Macbook Pro 2018 gets very hot in Photoshop cc

[Stubnhocka]

Hello,

ich just wanted to test out my Wacom Cintiq 13HD on my 6 months old Macbook Pro 2018 (2,6 GHz i7, 32 GB Ram, Radeon Pro 560X) in Photoshop cc.

When i started scribbling, i noticed that the fans went very loud and the Macbook felt very hot.

I installed a Temperature Monitoring App and saw, that the CPU Temps are at 99 degree celsius.

I recorded a Video of it, so you can see and hear it.

I also read something about the CEPHtmlEngine process causing high CPU usage. But that is not the case.

Could you please help me?

Is this a software or a hardware issue or no issue at all and i just have to deal with the fact that i bought my first "pro" device that cost me a fortune and cant keep cool during simple scribbling tasks?

[Trevor.Dennis]

From a very quick Google, it appears that the MBP2018 has an issue with overheating generally, as the search results were full of relevant hits. 

The 2018 MacBook Pro has a problem with overheating | ZDNet

Macbook Pro 2018 overheating, and other s… - Apple Community

A possible answer

Apple's MacBook Pro Heating Problem Gets a Software Fix | WIRED

[Stubnhocka]

That software fix is allready applied to my mac. MacOS is on its latest version.

the first thing i want to know is, if this high temperature behavior is „normal“ or not?

Is here anyone with a Macbook Pro 2018 who can share his/her experience?

[Test Screen Name]

How high is the temperature? Portable computers do get hot and are no longer called “laptops” by their makers.

It it is absolutely normal and correct for apps like Photoshop to run “flat out”, using all of the power you paid for.

[jane-e]

Stubnhocka  wrote

I just wanted to test out my Wacom Cintiq 13HD on my 6 months old Macbook Pro 2018 (2,6 GHz i7, 32 GB Ram, Radeon Pro 560X) in Photoshop cc.

... i just have to deal with the fact that i bought my first "pro" device that cost me a fortune and cant keep cool during simple scribbling tasks?

Hi

If Trevor’s link to a software patch does not work, then call Apple. Apple Care for one year is included with your Mac, and you can purchase an additional two years.

Jane

[Stubnhocka]

Now i compared my old iMac (late 2013) with my new Macbook Pro 2018.

I just added a drop shadow to a square and tweaked it a little bit.

As you can see, the changes on the iMac are butter smooth.

But the Macbook Pro struggles with it....

I am very frustrated now.

[Conrad C]

There may be a real problem here, but I'm not sure where it is.

I tested this on a 2018 13" MacBook Pro. On the whole I think the 2018 13" is fast in Creative Cloud applications, but it also lags on this drop shadow test in the same way that was demonstrated for the 2018 15".

The 2018 15" MacBook Pro is such a powerful notebook computer that there is no excuse for that type of lag, wherever the fault is. So I tested this in CC 2019 on my old 2011 15" MacBook Pro. And guess what: No lag on the 2011!

I'm not sure whether this is a Photoshop bug or a macOS bug.

Some observations:

• On my 2018 13" MacBook Pro I can reproduce the lag with PS CC 2019, but if I try it in CC 2018, it works fine…no lag. So the Photoshop version matters.
• When there is a lag, the shadow proxy in the Drop Shadow dialog box does not lag.
• Stubnhocka demonstrated the problem in macOS 10.14 Mojave, I reproduced it on macOS 10.13 High Sierra, so it's less likely that it's a bug in macOS unless it persists across two major releases. But the 2011 is also running 10.13 and does not have the problem, so it's more likely that this is a Photoshop problem.
• It may be specific to Mac models since there's no drop shadow preview lag in CC 2019 on my 2011 MacBook Pro.
• It seems unlikely that it's a hardware problem, so I'm not sure how much it will be resolved by exchanging the computer.

I think the drop shadow lag is different than the high temperature problem. I have not seen unusually high temperatures unless I'm doing bulk raw image editing or video editing. (I have a Wacom tablet too, although it isn't a Cintiq.) To look into the high temperature problem, open Activity Monitor click the CPU tab, and see if there are any other processes using a lot of CPU at the same time you're working in Photoshop. When I do this, Photoshop is using under 50% of one CPU core.

[Stubnhocka]

Thanks for your response.

I tried the Photoshop 2018 Version but it was the same bad performance. 😞

I did another Video with some scribbles where you can see the CPU usage and the temperatures.

I forgot to record the sound, but at the end the fans were very loud....

[Conrad C]

Have you tried the tests again with the Photoshop update that came out today? (version 20.0.3)

After installing the update, I no longer have any lag in the drop shadow test. It's smooth and real time.

[Stubnhocka]

I tried it but the results are the same. I also updated MacOS but still the same results 😞

And it is still getting very hot while scribbling.

[Stubnhocka]

Problem still remains.

