MacBook Pro CPU temperature is over 90 degrees while playing video

I believe that it is common for the CPU to reach 90°C under heavy load. However a simple video should not bump an i5 into that region. Depending on the footage and format you are playing back you might want to try a different player (vlc mplayerX). If you are playing back flash HD videos in your browser (especially multiple streams simultaneously), that behavior might be common (due to the bad flash performance on os x).

So much for the software.

Secondly you should take care of the outer temperature (e.g.is your computer in a very hot room) and even more importantly where your notebook is placed. e.g. does it sit on a carpet or any other good insulating soft cushiony surface that prevents heat from leaving your computer.

Thirdly you might want to take a look in the activity monitor and see whats using your cpu. (Maybe some background application e.g. spotlight indexing new pdfs)

I have bought a Retina macbook Pro late 2013 13' and when i play civilization V my temps are 95/98, in idle they are 30/40..I think they're normal

After further clarification, it seems that you're getting this high temperature from running videos on YouTube's Flash Player. Flash Player is infamous for its overall crapiness, especially its resource usage (especially CPU usage). One solution to this problem is to find solutions for watching online video (such as off YouTube) without using their Flash Player. Here are the two applications I use:

• ClickToFlash is a free app that replaces Flash content with a gray placeholder, which only runs the Flash content if clicked on. It works on most YouTube videos, detects the video frame, and lets you play the video using the HTML5 video player, which uses almost no CPU at all. As a bonus, it prevents Flash ads from running (which can sometimes slip by AdBlock)

• HUDTube (it's accompanying Safari and Chrome extensions) allows you to open videos in an external player (much like QuickTime, but with a togglable ability to keep it on top of all other windows). It's useful to play the few videos ClickToFlash doesn't pick up.

Try SMCFanControl, a free app for regulating fan speed. Your Mac only increases fan speed once core temperature hits a certain threshold. At this point, the mac is already hot, and the fan must work overtime to lower it. If you expect a high load, you can primitively increase fan speed, to avoid the sudden temperature spike.