BRCM2070 Hub
        Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller
    Apple Inc. FaceTime HD Camera (Built-in)
    Apple Computer, Inc. IR Receiver
Thunderbolt Information: ℹ️
    Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus
Configuration files: ℹ️
    /etc/hosts - Count: 1
Gatekeeper: ℹ️
    Mac App Store and identified developers
Kernel Extensions: ℹ️
        /System/Library/Extensions
    [loaded]    com.eltima.ElmediaPlayer.kext (1.58 - SDK 10.4) [Click for support]
Problem System Launch Daemons: ℹ️
    [failed]    com.apple.wdhelper.plist
Launch Agents: ℹ️
    [not loaded]    com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist [Click for support]
    [loaded]    com.adobe.CS5ServiceManager.plist [Click for support]
    [loaded]    com.examsoft.softest.plist [Click for support]
    [loaded]    com.google.keystone.agent.plist [Click for support]
    [failed]    com.lexmark.hbnlistener.plist [Click for support]
    [loaded]    com.lexmark.hostregister.plist [Click for support]
Launch Daemons: ℹ️
    [loaded]    com.adobe.fpsaud.plist [Click for support]
    [loaded]    com.adobe.SwitchBoard.plist [Click for support]
    [running]    com.eltima.ElmediaPlayer.daemon.plist [Click for support]
    [running]    com.examsoft.softest.service.plist [Click for support]
    [loaded]    com.google.keystone.daemon.plist [Click for support]
    [loaded]    com.microsoft.office.licensing.helper.plist [Click for support]
User Launch Agents: ℹ️
    [loaded]    com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist [Click for support]
    [loaded]    com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist [Click for support]
    [running]    com.akamai.single-user-client.plist [Click for support]
    [not loaded]    com.spotify.webhelper.plist [Click for support]
User Login Items: ℹ️
    iTunesHelper    Application Hidden (/Applications/iTunes.app/Contents/MacOS/iTunesHelper.app)
    Flash Player    UNKNOWN (missing value)
    AdobeResourceSynchronizer    Application Hidden (/Applications/Adobe Reader.app/Contents/Support/AdobeResourceSynchronizer.app)
Internet Plug-ins: ℹ️
    o1dbrowserplugin: Version: 5.40.2.0 - SDK 10.8 [Click for support]
    Default Browser: Version: 537 - SDK 10.9
    Flip4Mac WMV Plugin: Version: 3.3.1.8   - SDK 10.8 [Click for support]
    VLC Plugin: Version: 1.0.5 [Click for support]
    AdobePDFViewerNPAPI: Version: 10.1.12 [Click for support]
    FlashPlayer-10.6: Version: 16.0.0.296 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]
    Flash Player: Version: 16.0.0.296 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]
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    SharePointBrowserPlugin: Version: 14.4.5 - SDK 10.6 [Click for support]
    AdobePDFViewer: Version: 10.1.12 [Click for support]
    JavaAppletPlugin: Version: 14.9.0 - SDK 10.7 Check version
User internet Plug-ins: ℹ️
    CitrixOnlineWebDeploymentPlugin: Version: 1.0.79 [Click for support]
3rd Party Preference Panes: ℹ️
    Akamai NetSession Preferences [Click for support]
    Flash Player [Click for support]
    Flip4Mac WMV [Click for support]
Time Machine: ℹ️
    Time Machine not configured!
Top Processes by CPU: ℹ️
         6%    ARM
         4%    WindowServer
         3%    Safari
         1%    hidd
         1%    launchservicesd
Top Processes by Memory: ℹ️
    133 MB    Safari
    107 MB    Microsoft Word
    90 MB    com.apple.WebKit.Networking
    90 MB    WindowServer
    86 MB    Microsoft PowerPoint
Virtual Memory Information: ℹ️
    13 MB    Free RAM
    1.35 GB    Active RAM
    1.34 GB    Inactive RAM
    1.12 GB    Wired RAM
    6.43 GB    Page-ins
    446 MB    Page-outs
Diagnostics Information: ℹ️
    Feb 2, 2015, 06:35:24 PM    /Users/[redacted]/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/Dock_2015-02-02-183524_[redact ed].crash

Hello jasonsucoll,
Welcome to Apple Support Communities.
This article is a great starting point for troubleshooting the slowness issue with your MacBook Pro.
OS X Mavericks: If your Mac runs slowly
Ciao,
-Jason

My MacBook Pro 2011 13" is running slow after ML update

My MBP 2011 13" (4 GB RAM, i5, 320 GB HD) had been a fast machine from the day I bought it till the day I upgraded it to ML from SL. The booting takes ages, the shutting down brings in the "background task" logo and most of the apps take a long while to come up. This is really affecting my productivity with the machine. Above all, my battery standby time has also reduced by approx. 2 hours. Would really like some help to overcome these problems. Kindly help!

