October 9th, 2006
Reduce MacBook Pro temperature in software
A MacRumors forum post (direct download, PDF) by Rokem details a hack for the MacBook Pro fans that can significantly reduce its operating temperature.
Now my processor is 40-50˚F cooler… battery life is maybe 5 minutes shorter, and the fans are not all that much louder.
(Clarification: Reader Michael Booth notes that Rokem appears to have looked up the temperature conversion in terms of absolute values… 40-50˚F is actually 22-28 °C)
Rokem achieved the temperature reduction by modifying the plist files in AppleBlower.ktext and AppleFan.ktext. Essentially, he edited the speed values for both fans so they kick on a little sooner and run a bit faster.
The author claims that his MBP runs at the same temperature at 50 percent CPU utilization after the mod as it did at idle temperature previously. After the mod 100 percent CPU runs at the same temperature as 50 percent CPU. Obviously, your mileage may vary and caution should be exercised.
As best as I can tell the mod won't void your warranty, but increasing the demands on the fan will reduce your battery life slightly and could shorten the life of the fans. Be smart and backup the original ktext files before proceeding.
I've reported previously that you can monitor your MacBook Pro temperature with an excellent freeware application called CoreDuoTemp. My MacBook Pro 2.0GHz (week 7) regularly runs at around 165-185˚F after it's warmed up and I haven't yet to install the Rokem Fan Fix - but I plan to this week.
What is your MacBook temperature before and after the fix?
Jason D. O'Grady is the editor of PowerPage.org, which has been publishing daily mobile technology news since December 1995. For disclosures on Jason's industry affiliations, click here or to view Jason's full profile click here.
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| 10/09/06
