High CPU usage and fanspeed

[Lightroom_user_robertv]

Hi there,

I'm using a Macbookpro mid 2012, 2,3 GHz Intel Core i7, 16GB, NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M 1024MB + Intel HD Graphics 4000 1536MB.

When i'm using lightroom CC, the cpu usage gets very high. From 400-500% to sometimes 600-700%. At the same time my fan speed get so high that it seems like an airplane is taking of. The performance in speed however is OK.

I have searched a long time for answers and hang on the Phone with Adobe several times but still no solution.
I hope maybe anyone can/will help me.

Robert

[dj_paige]

What tasks are you doing in Lightroom when this happens?

Normally, fans going very high indicates a hardware problem of some sort.

[Lightroom_user_robertv]

Thanks for your reaction dj_paige.

Almost everything. The basic adjustments, brush tool, gradiënt filter. Even skipping trough my photo's in the library module.

I just tried and the cpu usage run up between 200 and 450%. Immediately the fanspeed increased ...
For a mbp with this specs its not normal i think.

[dj_paige]

Lightroom user robertv wrote:

For a mbp with this specs its not normal i think.

The specs aren't the problem. The problem is that something has changed, one possibility is a hardware malfunction. Or perhaps you are working on larger photos than in the past. Or perhaps you are performing more CPU intense activities than in the past.

[Lightroom_user_robertv]

Before my mbp i had a iMac late 2009, less specs but no high cpu usage and certainly no high fanspeed/noise. Although it was slow

This problem starts from the moment i bought this macbook.
Are you using a macbook with the same problem or have you heard this before?

[dj_paige]

Lightroom user robertv wrote:

Before my mbp i had a iMac late 2009, less specs but no high cpu usage and certainly no high fanspeed/noise. Although it was slow

It's not the specs! Something is causing the CPU to work hard and overheat, causing the fans to turn on high. Have you run diagnostics on this computer to see if everything is working properly? Have you checked to see if ALL of the fans are works (not just the one that is making a lot of noise)?

[Lightroom_user_robertv]

I understand that the specs are ok!

I have not run diagnostics on my mbp, is that software i can download somewhere? And how can i see if the fans are working correctly?

[Socal Cece]

I have the same problem with Adobe Creative Cloud products, but besides the fan winding up -- there is "lag" when working on a project (Adobe Spark). 

[Ian Lyons]

This is avery old thread and unlikley to attract a solution to your issue

I recommend that you start a new thread and provide your computer details (hardware and OS version), the actual version number of Lightroom you're using, and more details on the issue you're experiencing.

[Socal Cece]

Thanks Ian -- good suggestion. 

Will get the details and create a new thread.

[johnrellis]

Some more thoughts:

One thing to try is turning off the option Preferences > System Performance > Use Graphics Processor (GPU).  I recall some people reporting high CPU usage with the GPU enabled.  You have an older graphics chipset that appears to be officially supported by LR, but it may be that LR is using it very inefficiently.  Most people who don't have 4K or 5K displays report little or no benefit from having the GPU enabled, and many report that it slows down the systems.

Unless your computer actually shuts down unexpectedly due to overheating, I wouldn't worry about the fans running all the time when the CPU usage is high -- the Macbooks are designed to do that: Learn about the fans in your Mac - Apple Support . The issue to determine is whether the CPU usage you're observing is expected.

Does the CPU usage go back down when you're not doing anything in LR? 

Even skipping through my photo's in the library module. I just tried and the cpu usage run up between 200 and 450%

I just did a quick test with LR CC 2015.7 on my Macbook Pro (Retina, 15", Mid 2015).  Scrolling through the Library grid view immediately spikes the CPU at 200%.  So usage between 200% and 450% doesn't sound unreasonable on a computer three years older.

[Lightroom_user_robertv]

Thanks John,

The setting 'Use Graphic Processor (GPU)' is disabled. This was one of the first things i did after searching on the web.

You said i have an older graphics chipset, can i replace this one?

About the cpu usage when i'm doing nothing in LR, it drops down to 10 en 50%.

Why should it be a problem if my mbp is 3 years older and had (maybe) the same specs?

[johnrellis]

You said i have an older graphics chipset, can i replace this one?

