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MacBook Pro throttling not a CPU issue, but rather power throttling of the VRM

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Re: MacBook Pro throttling not a CPU issue, but rather power throttling of the VRM

#31

Post by garrettdc »

slantyyz wrote: post #25
ubercore wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> While Apple's not blameless in the matter, this seems to be more of an Intel issue no? I mean, Apple sourced the chip and shipped the laptop, and you pay Apple. I don't see how you _can't_ blame Apple engineering for this?

> I don't see how you _can't_ blame Apple engineering for this? Which is why I said "not blameless"

Thermal properties of the chip and any issues arising from those are pieces that the engineers should have sussed out in the beginning though. If I don't put a heatsink and fan on my desktop CPU, then is that Intel's fault? Of course not.

Hopefully the firmware can take care of the issue for those impacted.

Re: MacBook Pro throttling not a CPU issue, but rather power throttling of the VRM

#32

Post by jiveturkey »

oy. now i'm really torn. i canceled my i9 order and placed an i7 order instead. i will relatively rarely need peak performance but when i do, it's in work stretches long enough that i want absolute best performance. it has to be on the same laptop -- i cannot offload to a desktop or another machine.

now, do i cancel the i7 and re-order the i9? argh.

it's painful to just delay my order for a month, knowing a much higher performing laptop is available now.

i'm inclined to keep the i7 as i understand from one of the many vids that the "normal" operating temperature is much lower. even on my older i5, i am very sensitive to the keyboard getting hot.

Re: MacBook Pro throttling not a CPU issue, but rather power throttling of the VRM

#33

Post by dang »

DuskStar wrote: post #8
dang wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks! Url changed from https://old.reddit.com/r/macbookpro/comments/91256u/optimal_... , which straight-up copies this.

I think it's the other way around - MacRumors post was July 22nd at 4:57pm while the Reddit post was July 22nd at 4:36pm GMT-7. (I can't tell if I'm being messed up by time zones though as that doesn't appear on mouseover for MacRumors)

Ah ok. Changed back from https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/optimal-cpu-tuning-sett.... Sorry!

Re: MacBook Pro throttling not a CPU issue, but rather power throttling of the VRM

#34

Post by basch »

rm_-rf_slash wrote: post #19
no1youknowz wrote: post #7

On TWiT[0]. They had the keyboard up to 115f sometimes, some other videos on youtube have gone much higher. I've also seen a couple of youtubers and the number is growing, returning their macbooks [1], [2], due to the performance and the number is growing daily. I really think this issue is down to a few things. 1) The need from Apple to be thinner each iteration, is really costing them the ability to have better the…

Similarly, my 2012 Air (8gb RAM, 500gb SSD) is working just fine, and I could probably get quite a few more years out of it. It astonishes me how well that old laptop does what I need, considering any laptop from 2006 or 2004 would have been slow as molasses in 2012, and total garbage today.

>considering any laptop from 2006 or 2004 would have been slow as molasses in 2012, and total garbage today.

Not if you put an SSD in it. Core 2 Duo is an acceptable processor. People seem quite surprised to learn that their slow pc is caused by disk io saturation.

Re: MacBook Pro throttling not a CPU issue, but rather power throttling of the VRM

#35

Post by Exuma »

satysin wrote: post #30
Exuma wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you used Butterfly v.1 to compare it to? I absolutely hated v.1 with a passion (it's like typing on a flat desk), I absolutely LOVED v.2 with a passion. I'm wondering how I will like v.3...

Yes I have used all 3 butterfly keyboards. I agree the first gen was awful. 2nd felt great but was quite loud[0] and had the issues with dust obviously. This is very much like 2nd gen with just a very very subtle softness to it. It feels really to me . I think if you love 2nd you will love 3rd even more. [0] The whole "omg it is so loud!!!" thing kind of made me laugh as everyone that I knew who made such a complaint…

Well this is awesome news!!

Re: MacBook Pro throttling not a CPU issue, but rather power throttling of the VRM

#36

Post by satysin »

Exuma wrote: post #35
satysin wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes I have used all 3 butterfly keyboards. I agree the first gen was awful. 2nd felt great but was quite loud[0] and had the issues with dust obviously. This is very much like 2nd gen with just a very very subtle softness to it. It feels really to me . I think if you love 2nd you will love 3rd even more. [0] The whole "omg it is so loud!!!" thing kind of made me laugh as everyone that I knew who made such a complaint…

Well this is awesome news!!

Obviously I meant to write

> it feels really good to me

Just forgot to put the good in and can't edit it now ;)

Re: MacBook Pro throttling not a CPU issue, but rather power throttling of the VRM

#37

Post by chemmail »

slantyyz wrote: post #22
fhood wrote: post #11

I don't understand how this happened. Apple is a company that built it's empire on paying a premium for reliability and ease of use. There have been mistakes in the past, but this is something that should have been caught immediately, which suggests that they were aware of it at release. Is it just nostalgia goggles telling me that Jobs would not have let these out the door?

While Apple's not blameless in the matter, this seems to be more of an Intel issue no? It appears the i9 isn't a good fit for thin and light laptops (Apple's also not the only one using the i9 in this form factor). Of course, a laptop using this i9 and properly cooling it is not going to be small or pretty[1]. Getting back to Apple, there are a couple of ways of looking at this. For people who are bursting (as oppose…

Intel had to scramble to effectively increase processor density in laptops by 2x and 3x almost overnight when Ryzen came out. They have been resting on their laurels for a better part of a decade. They are also working on the same TDP constraints as before. A considerable feat in such a short time, 2x more cores and 700MHz more turbo.

Looking at the Macbook Pro design, it is suppose to be able to cool the Radeon 560X which has a TDP of 75W with a similar set of fin sizes and fans on the opposing side. This should mean in theory be able to handle even a grossly overpowered CPU. I think they can fix it.

Re: MacBook Pro throttling not a CPU issue, but rather power throttling of the VRM

#38

Post by GeekyBear »

slededit wrote: post #5

That is much more embarrassing than simple thermal throttling of the CPU. The thermal overload on PMIC chips are designed to handle malfunctions not regular usage.

This is the same issue the current Dell XPS 15 has when running a mainstream i7.

https://www.ultrabookreview.com/14875-fix-throttling-xps-15/

Re: MacBook Pro throttling not a CPU issue, but rather power throttling of the VRM

#39

Post by kristianp »

xchaotic wrote: post #13

Such delays in shipping and yet the hardware designs are rushed. I'm switching to Linux laptop with 64GB RAM. There might be some pain for a bit, but IMO totally worth it for Apple to have viable competition in the 'pro' space.

What laptop are you getting?
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