MacBook Pro Overheating, Fans Won't Kick In Appropriately.

So the issue here is simple.
1.) When I am playing a game (normally Counter Strike Source) my MacBook Pro will become very hot very fast. I play natively through Steam for Mac so I am not using Windows.
2.) When the computer is doing intensive things it seems, the fans will kick in accordingly doing what they must. However when I go to game, and the heat it at the upmost, the fans sound like they turn off as if the computer is just sitting there idle. I can watch my temps in iStat control and temperature monitor. And after about 10 minutes of play, my CPU is 100+ C (around 102 before the drop)
3.) After this point, my FPS (Frames Per Second) in game are more than halved. The game seems to take a massive hit in performance and everything is choppy. I know this is because it overheated and kicked down the clock speeds on the CPU / GPU to save it.
-- I am not sure why the fans won't kick in. I know that they are working, so I got SMC fan control and also tried the fan control through iStat menus. I can set them to medium and they will turn on. And I am able to game all day with no issue. However should I set control to default, the fans seem to not turn on when needed and let the MacBook overheat. I feel like this is a software issue of some type. I do not understand why though. I know my fans are working. I am playing on the same desk I have been for months with no issue. This literally started out of nowhere one day when I was playing.
I did not have any type of fan control software installed when this happened originally, but since I have installed SMC and iStat menus that has controlled it and allowed me to game, however it's quite annoying to have to be manually setting fan speeds all the time.
What should I do??

Same here. I am using Parallels and when launching games through it the fan doesn't go over 2,000 RPM when CPU is at 98% and way over 90 celcius. I am forced to then start something processor-intensive on OS X to get the fan going faster. There's a bug in there somewehere.

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Macbook Pro Overheating/Fan Problem

Here's a thread I posted on my World of Warcraft guild's forums. I'm reposting it here for additional suggestions. Please ignore the WoW jargon if you're not familiar with the game, but be aware that a "raid" is a situation where graphic intensity is at a high within the game, and can be particularly taxing on a system. Also note that WoW is 4.5 years old, and should not be all that taxing overall on a Macbook Pro compared to newer games.
My Macbook Pro runs hot. In fact, almost all MBPs run hot, hotter than your average notebook computer. The norm seems to be 150-160 degrees during high activity situations (games, compressing video, etc.) However, mine is running even hotter. Last night during the raid, it was peeking at around 174 degrees. Bear in mind that I was playing with all settings minimized, but at full resolution 1400 x 900 or whatever it is.
Now the real problem. Two nights ago, after extended WoWing, a fan on the right side of my computer (or what sounded like a fan) started to sound like it was making contact with something else in the computer, creating a light buzzing noise. After a few minutes, this noise had escalated to a full-blown, really-annoying buzz. I exited WoW, shut down the computer, and started it again after about 10 seconds. Buzzing sound was gone, fans back to normal. Decided to watch Lost on ABC.com, which got the fans going a bit, but not nearly to WoW levels (WoW levels being 4500-6000 RPMs, it's idling at 2000 RPMs right now.)
Last night, during the raid, it happened again. If you were in my 20-man raid, you heard it for yourself over my vent mic. I restarted WoW twice during the raid, but after only a few minutes the sound came back. Had to use a frozen pizza in a plastic bag as a cooling pad. Computer was running much cooler (163-165 degrees, normal for WoW on my computer) but the sound persisted. Turned off some addons, capped the frame rate at 20 fps, sound persisted. After the raid, restarted my computer, buzzing was gone, decided to watch more Lost and the buzzing hasn't been back since. I suspect it will be back during Sarth 3D tonight.
Comp specs:
Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro3,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.2 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 4 MB
Memory: 4 GB
Bus Speed: 800 MHz
Boot ROM Version: MBP31.0070.B07
SMC Version: 1.16f10
GPU:
Chipset Model: GeForce 8600M GT
Type: Display
Bus: PCIe
PCIe Lane Width: x16
VRAM (Total): 128 MB
Vendor: NVIDIA (0x10de)
Computer was purchased in June 2007. Upgraded to 4 gigs of RAM around Xmas. In the Fall, the computer was sent in to have the logic board replaced, because the video card died. They replaced it with another 8600M GT, a card notorious for overheating and dying. Both Apple and Dell provided free extended warranties for computers using the 8600M.
Any suggestions?

