Computer heats up fast and slows down; is there a fix?

Hard drive is not old, maybe two years, Western Digital with plenty of headroom. It should have years of service ahead.

Are you an SSD salesman?

Nope. Just suggesting.

The reason why I suggest replacing the drive is because the boot issues you mentioned sound like a dying hard drive (or storage controller. Let's hope it ain't that.)

In their defense @tenyearsgood SSD upgrades are an excellent way to breathe new life into the unibody generation MacBook Pro's. Not that the HDD is related to your original issue, but if/when you make the switch, you won't regret it.

To better your thermals, I second Rosa's suggestion to crack open that bottom case and give it a good dusting, as well as replace the thermal paste on your CPU if you're able. It's good measure to do this once or twice per year, especially if you're a power user. It is also worth noting that an aging battery can create more heat in your system as well, so I'd check its cycle count and inspect for any swelling when you're inside the machine.

Cheers bud

Ah. These details are useful. I stays in a very clean environment and every time I've opened it up to swap a hard drive or replace a fan, etc. the inside is immaculate aside from a litte dust around the vents. I've heard about the thermal paste issue, so I'll look into that. I'm capable of swapping out parts, but not a tech. The battery is an OWC aftermarket replacement but the computer stays plugged in most of the time. The heat is not coming from the battery. It is specifically coming from the motherboard quadrant near all the ports. I've just cracked it open and there is more dust than usual. I'll try a cleaning to see if that reduces the heat. Does that sound like a trademark thermal paste issue?

I pulled up the fans and found a shed load of dust blocking the heat sinks. I've never seen it that bad. It must be Global Warming. That could have been the issue. I'll soon find out. Sorry about the fake fire drill. I should have checked the exhaust ports first. Just had never been a problem over the years. Yes, an SSD upgrade is on the upgrade sheet but my HD is still functioning and I want to make sure there are no deal-breaker issues before I spend the cash. + I'd need a 750GB-1TB drive, so not cheap. :: I loaded it up with a massive Google Chrome session and now it appears to be handling the heat much better. I can feel the air induction through the keyboard again. Thanks for the reminder!

Please elaborate why this is the fix.

Thanks.

If your CPU runs hot, it will thermal throttle (slow down) itself to prevent damage. If it overheats, the computer may freeze up or shut down completely. Replacing the thermal paste is usually a good baseline procedure when you have a problem with temps.

Ah. That appears to be what was happening. I didn't know that function was built-in but it makes perfect sense. Thoroughly cleaning the heatsinks and fans appeared to fix the lagging performance issue. I keep the laptop on a 1-inch wood frame that allows air circulation underneath. This prevents heating from becoming worse, all things normal, but what the macbook pro's really need is a heatsink that physically contacts the unibody and pulls heat away, as air actually functions as a barrier, not a great conduit. During the Summer I often set the laptop on a flat "ice pack" which cools it down wonderfully and improves performance significantly. Thanks for that detail Cory.

i think you will find the fan is clocked up clean it and replace the thermal past