I've found solutions for this problem but they dont seem applicable now in 2017.
For some reason, Google Chrome Helper is using a lot of my CPU and fans are going full blast. I found this link on Apple's site that seems to help everyone but I can't seem to find it on my version of Chrome. I have a MBP running 10.9.5.
They mention to go to Chrome > preferences > settings > show advanced settings > content settings (under privacy). Then click the 'click to play' button under the Plugins section. However, there's no plugins section and so I can't do this to try to fix the problem. I'm using Chrome version 56.0.2924.
I don't have many extensions installed on Chrome (just Webex, Google docs, Okta). I have Flash installed too, which I think is taking some resources but there are times I'm not watching video or using anything with Flash and it's still using 150% CPU.
What workaround can I do with this version of Chrome to make Google Chrome helper from using > 150% CPU?
Best Answer
Invoke ⋮ Chrome Menu → Window → Task Manager to see what exactly consumes CPU. Because the helper is a black box from the OS' side of view. I personally found a mining extension that way.
Also watch for ad content and ad blockers in an escalating war, endless refresh and block cycles.