Welcome to Apple Discussions!
You might want to run the extended version of the Apple Hardware Test, just to rule out any physical problem with the fan, such as a dying bearing or something like that.
That said, it sounds more like there is a physical interference of some sort. It may be when the Mac gets hot, the geometry changes just enough that a fan blade could start rubbing on the housing. Or possibly there is something caught in the fan blade, like the leaf in my Dodge truck's AC fan that makes noise whenever it is turned up high.
I don't play WOW myself, but I understand that it will make the Mac run hot, and at 6000 RPM, the fans will get a lot of use. There's always the possibility that they might wear out sooner because of that. It's probably a good idea to run the AHT every so often to check for signs of premature failure.
Good luck!

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I have a MacBook Pro 13", purchased August 2012. It has been overheating. The fan has becoming very loud and it keeps restarting. Also, this pop up keeps appearing, but disappears just as fast as it appears. It doesn't give me enough time to read what it says or copy the screen. Only thing I can tell is that there is a yellow triangle with "!".
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Active Memory: 2.60 GB
Free Memory: 3.97 GB
Wired Memory: 1.02 GB
Used Memory: 4.03 GB
Inactive Memory: 418.1 MB
Total VM: 220.68 GB
Number of processes: 97
PID    Process Name              User       CPU      Real Mem        Virtual Mem
0      kernel_task               root       2.7      701.4 MB        6.18 GB
1      launchd                   root       0.0      1.7 MB          2.36 GB
10     kextd                     root       0.0      4.3 MB          2.35 GB
11     UserEventAgent            root       0.0      4.4 MB          2.38 GB
12     mDNSResponder             _mdnsrespo 0.0      2.9 MB          2.37 GB
13     opendirectoryd            root       0.0      11.2 MB         2.38 GB
14     notifyd                   root       0.0      1.1 MB          2.35 GB
15     configd                   root       0.0      4.5 MB          2.38 GB
16     diskarbitrationd          root       0.0      1.6 MB          2.35 GB
17     fseventsd                 root       0.0      7.9 MB          2.69 GB
18     syslogd                   root       0.0      1.2 MB          2.36 GB
19     powerd                    root       0.0      1.8 MB          2.37 GB
20     distnoted                 root       0.0      1.4 MB          2.35 GB
25     securityd                 root       0.0      6.4 MB          2.37 GB
46     coreservicesd             root       0.0      24.6 MB         2.40 GB
49     ntpd                      root       0.0      1.0 MB          2.32 GB
52     warmd                     nobody     0.0      3.5 MB          2.36 GB
53     usbmuxd                   _usbmuxd   0.0      2.2 MB          2.37 GB
56     stackshot                 root       0.0      820 KB          2.35 GB
59     revisiond                 root       0.0      1.7 MB          2.36 GB
63     mds                       root       0.1      88.4 MB         2.63 GB
65     loginwindow               whatthefro 0.0      35.8 MB         2.48 GB
67     KernelEventAgent          root       0.0      684 KB          2.34 GB
68     kdc                       root       0.0      1.7 MB          2.35 GB
70     hidd                      root       1.4      1.8 MB          2.35 GB
72     dynamic_pager             root       0.0      388 KB          2.32 GB
78     autofsd                   root       0.0      1,008 KB        2.35 GB
80     applepushserviced         root       0.0      4.7 MB          2.37 GB
81     aosnotifyd                root       0.0      4.1 MB          2.37 GB
82     socketfilterfw            root       0.0      5.5 MB          2.37 GB
83     com.adobe.ARM.SMJobBlessH root       0.0      1.2 MB          2.36 GB
95     WindowServer              _windowser 4.3      60.7 MB         2.92 GB
96     CVMServer                 root       0.0      788 KB          2.33 GB
105    logind                    root       0.0      1.0 MB          2.35 GB
118    netbiosd                  _netbios   0.0      2.7 MB          2.37 GB
128    launchd                   whatthefro 0.0      1.6 MB          2.36 GB
131    UserEventAgent            whatthefro 0.0      8.2 MB          2.38 GB
133    distnoted                 whatthefro 0.0      3.6 MB          2.36 GB
138    pboard                    whatthefro 0.0      608 KB          2.32 GB
