my macbook pro overheats and looses fps

[MoreAmore]

hello everybody!

i've got a 2011 mbp, playing steam games on bootcamp windows 7. mostly dota2 and tf2.

here is my issue: my computer can take those two games easily with graphic settings on almost everything on "high". however it's a known problem with mbp that they overheat and lose power.

my experenice in tf2: when i start playing my fps are 60-80 but after about 10 mins, when my computer heats up, the fps drop down to 50 and in big fights to 20-30 which is really annoying.

the thing is: reducing the graphic settings doesnt help much actually. at least without reducing them dramaticly
i tried:
shadow detail to low
shader low
water detail: no reflection
no color correction
AA off
Filtering mode to bilinear

tf2 suggest all those settings to crank up almost as a high as possible. and it has almost no impact if i have them low or high.

i clean my fans regulary and tried many things to reduce the heat but nothing works great. just a bit..

my question may be weird but which setting causes the most heat? is there something i can do about this? i am sure somebody has the same problem as i do.

thx for helping!

[Son Maikeru - 孫まいける]

have you tried installing a fan program, such as Macsfancontrol, which has a version for OSX and a version for Windows under bootcamp? it is free and keeps my MacBook Pro running cooler. If you have a 15.4" MacBook Pro 2011, there is a motherboard replacement program for free for those with defective GPUs.

[nOILS]

Poop dont download anything that isn't well known or approved by apple. Might be a virus.

[Perfect Player]

Enable FPS cap in game or turn on VSync. Lowering your graphics settings without any FPS limiter makes zero sence, since your Mac would simply process more frames rather than producing quility frames, generating same amount of heat.

[Perfect Player]

And try these settings for TF2:
Resolution: 1280x800
Shadow detail: Low/Meduim
Shader: low
Water detail: no reflection
Colour correction: Off
AA: 2xMSAA
Filtering: 16x
Model: Medium/High
Textures: Very high

[Son Maikeru - 孫まいける]

fan control programs are well known in the Mac community. Some well known ones: SMC fancontrol, Macsfancontrol, fancontrol, TG Pro. Apple sets the thresold for the fans to kick in too high so your Mac runs hotter, but with these programs, you can set the thresold lower and keep your Mac running cooler.

[Son Maikeru - 孫まいける]

I also mentioned that Apple is doing a motherboard replacement program for MacBook Pro 15.4" 2011 models for those with defective Radeon GPUs. OP, You might want to look into that if you suspect a failing GPU.

[MoreAmore]

hey thx for the replys!
@ultra magnus: oh it will keep them cooler? i thought its just for monotoring but i will test that! i already have the new motherboard! thx for the help
@acehole: no i always had that problem. i also checked for viruses. nothing found. i only run games on windows nothing else. thx anyway
@mozart: turn on vsync? alright i will test these settings. thank you

[Son Maikeru - 孫まいける]

Yeah I use Macsfancontrol OSX version on the Mac side and the bootcamp version on the Windows side-- and for MacBook owners, our MacBooks run hotter on Windows so Macsfancontrol helps lower the temperature when on Windows. Yeah, it keeps my Mac cooler.

I set the parameters to low at 122F. It has a temperature monitor that shows on the menubar too.

[Son Maikeru - 孫まいける]

these programs i mentioned help you control and set the fan speeds of the CPU &GPU and system fans in our Macs.

[MoreAmore]

which sensor do you use? cpu?

[Son Maikeru - 孫まいける]

All the sensors for each particular Mac. and the number of fans vary; for macsfancontrol-- my mac mini has only one fan and i set it to follow the cpu heat sensor; my 15.4" macbook pro has 2 fans-- 1 for cpu and 1 for gpu and i set those fans to follow the cpu heat sensor and the gpu sensor.

[Son Maikeru - 孫まいける]

I recommend macsfancontrol and it is available here from the developer's website
http://www.crystalidea.com/macs-fan-control?ref=macupdate

[Son Maikeru - 孫まいける]

I use both the osx version on the mac side and the bootcamp version when i am on windows

[Son Maikeru - 孫まいける]

And if you want to check if your MacBook Pro 2011 qualifies for a replacement motherboard if you have a defective Radeon GPU:
https://www.apple.com/support/macbookpro-videoissues/

[Son Maikeru - 孫まいける]

Apple's replacement program is free if your macbook pro qualifies