I've noticed that my 2018 MacBook Pro 15" with an i7 frequently hits 82°C while using Google Chrome and 98°C while playing video games. As an example, while running Minecraft with maybe 12 mods, Activity Monitor shows it using ~99% CPU with an energy impact of ~1000.
I got this MacBook in July and the issue started immediately. I contacted Apple Support who was quite unhelpful, telling me to reboot my computer and that they were "unable to find the safe temperatures" for my MacBook.
I haven't run into the MacBook throttling at all or shutting itself down, which leads me to believe something might be wrong with the firmware, or maybe the SMC. I haven't tried resetting the SMC yet, mostly due to concern over what specifically it will reset.
Since I'm not sure if these are extreme, should I be concerned for my MacBook Pro?
Best Answer
I'm assuming you have the Mid 2018 15" MacBook Pro with the Intel i7-8850H CPU. This CPU has a maximum junction temperature of 100°C.
That means that hitting 82°C while browsing or 98°C while gaming isn't a problem in itself. You're within the limits in the specification.
So unless you're actually experiencing some other kind of related problem besides that you think it is a high number, then there's really no issue at all - nothing to be worried about.