CPU Temperature on Macbook Pro

English Hardware
#1

Hi to all!
I have installed openSUSE 13.2 on a Macbook Pro 8.1 (2011) and it works great, but I have some problems with the heating of the laptop. The temperature of the CPU can reach 70-80 C° very easily, but I don’t have this problem when I run Os X.
This is the configuration of the deamon macfanctld.

*# Config file for macfanctl daemon*
*#*
*# Note: 0 < temp_X_floor < temp_X_ceiling*
*#       0 < fan_min < 6200*
 
fan_min: 2500 # 2000
 
temp_avg_floor: 45
temp_avg_ceiling: 55
 
temp_TC0P_floor: 50
temp_TC0P_ceiling: 58
 
temp_TG0P_floor: 50
temp_TG0P_ceiling: 58
 
*# log_level values:*
*#   0: Startup / Exit logging only*
*#   1: Basic temp / fan logging*
*#   2: Log all sensors*
 
log_level:0

As you can see I have just raised the minimum speed of the fans.
A have also installed thermald.

How can I solve this problem and bring the temperature of the CPU at a more acceptable value?

Thanks in advance!

#2

You might use top to see if you have any processes that are pushing the CPU.

Is the fan kicking on??

#3

It’s almost certainly Baloo again, indexing the drive and causing massive loads.

Try disabling KDE / Baloo Indexing.

#4

Thanks very much for your help!

You might use top to see if you have any processes that are pushing the CPU.

Is the fan kicking on??

I can see no process pushing “hard” the CPU

It’s almost certainly Baloo again, indexing the drive and causing massive loads.

Try disabling KDE / Baloo Indexing.

In my process list (KSysGuard) baloo isn’t using the CPU at all, it is worth to disable it anyway?

#5

No but then I wonder why the cpu is heating up with no load???

#6

I wonder too… There are only “normal” processes running, such as firefox, amarok, plasma desktop etc, and they push the CPU no more than 7% per process.

#7

ok what video card? Maybe you are not using a good driver.

#8

Intel® Sandybridge Mobile. Where can I see the driver in use?
Anyway… I switched from KDE to GNOME and maybe the situation is a bit better…

#9

Driver is normally the Intel driver unless there is perhaps a problem and things drop back to one of the more primitive drivers

#10

I can confirm that with the GNOME desktop I have no problems with temperature. Maybe the problem was in some KDE module.

#11

Maybe turn off the effects. KDE defaults with a lot of effect active.

I assume that the GPU is on the CPU chip so heavy GPU requirments could over heat it I guess.

#12

I re-open the discussion because I still have the problem with GNOME. I installed macfanctld, and on the openSUSE site it says that it requires the package applesmc to function properly. Now, I cant’ find that package. Nor in the repositories, nor as a “1-click install” package… and still there isn’t any process pushing “hard” the cpu. I cannot figure what the problem is.

#13

Hi
Grab the src rpm from the following link and rebuild locally…
http://software.opensuse.org/package/applesmc

Also check the output from;


cpupower frequency-info

It may be set at performance, so switch all the cores to ondemand.

#14

Thanks very much for your help. The cpupower output says that the frequency is set as powersafe, and I didn’t change it.
But why do I have to compile the sources and the package is not available for openSUSE 13.2? I see that keyboard backlight works fine, and I can see the temp of my CPU… does it mean that the drivers are working? Or I have to compile applesmc anyway? Thanks in advance!

#15

Hi
I would guess since it’s in the current kernel then it’s loaded, you can check via;


lsmod | grep applesmc
#16

Thanks very much. This is the output:

 andrea@linux-z6ul:~> lsmod | grep 
applesmcapplesmc               19308  0 
input_polldev          14607  1 applesmc

I think I can assume that it’s loaded. Right?

#17

On Tue 24 Mar 2015 03:06:02 PM CDT, Joey Kowalski wrote:

malcolmlewis;2701231 Wrote:
> Hi
> I would guess since it’s in the current kernel then it’s loaded, you
> can check via;
> >
Code:

> >
> lsmod | grep applesmc
>

> >

Thanks very much. This is the output:

Code:

andrea@linux-z6ul:~> lsmod | grep
applesmcapplesmc 19308 0
input_polldev 14607 1 applesmc

I think I can assume that it’s loaded. Right?

Hi
Yes :slight_smile:

Now when did you last strip it down and check the fans for dust bunnies
blocking the vents. Those have two fans are both working?

–
Cheers Malcolm °¿° LFCS, SUSE Knowledge Partner (Linux Counter #276890)
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 GNOME 3.10.1 Kernel 3.12.38-44-default
If you find this post helpful and are logged into the web interface,
please show your appreciation and click on the star below… Thanks!

#18

Mmmh, I think I never stripped it down… As I can see from the specs I have two fans, one for the CPU and one for the GPU.

#19

Hi
I’ve stripped a couple down, they are not difficult just need the star driver and a small philip’s. Remove battery, undo the screw covering the RAM, pull the ram remove the two screws at the front in the battery compartment, then around the sides and out comes the keyboard/top assembly. You just need to be careful and as you lift it up unattach the ribbon cable plug. Once that’s removed you have access to the fans. There are lots of youtube videos showing what to do.

#20

But then you have a discrete GPU. I don’t know much about Macs, but aren’t some of the Macbooks optimus systems?
What’s the output of

/sbin/lspci | egrep 'VGA|3D'