Brand new Macbook Pro overventhilathing and fan noise JUST when I use Adobe Photoshop.

[valentinam42268838]

My Brand new Macbook Pro 16inch 2019 is overventhilathing and the fan makes noise JUST when I use Adobe Photoshop.

It happens if I use Photoshop 2019 or 2020.

No other applications are running and I have this problem just while I use Photoshop. How can I fix this?

It seem incredible that my new computer needs to be ruined from this issue.

[davescm · Accepted solution]

Hi

Would you rather that Photoshop did not use the power of your PC? Some functions in Photoshop are very CPU or GPU intensive. On a laptop, the cooling systems have to work much harder in order to dissipate the heat when those processors are used. Some laptops just throttle the processor speed and slow down.  Desktop systems can move a lot more air through the case or, as I have here, are watercooled with a radiator and fan taking the heat from the CPU.

I would not worry about the fan working, I would just be pleased that the power of your laptop is being used.

Dave

[valentinam42268838]

Honestly I don't enjoy at all the sound of the fan running on a brand new computer while I am working. 

I think Photoshop is a great program but it is using way too much ram, on a computer of 16gb memory, 8 are occupied from photoshop, and I am talking about a very simple and light file with a few layers.

The software should improve with the time no get worse. I remember I could work on bigger files without any issues years ago.

[Randy Hufford]

I have been using one of these laptop cooling fans. Belkin Cooling Lounge

I had a older laptop that seemed like the fan ran excessivly. This model was known for over heating and melting solder joints on main board. I ran it for over 10 years because of this fan.

Look on amazon i see a lot of manufactures make these. Look for cooling pads. These make a difference for reducing heat on a laptop. 

When the computer is doing the processes in photoshop, it is super important that it stays cool.

[Rautamarkus]

No, it is absolutely bizarre that even the LIGHT photoshop actions are turning my laptop into a fighter jet.

It is seriously embarassing. Sitting at a meeting trying to whip some powerpoint graphics and everyone looking at you like your laptop is about to explode. "Yeah hi! It's just my brand new super powerful Macbook Pro" Goodness sakes, the old macbooks with older versions of CC didnt make this noise, I've been using mac laptops since 2006. Since 2015 either Apple or Adobe dropped the ball on heat/system management and this has become a real issue.

And we do understand, there are tasks that do need a lot of power like running physics simulations, rendering animations or encoding video clips, but simply copy-pasting an image and adjusting colors or using a type tool over 8-bit image should not be one of them. 

It's like revving up the car on max revolutions on parking lot and saying "arent you glad you're car is using all its power" - it's unnecesary!

So no, I'm not pleased on having all the power to run my laptop when all that power is simply not needed.

What a rant, but this is so super annoying!

[Tanisha22041701es88]

This! And all of this!! Instead of just the last fans though, my NEW MacBook Pro actually randomly shuts down when too hot. Apple has tried everything except replace it but all tests say there's nothing wrong with the mac itself!

[TheDigitalDog]

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@Tanisha22041701es88 wrote:

This! And all of this!! Instead of just the last fans though, my NEW MacBook Pro actually randomly shuts down when too hot. Apple has tried everything except replace it but all tests say there's nothing wrong with the mac itself!

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Could be bad RAM. 

Again to add to what other's have said (and as an owner of the first MacBook when it wasn't even called that; Powerbook), the fans can come on when there is a lot of processing going on. It isn't anything to worry about. 

Tell Apple to replace it. 

[Tanisha22041701es88]

Apple will not replace a MacBook Pro but has passed all diagnostic tests. Showing that there is nothing wrong with the MacBook Pro itself. However, I'm still in the process of talking with them for about a year now. This problem has been happening Since day four of having this MacBook Pro right after installing the Adobe creative suite. 

[Chuck Uebele · Accepted solution]

To add what Dave said, mine laptop does the same, and that's why I bought one with big cooling fans. I've had several graphics cards fail, most likely due to overheating. 

[D Fosse · Accepted solution]

That's right. One thing laptop users rarely think about is heat. There are only two ways to prevent meltdown in a laptop. One is throttling down processing speed (the most common solution); the other is cranking up those tiny fans to 11. Or both.

This is why a desktop system will always run rings around a laptop with similar nominal specs.

[davescm]

Last week I left my PC doing an overnight 3D  render in Blender which had the GPU running flat out and the CPU going up and down. I have a radiator and 7 fans in the PC.  The office was like an oven 🙂

Dave

[emd1003]

There is definitely something glitchy. The 2019 MacBookPro 16" are built to handle MORE than this. Doing a simple Hue/Saturation adjustment on even a small file causing this. My MBP is an 8-core with 64GB Ram. No issues with any other apps - NEVER have had the fan spin-up like that with any other operation. 

[joshandrewbrown]

Agreed I am editing videos in FCPX and my system doesnt run as hard with PS.

[jessies57994240]

I have the same computer and am experiencing the exact same issues. (I actually traded in my mid-2018 MBP because I thought the computer wasn't "built" enough to handle the process load I was putting it under.)

[Test Screen Name]

This isn't an issue. The computer is doing what it's supposed to do. If you didn't want a computer with a loud fan, you shouldn't have bought a high end workstation. For some reason, people think that the fan going on means there is a temperature fault, rather than just normal cooling for the leading edge chips. I think the GPU especially puts out a lot of heat, so Photoshop - written to go faster by using the GPU a lot - may make it happen more. Just be delighted you are getting the power you paid for.

