Charging the latest MacBook seems simple enough: just plug the USB-C cable into the Thunderbolt 3 port and let it do its job. However, according to new claims spreading around the Internet, it's not that simple.

On the tech forum StackExchange, users have reported problems with the MacBook Pro creating a burdensome background process that makes the MacBook Pro "virtually unusable." And it has to do with which way the charging cable is plugged into the computer.

Choosing the correct port on a MacBook Pro seems like a very simple decision, but this story gets quite technical. It started in 2019 when forum poster Adam asked if anyone knew about a system process called kernel_task.

According to Adam, rebooting did not help and kernel_task reappeared no matter what. A few days later, Adam brought back a lot of data based on his testing and warned that if the "MacBook Pro gets hot" or the demanding kernel_task process occurs, one should "try charging on the right instead of the left."

For those less technically savvy, the news here is that if your MacBook Pro's USB-C ports are on both sides, charge on the right, not the left, which is especially important if your MacBook Pro gets really hot.

According to Adam, the overloaded kernel_task seems to be related to situations where the MacBook Pro "gets chassis-temperature hot from charging" and is related to the use of the left side Thunderbolt port.

Adam tested the MacBook Pro in a variety of situations with various accessories connected, including a mouse, keyboard, powered USB-C hub and USB-C HDMI 2.0 adapter. When both were connected to the left side, temperatures rose and a heavily loaded kernel_task process appeared, wreaking havoc. When these accessories were moved to the right side, temperatures dropped and kernel_tasks disappeared.

These posts were originally uploaded in 2019, but recently appeared in the tech media. Similar issues have been replied to in other StackExchange comments, so hopefully Apple will find a solution to this issue soon.