smcFanControl for Mac

smcFanControl for Mac is a lightweight system utility that can help users of all knowledge levels to get full control over the function of built-in fans and oversight over the cooling status of their Mac computer. This unobtrusive app is especially useful for users who are putting a lot of processing strain on their Macs, and especially for laptop users where the working temperature of the core components such as CPU and GPU can directly impact the performance levels of the entire configuration. Since those components are rated to function with optimal speed only in a certain temperature range, overheating can cause them to reduce their working speed, and in some extreme cases even significantly throttle their speeds. In most extreme situations when cooling becomes totally inadequate (such as in the event of cooling fan failure), your Mac can even perform emergency shutdown in order to save components from permanent failure.

With smc Fan Control, you can monitor the temperature levels and fan speed modes in your Mac and manage temperature according to your needs. You can not only set desired minimal fans speeds, but also create separate presets for specific use-case scenarios, for example, turn on stronger cooling when you are using your Mac for video rendering, 3D modeling or gaming, and then reduce cooling when you are browsing or working with text files.

Utilizing streamlined tools and eye-catching visual reporting, you can optimize fan curves and reduce the overall system temperature to the levels where you Mac will function optimally. It is important to note that you can control the fan speed of your MacBook, MacBook Pro or MacBook Air laptops when they are placed on a cooling stand.

Installation and Use

smcFanControl comes in a lightweight package that can be quickly installed on any modern macOS 10.7 or later that runs on Intel CPU. Upon firing the app, you will notice a brand-new icon in your system status bar, with the two most important real-time readings for CPU temperature and speed of the main PCU fan. Clicking on that reading will drop a large menu listing that will showcase the readings from all the other fans in your system, a Preset selector and a Preferences button.

In the separate Preference window, you can set up each of your cooling presets (with minimal speed assigned to each of the detected fans), configure menubar items and their color, and switch to the desired temperature unit (Celsius or Fahrenheit). At the bottom of the Preferences window, you can also set up the way this app will start – auto start every time with system boot, or automatically start when specific events are detected (switch to battery power, AC-power or charging).

Features and Highlights

• Lightweight and unobtrusive fan and temperature manager for macOS.
• Gain control over all fans in both desktop and laptop Macs.
• Full integration into system bar.
• Create multiple cooling presets.
• Automatically use selected cooling presets after a detected change of laptop power source.
• Requires Mac OS X 10.7 or later (Intel CPU).
• 100% Free!