[Rautamarkus]

"If you didn't want a computer with a loud fan, you shouldn't have bought a high end workstation."- wrong!

A user can and should have high expectations even with regards to laptop cooling. Especially since we are talking about "premium" level laptops.

Fan going on is ok, but the levels of noise the new MBp is putting out even with the slightest work is AN ISSUE for many users like me, I do not like to have my earphones on all the time just to block the noise computer is making.

"Just be delighted you are getting the power you paid for." - said no one with loud air conditioning ever.

[Test Screen Name]

Well, if you feel that having maximium CPU power and GPU doesn't justify the fan noise, or your technical knowledge tells you that this level of cooling could be delivered more quietly, or that the marketing should have made clear that the machine would be noisy, you should complain. To the people who made the laptop, of course. I don't understand why people come here to complain, as if it's a fault for software to use the available laptop resources, or that programmers should make software to deliberately run slowly just in case they are on a noisy laptop - unless it's  because people take the view that Apple can do no wrong, so it MUST be everyone else's fault.

[D Fosse]

It's a laptop! There's no room for proper cooling.

Either throttle down speed, or crank up the fans. Those are the options.

[Rautamarkus]

"Either throttle down speed, or crank up the fans. Those are the options."

Exactly, the speed SHOULD be throttled down A LOT on LIGHT tasks. 

There simply isnt need for the machine to run at full throttle all the time. 

And this is the problem people are pointing out, and many of us are using laptops for creative work everyday relying on Adobe software - me personally since 1995. With my macbook 2008 quad core with 4gb I could run simultaneously PS, AE, AI, ID all day.  I am simply disappointed that by now, 2020, although I can do a lot more and faster (and that is all wonderful), at the same time also the almost same things I could do all day long in 2008 are now taxing my battery life more than ever. 

I'd rather work with throttled CPU/GPU on LIGHT graphics works and only use full power when doing simulations or rendering, that is when I really do need that power to kick in. 

I am not standing up for Apple or Adobe or anyone else, but for the users like myself who are accustomed on using Apple laptops with Adobe software. I am simply expressing my disappointment for my current situation running Adobe software on my Macbook Pro 2019, and many others seem to feel the same, the experience could be a lot better, since EVEN VERY LIGHT TASKS are triggering the fans to full blow, which means the machine is using significant energy with something it most likely could do with a lot less.  Could this be overcome by programmming, maybe. Could it be overcome by better chip and laptop engineering, most likely. Maybe Apples move to ARM and new laptop Ryzen chips on PC's could solve some issues.  

[D Fosse]

OK, that makes sense. As long as it's understood you can't have both. It remains an open question whether this needs to be coded in the application or the video driver/OS, or both. On the face of it, it sounds like a job for the video driver.

I know this isn't what you want to hear, so feel free to ignore, but I've always made a point of not recommending laptops for Photoshop. They are limited in all the wrong ways, and a decent desktop machine will always run Photoshop much more efficiently - even at similar nominal specs. Cooling is one thing, disk management another, and a laptop screen is in no way up to it.

[Test Screen Name]

I agree that if there is consumer demand, then a way to "throttle back" high end noisy laptops is desirable. I am a Mac programmer (not for Adobe!) and I am pretty sure that, today, there is nothing at all an app can do to say "I am willing for you to run slower while I do this". It can't get info on fan use, it can't get info on core temperatures, and it can't indicate any preference to run slower (except in comparison to other apps). 

It could amount to a user option for the system to reduce speed early when fans are needed (or cross a noise threshold). It can't be based on internal temperatures alone, since chips may be designed to work at up to 90C. It would have the interesting side effect that you would get less power when working in a hot place...

A good thing to suggest to Apple. Perhaps options under the "Energy saver"/"Battery" system preference... of "Reduce speed and power to avoid fan noise". Or, fancier, a slider of how much noise you'll tolerate from completely silent up to full fan power.

[Rautamarkus]

I'm updating to my own fan noise/adobe incident.

The real culprit behind stressing my system was "adobe_ccxprocess.node" which was launched by After Effects Redgiant plugin manager. It ended up using 60% of cpu and accomplishing nothing everytime any of the Adobe products was launched. Since it was running under the name "adobe" I assumed it was directly related to Adobe product i was using. After deleting it from launchdaemons, my macbook is now dead silent. SO it was a plugin updater/manager gone bad while migrating to new computer. God I feel stupid! Yet I love this. Life is good. again.

So far encoded a video on Adobe media encoder in complete silence.

Edited a bookcover with Photoshop in complete silence.

Thanks all for your patience.

So just in case this might help anyone with odd out of proportions Adobe energy usage:
Check your Activity Monitor processesses if "adobe_ccxprocess.node" is using a lot of CPU/Memory or even Network bandwidth.

After googling it seems "adobe_ccxprocess.node" are responsible for lot of unnecessary energy usage.
Delete these from Library/Launchdaemon folder and I hope it helps you as well to enjoy silent operations again.

[D Fosse]

Thanks for reporting back:-) I'm sure this will help others who are just as frustrated as you .

[george_reuel]

the same for me.. it is not ok folks I had a MacBook 2015 before the 16 inches 2019 and the speed was the same and no noisy annoying fans..

[adriaw25086106]

Listening to the fan on my Macbook is annoying.  I resist using Adobe products (and uninstalled/cancelled trial of Creative Cloud) for this very reason.