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Avoid Chrome on your rMB and your battery will last 3.5 HOURS longer

kenbrinkman

kenbrinkman

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 20, 2009
166
0
Daytona Beach, FL
Very telling Verge article on the effect that the resource-hog Google Chrome has on the new rMB:

http://www.theverge.com/2015/4/10/8381447/chrome-macbook-battery-life

Other interesting bits:

- Chrome sutters when playing 4k videos on its own service, youtube
- Safari plays 4k youtube just fine
- Safari scores 30% faster on SunSpider benchmarks

If you're not totally invested in Chrome and you value your battery life, it's probably in your best interest to get used to Safari...
 
Last edited:
This goes the same for many devices including the SP3. Chrome would literally CRUSH the battery when i had a SP3. And ran like crap, compared to the IE on the SP3. The touch version of IE was pretty damn good too, coming from someone who always hated Internet Explorer!

I would literally get like 2-3 hrs battery if i used IE and not Chrome.
 
kenbrinkman said:
Very telling Verge article on the resource-hog that has become Google Chrome

http://www.theverge.com/2015/4/10/8381447/chrome-macbook-battery-life
Click to expand...

Ya, I don't understand using Chrome on Mac. On PC, Chrome was far leaner than IExplorer, ran faster, cleaner, and used less resources. Ant it had developer tools. On Mac, it's a mess. I understand devs using it, I guess. But it feels like it just became hip and trendy even if you aren't a developer to use Chrome. Anti-establishment, non-conformist and all that. But it sucks (literall, sucks resources and CPU cycles). The Verge hipsters should've tested the rMB by trying to use it like many Mac faithfula use their Macs - with Apple stock software - and gauge their results that way, too.
 
Theophil1971 said:
Ya, I don't understand using Chrome on Mac. On PC, Chrome was far leaner than IExplorer, ran faster, cleaner, and used less resources. Ant it had developer tools. On Mac, it's a mess. I understand devs using it, I guess. But it feels like it just became hip and trendy even if you aren't a developer to use Chrome. Anti-establishment, non-conformist and all that. But it sucks (literall, sucks resources and CPU cycles). The Verge hipsters should've tested the rMB by trying to use it like many Mac faithfula use their Macs - with Apple stock software - and gauge their results that way, too.
Click to expand...

Yeah I agree. I think this new Verge article is an "addendum" of sorts to their experience using Chrome during the initial review. I really think the complaints of "great for 90%, the other 10%...ehhh" is down to the use of Chrome.
 
kenbrinkman said:
Very telling Verge article on the effect that the resource-hog Google Chrome has on the new rMB:

http://www.theverge.com/2015/4/10/8381447/chrome-macbook-battery-life

Other interesting bits:

- Chrome sutters when playing 4k videos on its own service, youtube
- Safari plays 4k youtube just fine
- Safari scores 30% faster on SunSpider benchmarks

If you're not totally invested in Chrome and you value your battery life, it's probably in your best interest to get used to Safari...
Click to expand...

Chrome has been a dog lately. I'm starting to get annoyed with it but it does support web components natively and safari does not....
 
How can anyone NOT use safari on the macbook? YOU miss out on all the trackpad gestures. Who wants to "click" a back button in the upper corner, when you can just swipe back on the track pad. Im not about that life :cool:
 
I only use Chrome nowadays for the things that Safari can't handle. Some bank websites, Parallels Plesk control panels, Ventyx EDI systems. There are a few, but not enough to be too worried about.
 
thejadedmonkey said:
Does that matter?
Click to expand...

Yes yes it does matter. To me it matters. Chrome is pushing the web forward even if they are releasing buggy code....but it doesn't matter as much as general browser stability does. Chrome needs to pull it together. I think I might know some guys on that team. I might have to head over to Google land and post some bugs if they don't already exist.
 
vanimal said:
How can anyone NOT use safari on the macbook? YOU miss out on all the trackpad gestures. Who wants to "click" a back button in the upper corner, when you can just swipe back on the track pad. Im not about that life :cool:
Click to expand...

I use Firefox and the gesture works just fine.
 
Maybe you are talking Safari on Yosemite. I got Mavericks on a 2008 macbook and Chrome works just fine and I have multiple tabs open 20+. I tried Safari for a bit and it stutters and had problems running YouTube videos not sure why.


Chrome's easy keyword search, extensions, "Search on Google" in contextual menu cuts the deal for me. I am hoping to switch back to Safari but Apple does not seem enthusiastic about their browser any more.
 
mi7chy said:
Try Chrome Canary.

https://www.google.com/chrome/browser/canary.html?platform=mac

A lot smoother and more battery friendly than regular Chrome on Core M.
Click to expand...

But still, does Chrom Canary allow you to use all the VERY helpful track pad gestures? I would be lost without something as simple as swipe to go back a page or forward.

I found Chrome useful on a PC where ad block was needed etc. But on Safari with a Mac you don't really have to worry about all that malware junk etc.
 
vanimal said:
How can anyone NOT use safari on the macbook? YOU miss out on all the trackpad gestures. Who wants to "click" a back button in the upper corner, when you can just swipe back on the track pad. Im not about that life :cool:
Click to expand...

Gestures work in chrome too
 
MacBH928 said:
Maybe you are talking Safari on Yosemite. I got Mavericks on a 2008 macbook and Chrome works just fine and I have multiple tabs open 20+. I tried Safari for a bit and it stutters and had problems running YouTube videos not sure why.


Chrome's easy keyword search, extensions, "Search on Google" in contextual menu cuts the deal for me. I am hoping to switch back to Safari but Apple does not seem enthusiastic about their browser any more.
Click to expand...
Yeah safari seems so primitive to me. I couldn't use it on a daily basis.
 
MacBH928 said:
Maybe you are talking Safari on Yosemite. I got Mavericks on a 2008 macbook and Chrome works just fine and I have multiple tabs open 20+. I tried Safari for a bit and it stutters and had problems running YouTube videos not sure why.


Chrome's easy keyword search, extensions, "Search on Google" in contextual menu cuts the deal for me. I am hoping to switch back to Safari but Apple does not seem enthusiastic about their browser any more.
Click to expand...

You do have a point about Apple not being too keen on Safari development. They really should do more upgrades to it TBQH. Theyve really let it get lost in the shuffle...
 
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