My new 2020 MacBook Pro is getting very hot

Solution 1:

Using any teleconferencing software (Zoom, Google Meet, Cisco WebEx) puts a heavy load on the CPU and the GPU processing the video stream. My 2019 MBA's fans ramp up and the Mac gets hot when participating in a Zoom with 10 people.

My iMac at home, with a dedicated GPU and a very fast Core i9 CPU, shakes it off and barely breaks a sweat, even in Zoom calls with many more participants.

Which 2020 MBP are you using? The 13" does not have a dedicated GPU, whilst the 16" has an additional AMD Radeon Pro GPU of various flavours, depending on the build.

Solution 2:

Is this a defective laptop, or is it just how they usually work?

It's impossible to tell judging by the single performance metrics of single application in a singular environment. However, IMO, Zoom is a blatant security disaster from the get go:

• routing calls through servers in China
• atrocious privacy ah\nd security (also linked to China)
• Flawed encryption gives access to webcam and microphones
• LinkedIn Back door

The devs at Zoom seem to be focusing on a lot (as in a sh*t ton more - it's a metric value) on just what private data they can see what they can abscond with.

Is this a defective laptop, or is it just how they usually work?

More than likely not. Note, that I'm not saying it's impossible for a defect to sneak through quality control; it can happen. However, with Zoom on your plate, I would tale a long hard look at that that software and why you have it installed. However, I heed these words of wisdom from some of the investment gurus:

In the mornings I have Maria Bartiromo and Dagen McDowell (major crush on her) as well as the the folks from CNBC Squawk Box (Becky Quick and Joe Kermam. All have a short term bullish outlook on the stock but as contrarians, they all think it's going to get hammered for it's lackadaisical approach to security. As Dagan put it (paraphrasing) "I will not Zoom now or ever, I won't connect with anyone who does, - I don't care if you're a business colleague or or family- it's not happening.

On a more technical note, I use Skype and it doesn’t put any load on my CPU or GPU. Likewise fir Cisco, WebEx, and even Citrix GotoMeeting. I have a disposable Android phone for WhatsApp (Facebook is another nefarious data collection company) and no other app consume CPU resources like Zoom does. The best advice I can give you is to avoid it at all costs.