I attempted to play Starcraft again after about a 6 month hiatus (assuming that the GPU problem had been fixed by 10.8.3 + SMC Update 1.1) Apparently no, now my GPU performance is even worse than it had been before. I get 15-25 FPS, AT ALL resolutions.
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10.8.3 rMBP worse GPU performance
- Thread starter Cassadian
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Yes, Apple really ****ed up on this one. They couldn't get it right after 6 months and keep on being silent about this. I don't know what to think anymore. All I think is that I threw 2500 directly in the garbage can because Apple screwed up somewhere on the way and doesn't want to acknowledge it.
Actually, the GPU drivers have been significantly updated with 10.8.3. Performance-wise, they are not far behind the Windows drivers now (according to the Unigine Valley benchmark). Guild Wars 2 fps is around 25% higher now and also fairly close to the Windows version. I don't know if there is some Starcraft 2 related bug as I don'w own the game. Maybe some other SC2 players can comment on their experience?
I'm getting consistently better framerates as well. It's quite playable at Retina resolution now, getting 40-45 FPS.
SMC/PRAM resets would be my first thought.
As a response to all above. Shortly after I bought my first rMBP (this was late august, early october) I suffered from this problem and went to the Apple store and they did a hardware test and other troubleshooting diagnostics. They found nothing wrong but when I opened up several games they immediately realized that it didn't make sense (especially considering other people were claiming being able to play at Retina resolution while I was playing at 1440x900 with around 20 FPS). They replaced it and it worked fine for literally 1 hour. Then it malfunctioned again, and I didn't replace it due to the hassle and that I had moved away for college (shucks)...
I did an SMC reset, I have not done a PRAM/NVRAM reset as I've heard since the recent updates resetting it has very minor and unnoticeable effects but I shall do that now (+ 1 more SMC reset, I've done twice in the past two hours).
I don't understand what's wrong with my machine. It must be Mac OS based because on Windows my gameplay experience is perfectly fine, but since I deleted my Bootcamp partition to make room for more hard drive space I feel that I am limited in how I can use this machine. I would call Apple Support but the stories I hear are not exactly great (some are, but not the average caller).
I reset my SMC and NVRAM/PRAM, here is a screenshot:
http://i.imgur.com/kP57MrM.jpg
This is at a low resolution, at higher resolutions I'm literally watching a stop-motion movie.
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Harder for them to give you the runaround when you drop it on your doorstep. Most of the time phone support takes some notes on the problem and then advises me to take it in anyway.
This and the other thread full of people having issues with heat make me suspect improperly mounted or bonded heatsinks, an issue I've run into with several other non-Apple laptops in the past. Throttling is a pain in the ass and not generally transparent to the average user.
Mhm. I mean there are some good apples. But honestly quality control has gone down the drain.
I assumed that 10.8.3 was supposed to have fixed the throttling issues. I utilize an external cooling program to make sure the temperature stays at optimal levels (as optimal as a Mac can get). Heat issues I can deal with (just wondering, what temperatures do you get?). On Windows I run CPU and GPU monitoring programs and there is zero throttling (this was with the most recent drivers for nVidia at the time of early October). I doubt this is solely a Blizzard game problem. I wonder what should I do, any advice? I would take it in again, but I fear this time since I'm out of the 14 day no questions asked refund-exchange limit they'll just claim there is nothing wrong (again) but this time I won't be able to do anything about it.
I'm sorry about the walls oft ext.
I am pretty sure I am facing this issue also. I have been trying to run BF3 after a couple of weeks away. No matter what resolution and settings I use I can BARELY crack 30 in game drops to Sub 20 (unplayable).
If I rest the SMC is there a simple way to determine if it has been reset or do I need to start a game and check performance there?
If I rest the SMC is there a simple way to determine if it has been reset or do I need to start a game and check performance there?
My problem is not with OSX (not that I know of at least) but with Boot Camp. I can't say anything about OSX because I've never played any heavy graphics game under OSX.
Like almost every rMBP user must know, the laptop has serious issues with throttling since the EFI update back in September. But, a SMC reset would get performance backup to it's most. Since the EFI update 1.1 two weeks ago (that, according to the changelog, it should fix low FPS issues), performance got worse. The FPS are higher and constant but ALL the games stutter like hell. I have Assassin's Creed 2 installed on my Boot Camp partition and it runs pretty well (2009 game) but even that one stutters here and now. This isn't normal.
