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Try charging on the right and not on the left

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Re: Try charging on the right and not on the left

#51

Post by dahfizz »

nikanj wrote: post #9
xgbi wrote: post #3

This doesn't make sense, and I'm a bit worried: I "cheaped" out and have a "left side only USB-C" MBPro from 2019. Should I understand that having any kind of load on the measly 2 ports I have on my 1600€ computer will lead to abysmal performance? Like, attaching a USB hub to add basic necessity like HDMI or USB A?

Yes. But the computer is very, very, very thin. Which sells more computers than actual performance under load. Benchmarks show the MB having decent performance, as they start cold and don’t have external devices attached either. Thermal throttling only shows up once you’ve already bought

> Yes. But the computer is very, very, very thin. Which sells more computers than actual performance under load.

No. Apple sells computers regardless, but now that "form over function" Johnny Ive has left Apple, Mac sales have actually shot up. People want their computer to look and feel good, but it still needs to function as a computer. Now that the actual functionality of the Mac is a priority again, they are selling better.

Re: Try charging on the right and not on the left

#52

Post by p_l »

wongarsu wrote: post #13
shrx wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Documented here: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207359

> One of the functions of kernel_task is to help manage CPU temperature by making the CPU less available to processes that are using it intensely. In other words, kernel_task responds to conditions that cause your CPU to become too hot If it's about CPU temperature, why does Apple schedule a task instead of just downclocking the CPU, like everyone else? This question predates the release of M1 Macbooks, and everyone…

The high cpu usage is essentially the evidence for running certain power-saving measures that "look" like the task is using a lot of CPU time (it does, sleeping the cpu).

There's similar behaviour on linux but it shows as specific kernel threads related to intel power throttling, so it's more obvious what's happening.

Re: Try charging on the right and not on the left

#54

Post by egypturnash »

xgbi wrote: post #3

This doesn't make sense, and I'm a bit worried: I "cheaped" out and have a "left side only USB-C" MBPro from 2019. Should I understand that having any kind of load on the measly 2 ports I have on my 1600€ computer will lead to abysmal performance? Like, attaching a USB hub to add basic necessity like HDMI or USB A?

Yes, my 13” 2016 Pro has this problem and only has two left side ports. It chews through batteries about once every 18 months. It’s been really annoying.

Maybe they fixed this issue in the time between 2016 and 2019.

Re: Try charging on the right and not on the left

#55

Post by imeron »

gambiting wrote: post #16
danlugo92 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Attach the same monitor to both an M1 and an Intel Laptop, you can fry chicken on the latter.

Can you? My i5-10300H equipped laptop drives two external monitors daily and the fans don't even start in normal use. Maybe specify which laptop? The M1 can't even support two monitors plugged in directly, which is a joke for a machine this expensive.

For the Macbook Pros definitely. Just try a non-4k (or FHD) display to trigger the external GPU to see the fans spinning up. Any ultra-wide screen will do.

Re: Try charging on the right and not on the left

#56

Post by formerly_proven »

gambiting wrote: post #16
danlugo92 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Attach the same monitor to both an M1 and an Intel Laptop, you can fry chicken on the latter.

Can you? My i5-10300H equipped laptop drives two external monitors daily and the fans don't even start in normal use. Maybe specify which laptop? The M1 can't even support two monitors plugged in directly, which is a joke for a machine this expensive.

I've had dual-head on 12? 13? year old laptops - no problem (not HiDPI, which was not a thing then, obviously, but FHD or WQHD). Currently doing the same with an i5-8350U, runs passively most of the time.

Re: Try charging on the right and not on the left

#58

Post by netr0ute »

spuz wrote: post #32
wongarsu wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> One of the functions of kernel_task is to help manage CPU temperature by making the CPU less available to processes that are using it intensely. In other words, kernel_task responds to conditions that cause your CPU to become too hot If it's about CPU temperature, why does Apple schedule a task instead of just downclocking the CPU, like everyone else? This question predates the release of M1 Macbooks, and everyone…

They almost certainly do adjust CPU frequency as well (although I don't have a 2020 Mac to check this). Lowering the frequency would mean fewer instructions can be processed per second which means you are more likely to see a higher CPU usage for all tasks. What you see is probably the combination of both of these effects. It's annoying that the process monitor does not provide any way to distinguish high CPU load du…

> does not provide any way to distinguish high CPU load due to demand and high CPU load due to a low clock frequency

If you're on Linux, then the "tiptop" utility does just this.

Re: Try charging on the right and not on the left

#59

Post by goldenkey »

jgwil2 wrote: post #36
millzlane wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They finally made the device a little thicker. Apple could have put a better quality heat sync and fan in these models, they chose not too.

*heat sink Edit: why is this downvoted? This is a legitimately confusing mistake; people may think it has something to do with synchronization.

It's pedantic and the way you did it was rude.

You ought to have commented: "I believe you meant heat sink, not 'heat sync', am I correct?"

The average HNer is above average in intelligence and does not require a minor typo to be explicitly corrected.

Re: Try charging on the right and not on the left

#60

Post by lewisjoe »

This is the reason I have a couple of monitors lying uselessly on my table.

Everytime I connect an external monitor, it makes the GPU go crazy and overheats the Macbook enough to summon this kernel_task demon.

Couldn't comprehend why one of the best laptops on the planet cannot handle one external monitor.

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