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I reinstalled macOS and restored my data using Time Machine. After using the restored OS for a while, I discovered that kernel_task's CPU usage is really high. I mainly use my Mac for music production, using Ableton as a DAW, and this prevented me from being able to open my simplest projects.

What I've tried so far:

  • Searched the web and found out that there is a bug with Intel's Turbo Boost so I downloaded and installed Turbo Boost Switcher.
  • Checked my hardware using the Mac tools and also scanned my disk partition.
  • Reset SMC.
  • Installed many versions of Ableton.
  • Installed Fans and gfxcardstatus.

None of the above helped.

I'm using a MacBook Pro (Retina, 15", mid-2015) with a 2.5 GHz Intel Core i7 and 16 GB RAM with High Sierra 10.13.16.

Is there a way to troubleshoot the problem in a better way? I don't think that there is hardware damage involved. How can I solve this issue?

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  • Why did you do a time machine recovery?
    – Allan
    Aug 11, 2020 at 13:40
  • 2
    Spotlight needs to reindex the system.
    – Thorbjørn Ravn Andersen
    Aug 11, 2020 at 21:41
  • I did the time machine recovery because I had some issues with my Mac freezing at 50% when I opened it , I chose to clean the system with time machine and had the cpu problem since.
    – Akrem Amous
    Aug 12, 2020 at 9:28
  • Regarding the spotilight, I tried it but nothing changed
    – Akrem Amous
    Aug 12, 2020 at 9:29

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
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After restoring the system, the OS will need to rebuild the Spotlight index and other caches, so you will need to let it run for a while. If the high CPU still persists, then you will need to investigate.

I would stay away from Intel Turbo Boost Switcher, as changing the default configuration of the hardware can make problems worse, or harder to diagnose. The same for fan management software. At most, you should test the configuration with Turbo Boost disabled, and then enable it again if there is no difference.

If you already had problems with your Mac freezing, then wiping and restoring exactly the same setup may just restore the problem, as well as everything else.

Always test one thing at a time, as that will allow you to pinpoint the cause. Testing several things at once won't tell you which one was the problem.

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