MacBook Pro fans stay on, very loud

Today the fans on my MacBook Pro started being on all the time. Sounds loud. This has never happened before. I've had it about two years. The fans start up the moment I turn the power on. I have tried: Shutting down, leaving it off for a few minutes, then starting up again several times. Activity monitor shows System is using about 1% and user is using about 12% of CPU capacity. I repaired permissions, verified hard drive and checked for viruses using Sophos. What is cauising the fans to stay on and loud all the time and be so loud?

There are a lot of things that may cause the fans to work at maximum speed, from an OS X process to a hardware issue.
If you have checked there are not any processes that are taking a lot of your CPU, reset the SMC > http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964 This is the part that manages the fan speed.
If it does not work, run Apple Hardware Test. Plug the MacBook to the charger, hold Option (Alt) and D keys and run Apple Hardware Test. Make sure you tick the option to run an extended test. If you see an error at the end of the test, copy it here

Similar Messages

MacBook Pro fans stay on strong and loud

I have had my MacBook pro for a year or two and never had this happen. Fans are staying on strong and loud for no aparen reason (just sitting on a wood table in a 68º F room as usual). A full shut down and restart did not fix the issue. A permissions repair and disk repair did not fix the issue. Any ideas?

Open Activity Monitor in the Utilities folder. Select All Processes from the Processes dropdown menu. Click twice on the CPU% column header to display in descending order. If you find a process using a large amount of CPU time (>=70,) then select the process and click on the Quit icon in the toolbar. Click on the Force Quit button to kill the process. See if that helps. Be sure to note the name of the runaway process so you can track down the cause of the problem.
If this isn't the issue, then perhaps there has been a hardware failure or sensor failure. You can see if this helps: Intel-based Macs: Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC). If it does not then take it in for service.

My macbook pro fan is making a loud whirring/cracking noise!!

I dont have a warranty any more. Any anyone please help me fix the problem? I'm looking through previous discussions of the same topic and the answers are not too clear! Thanks everybody!

Could just be dirt in the fans themselves? What model of MBP is it?
I have the first unibody version and the bottom of the case comes off very easily (8 small screws) in order to add or remove RAM. But, with the bottom off to get to the RAM, the fans are also exposed, so it is very easy to clean them out (I just used a camera brush with squeeze bulb and a few puffs of air to swiff out the dust bunnies from my fans - they had occasionally been making a little rapid clicking noise but cleaning the vanes took care of that).
For the models with the sealed batteries, I'm not sure what would be a safe means to clean them.

HT202179 MacBook Pro Fan is very loud overnight. How are they replaced?

MacBook Pro Fan just started to make a lot of noise.This is a MacBook Pro 15 inch 2.4/2.2GHz purchased June 2007. Is this something that most people can replace or does Apple need to fix it or is it time to get a new one base on age and potential repair cost?

Your Mac uses measured temperatures to determine fan speed in a feedback loop.
Racing fans are an indication that your Mac is overheating, or a temperature sensor is not working properly. Replacing the fan will not fix the problem.
Your appointment for an evaluation at the genius Bar of an Apple store is free, in warranty or out. There is no obligation to have them do any work for a fee, but if you choose to, charges are generally flat rate for guaranteed repair, no surprises.
If you recently replaced components, such a RAM DIMMs, with parts that do not have Apple-approved temperature sensors, that can also cause such problems.

MacBook Pro Fan on continuously

One of the fans on my MacBook Pro is staying on continuously from start-up and making a louder than usual noise [clicking]. I performed the firmware update earlier this year. This is a recent issue. Anyone else experiencing the same?

The clicking noise is probably indicative of a failed (or failing fan)... I would take it to a local Apple store (or call AppleCare) and ask to have it replaced.

Mainstage 2.1 makes my Macbook Pro fans run full bore.

Upgraded to V. 2.1 and Snow Leopard. Now my Macbook Pro fan kicks in at full blast whenever I play any patches or run backing tracks. Cpu hit looks low and memory usage is average. This never happened before. Any ideas as to what's happening?

My MBP fans have always run at full capacity when using MS 1, 2 or 2.1. They start out running normally but then start to rev up after a couple of minutes. You could try running some fan control software to manually adjust your fan thresholds but ultimately, does it really matter if the fans are running hard? Seems to me that they're running hard because they need to....MS is still very hard on system resources even if the meters say otherwise. It's the only app I run that causes the fans to run flat-out.

Macbook Pro Retina 13" Gets Very Hot

Hi, I noticed my Macbook Pro Retina 13" gets very hot after 30 minutes of usage, practically "burning" on my thigh (it left burning mark a few times actually, especially in the summer). I usually put a book between the laptop and me to prevent the heat. Is there a better way?

