The M1 Pro with 16 GB is overheating significantly, while the M1 with 8 GB runs smoothly.
The M1 Pro with 16 GB is overheating significantly, while the M1 with 8 GB runs smoothly.
The title captures the essence well. You're experiencing overheating on your 2021 M1 Pro MacBook, despite using a monitor to reduce strain. The temperatures are high enough to trigger fans, but the issue persists even when idle. It's puzzling since another model with similar specs stays cooler. What should you do next?
Usage levels seem elevated. Are there any hidden programs running? The connection might be poor due to improper paste application or heatpipe contact. Likely the most frequently used machine. There are pets present. Cooling fans may be obstructed.
It's used quite frequently, right? It's been my main vehicle for roughly a year now, running between 10 to 16 hours each day. Alongside Arc and Creative Cloud, Skype and Slack are also part of the setup. I regularly work with Photoshop, Illustrator, Figma, Adobe Acrobat, and it connects to a high-resolution 4K monitor via USB-C.
If this is Pro vs a normal M1 then of course it will, its more powerful so generates more heat. Apples fan profile is set to be as quiet as possible at the cost of letting the case reach the maximum legal limits for human exposure. This is why many of us install TG Pro and override their profile to run the fans faster.
It really heats up more when not in use. I understand the other model uses four efficiency cores while this one only has two. During idle it stays around 60°C, whereas the other keeps things cooler at about 38-40°C while handling more demanding tasks like streaming and high-resolution displays.
M1 Pro offers an extra 4 performance cores, adding 2 more cores compared to M1. This means it will start running hotter right away. The graphics card also performs much better, generating significantly more heat. As Alex Atkin UK mentioned, you’ll just need to increase fan speeds a bit. Additionally, it supports DDR5 RAM, which tends to be hotter than DDR4, contributing further to the temperature rise.
How idle? Mine is idling 40C with the fans off, but I have very little software installed on it. Could you have something running background services? Under load the M1 chips will run up to around 95C. They seem to work a lot like Ryzen 7000, they are left to run as fast as possible only thermal throttling. You increase the fan speed, they still run hot but throttle less.
Avoid launching any additional apps except those pre-installed. It might be the measuring app that checks temperature. Which one should I choose?