Chosen Solution
So I have this old Macbook from late 2009 from which it’s processor tends to heat up rather quickly when doing something small like watching a video or browsing the web in general. I have replaced the old paste for getting better thermal performance, but the results weren’t really that significant. So my question is, is this a known issue with this old model? I am just a little bit worried, because on occasions, it tends to go up to nearly 80°C. CPU specs indicate that the max temp on the die is about 90°C, so it’s not that far off really.
Applications/Utilities/Activity Monitor is a small App that lets you trace what’s happening in your Mac on software side. Open it when temperature ramps and see if anything is keeping the system busy with unwanted processes..select “all processes” to show up. It’s one of the latest generations C2D processors, pretty troublefree on its own, no special issues with it. If nothing keeps the CPU uselessly busy, there’s probably a hardware issue.
Possible heat sink liquid leakage. Look at the logic board where the crimped end on the heat sink is and see if you can discern an oily type of stain. If so replace the heat sink. In any case I would replace the thermal paste as it may have degraded. MacBook Unibody (A1342) Heat Sink MacBook Unibody Model A1342 Heat Sink Replacement