http://www.reedcorner.net/mpg/

MacBook Pro 2011 - 15" Core i7 - SSD - Heating, Screen Flickering Issues

Hello,
I recently brought MacBook Pro 2011 15" Anti-glare High Resolution with Core i7 2.2 G Hz, SSD, 8GB of RAM. I installed Microsoft Office and Angry Birds at this time. I'm facing multiple issues with my first Mac. Is anyone facing these kinds of issues in new MacBook Pro 15" models?
Issue 1: Heating: Fan running on high speed even though room temp is below 60F. No major applications are running at that time expect Office 2011 and web surfing (NOT watching any video) and listening iTunes.
Issue 2: When I log-off from computer, the screen flickers and goes to lower resolution. Also the windows colors changed to different colors. After log-in, I went to System Preferences > Displays. The highest resolution is already selected (1680 x 1050) When I try to change to lower, it changes but still displays different window colors and changing suddenly.
Troubleshooting Steps:
1.) Shutdown and Disconnected Power Cable (at that time battery is at 65%)
2.) Reconnected Power Cable and Power On the system
3.) Display shows correctly.
Unable to Resolve:
1.) Still fan is running on higher speed at low temp (below 60F with no major application running)
2.) Sometimes Display is not showing properly. It shows different color shades.
I scheduled support call with Apple Support and let's see what Apple can do...

I brought my first MacBook Pro 2011 on Day 1, so I can't return it since it won't come under 14 day return policy. I'm taking my Mac to Apple Store to fix all these issues. AppleInsider is also confirmed Disaplay Flicker issue on some of the models that they tested.
*Apple Support KB:*
On High Fan Speed Issue: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4543
On Display Flicker Issue (not at exactly pin-point this issue): http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1573
On Gray Progress Bar Issue: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3148
*Other Tech Forums:*
On back-light keyboard: http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1112874

Is it normal to hear my Macbook Pro's fan?

i have a early 2011 MBP , and never really heard the fan until about this past week. Im not very technical but i installed iStat Pro . my CPU is about 41 , the fans are about 1998 rpms, and they stay around that area. Also i dont run a lot of intensive things at once only mail and firefox most of the time.

Likely because I have so many peripherals hanging off my MacBook Pro, my fans usually run at around 4000rpms, but I don't actually 'hear' them until (like now) they rev up to 5500-6000rpms. When I'm not using my MBP as a 'desk' model, my fans will usually run in the 2000-2200rpm range and I defintely can't hear them then.
Your fan speeds are normal but you shouldn't be able to actually hear hem - you may have some dust and debris clogging the fans. There are various methods to clean the fans and exhausts that can be found by Googling.
Clinton

Macsafe 85w still not enough when running Heavy program on Macbook pro 2011 Quad Core

Is there any official announcement from apple on how macsafe 85w works & design flow or diagram..??
We know the magsafe 85w is not enough to run macbook pro quad core i7 and their family.. But there must be some reason why apple only allow maximum 85w only.. rite
I run this multiple test on my Macbook Pro early 2011, 17" 2.2 Quad core i7, 8G ram, to proving that the 85W is not enough.
-Im running this test on both OSX & win 7
-the battery capacity is 20% when i running this test
-the power adapter "macsafe" is plugin when i run this test
1) macsafe 85w turn to green to stop charging when rendering HD movie in Final Cut pro 7 in OSX ( but then it will turn to orange to charged again after you cancel the render)
2) macsafe 85w turn to green to stop charging when playing high graphic game such "Razor F1 2010" in Win 7 ( but then it will turn to orange to charged again after you quit the game)
3) macsafe 85w turn to green to stop charging when editing AVCHD on Sony vegas Pro 10 in Win 7 (it will turn to orange to charged again after you quit the program)
4) when the baterry reach 100%. then I run all of 3 heavy program above.. the baterry will drain slowly until 93% then it turn to orange to charging again.
(this will happen only when you run heavy program) 85w macsafe itself also not enough to run these program.. still need little battery support..
As i know this will happen to all macbook pro since before Quad core model. You must run heavy program, then you can determin this systoms..
Lastly, I really hope that all of this symtoms are the "macsafe work design", & not the macsafe fault... & really hope this symtoms will not damage the battery because regullaly charge on & off.
Maybe This is why new macbook pro design,, you cannot take out the battery... It still need the battery support also, while plugin..
Thanks &
Sorry broken english..

"Maybe This is why new macbook pro design,, you cannot take out the battery... It still need the battery support also, while plugin.."
Yes — but only when you're working the machine very hard. Most of the time, 85W is ample.
"But,, we need the official announce by apple regarding this issue"
No you don't. That's how it works. What good would an announcement from Apple do you?

My macbook pro 2006 fan goes high and then makes a fast beep and shuts down it been happening since i updated

my macbook pro 2006 fan goes high and then makes a fast beep and shuts down it been happening since i updated it should i update to lion?

No, this problem should be solved.
The MBP shuts down when too hot, to protect itself. First see if it is a process running astray: start Activity Monitor (in Applications/Utilities) choose <all processes> and click the %CPU column: are there processes that are using more than 50% cpu power? If yes click it and quit it, and tell us which one.

Does fans in macbook pro 13 schoudl still run 2000 rpm?

Hi i have problem with my macbook pro 13' when it gets high temperature around 95 c fans are still runing at 2000 rpm schoudl they do that or rise

You don't want to use a fan control app because they override the sensors in your MBP.
At 90ºC, I would think that the fans should be running at a far greater speed than 2000rpms. Mine can rev up to around 3000-4000rpms when the machine is really being overtaxed.
I would still recommend taking your machine into an Apple Store or an AASP and having it checked out. If your fans aren't working correctly you could be headed for a thermal shutdown.
Clinton

Macbook Pro 2011 Fan cannot run higher than 1000 rpm

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