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How to Reduce MacBook Pro Core Temperature

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Time Required: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Moderate
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How to Reduce MacBook Pro Core Temperature

Introduction

Go to step 1 ↓

If you're willing to dig deep in your MacBook Pro and add some stuff that was never meant to be there you could effectively reduce it's core temperature by over 10°C.

This could be particularly beneficial if your MacBook overheats and should be accompanied (if not already done) by a thermal paste change.

The downside: It's a bodge. But it does seem to work.

What you need

Parts

Tools

    1. How to Reduce MacBook Pro Core Temperature, Dissassembly: step 1, image 1 of 1
      • First off you'll need to locate a disassembly guide for your machine and follow it carefully to remove the logic board.

      • If you haven't already, this would be a good opportunity to follow a guide for replacing the thermal paste.

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    2. How to Reduce MacBook Pro Core Temperature, Thermally bonding the heatsinks: step 2, image 1 of 3 How to Reduce MacBook Pro Core Temperature, Thermally bonding the heatsinks: step 2, image 2 of 3 How to Reduce MacBook Pro Core Temperature, Thermally bonding the heatsinks: step 2, image 3 of 3
      • The aim here is to sandwich thick thermal pads under you MacBook's heatsinks to contact the upper case, and atop them to contact the bottom cover. This will help conduct heat away from the machine by effectively making the entire unibody one big heatsink.

      • On my machine, a mid-2010 15 inch MBP, I needed to use three strips of a 2mm thick thermal pad under the centre heatsink, two strips under the side one and one strip atop each to make contact with the bottom cover.

      • Try to use enough layers that the heatsinks are in good contact, but not so many that anything needs to bend to fit back.

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Conclusion

Now reassemble your MacBook by following the disassembly guide in reverse-order. Always monitor your system's temperatures before running any heavy applications just in case something went wrong.

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Dan

Member since: 10/22/14

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1 Guide Comment

This ist crazy.

Went from 55 idle to 30 idle and a top end of 83°c instead of throttling.

(13” retina macbook pro)

Peter Nemeth - Reply Share

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