Sims 4 making brand new MacBook Pro overheat!

[fons_garmo]

Hi @ReptileGirl23 ,

Hot is normal when gaming, specially on a laptop. But does it actually overheat? Do you see a performance reduction when the Mac gets hotter? Fans spinning while gaming is normal on a laptop, they're thinner computers that get hotter than desktop computers. If your Mac overheats a lot, it will slow down its processor for cooling it down and, if that doesn't work, your Mac will shut down to protect itself. Does this happen to your Mac?

If temperatures are between the normal operation temperatures (always bellow 100ºC) it won't be a real problem. The new MacBook Pro has an all-new, thinner, design so its thermal response to stress like 3D gaming might be hotter temps on the aluminum case.

Laptops are not really designed for gaming, specially if your Mac does not have a dedicated GPU (don't know if this is your case). You might need to down some of your graphic settings to cool down your computer.

[ReptileGirl23]

Hi @fons_garmo, 

Thank you for your reply to my post. 

My MacBook doesn’t shut down but it does get so hot that I can’t leave my hand on it (seriously, you could probably cook an egg on it) which I was told by Apple support and my local JB Hi-Fi electronics store shouldn’t happen no matter what you’re doing. When it gets to that point the laptop does slow down and I get the spinning rainbow wheel whilst trying to close apps etc.

As soon as it gets really too hot I put it into sleep mode and wait for it to settle.  

Is there something on the Mac that shows the temperature? If so where can I find that?

I feel as though if my 11 year old MacBook that’s been badly beaten and has only 2gb of ram can handle it a brand new much more sophisticated system shouldn’t have issues. I’m very confused and frustrated. 

I know that the fan running is normal but this is like a jet taking off and the heat is insane- as if I were blocking the vents or something yet I am using it on a hard surface with nothing in the way. It seems to only be running sims that does it. 

Also, I have tried reducing the graphics in-game but it hasn’t changed the situation.  

[fons_garmo]

@ReptileGirl23 ,

Have you tried reducing game's resolution on the graphic options? The higher the resolution is, the hotter the Mac will get.

Also, does your Mac have a dedicated GPU or integrated graphics chip? You can check on the Apple menu > About this Mac... section. "Graphics" is the info we need

[ReptileGirl23]

@fons_garmo 

Yes I have reduced the graphics down to the low settings but to no avail, 

In my about this mac graphics section is

"Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655 1536 MB"

I hope that helps...

[ReptileGirl23]

I'm having the same problem with my new Macbook pro 13"! If you find a solution please let me know! my 2008 MacBook (duo 2ghz, 2gb ram) will play sims without overheating but will just lag a bit. This new MacBook pro is useless for sims and gets boiling hot!

[fons_garmo]

@ReptileGirl23 ,

Could you please upload a screenshot of your current graphic settings? Your Mac has an Intel integrated graphics chip and that's not ideal for gaming, but the game should run with basic graphics.

You need to realize that, no matter how expensive the computer is, that doesn't mean it will run everything (including games) perfectly. A good processor and dedicated GPU are more important than the price tag.

[Bluebellflora]

@ReptileGirl23 

Perhaps you can take the Mac back to Apple and ask them to accept it as a return against a 15" MacBook Pro? For $3,000 your money would have been much better spent on a 15" with dedicated AMD GPU, as @fons_garmo has already stated. Were you misadvised in the Apple store that the 13" would be good for gaming? 

You also need to make sure you elevate the Mac so air can circulate underneath. If you place it on a soft surface it will overheat and shutdown, resulting in damage to the hardware over time. 

[ReptileGirl23]

@Bluebellflora 

I actually returned the first Macbook just last week because of the overheating plus battery issues and had it replaced with the same model. This new one is much better but still has some heat issues with sims (The old one was overheating with everything, even google chrome). I didn't purchase the MacBook directly from Apple, I bought it from my local JB hi-fi electronics store where I was told it would be able to do almost anything without issues including photo and video editing (not that I do any).

I didn't realise the 15" had different specs, to be honest I didn't have a huge excess of cash so I thought the 13" would be fine. 

And no I never use my laptop on my lap or any soft surface, only ever desks or a tray table.

And @fons_garmo I'm sorry I couldn't upload a photo as it says the image is too large.. But the graphics in-game are all set to the lowest setting.
I think at this point I should just give up and get sims on PS4. 

[Bluebellflora]

@ReptileGirl23

If you were told it would be excellent for gaming, you were mis-sold the Mac I'm afraid. Yes it will be great for photo and video editing but not gaming. For $3,000 you could have bought the 15" with more powerful processor and proper GPU which can handle gaming - https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-mac/macbook-pro/15-inch-space-gray-2.6ghz-6-core-512gb# I would definitely go back to the store and see what they would do about this situation.

Also, Chrome uses far too much CPU and RAM unnecessarily. Try Firefox if you don't want to use Safari

[ReptileGirl23]

@Bluebellflora 

Sorry just to clarify, it was $3000 Australian not USD, so it would have been an extra $800 + AUD to get the 15" and i just couldn't justify it when they said this one would be fine. unfortunately I'm still not in a position to pay that much extra so I think I'm stuck with this MacBook now! And thank you for the Firefox suggestion, I actually haven't even thought of that. I was only using chrome as Safari wouldn't support facebook video chat (which is so far the clearest for calls to North Africa.) hopefully Firefox will support that. I noticed while using chrome it was using around 200% of my CPU so uninstalled it. Thank you! 

If I were a more serious computer gamer I would have invested in a gaming specific laptop, however I use PS4 for most of my gaming and literally only sims on mac so I thought it would be able to handle it. Oh well. Lesson Learned!