This post covers a set of configurations and external factors to assess and fix heating issues with Macbook Pro. Some of the below might work for you and some might not. I’ve curated this list from my own hit and trial experiments.
Device: MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)
Activity Monitor
Check your activity monitor and figure out the processes with max CPU and Memory consumption. Manually close some of them if you’re not using it. On a decent environment (optimal tempreature, work station, stand), I’ve used couple of IntelliJ instances (Idea, GoLand) and it works like a charm. But they consume a lot of resources.
Cooling Pad
Ideally, you shouldn’t need a cooling pad with your laptop since the aluminum casing and the hidden vents should do a good job of dissipating the heat. But I think that all laptops can use a cooling pad because they all run warm in normal use and hot when heavily loaded.
Tempreature
Apple suggests to use the laptop within 10° and 35° C. I’ve noticed MacBook’s running better when tempreature is below 25°C. If you live in a hotter region, try getting an air conditioner.
Fan Control Application
You can turn the fans to operate at full blast when your laptop starts freeezing. This helps in eliminating the heat. I’ve tried Macs Fan Control and it does the job.
External Monitor
If you are using an external monitor (with USB-C port) and your laptop freezes every now then, you can try switching to a different side for better performance (seems like heuristics, will update this post once I figure out a logical explaination for this). I didn’t find this much useful (read about it somewhere on the internet).