Video makes fans run obnoxiously compared to Safari
Using firefox to watch video such as amazon prime content causes the fans on my macbook to run obnoxiously compared to Safari for some reason. I don't get it. Why? Same video in both browsers using the same plugin causes very different results.
I use XRG app to watch the temps and stuff like fan speed.
Safari running the videos uses a good amount of CPU (~70% - 90%) and CPU die temp of 71C, where Firefox will run the CPU clear up to the 150%+ range and a die temp of 85+C. The second I stop the video, I see the case temps (sensor1,2,3) start to drop pretty quickly. Is there a different version of Silverlight for firefox that is different from Safari's? I'm stuck with Silverlight for the Amazon Prime stuff.
Pretty much, video in Firefox sends the case temps to somewhere around 39-42C, nothing crazy, but with the die temps, enough to kick the fans up to the 3500-4000 rpm range watching the videos.
Safari on the other had shows case temps around 30-32C and fans that sit steady at 1999- 2048 rpm watching the videos.
All Replies (4)
Make sure your viewers are up to date.
If you have problems with current Shockwave Flash plugin versions then check this:
- see if there are updates for your graphics drive drivers
https://support.mozilla.org/kb/upgrade-graphics-drivers-use-hardware-acceleration
- disable protected mode in the Flash plugin (Flash 11.3+ on Windows Vista and later)
https://forums.adobe.com/message/4468493#TemporaryWorkaround
- disable hardware acceleration in the Flash plugin
https://forums.adobe.com/thread/891337 See also:
Well, I went through this to check and here's what I have:
I'm on a Late 2011 Macbook Pro i5 with intel HD3000 graphics. Apple takes care of the graphics driver and everything's up to date.
I don't use flash at all. No Shockwave either. I just never had much use for them with my school situation. I have enough plugins and programs that need to be bleeding edge current as it is.
What I do use is Silverlight for Amazon Prime Video.
I have the hardware acceleration disabled already for the Silverlight firefox plugin. It's the most recent version too. I also have firefox hardware acceleration disabled as well.
I can disable Silverlight, but that eliminates the problem by making viewing the video impossible. However, For the sake of the argument I did disable all plugins and Firefox alone seems fine on resources and CPU for the most part but I can only test the video watching scenario in so far as I can play and monitor temps for HTML5 videos at that point. They also send the temps high in Firefox compared to Apple's Safari.
By comparison, it just seems to be video in general, whether it's amazon or youtube HTML5 stuff. Video in Firefox just seems to make the machine hot compared to apples Safari for some reason which is frustrating because Firefox is my main browser for so many reasons where Safari falls short.
I once had a problem with my laptop overheating. It turns out the vents were clogged. A few sprays with compressed air, and all was well. Except for my wallet, that is. ;-)
I've called the big guys to help you. Good luck.
Silverlight for Amazon Prime Video.
I found this for support:
It mentions that you can use Flash if the troubleshooting before does not make any improvements (DRM license, adding/clearing storage for the plugin, and reinstalling the player). If flash is indeed being loaded instead, Flash hardware acceleration and/or protected mode can be toggled to see if there are improvements. Flash Plugin - Keep it up to date and troubleshoot problems