I reinstalled Windows a million times (7 and 8), tried different GPU drivers, different Boot Camp drivers, reset SMC and PRAM and nothing works. Not a single thing. I also made an extended test of the hardware and it passed with no issues. The issue is so bad that, if this didn't happen as soon as the update was out, I would be sure that it was hardware. I am taking it in for repair if I can't get it to work properly after some more tests/tries but I'm not the only one with the issue so I guess that they will just test it, say everything's ok and I'll just have to live with a faulty 2500 laptop. Really well done Apple. I wish my Macbook was an iPhone.
Like almost every rMBP user must know, the laptop has serious issues with throttling since the EFI update back in September. But, a SMC reset would get performance backup to it's most. Since the EFI update 1.1 two weeks ago (that, according to the changelog, it should fix low FPS issues), performance got worse. The FPS are higher and constant but ALL the games stutter like hell. I have Assassin's Creed 2 installed on my Boot Camp partition and it runs pretty well (2009 game) but even that one stutters here and now. This isn't normal.
I reinstalled Windows a million times (7 and 8), tried different GPU drivers, different Boot Camp drivers, reset SMC and PRAM and nothing works. Not a single thing. I also made an extended test of the hardware and it passed with no issues. The issue is so bad that, if this didn't happen as soon as the update was out, I would be sure that it was hardware. I am taking it in for repair if I can't get it to work properly after some more tests/tries but I'm not the only one with the issue so I guess that they will just test it, say everything's ok and I'll just have to live with a faulty 2500 laptop. Really well done Apple. I wish my Macbook was an iPhone.
I don't know if I'm glad or thoroughly disappointed that people are having similar problems. I'd rather that there be a solution to this, but there seems to be none and Apple is unwilling to help out.
How? And shouldn't they already be aware of this problem as it's been happened for months now... I mean they took 6 months to respond to the initial problem, I shudder to think how long it would take for them to respond again.
I'm willing to collaborate with people in order to set-up an e-mail that would be sent to Tim Cook.
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This only happens when the battery is charging and the LED is orange. If it is charged and the LED is green, it won't change.
I am happy to be involved in an email campaign to get this resolved.
I logged a call with Apple. The support guy gave me the following information (don't get excited)
1. Reset SMC (details somewhere on Apple website)
2.Reset PRAM (details somewhere on Apple website)
3. Run Apple Hardware Test (apple website under support)
After all that I would need to visit an Apple store for support.
I have rest SMC, but not PRAM or run the hardware test.I will do this tonight and report back the results.
I logged a call with Apple. The support guy gave me the following information (don't get excited)
1. Reset SMC (details somewhere on Apple website)
2.Reset PRAM (details somewhere on Apple website)
3. Run Apple Hardware Test (apple website under support)
After all that I would need to visit an Apple store for support.
I have rest SMC, but not PRAM or run the hardware test.I will do this tonight and report back the results.
I reset the SMC and PRAM more times than I can remember and ran the extended hardware test once. Nothing helped. But please, report back. I am reinstalling Windows right now. Afterwards I'll write an email and post it on a separate thread (I'll leave the link in here). If I don't do it tonight, I'll do it tomorrow.
I've done all those things before at home and at the Apple Store. High likelihood nothing will turn up.
Cool, I hope it fixes for you, but I doubt it will. If we do an e-mail campaign count me in. It may be in vain, but at least we'll have tried.
Ok, so I reinstalled Windows once more but in a, not that different, but more complete way. Here's what I've done:
- Using Boot Camp, I removed the Windows partition;
- Right after it was finished, I shut down the MBP, reset the SMC and PRAM;
- Turned it on again, ran Boot Camp and created the USB disk, downloaded the drivers and created the partition again (I simply left all the checkmarks checked) - used a Windows 8 ISO btw;
- After that was done, the MBP rebooted and started installing Windows. I just let it do it's thing. Once W8 finished the Installing Apps, Setting Up the Computer etc etc, the drivers started installing right away. After that it rebooted;
- I installed Windows updates;
- Updated NVidia GPU drivers to the latest ones;
- Installed Malwarebytes;
- Installed FIFA 13.
Once I ran it I knew there was a difference. The stuttering was gone! Now, I don't want to celebrate, reboot into Windows and face the same problem. I'm not even saying that the throttling is gone (once it gets to certain temperatures) but my problem* is gone.
