Cooling Solution for the 2018 MBP

[maflynn]

Edit: Added info regarding Volta

Here's one two solutions to the 2018 MBP hitting 100c so quickly:

Turbo Boost Switcher - which disabled Turbo Boost
Volta - allows undervolting, disabling Turbo Boost, setting power limits.

Turbo Boost Switches off the Turbo Boost allowing your MBP to run much cooler. The downside is that you lose a lot of performance. I understand that and I understand this app isn't for everyone, but I can see this being a handy tool. I was pulling in around 920 on Cinebench before the app, and now just under 700. Yet if you look at the temperature graph, this bad boy was cool


Volta: Allows a more refined configuration, with the Power limiting settings you limit the power to 35wats, 30, or even drop it down to 10 watts. The lower the value the slower the computer but with the right balance you can find the sweet spot of performance and heat

Turbo Boost Switcher: Temps did not even touch 70c, they stayed in the 60s and under.

Volta: with the setting to 35 watts, I'm getting a very respectable 869 with temps just peaking in the low 90s

 

[Closingracer]

Problem is then why are you paying for the machine then to not use it to it’s fullest ?

 

[maflynn]

Problem is then why are you paying for the machine then to not use it to it’s fullest ?

I'm not disputing that, in fact, I thought the same thing, but I feel that for some tasks or scenarios this utility can be very useful.

 

[Closingracer]

I'm not disputing that, in fact, I thought the same thing, but I feel that for some tasks or scenarios this utility can be very useful.

With the i7 it’s understandable but with the i9? It shouldn’t be bought if you have to use this. Not worth $300 . You’re better off buying more RAM, storage or food even then the i9

 

[maflynn]

I have the i7 and even with Lightroom, I can see temps in the 70 to 80c and for me, I'd rather see cooler temps using LR, then performance. Other apps, yeah it makes sense not to disable it

 

[Closingracer]

I have the i7 and even with Lightroom, I can see temps in the 70 to 80c and for me, I'd rather see cooler temps using LR, then performance. Other apps, yeah it makes sense not to disable it

My issue is more on principle.

 

[computerpro3]

Principle is great, but I already bought this machine and it's not going back. I need recommendations for a cooling system that I can buy for my home and work desk that will allow the cpu to run max turbo boost. I am tired of getting talked down to when I ask for this. Yes, I agree Apple should have provided a system that did so ahead of time. They didn't. And I dropped $4k on it anyway because it better satisfied my needs than did anything else.

So, who knows a good cooling pat/matt that actually drops cpu temps?

 

[uecker87]

I am trying out Volta's free 7 day trial. I have it undervolted by -.150mV and have the power limit set to 45W. It definitely has helped my 2.2 i7's Cinebench scores by quite a bit. Now I get in the mid to upper 900's. I get pretty much a consistent nice and smooth 3ghz after a brief boost of 3.8 on Cinebench.

 

[Closingracer]

Principle is great, but I already bought this machine and it's not going back. I need recommendations for a cooling system that I can buy for my home and work desk that will allow the cpu to run max turbo boost. I am tired of getting talked down to when I ask for this. Yes, I agree Apple should have provided a system that did so ahead of time. They didn't. And I dropped $4k on it anyway because it better satisfied my needs than did anything else.

So, who knows a good cooling pat/matt that actually drops cpu temps?

Then that’s your problem. A 4K machine shouldn’t be throttling like that.

 

[mvp2885]

I don't get all the fuss. I have the 2.6 model and this is what I am getting with safari (10 tabs), windows parallels, few pdfs, audible, Spotify, vpn, Microsoft suite, and a few music downloads and I'm getting 3.5 to 3.9 ghz at temps in the 80s, is this bad? my fans do kick up though, but is most likely because of the music downloads.

 

[uecker87]

However, after a handful of Cinebench test in a row it still eventually throttles even with Volta's undervolting and power limit of 45W as mentioned above on my 2.2. See attached screenshot.


[doublepost=1532139689][/doublepost]

I don't get all the fuss. I have the 2.6 model and this is what I am getting with safari (10 tabs), windows parallels, few pdfs, audible, Spotify, vpn, Microsoft suite, and a few music downloads and I'm getting 3.5 to 3.9 ghz at temps in the 80s, is this bad? my fans do kick up though, but is most likely because of the music downloads.

You aren't really pushing it. Look at your utilization. Compare that to mine above.

 

[mvp2885]

However, after a handful of Cinebench test in a row it still eventually throttles even with Volta's undervolting and power limit of 45W as mentioned above on my 2.2. See attached screenshot.

