My* MacBook Pro tends to run really hot. It’s apparently common, but it drives me crazy to see it at 70+ degrees Celsius. It’s also something you do not want on your lap. If you find a photo of the innards, it seems that there are two fans under the keyboard (by the F1-F12 keys). I’ve never really heard them spin, though. And judging by the temperatures, they don’t do much.

My friend Ryan just pointed out my salvation: a little (500kb!) program called smcFanControl. I just cranked my fans to their apparent maximum of 6000rpm. They were sitting a little under 1000, which is par the course.

I’ve fallen from about 65 Celsius to 43 Celsius. The machine is quite noisy with fans spinning at 6000rpm, but I think I have them much higher than is needed. Dropped down to 2500–more than twice their normal speed–and it’s pretty quiet. Good to keep around, though, to ensure your machine runs cool. And they can evacuate a lot of heat in short order if things get uncomfortably warm.

* My employer may disagree with the phrase “my MacBook Pro,” but legal ownership isn’t the point here.