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I have recently installed Ubuntu 14.04 LTS on my MacBook Pro. But whenever I use more than 20 minutes it gets scorching hot. I tried installing laptop mode but apparently it doesn't exist.

I found something about running on efi vs bootcamp. Is that the reason why? If so can anyone explain how to fix it or suggest a link?

Could it be other reasons?

Also I had Yosemite so I used rEFInd

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  • Please edit your question and add output of lspci -k | grep EA2 'VGA|3D' terminal command.
    – Pilot6
    Jul 6, 2015 at 4:20
  • @Pilot6 I get no such file or directory
    – JayC
    Jul 6, 2015 at 6:10
  • There is a typo in command. The correct one is lspci -k | grep -EA2 'VGA|3D'
    – Pilot6
    Jul 6, 2015 at 9:04
  • @Pilot6 hmm do i need to install nvidia driver?
    – JayC
    Jul 6, 2015 at 15:55
  • Is there only Nvidia adapter? There must be Intel too. And you do not need to make pictures. Just copy text from the terminal.
    – Pilot6
    Jul 6, 2015 at 15:57

3 Answers 3

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You need to install Nvidia driver and also a switch utility.

Run in terminal

sudo apt-get install nvidia-331 nvidia-prime

and reboot.

Without the driver both Nvidia and Intel adapters consume power and that is why the laptop is heating.

You can check which adapter is working by

prime-select query

Switch to Nvidia by

sudo prime-select nvidia

switch to Intel by

sudo prime-select intel

Or do in in GUI Nvidia-Settings program.

enter image description here

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  • I installed and rebooted my computer. How do i switch utility? and how do i verify only one of the adapters is working?
    – JayC
    Jul 6, 2015 at 17:08
  • You can start "Nvidia Settings" program. The switch is there.
    – Pilot6
    Jul 6, 2015 at 17:09
  • I am at Nvidia settings but do you by any chance know which tab contains the switch?
    – JayC
    Jul 6, 2015 at 17:12
  • Just look around. I do not have this hardware now. And I wrote how to do it in terminal.
    – Pilot6
    Jul 6, 2015 at 17:13
  • @JayC Added the picture.
    – Pilot6
    Jul 6, 2015 at 17:15
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The problem got sorted out for me.
I am running 16.04 on Macbook pro retina 2015 

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mactel-support
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install macfanctld

After installing it, view its manual by running

man macfanctld

it will show the config file path. Mostly it will be the below path

 /etc/macfanctl.conf

Open the config file and edit it according to your needs. I will post my config file here which is working perfectly fine for Macbook Pro 13 inch retina.

# Config file for macfanctl daemon
#
# Note: 0 < temp_X_floor < temp_X_ceiling
#       0 < fan_min < 6200       

fan_min: 4000

temp_avg_floor: 30
temp_avg_ceiling: 40

temp_TC0P_floor: 30
temp_TC0P_ceiling: 40

temp_TG0P_floor: 30
temp_TG0P_ceiling: 40

# Add sensors to be excluded here, separated by space, i.e.
# exclude: 1 7
# will disable reading of sensors temp1_input and temp7_input.

exclude:

# log_level values:
#   0: Startup / Exit logging only
#   1: Basic temp / fan logging
#   2: Log all sensors  

log_level: 0

Save the config file and restart for safety. This package seems to run like a daemon on the background and control the fan speed. I can hear fan speeds dynamically changing from the fan noise.

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  • 1
    When you say sorted out, what temperature does your MBPro run at? I've tried every single thing I could find. Including disabling offending interrupts. TLP, Powertop, laptop-tools, fan control daemons, disabling dGPU, etc. I can't get my CPU heat lower than 45-50 degrees during idle. My MB Pro generally runs around 30-40 degrees in macOS, and hardly spikes over 55 degrees. On Ubuntu or Arch it goes up to 80 degrees quite easily.
    – nenchev
    Nov 23, 2017 at 19:04
  • I have edited my answer. Please refer it now.
    – Null Pointer
    Nov 29, 2017 at 9:36
  • No need for ppa in Ubuntu 20.04
    – Clèm
    Jun 7, 2020 at 18:23
0

Yes, enabling EFI mode has worked for some people: My ubuntu macbook pro feels warm, can I solve this?

Here is the link to install laptop mode: http://samwel.tk/laptop_mode/packages/tarball

You can disable animations and effects from CompizConfig Settings Manager so that your laptop runs cooler.

http://www.rodsbooks.com/ubuntu-efi/index.html gives you a lead how to boot your mac with EFI.

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  • i just realized that if i'm using rEFInd, i am using EFI instead of bootcamp. But that still makes my laptop burning hot. Also, i tried laptop mode and couldn't find a package.
    – JayC
    Jul 6, 2015 at 6:14

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