Now, if this is really fixed, this is what I think.
EFI update and 10.8.3 came out on the same day. With 10.8.3, Boot Camp was updated to support W8 so I decided to just install the drivers on top of the ones I had. That was probably when the issues began but I didn't connect the dots.
I reinstalled Windows more than twice before today but never using Boot Camp itself. I just created the USB install disk using Boot Camp, rebooted the MBP and pressed the Option key. Then I would choose the USB disk and install in the same partition as my latest Windows installation (formatting it). Then I'd just download the latest Boot Camp drivers to a USB stick and run setup.exe under Windows. Probably the new drivers have an issue with that. Plus, I had never seen the drivers installing right after Windows first ran. I usually had to navigate to the USB stick where the drivers were and run Setup. Today, I didn't have to do that.
I could have just gotten lucky and the issue might even return in some days *knocks on wood* but, for now, it's buttery smooth just like it was before the updates.
Give it a try and, if that does not solve it, I will still help with the email.
*my problem in particular was a bit different and, mainly, weird. The games would run at a nice FPS rate but would stutter a lot. I wasn't the only person with this particular issue so I just assumed it was the MBP acting up.
PS: I know the steps I took are really in detail but I'd like to point out exactly what I did.
- Using Boot Camp, I removed the Windows partition;
- Right after it was finished, I shut down the MBP, reset the SMC and PRAM;
- Turned it on again, ran Boot Camp and created the USB disk, downloaded the drivers and created the partition again (I simply left all the checkmarks checked) - used a Windows 8 ISO btw;
- After that was done, the MBP rebooted and started installing Windows. I just let it do it's thing. Once W8 finished the Installing Apps, Setting Up the Computer etc etc, the drivers started installing right away. After that it rebooted;
- I installed Windows updates;
- Updated NVidia GPU drivers to the latest ones;
- Installed Malwarebytes;
- Installed FIFA 13.
Once I ran it I knew there was a difference. The stuttering was gone! Now, I don't want to celebrate, reboot into Windows and face the same problem. I'm not even saying that the throttling is gone (once it gets to certain temperatures) but my problem* is gone.
Now, if this is really fixed, this is what I think.
EFI update and 10.8.3 came out on the same day. With 10.8.3, Boot Camp was updated to support W8 so I decided to just install the drivers on top of the ones I had. That was probably when the issues began but I didn't connect the dots.
I reinstalled Windows more than twice before today but never using Boot Camp itself. I just created the USB install disk using Boot Camp, rebooted the MBP and pressed the Option key. Then I would choose the USB disk and install in the same partition as my latest Windows installation (formatting it). Then I'd just download the latest Boot Camp drivers to a USB stick and run setup.exe under Windows. Probably the new drivers have an issue with that. Plus, I had never seen the drivers installing right after Windows first ran. I usually had to navigate to the USB stick where the drivers were and run Setup. Today, I didn't have to do that.
I could have just gotten lucky and the issue might even return in some days *knocks on wood* but, for now, it's buttery smooth just like it was before the updates.
Give it a try and, if that does not solve it, I will still help with the email.
*my problem in particular was a bit different and, mainly, weird. The games would run at a nice FPS rate but would stutter a lot. I wasn't the only person with this particular issue so I just assumed it was the MBP acting up.
PS: I know the steps I took are really in detail but I'd like to point out exactly what I did.
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Glad to hear you have had success (albeit a long way around).
I have also had some success tonight. I did the PRAM reset and now I am getting reasonable frame rates in my boot camp.
Lets see how we go over the next couple of days over the Easter period.
I also am happy to provide input into any communications that are to be sent to apple.
I have also had some success tonight. I did the PRAM reset and now I am getting reasonable frame rates in my boot camp.
Lets see how we go over the next couple of days over the Easter period.
I also am happy to provide input into any communications that are to be sent to apple.
I'm glad to hear y'all's Bootcamps are working fine. It was working quite great for me; however, the problem of terrible performance on the Mac OS X I feel is an issue that can't be forgotten. Especially considering the fact that not everyone will use Bootcamp, but EVERYONE will be using Mac (at least to start off).
Honestly though, we shouldn't have to settle for "reasonable" frame rates on a machine we paid over 2000 USD/EURO for. Is that even fair? If it was a budget machine maybe, if it was a medium-priced machine maybe, but we're broaching on luxury/high-end price range. I expect the same kind of service damnit.