Macs are some of the most powerful computers that money can buy. However, like every computer, they are also delicate and they wear down over time. Like most hardware, the rate at which they deteriorate depends on how they are used and how well they are maintained. While we won’t tell you how to use your computer, we will, however, call your attention to some signs that your Mac might be experiencing problems. We’ll even tell you how to remedy some of these problems.
So, without further ado, what are some signs that would indicate that there’s something wrong with your computer?
Frequent Restarts and Crashes
The first sign of trouble would always come in the form of restarts and crashes. Remember that your computer is designed to handle whatever you throw at it. Whenever your computer crashes or restarts, this is caused by a kernel panic. A kernel panic is indicative of a problem with hardware, such as RAM or CPU. While there are many excellent peripherals for your Mac, a faulty peripheral can also trigger a kernel panic.
When this happens, you might want to perform a diagnostic of your computer to determine what could be the root cause of these kernel panics. It’s also important to boot into Safe Mode to help you determine the cause of your system’s restarts. As a last resort, you can also consider reinstalling your MacOS.
Declining Battery Health
Over time, batteries will show signs of aging in how the charge that they are able to retain decreases. This is normal, however, what isn’t normal is when your battery can no longer hold a charge or when its battery life is unreasonably short. Power issues are also indicative of System Management Controller (SMC) errors. With this in mind, you need to check your battery health (which also determines if it’s time to replace your battery) and if necessary, reset the System Management Controller.
Noisy Fans
If the fans on your Mac are constantly running, even during non-intensive tasks, this could be an indication of a faulty SMC. Other indicators of a faulty SMC are battery and indicator LEDs that misbehave and keyboard backlights that don’t respond to controls. As previously mentioned, resetting the SMC usually fixes this.
However, a fan that’s overworking is a bad thing on its own. The fans on a Mac aren’t designed to function this way. Fortunately, there are several ways that you can resolve this issue and an in-depth guide can be found when you click here.
Overheating
When a computer overheats, it could be indicative of a faulty cooling system or temperature sensor, or it could also mean that the fans aren’t working properly. The latter can be resolved with a simple SMC reset as the SMC is what controls low-power functions of your computer. The former, however, requires technical knowledge because you wouldn’t want to tinker with these vital components without the proper tools and training.
If your Mac overheats, you need to refrain from using it as further usage could damage the internals, which could risk causing permanent damage to your computer.
While there are many other signs that could be indicative of trouble, these are some of the most common that you can remedy on your own. Most other problems will require that you send your Mac in for repairs. So, if your computer exhibits any of these symptoms, consider these simple remedies before sending your computer in for an expensive repair.