What are you doing on your MacBook when it gets hot? I have a retina and it gets hot when I play games like Team Fortress 2 or Garry's Mod, watching videos on youtube, and using the iTunes visualizer. What's odd is it doesn't get hot when I watch movies on iTunes. If it's getting hot just sitting around, you may have a problem that needs to be check out as soon as possible. I had a 13" mid 2012 non-retina pro that had three logic boards replaced in less than a year of purchase. Every time the board was failing, it would freeze sometime after it was put to sleep and it would get really hot and the fan would be screaming trying to keep up. Then it would freeze as I'm using it. The screen would flash pixels of all colors in random spots all around the screen. If Apple didn't cover the repairs, I would have paid $530 per repair.

How can i get my macbook pro too stay on and not sleep when lid is closed?

how can i get my macbook pro too stay on and not sleep when lid is closed?

If the machine is asleep, lid closed, and you plug in to an external monitor and an external USB keyboard, the machine will wake, anbd reconfigure the screen resolution for the external monitor, Once it has made this configuration change, you can open the lid and it will continue to address only the external monitor. At least that's how my early MacBook Pro unibody 13" works. It seems to run a bit cooler this way. It gets quite toasty with the lid closed while doing anything demanding and you are more likely to hear the fan come on. I have not seen any temps that would cause alarm, but I do get a high speed (6000 rpm), noisy fan sometimes with the lid closed, .
If you operate in the open-lid, external monitor only mode, if you deactivate the monitor for any reason, when it reactivates it will be running both screens, with all the navigation hassles this entails, so I generally set it not to deactivate the screen when in this mode.
Thus I agree with those who say that some of the cooling air is drawn in around the keyboard, the difference in cooling performance is observable. If you activate istat pro, get the computer hot running in clamshell mode, and open the lid, you can watch the CPU temp drop by a few degrees C within a couple minutes. It isn't a huge difference, but enough the lower the fan speeds.

Do you think my macbook pro fan could be broken?

Earlier today when I opened my laptop the screen was black and it appeared to be shut down. I hit the restart button and when the screen came up it said that I had "shut off my laptop due to a problem", though I did not manually shut it down. It was working 100% fine yesterday, so I'm not sure what could have happened to it. I know it wasn't my battery, because I had a full charge prior to shutting it and upon restart I still had a reasonable charge. I was more or less ignoring my laptop's unusual pop-up until I noticed that my computer was feeling much hotter than normal, so I checked iStat pro to look at temperatures. The CPU temp was around 82 degrees or so when I checked, while I was playing a videogame, which doesn't seem too high but the area around my keyboard felt much hotter to the touch than normal. What is really concerning me is that iStat says my fan is running at 0 rpm, even while I was playing a graphic-intensive game. The CPU is down to 65 degrees since I have stopped playing the game, however I have heard that your laptop will shut itself off to prevent overheating, and I'm wondering if this is what happened to my laptop sometime between yesterday and today. Does it sound like my fan could be broken? There isn't an apple store very close to me and my warranty just ended so I'd rather work it out myself if possible. I don't believe it is a faulty sensor either as iStat gave me temperature readings for everything. If you think my fan is broken, do you have any advice or know how much it would cost to fix/replace?

Good detective work.
I don't believe that 80ºC is extreme for occasional use, but over extended periods of time, this can stress your machine. I beleve you should visit your local Apple Store. They can determine if the fan is broken.
In the meantime, I could avoid:
- CPU-intensive activities like 3D gaming for extended periods of time.
- Using your notebook on your lap. That can raise its temperature thirty or more degrees.
- Dust or dirt can choke the fans, increasing temperatures and even the risk of fire.
Replacement of a fan is not very expensive, if it comes to that. You can also do it yourself:
http://clarebayley.com/2011/10/how-to-replace-a-macbook-pro-fan/

Macbook Pro Fan Speed

Hi. I was having some trouble with my temperature of my MBP, but I somewhat solved it using Temperature Monitor and smcFanControl. I turned the fanspeed to Higher RPM in the smcfancontrol menu, and my temperatures are down from ~95 celcius to ~65 celcius (when playing Minecraft / other extensive tasks.)
Now, I would like to bring them down more (should I?) because I feel 65 c - 70 c is still really high...
So, my only question is: In smcFanControl, the Higher RPM setting is 4000 RPM, should I change that to 5000 RPM? I know it would help, but, can the fans handle that?
Thanks in advance
Could 70c (max) shorten it's lifespan?
(sorry I just am extremely extremely paranoid)

