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Apple releases software fix for MacBook Pro slowdown

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Re: Apple releases software fix for MacBook Pro slowdown

#41

Post by aroman »

skrause wrote: post #36
ketralnis wrote: post #2

> Following extensive performance testing under numerous workloads, we’ve identified that there is a missing digital key in the firmware that impacts the thermal management system and could drive clock speeds down under heavy thermal loads on the new MacBook Pro. A bug fix is included in today’s macOS High Sierra 10.13.6 Supplemental Update and is recommended. We apologize to any customer who has experienced less tha…

Probably the MSR_TURBO_POWER_LIMIT value as described in https://www.reddit.com/r/macbookpro/comments/91256u/optimal_...

That analysis is incredible, how was the OP able to figure all of that out!?

Re: Apple releases software fix for MacBook Pro slowdown

#42

Post by sgillen »

I’m glad it was just a software bug. It still seems like Apple’s quality control has gone way done over the last few years. My hypothesis is that there has been a change in culture as the company gets bigger with less emphasis on rigorous testing of the code?

It would be interesting to get some perspective from a longtime Apple employee on this.

Re: Apple releases software fix for MacBook Pro slowdown

#44

Post by baybal2 »

aroman wrote: post #41
skrause wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Probably the MSR_TURBO_POWER_LIMIT value as described in https://www.reddit.com/r/macbookpro/comments/91256u/optimal_...

That analysis is incredible, how was the OP able to figure all of that out!?

Intel's HDK docs?

Re: Apple releases software fix for MacBook Pro slowdown

#45

Post by alistairSH »

sgillen wrote: post #42

I’m glad it was just a software bug. It still seems like Apple’s quality control has gone way done over the last few years. My hypothesis is that there has been a change in culture as the company gets bigger with less emphasis on rigorous testing of the code? It would be interesting to get some perspective from a longtime Apple employee on this.

It still seems like Apple’s quality control has gone way done over the last few years.

I doubt it. They've had problems for years... bulging batteries, bad solder, bendy iPhones, etc.

But, is the quality really going down, or is Apple just an easy target? I tend to think it's more of the later. I've had Lenovos and Dells for work and they've not been perfect.

Re: Apple releases software fix for MacBook Pro slowdown

#46

Post by scarejunba »

jwalton wrote: post #31
coldtea wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I don't see how you can get more cooling with a firmware change when the fans are already going at full speed It's not about what you do when the temperature if at its peaks and the fans are going at full speed, it's about how you avoid getting there. > How is this going to impact some of those bad solder joints MacBooks are famous for? When did MacBooks became famous for "bad solder joints"?

> When did MacBooks became famous for "bad solder joints"? There has been more[1] than one[2] case where GPUs in MBPs stopped working because of bad solder joints. And ifixit has a guide about how to fix your mac by putting it in the oven[3] to reflow the solder joints. 1: https://www.macupgrades.co.uk/store/product_info.php?product... 2: https://www.apple.com/support/macbookpro-videoissues/ 3: https://ifixit.org/blo…

That was an nvidia problem. All their laptop chips were affected that were in one family. Dell replaced my motherboard four times over it.

If MacBooks are famous for it, so are all laptops with an nvidia gpu.

Re: Apple releases software fix for MacBook Pro slowdown

#48

Post by adpirz »

sgillen wrote: post #42

I’m glad it was just a software bug. It still seems like Apple’s quality control has gone way done over the last few years. My hypothesis is that there has been a change in culture as the company gets bigger with less emphasis on rigorous testing of the code? It would be interesting to get some perspective from a longtime Apple employee on this.

The alternative is this issue came up, and they had a trade off to make with heat + noise vs cooler + quieter, and out of the gate they bet on cooler and quieter; with the backlash, they’re realizing it was the wrong bet, and fixing a “bug.” I have to imagine that basic stress testing would have caught this somewhere.

Re: Apple releases software fix for MacBook Pro slowdown

#49

Post by linuxlizard »

slantyyz wrote: post #38
jwalton wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> When did MacBooks became famous for "bad solder joints"? There has been more[1] than one[2] case where GPUs in MBPs stopped working because of bad solder joints. And ifixit has a guide about how to fix your mac by putting it in the oven[3] to reflow the solder joints. 1: https://www.macupgrades.co.uk/store/product_info.php?product... 2: https://www.apple.com/support/macbookpro-videoissues/ 3: https://ifixit.org/blo…

I had one of those problematic 2011 MBPs, and reballing/reflowing/baking was only a band-aid. For many users, the issue was known to recur after implementing the fix. Even for the eventual repair order, Apple stuck in the same logic board with the same parts. I think the main difference was that those logic boards throttled the CPU to run cooler. That early 2011 Macbook Pro was the first laptop I ever had (by any man…

I had one of those problem units, too. After a lot of back and forth, Apple swapped the main board. I had no subsequent problems. Yay, Applecare.

Re: Apple releases software fix for MacBook Pro slowdown

#50

Post by jmull »

sgillen wrote: post #37
kevindqc wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Huge performance difference - how did they not notice before?

The article made it seem like this only affected a small number of units? Their quality control probably doesn’t look at every single unit. Although it’s interesting that they didn’t find it at all, since reading HN and reddit gave me the impression it was very widespread.

Generally you can’t get a sense for how widespread an issue is from social media, because it’s a perfect medium for confirmation bias. Confirming links and stories are shared/upvoted/forwarded while non-confirming ones are ignored or dismissed (or outright attacked for some reason).
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