CPU/GPU combos, are upgrades worth it for prolonged use?

[lJoSquaredl]

I really want to get the new model with the Vega GPUs but they're only available on the 2.6ghz and up model. Ever since I got a 2.9ghz model in 2016 I've had more issues with noise/heat than ever before due to previously always going baseline CPU. I'll be editing for long hours and possibly doing some light streaming with my MBP as well, I've been looking at either a 2.2ghz model with the 555x to cut down on heat/noise for prolonged use or the 2.6hz Vega model to get some more power, but again I worry about throttling under consistent use. I hear the Vega runs cooler tho not sure how accurate that is or in comparison to a 555x. Would it even be worth it to upgrade or is the baseline better for work that may end up choking speeds down to lower specs anyways?

 

[1096bimu]

I really want to get the new model with the Vega GPUs but they're only available on the 2.6ghz and up model. Ever since I got a 2.9ghz model in 2016 I've had more issues with noise/heat than ever before due to previously always going baseline CPU. I'll be editing for long hours and possibly doing some light streaming with my MBP as well, I've been looking at either a 2.2ghz model with the 555x to cut down on heat/noise for prolonged use or the 2.6hz Vega model to get some more power, but again I worry about throttling under consistent use. I hear the Vega runs cooler tho not sure how accurate that is or in comparison to a 555x. Would it even be worth it to upgrade or is the baseline better for work that may end up choking speeds down to lower specs anyways?

How did you get a 2018 model in 2016? That's not how it works.
Or do you mean you got the 2.9Ghz 2016 model? That is completely different from the 2.9Ghz 2018 model you know?

If you want to be editing for long hours, you should be using a desktop instead, or just get the new Mac mini. It's simply unrealistic to expect constant high performance on a laptop that is also silent.

 

[lJoSquaredl]

How did you get a 2018 model in 2016? That's not how it works.
Or do you mean you got the 2.9Ghz 2016 model? That is completely different from the 2.9Ghz 2018 model you know?

If you want to be editing for long hours, you should be using a desktop instead, or just get the new Mac mini. It's simply unrealistic to expect constant high performance on a laptop that is also silent.

I just meant when it was quad cores, my MBPs were always so silent and stayed pretty cool but my last one had the 2.9ghz and I feel like it’s my loudest model thus far, as well as usually throttling to 2.3-2.6ghz anyways when rendering/exporting/light gaming or whatever else would kick it up.

Can’t do desktops tho, I hate the size of em these days, need the mobility, and when i’ve had both a desktop and laptop in the past one gets neglected a lot more and is a waste anyways. I’ve found “one machine to rule them all” a lot better for me personally. If I didn’t tho yes obviously a Mac Mini/eGPU combo would probably be a better way to go.

 

[CodeJoy]

I really want to get the new model with the Vega GPUs but they're only available on the 2.6ghz and up model. Ever since I got a 2.9ghz model in 2016 I've had more issues with noise/heat than ever before due to previously always going baseline CPU. I'll be editing for long hours and possibly doing some light streaming with my MBP as well, I've been looking at either a 2.2ghz model with the 555x to cut down on heat/noise for prolonged use or the 2.6hz Vega model to get some more power, but again I worry about throttling under consistent use. I hear the Vega runs cooler tho not sure how accurate that is or in comparison to a 555x. Would it even be worth it to upgrade or is the baseline better for work that may end up choking speeds down to lower specs anyways?

In general, the CPU and GPU upgrades on current MBP's are in no way worth the cost. You end up paying 200-300% over market rates for what's effectively maybe 10% performance. As a rule of thumb, you need it to be at least 15-20% faster before you can perceive any real world difference at all. (though lower margins can be measured in benchmarks)

For Vega, just wait one or two weeks after release until the reviews and first user experiences are out. The chip itself is probably good, but how it does inside a MBP we won't know until it's released.

 

[1096bimu]

I just meant when it was quad cores, my MBPs were always so silent and stayed pretty cool but my last one had the 2.9ghz and I feel like it’s my loudest model thus far, as well as usually throttling to 2.3-2.6ghz anyways when rendering/exporting/light gaming or whatever else would kick it up.

Can’t do desktops tho, I hate the size of em these days, need the mobility, and when i’ve had both a desktop and laptop in the past one gets neglected a lot more and is a waste anyways. I’ve found “one machine to rule them all” a lot better for me personally. If I didn’t tho yes obviously a Mac Mini/eGPU combo would probably be a better way to go.

Your last one being the 2018 model?
Well it's six cores so it's running with a higher average power, that's just how it goes.
However, lower end models DO NOT give you less heat. Quite the contrary, higher end models have higher efficiency, meaning that they do more work with less power/heat.
So if you want the quietest machine, get the top spec and limit the power to 30W or something like that.

 

[CodeJoy]

Your last one being the 2018 model?
Well it's six cores so it's running with a higher average power, that's just how it goes.
However, lower end models DO NOT give you less heat. Quite the contrary, higher end models have higher efficiency, meaning that they do more work with less power/heat.
So if you want the quietest machine, get the top spec and limit the power to 30W or something like that.

The higher end models no not have higher efficiency. They're all the same architecture and more or less the same chip. Certainly the same design and process node, and thus the same efficiency. The higher end models are from better quality chips which, if you could change the voltage and frequency, could indeed give you same performance at lower power. But you can't change volt and frequency on the Macs, so it makes no difference.