I am seeing a lot of negative talk about third-party software to control fans:
Istat menu 5 is good.
It conforms to apple's SMC; this means that it will never allow the fans to go slower than what SMC is asking, thus your computer will be safe using this software.
In contrast I have a Macbook Pro fan controller for bootcamping Windows 7 called MacFanx64.exe (64 bit) that requires you to understand command prompt.
It's nothing difficult, you just need to make sure that you enter parameters properly.
The only way I see one of these damaging any hardware components would be if you accidently told the fan to spin faster than the max speed.
I would agree that for OS X you aren't going to really need this because the engineering on the SMC isn't terrible, but if you happen to have SMC screw up like it sounds like you had, there's no way to know it unless you feel it getting really hot like that which I'm sure isn't great for your MBP.
Therefore having a monitor system is helpful because you can see the temperatures constantly.
Now for Windows 7 bootcamp it's a whole different story.
There is something wrong with the drivers that control SMC for bootcamp because the computer will get hot fast even in idle.
I was marking temperatures around 60-70 C just in idle - the fans still stay at 2000 rpm.
If someone finds something better than MacFan for Windows 7 bootcamp let me know.
Moral of the story, if you pick a good third-party application you're not going to harm your computer.
Think of it like a second line of defense.
Last but not least, if you're still having this problem do an SMC reset.
Apple has instructions on how to do it, just note that you need to pay attention to whether your MBP has a removable battery or not when doing SMC reset.
Cheers

How much does it cost to replace a MacBook Pro fan?

Recently my MacBook Pro has been making a loud grinding noise and I think this means that the fan needs replacing. How much would it cost to replace the fan, at the apple store (in British Pounds). Are you charged for labour on top, and if so, how much? How much is apple care, would it be cheaper to fix it this way?

I had two fans replaced in 2012 on my 2006 MacBook Pro were around £10 each with labor at £20. I don't know that these prices are still viable, but it may give you an estimate.
Good luck,
Clinton
MacBook Pro (15-inch Late 2011), OS Mavericks 10.9.4, 16GB Crucial RAM, Crucial M500 960GB SSD, 27” Apple Thunderbolt Display

The screen on my macbook pro wont stay at a steady lighting

at random moments the screen saver on my macbook pro wont stay at a steady lightening. From time to time the lighting will turn birght and then it wil dim, randomly.
my first instinct is that someting might be wrong with the hardware, however, i've told to reset my power center.
How do you reset the power center on a macbook pro?

Go to system perferences ,then click display and check if ur on auto ajust brightness this make screens changing due to lighting background,u might want to turn this off,ur decision.......or check ur energy saver beside display u might have very short settings,u can adjust both computer sleep or display sleep or in window u can see say slightly dim the display while on battery power,u might want to put this tick out....u hav selection of choices.....

Macbook Pro Fans Just Went Spinning Nuts

Hi.
So I'm surfing the web (using firefox) have 2 tabs open and suddenly the fans on my macbook pro start to spin faster. Then they spin faster gain finally maxing out at 5360 rpm. The temperature all the time was never above 55 degress C. They spun at 5360 rpm for about 10 minutes and then spun down to a normal level of 3154 rpm.
I checked the processes and some kernal task is up at the top using 1.84 GB of virtual memory. No other programs running but plenty of other tasks listed as sleeping.
First question ... what is the max rpm that the fans should safely spin at?
Second question ... why would it suddenly take off like that spinning fans when there's only one program running?
I had an alienware before and it started running its fans like that after a few months ownership ... a few months later it chew the hard disk and lost a lot of data on me.

The maximum RPM for the MacBook Pro fans is 6000rpm.
I have no idea why the fans would suddenly "take off" like that but try running the Apple Hardware test. You can do this by inserting your original install disk 1, restart the computer with the D key held down until the hardware test starts loading. Once the test has loaded select the option to perform extended testing and then start the test. Note down any error codes and post them here.
Note that when you load the hardware test up the mouse will be very jittery and the computer will appear to freeze during the test, I have encountered this on all the tests I have run and consider it normal behaviour.
Hope this helps
J.C

Macbook pro fan running slow

macbook pro fan is running slow and hot. it fluctuates between 212 and 375 rpms. heat rises up to 104c. do i need to replace the fan?

Before I suggest advice, I urge you to keep your machine under 160F at all times. I don't want to sound like an alarmist, but you can seriously damage your machine with that kind of use. Some solders melt at 225F, weaken at 190F.
You may have to replace the fan - or you may need to clean the inside of your machine and fan. It's hard to tell without inspecting your machine.
Or you may find that you need to get a different browser, and become more aware of temperature; laptop machines are much more sensitive to termperature issues than desktop Macs. Some day, you'll thank me for that advice.

HT201250 which external hard drive should I choose/use as I am setting up Time Machine on my MacBook Pro 15 for the very first time?

Which external hard drive should I use/choose as I am setting up Time Machine on my MacBook Pro 15 for the very first time?

Any of these SATA HDDs that are at least the same size as your internal HDD (preferably larger capacity). In addition you will need an enclosure, preferably one with a Firewire as well as a USB connection.
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/hard-drives/2.5-Notebook/
Ciao.

MacBook Pro fans stay on, very loud

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for