139    Google Chrome             whatthefro 3.7      256.8 MB        1.34 GB
142    Dock                      whatthefro 0.0      35.9 MB         2.43 GB
143    talagent                  whatthefro 0.0      4.0 MB          2.39 GB
144    SystemUIServer            whatthefro 0.0      21.2 MB         2.47 GB
145    Finder                    whatthefro 0.0      85.8 MB         3.64 GB
146    coreaudiod                _coreaudio 6.2      3.7 MB          2.36 GB
152    fontd                     whatthefro 0.0      6.1 MB          2.40 GB
155    com.apple.dock.extra      whatthefro 0.0      6.3 MB          2.40 GB
157    Google Chrome Worker      whatthefro 0.0      26.4 MB         785.5 MB
158    Image Capture Extension   whatthefro 0.0      19.2 MB         2.41 GB
162    Google Chrome Worker      whatthefro 0.0      36.9 MB         795.3 MB
179    PhotoStreamAgent          whatthefro 0.0      13.0 MB         2.38 GB
181    warmd_agent               whatthefro 0.0      1.0 MB          2.35 GB
187    imagent                   whatthefro 0.0      3.7 MB          2.37 GB
192    Seagate Storage Gauge     whatthefro 0.0      2.3 MB          654.0 MB
194    SpotifyWebHelper          whatthefro 0.0      3.4 MB          637.7 MB
201    iTunes Helper             whatthefro 0.0      5.7 MB          2.37 GB
203    Dropbox                   whatthefro 0.0      68.5 MB         876.6 MB
208    lsboxd                    whatthefro 0.0      1.1 MB          2.37 GB
209    Battery Health            whatthefro 0.7      23.9 MB         19.51 GB
243    dbfseventsd               root       0.0      192 KB          582.7 MB
244    dbfseventsd               root       0.0      4.2 MB          590.7 MB
246    dbfseventsd               whatthefro 0.0      96 KB           582.7 MB
266    VDCAssistant              root       0.0      20.6 MB         2.45 GB
285    AppleSpell.service        whatthefro 0.0      11.0 MB         2.38 GB
593    VTDecoderXPCService       root       0.0      1.6 MB          2.37 GB
601    Safari                    whatthefro 0.0      104.0 MB        3.67 GB
605    filecoordinationd         root       0.0      1.3 MB          2.35 GB
3771   imklaunchagent            whatthefro 0.0      4.3 MB          2.37 GB
4580   Google Chrome Worker      whatthefro 0.0      26.9 MB         780.4 MB
5351   Google Drive              whatthefro 0.0      68.4 MB         819.7 MB
5361   mdworker                  whatthefro 0.0      27.7 MB         2.39 GB
5454   Google Chrome Helper      whatthefro 0.0      10.2 MB         770.7 MB
5467   diskimages-helper         whatthefro 0.0      16.9 MB         2.38 GB
5472   hdiejectd                 root       0.0      1.9 MB          2.35 GB
5485   syspolicyd                root       0.0      4.3 MB          2.37 GB
6546   Google Chrome Renderer    whatthefro 0.0      65.9 MB         856.7 MB
6651   Google Chrome Renderer    whatthefro 0.1      69.8 MB         867.7 MB
6812   Google Chrome Renderer    whatthefro 1.5      156.2 MB        951.1 MB
6813   PepperFlashPlayer (Chrome whatthefro 4.6      115.9 MB        1.03 GB
6998   Google Chrome Renderer    whatthefro 8.7      704.8 MB        1.59 GB
7014   diskimages-helper         whatthefro 0.0      11.6 MB         2.39 GB
7059   Google Chrome Helper      whatthefro 0.0      36.6 MB         825.8 MB
7093   ocspd                     root       0.0      3.3 MB          2.37 GB
7095   Google Chrome Renderer    whatthefro 0.0      47.9 MB         843.4 MB
7096   Google Chrome Renderer    whatthefro 0.2      51.3 MB         804.9 MB
7097   Google Chrome Renderer    whatthefro 0.1      82.5 MB         863.5 MB
7104   launchd                   _spotlight 0.0      852 KB          2.36 GB
7106   mdworker                  _spotlight 0.0      7.5 MB          2.37 GB
7107   distnoted                 _spotlight 0.0      1.2 MB          2.35 GB
7110   cookied                   whatthefro 0.0      1.3 MB          2.35 GB
7114   sh                        root       0.0      756 KB          2.32 GB
7115   Install Adobe Reader      root       1.6      31.4 MB         744.5 MB
7126   Activity Monitor          whatthefro 5.7      25.8 MB         2.46 GB
7127   taskgated                 root       0.0      2.7 MB          2.37 GB
7130   activitymonitord          root       1.3      1.4 MB          2.33 GB
7137   automountd                root       0.0      2.1 MB          2.36 GB
7139   CVMCompiler               whatthefro 0.0      19.4 MB         2.35 GB