And now o have noticed, that when i edit RAW Files in Lightroom CC everything is fine until i start using the graduated filter. Then the fans start going crazy very quick....

It is so frustrating....

[christiemc]

Stubnhocka​

Found this thread while searching online for this exact problem.

I have a 15" 2018 MacBook Pro .... having the same hot/super fan issue when using Adobe CC, especially Lightroom. Fans kick on max speed. The computer gets incredibly hot when I do anything beyond internet or email.

I've contacted AppleCare twice; I even drove 2 hours to the nearest Apple-authorized repair place. (The nearest Apple store is 4 hours away.) They've told me I can mail it in, but I am a freelancer and this computer=job. Might have to go ahead and suck it up though.

Curious if you've found a resolution?

[Test Screen Name]

What is “incredibly hot”? Heating up is normal, don’t use it on your lap.

[christiemc]

testScreenName​ And .... this is a reminder of why I don't bother with forums. Thanks for that.

Incredibly .... "to a great degree; extremely or unusually" ..... so sorry I don't have time to post a temperature log.

Thank you for such sage advice. I don't use it on my lap -- I have lots of flat surfaces that work so much better. Maybe next comment, you can tell me to check and see if it's plugged in and turned on.

[Stubnhocka]

No I haven't found a solution -.-

[Test Screen Name]

This sounds normal. I welcome the fans kicking in, it means at last I am using all of the computer I paid for. Why is it frustrating?

[Stubnhocka]

Because my 5 years older iMac doesn't struggle with this simple tasks at all.

And a computer should only use all i paid for if it has to...

I also start to believe it is a software issue by adobe.

I testet drawing in another software from another brand (not sure if i am allowed to name it) and the cpu doesn't struggle at all.

[Stubnhocka]

Unfortunately still no improvement.

Macbook runs hot during the simplest drawing tasks...

[Stubnhocka]

I did a new video comparing the newest Photoshop version with the 2015.5 Version (17.0.2).

As you can see, the Macbook Pro is pretty silent in the older version but very loud in the current version.

So ist this Adobe's fault?

[Conrad C]

It's difficult to say. There are several main variables or combinations that could affect performance: Photoshop, macOS system software, macOS hardware, graphics hardware (integrated or discrete), and the Wacom tablet driver.

I tried some intense paint strokes in the current Photoshop version with my old Wacom Intuos on my 2018 13" MacBook Pro, and temperatures mostly stayed between 70-80C, with CPU under 100% the majority of the time. I was using the Dry Media and Wet Media Brushes from Kyle's Brushes assuming they require more processing than the basic brushes. I did get the CPU to go over 100% once or twice. My fans never came on. But since my 13" is not a 15" and I don't have a Cintiq, that doesn't prove or disprove anything except that the problem is not universal.

If you are using a Cintiq then not only is the tablet driver a variable, but also the interaction between Photoshop/Mac and the display part of the Cintiq which might involve the Cintiq driver software interacting with the OS graphics driver.

At this point it may be worth reporting it on the Photoshop Feedback site because Adobe engineers are more likely to respond and track it there, and others with the same problem can add votes. (This forum is more user-to-user with little to no Adobe input.) I did a search there using terms like "wacom" "hot" and "macbook pro", but did not see reports of the same type of problem. But your posts here are getting upvotes, so something could be going on.

[Stubnhocka]

Thanks for the reply and testing.

I forgot to mention, that i removed everything Wacom related and did the test above with a Huion drawing tablet.

I am now thinking about doing a complete factory new reinstall of macOS....

[AlexDBS]

Do you have any update to this issue? My co-worker has this exact same issue. Brand new 2018 MacBook Pro and it does not have this issue with anything except when he uses Adobe CC programs such as Premiere Pro, After Effect and so on. It would just overheat and crash every time.

[Test Screen Name]

Getting hot isn't overheating. Getting hot and using the fans is normal. Crashing is NOT normal. Please tell us in detail about the crash.

[AlexDBS]

Sure thing, the person uses 2018 MacBook Pro (2.6 GHz Intel i7, 32 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD and Radeon Pro Vega 20). He does not have any issue using any programs except three Adobe CC programs which are Premiere Pro, After Effect and Media Encoder. When he has to do a heavy video editing, the laptop's temperature would be over 95 degree Celsius. Memory would be at around 29 out of 32 RAM in use. His laptop would completely freeze without any warning. He has no error log, nothing. His laptop would restart again.

This morning, he showed me his laptop when it froze. I saw the temperature at 97.22-degree Celsius. This happened to him maybe 10-15 times. We have been trying to figure out how to resolve the crash issue. Do you have any idea about how to resolve this?

[Stubnhocka]

No. No updates on this issue....

@Test Screen Name: Getting hot and using fans is normal, that's true.. But getting hot during the simplest tasks every potato computer could handle isn't normal....