Fans

[DRich]

Hi all.

I have a mid 2009 mac pro 4G Ram. 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo.
Ive updated it to an SSD hard drive which greatly brought it back to life

Wondering why I could do to help reduce heat and subsequent noisy fans especially during zoom calls (my work!) and watching movies sometimes?
Wondering if putting more RAM might help? Think the max i can upgrade to is 2 x 4 G RAM.

Or would that not make any difference?

Any suggestions welcome.

Ive added screen shots below of both CPU and Memory from activity monitor if thats helpful to see whats needed. (I have no idea what to look for in this info!)

Cheers.

Des.

 

[MacInWin]

Zoom calls and video streaming drive the CPU and GPU pretty hard, which then triggers the fans. I don't think adding memory will help. That machine is now 12 years old so it will work hard to keep up with modern software like Zoom and video streaming software. The pictures you posted show the machine basically idling, but what may disclose more is the same thing from when it's being used for Zoom and/or a video stream.

 

[Raz0rEdge]

During Zoom calls and playing back videos, if you watch Activity Monitor, you'll see that the CPU usage will up up there in the 70 to 80% range. And assuming you really have a Core2Duo in the Mac Pro (which I'm not sure is accurate), that's a dual-core CPU that will get hot with these CPU/GPU intensive tasks and the fans have to come on to handle it.

My 6-core Mac Mini uses about 20% of the overall CPU usage during video calls and the fans do kick in as needed. I also do development on here and when I'm building something, the CPU temps rise from the mid 40's/low 50's to upper 80's and the fans kick in there as well.

So this is all normal behavior.

More RAM isn't going to help.

 

[DRich]

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

Good to know more ram won't help. Saves a failed experiment!
Would replacing the processing chip help? Is that possible?
It's currently...2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo.

 

[Raz0rEdge]

Can you please click on the Apple logo on the top left and choose About This Mac and share a screenshot with that?

I believe the Mac Pro is very upgradable, expect the trash-can variety, so you can upgrade to a significantly upgrade the CPU that fits the same pin format to get a huge boost.

 

[DRich]

Also just checked activity monitor when Facebook open.
Fans kinked in pretty quick and CPU % went up to 97% and sometimes over 100% (which i didn't think was possible!)
Maybe just time for a new machine if theres nothing I can do to help my current antique!

 

[DRich]

Info Below
And attached a screen shot. Thanks!

Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro5,4
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.53 GHz
Number of Processors: 1
Total Number of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 3 MB
Memory: 4 GB
Bus Speed: 1.07 GHz
Boot ROM Version: MBP53.00AC.B03
SMC Version (system): 1.49f2
Serial Number (system): W80085KW7XJ
Hardware UUID: B467300F-2E9E-5BD3-A7B2-8B17D4627F7F
Sudden Motion Sensor:
State: Enabled

 

[pm-r]

Would replacing the processing chip help? Is that possible?
It's currently...2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo.

Have a look here for the various specs and also check out some of the links for doing any upgrades:

MacBook Pro "Core 2 Duo" 2.53 15" (SD) Specs (Mid-2009 15", MC118LL/A, MacBookPro5,4, A1286, 2324*): EveryMac.com

Technical specifications for the MacBook Pro "Core 2 Duo" 2.53 15" (SD). Dates sold, processor type, memory info, hard drive details, price and more.

everymac.com

- Patrick
=======

 

[Raz0rEdge]

Info Below
And attached a screen shot. Thanks!

Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro5,4
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.53 GHz
Number of Processors: 1
Total Number of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 3 MB
Memory: 4 GB
Bus Speed: 1.07 GHz
Boot ROM Version: MBP53.00AC.B03
SMC Version (system): 1.49f2
Serial Number (system): W80085KW7XJ
Hardware UUID: B467300F-2E9E-5BD3-A7B2-8B17D4627F7F
Sudden Motion Sensor:
State: Enabled

Ahh, Macbook Pro as opposed to Mac Pro. This makes a LOT more sense. Ignore what I said about upgrading things, you cannot upgrade the CPU of a Macbook Pro.

You are now better of just upgrading to a newer computer if the performance of this machine isn't up to par for you.

 

[DRich]

Cheers for that.

Sorry for the "mac pro" vas "macbook pro" info. Didn't realise!
Better start saving for new model.

Thanks all for input.

 

[pm-r]

Wow!!! I'm really quite surprised as to the minimal amount of System Requirements the Zoom webpage suggests:

System requirements for Windows, macOS, and Linux

Overview This article lists the requirements for using the Zoom desktop client on Windows, macOS, and Linux. This article covers: System requirements Supported operating systems Supported tablet a...

support.zoom.us

I wonder if there might be something else causing the problem, like a download speed and total bandwidth.

Have you done a test on your download speed lately???
https://www.speedtest.net/ should work.


- Patrick
=======

 

[MacInWin]

Fans kinked in pretty quick and CPU % went up to 97% and sometimes over 100% (which i didn't think was possible!)

You have two cores, so the max CPU% is 200%. Sort of makes sense.