Software way to cool down an old MacBook Pro

Posted by notMacBookProSuperUser on Super User See other posts from Super User or by notMacBookProSuperUser
Published on 2010-02-26T23:23:19Z Indexed on 2010/04/20 10:23 UTC
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osx

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macbook-pro

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overheat

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cpu

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speed

Hi all,

First a little background: I've got lots of computers, including Linux PCs and two MacBook Pro (and a MacMini). My concern is with my 'old' MacBookPro (Core Duo). It really does overheat. Warranty is long void. Years ago (I'd say 2.5 years ago or so) one day it overheated so bad that the battery inflated due to the heat. I got a new battery for free but it's still getting incredibly hot (much other than any other computer I've got: my newer Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro doesn't get nearly as hot as the old one. It s really a pain because I use my old MBP when I m in front of TV, having it on my lap, and it can really become unbearable.

I don't want to open that old MBP.

On Linux I can force a new CPU 'governor' that decides how the CPU is allowed to operate: it can be 'on demand', 'always max speed', 'always speed x', etc.

Does the same exist under MacOS X?

Is there a way, say if a 1.86 Ghz Core Duo can run at 1.6 Ghz, to ask MacOS X: "never run this CPU above 1.6 Ghz" ?

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