In addition to a SMC reset, install iStat Menus:
http://bjango.com/mac/istatmenus/
Open Activity Monitor and set it to ALL PROCESSES and set %CPU to display values from high to low.
Perform an Apple Hardware test:
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1509
You may need to start it with the OPTION and D keys.
When your MBP gets hot, post images of iStat and Activity Monitor for inspection. If the hardware test picks up any problems, please indicate as such.
Ciao.

2010 MacBook pro overheated and won't turn on...

My summer 2010 MacBook pro now running osx 10.7.3 with latest MacBook Pro EFI Firmware Update 2.6 suddenly started to heat up and will now not turn on. I did notice the display flickering in recent days. Any ideas?

Which model MBP do you have?
See Articles: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2377 MacBook Pro: Distorted video or no video issues These computers were manufactured between approximately May 2007 and September 2008
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Well, I must say that I am really disappointed with the current 2011 Macbook pro lineup. This was my first Mac, I must say that I was really excited to finally own one. As I started using it, I noticed how hot the laptop was getting and how loud the fans were. While I was typing a simple E-mail, my palms were getting really hot and was a very uncomfortable feeling. I've been around friends who have own previous models and all have been very quiet and also fairly cool.
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I am having a similar problem. Bought MacBook Pro 17" 16 months ago and after about 9 months, routinely, daily, but no particular time I got a black screen suddenly.
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So daily it has been doing this except for a 3 week visit to Europe ... weird. Yet while in Europe no change in usage. Software or hardware. Except that in US I have it plugged often into a bigger monitor. And sometimes have lid closed but not for the past month while being back.
Return to US and within 2 weeks, suddenly black screen of death anytime during the day, keyboard in use or not.
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If you are seeing a Red LED, you may have a faulty MagSafe Adapter.
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I would suggest you seek service with your nearest Genius Bar (Apple Retail Store) or Apple Authorised Service Provider as they have access to diagnostics which may assist in isolating any hardware issues you may be experiencing.
Cheers.

MacBook Pro Overheating, Fans Won't Kick In Appropriately.

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