Not on a Mac -- it's wired into the motherboard and not upgradeable.  But with the GPU disabled, I'm sure the graphics chipset isn't causing unusual problems for LR.

[Lightroom_user_robertv]

Oké thanks! No problems so far. The problem that my mbp is getting slow isn't there.

[Lightroom_user_robertv]

OK. I tought that LR has made his software faster in te last 24 months. In that way my older mpb en the faster LR should be in balance? 😉

But again, the speed is'nt the problem. The CPU usage is.

I will check if i have 3rd party plugins. Maybe from flickr or something, nothing more.

Adress lookup and Face recognition are both disabled.

Thanks for your help John, i appreciate it.

I accept that here is nothing wrong, but i HATE te sound of the fans .... thats it

[johnrellis]

but i HATE te sound of the fans

They drive my wife up the wall, sometimes to the point that one of us has to leave the room :-<

It's slightly ironic, since one of the most frequent, long-term complaints about LR is that it is too slow -- raw processing has always been a CPU-intensive activity.  To address that, it appears that LR tries to use as many of your computer's processors as possible, for relatively long periods, which runs the fans on many laptops.  With modern laptops that are so powerful, we're accustomed to activities like email, Web browsing, video, and even (sometimes) Photoshop not using very much of the full CPU power, so it does surprise when an app does and starts the fans running.

[Lightroom_user_robertv]

I hope you win the battle between you and you're wife so you can stay in the room!

Is it possible that lightroom, for example,  only uses 2 processors?

And is LR a heavier program than Photoshop?

[johnrellis]

LR and Photoshop are much different and use multiple processors much differently.  They both share the Adobe Camera Raw code, so during raw processing proper, they are using the processors similarly.  But I have noticed outside of Develop, LR does try to use most of my 8 virtual processors (4 cores, or physical processors). 

[Lightroom_user_robertv]

Ok, thanks for your explanation. Maybe in the future Adobe will improve this 'problem'. It is hard to imagine that I'm the only one who finds this annoying

Is there any setting that I can assign a number of processors to lightroom?

[johnrellis]

Why should it be a problem if my mbp is 3 years older and had (maybe) the same specs?

I don't think there's a problem with the age of your computer.   Since it's older than my Macbook Pro by 3 years, all other things being roughly equal, you'd expect it to be significantly slower just because it's got slower components (Moore's "law" very crudely predicts a doubling of speed in new chips every 18 - 24 months.)   So if scrolling through Library grid view spikes CPU to 200% on mine, it's not surprising (it's expected) if it spikes significantly higher on yours.

[johnrellis]

About the cpu usage when i'm doing nothing in LR, it drops down to 10 en 50%.

That sounds significantly higher than typical.  My idle LR typically uses 0.5 to 2%.  

Do you have any third-party plugins installed?  A few plugins have background tasks that continually scan your catalog, and it's remotely possible that one is acting up.

Do you have background Address Lookup or Face Recognition enabled? See this screenshot:

Even with those enabled, though, LR will eventually complete the lookup and detection and CPU usage should drop lower.  (But it could take a long time on very large catalogs.)

If LR were generating previews in background, I think CPU usage would be much higher, e.g. 400%.

Overall, though, it's not clear that there's actually a serious problem.  When I'm in Develop, I see my CPU spike to 150% - 250% when I adjust sliders, so it's not surprising if your 3-year-older computer spikes higher.  As long as an idle LR drops closer to 10%, and as long as your computer doesn't overheat and shutdown unexpectedly, I wouldn't worry about it.

[shotzportraits]

I'm on a Late 2015 iMac 5k with a 4.0 i7 and maxed out on RAM and still have this issue. I've updated Camera Raw several times, updated the OS, reinstalled CC, purged the cache, switched off using the GPU in preferences, all of which have no effect.

It seems to stem from generating previews. I was able to get it especially high when I used "Save Images" in Camera Raw and exported them to JPG, or just going through and editing until it literally crashes from what I assume is overheating.

[johnrellis]

Shotzportraits, it appears you're running Adobe Bridge and Adobe Camera Raw, but you've posted in the Lightroom forum.  I recommend reposting in the ACR or Bridge forum to get more useful help.