View attachment 771858
[doublepost=1532139689][/doublepost]
You aren't really pushing it. Look at your utilization. Compare that to mine above.

True, but I mean are you really gonna be "pushing" your laptop all day? I mean if your job requires constant encoding, 3d rendering, or having the Mac do 24/7 computations, then I think an iMac pro would be a better choice. For the vast majority who just do a lot of multitasking, running few VMs, photoshop, LT, I don't think it will be an issue. I might actually upgrade to the i9 model. At the end of the day, benchmarks test the upper limits of the cpu, and your cpu will only reach that a few times, other than that, I am happy with how blazing fast this thing is. I have it connected to an lg 5k ultra fine and its the perfect set up.

 

[Chughes]

I don't get all the fuss. I have the 2.6 model and this is what I am getting with safari (10 tabs), windows parallels, few pdfs, audible, Spotify, vpn, Microsoft suite, and a few music downloads and I'm getting 3.5 to 3.9 ghz at temps in the 80s, is this bad? my fans do kick up though, but is most likely because of the music downloads.

That may seem like a lot to ask of your computer, but all of those processes are fairly light duty for the CPU, with the biggest draw likely being Parallels. Those speeds are great, if thats the most load your computer sees, then you have nothing to worry about.

 

[mvp2885]

That may seem like a lot to ask of your computer, but all of those processes are fairly light duty for the CPU, with the biggest draw likely being Parallels. Those speeds are great, if thats the most load your computer sees, then you have nothing to worry about.

True... again if you're full time job depends on the power of the Mac or you lose money due to throttling, then yes I get the point, but I guess im in the group doesn't depend on that. Although I would recommend getting 32 gigs if you do any VM, mine already jumping to 14 gigs ram, so I am def upgrading to 32.

 

[Mockletoy]

True, but I mean are you really gonna be "pushing" your laptop all day? I mean if your job requires constant encoding, 3d rendering, or having the Mac do 24/7 computations, then I think an iMac pro would be a better choice. For the vast majority who just do a lot of multitasking, running few VMs, photoshop, LT, I don't think it will be an issue. I might actually upgrade to the i9 model. At the end of the day, benchmarks test the upper limits of the cpu, and your cpu will only reach that a few times, other than that, I am happy with how blazing fast this thing is. I have it connected to an lg 5k ultra fine and its the perfect set up.

It doesn’t matter if he wants to “push it” 5 minutes a day or 24 hours a day, his Mac should be able to do the job he bought it to do at the speeds it was advertised at.

 

[impulse462]

I have the i7 and even with Lightroom, I can see temps in the 70 to 80c and for me, I'd rather see cooler temps using LR, then performance. Other apps, yeah it makes sense not to disable it

I use LR relatively frequently and I see temps in that range also and it gets pretty annoying. I’m on a 2017 15” though with the 7700hq. I don’t get any throttling during prime95 for reference.

 

[Mockletoy]

I use LR relatively frequently and I see temps in that range also and it gets pretty annoying. I’m on a 2017 15” though with the 7700hq. I don’t get any throttling during prime95 for reference.

I have never undervolted my MacBook (2016) because it never really runs hot, but I have another machine with a 7700HQ in it. I undervolted it to -0.125 and it dropped my average temps by several degrees C even when the chip is pegged at max turbo. Granted, it’s in a much larger chassis (gaming notebook), but my average full-bore all-core turbo 3.4Ghz temps are mid-to-upper 60s with the fans under automatic control and not roaring.

I don’t know if I could have gone past -0.125v. It was the first thing I tried and it worked and the temps were fine so I didn’t bother testing anything else. Just something to think about. Helps not only with heat but to a small extent with battery life as well. I’ve never undervolted a Mac, but folks are talking about a utility called Volta that apparently makes it pretty easy and has a free trial.

 

[computerpro3]

Then that’s your problem. A 4K machine shouldn’t be throttling like that.

I probably think you're 80k car shouldn't drive like it does either, or your 800k house shouldn't look like it does. Yet, you still use them...


Bottom line is, it's not really my problem since this is the only machine on the market that satisfies my needs. There is no "alternative." So instead of cry over spilled milk on a machine that let's face it, my business is paying for anyway and isn't going to change my lifestyle, I'd rather just buy a cooling pad and get on with my life.

 

[ofarlig]

Why do you care what the CPU temperature is? As long as the cooler isn't making more noise than you want or the shell gets uncomfortably hot why do you care?

