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I have a new MacBook Pro 16" and I've noticed the physical temperature between the touch bar and the screen is really hot to the touch and with a thermal gun measures 105 degrees F. The same location underneath is also just as hot. Reading the internal sensors the temp hovers around 150 Deg F and when the system is in control of the fans they appear to be barely running. When I override them and speed the fans up things will cool down but that seems a bit strange that the system control to allow the internals to get that hot.

I've tried doing an SMC reset and that didn't help. It also doesn't matter if I'm charging it or not it will still run as hot. I have it sitting on the top of my desk with a lot of space around it for good circulation.

If I'm doing non-cpu or non-gpu intensive operations:

  1. Should the temperature be that high if all of the airflow systems are working correctly?
  2. If the components would normally generate that amount of heat shouldn't the fans speed up without having to be forced to?

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See here for info on how to get the specifics for your processor.

150F is an OK temperature for the processor to be running at. Here's a nice guide on everything you need to know about intel temperatures.

System control for the fans generally tries to balance the need for the fans with the noise made by the machine, meaning the fans are left off for as long as possible. But the designers know the thermal limitations of the CPU and have measures in place in software to protect it against thermal damage, so you shouldn't be worried about it.

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A CPU is fine to be running at about 60c which is 140f so you don't have anything to worry about. I would advise not letting it get much higher than 65c though to ensure longevity.

My MacBook Air runs constantly at between 50 - 60c and my 2011 iMac is usually at 45c but when gaming will get all the way up to 63c (but this has 3 fans in it)

What year is the MacBook? If particularly old it might be worth replacing thermal paste on the CPU

Another tool that is good for temp readings and fan control if you are worries is Macs Fan Control. It is free and I really like it.

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  • The question does say it's a 16" MBP, so 2019 model. Another way to fix this is not to use any 'monitor' apps at all. ;-)
    – benwiggy
    Mar 30, 2020 at 12:19
  • Oops may bad! Will stand by software though - switched to an SSD in my old iMac without thermal sensor so allows me to turn the fans down, but even just for monitoring temps it's great!
    – Pete
    Mar 30, 2020 at 14:22

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