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Every time I start a Genymotion (v2.5.2) device my CPU starts heating real fast and the fan speed goes from good to crazy really quick too.
Here's an output from iStats:
enter image description here enter image description here enter image description here enter image description here

If I use GPS simulation this situation occours faster. When I turn off Genymotion everything comes down to normal as fast as it went up.
I've found this How to deal with MacBook Pro and MacBook heat? from Apple Support Communities and this issue from askUbuntu but I haven't tried any approach yet.
Did anyone experienced something similar?

My Virtualbox version is 4.3.20 r96996 and I'm running Yosemite 10.10.4 in: enter image description here

EDIT: Activity monitor print: enter image description here

Thanks.

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  • Check CPU usage in activity monitor, if it is reasonable then you probably should clear your Mac.
    – Andrey
    Commented Aug 9, 2015 at 23:56
  • @Andrey I've updated my question with an Activity Monitor print and I don't think 103% it's a reasonable value. How can I fix this? Maybe I can use something like cpulimit (cpulimit.sourceforge.net) to limit the CPU percentage
    – GuilhE
    Commented Aug 10, 2015 at 21:02
  • @GuilhE for me it is around 100 only on startup, on idle it is like 30.
    – Andrey
    Commented Aug 10, 2015 at 23:15
  • @Andrey yup I've ran some tests with ActivityMonitor opened and the CPU reaches 100% or more when I start genymotion, when I build apps with gradle (using IntelliJ) or when I use some apps in genymotion that require GPS. After these operations the CPU cools down and the fans slow down too. I guess it's what user onik says in his answer, the Turbo Boost kicks in and the CPU starts to heat really fast.
    – GuilhE
    Commented Aug 13, 2015 at 21:43

2 Answers 2

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If an application uses only one core intensively instead of balancing the load to all cores, Intel's Turbo Boost kicks in. This causes the CPU to be overclocked to boost the performance of a single core (or even a few cores). This causes increased current and power consumption, and of course heat.

The heat can be avoided by dividing the same load to separate cores (but Genymotion doesn't support this) or by disabling Turbo Boost (for example, Turbo Boost Switcher, not personally tested).

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  • Thanks for your input, I guess that's what happening, the Turbo Boost kicks in and the CPU gets hot really fast. After some operations the CPU cools down and the fans start to slow down too and the temps lower to 40/50ªC.
    – GuilhE
    Commented Aug 13, 2015 at 21:45
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Actually CPU usage over 100% is not uncommon. It just means it is using all of one proc. and 3% of another one. So that app is hungry for CPU.

What you have done is narrow down the culprit to "genymotion." Which is a good thing and might best be taken up with the folks who write that software. Not sure if there is a utility (built-in or not) that will limit CPU usage. I don't see an option for that in Activity Monitor.

Flash will often do similar things on Macs. In fact my MacBook Pro gets uncomfortably hot when I watch a flash-based video for more than about 10 minutes.

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