 

[Queen6]

Here's one solution to the 2018 MBP hitting 100c so quickly: Turbo Boost Switcher

That app turns off the Turbo Boost allowing your MBP to run much cooler. The downside is that you lose a lot of performance. I understand that and I understand this app isn't for everyone, but I can see this being a handy tool. I was pulling in around 920 on Cinebench before the app, and now just under 700. Yet if you look at the temperature graph, this bad boy was cool

Temps did not even touch 70c, they stayed in the 60s and under.
View attachment 771854

Much better to undervolt the CPU if possible. The notebook will run cooler & quieter and may potentially increase performance.

Cutting Turbo will dramatically reduce the temperature, however it also results in a very inefficient CPU.

If Volta will work try -100mV undervolt and increase to optimum. My W10 notebook the 8750H will undervolt as much as - 150mV, although I have it set a - 130mV as I don't observe much benifits beyond that point.

If your running W10 ThrottleStop is the answer being an extremely powerful tool. Allowing undervolt of CPU Core, Cache & iGPU, control of Turbo limits, and PL-1 & PL-2 limits and more if the CPU is not overly locked down.

Q-6

 

[The Mercurian]

Has anyone tried a cooling plate ?

I.e. one of these type of things:

https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/best-laptop-coolers

I have zero clue if they make any difference but at least they seem to be fairly cheap! Not gonna be useful when travelling however
[doublepost=1532165846][/doublepost]Also for software fixes this looks promoising - it seems they are using the volta tool to limit the TDP - i..e limit the max power that will flow throuigh the chip , thus getting 20% performance gain!

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Apple...e-performance-with-a-few-clicks.317552.0.html

 

[maflynn]

My issue is more on principle.

I'm not disagreeing with you, but without this utility, I'm left with few choices. I can live with the throttling/overheating, I can return the laptop. I bought the laptop before apple started delivering them into customer's hands, I guess I leapt before I looked.

If I return the laptop, where does the leave me? I'm not waiting a year for a 2019 model, I'll be looking to get a windows machine. I lose out on the apple ecosystem which was why I returned the Razer Blade that I bought. That was a fine machine and had many things going for it, but for my situation, I feel Macs are the way to go.

Much better to undervolt the CPU if possible.

To a point, I found undervolting allowed the CPU to work at max more often, but the temps were higher. I haven't tried undervolting the MBP so my experience is with the Razer. Tbh, I turned off turbo on the Razer as well when I was on battery and that helped battery life. I'm coming from a 2012 laptop, so even with turbo off, I have an improvement, and turning it on is easy with the app, so imo, its a win-win situation. YMMV and for many people this may not be a solution.

What it provides however is the owners of the 2018 MBP now has some options

 

[aevan]

Here's one solution to the 2018 MBP hitting 100c so quickly: Turbo Boost Switcher

That app turns off the Turbo Boost allowing your MBP to run much cooler. The downside is that you lose a lot of performance. I understand that and I understand this app isn't for everyone, but I can see this being a handy tool. I was pulling in around 920 on Cinebench before the app, and now just under 700. Yet if you look at the temperature graph, this bad boy was cool

Temps did not even touch 70c, they stayed in the 60s and under.
View attachment 771854

Thank you for this - it's amazing how we sometimes think we need more CPU performance or RAM for certain tasks, while we, actually, don't. I tried the app, and I actually get exactly the same performance (at least in terms of perceiving the difference) while sculpting in Zbrush or drawing in Photoshop, while my CPU is actually 20 degrees cooler and fans don't kick in.

I know this has little to do with the latest 2018 CPUs, since I'm using a 2.7 i7 from 2016, but I just wanted to say thanks Got the Pro version and will be using it.

 

[maflynn]

Much better to undervolt the CPU if possible. T

I'm preferring this app over Volta for the simple reason I don't have to mess with SIP and turn that off for kexts. Plus in testing Volta, I did not see any appreciable improvement in throttling. I reduced it to -135 and it didn't help.

The simplicity of Turbo Boost Switcher has won me over, its not for everyone, I get that but I do think its a handy utility for many people

 

[The Mercurian]

I'm preferring this app over Volta for the simple reason I don't have to mess with SIP and turn that off for kexts. Plus in testing Volta, I did not see any appreciable improvement in throttling. I reduced it to -135 and it didn't help.

The simplicity of Turbo Boost Switcher has won me over, its not for everyone, I get that but I do think its a handy utility for many people

Did you test the power limit in volta ? that seems to be the better option going by notebookcheck article. Forget undervolting, just set the power limit to 45W and prevent it drawing like 100W or something.