High Power Mode Expands to 14-Inch MacBook Pro With M3 Max Chip

[MacRumors]

Apple has expanded High Power Mode to the new 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M3 Max chip, according to Six Colors editor-in-chief Jason Snell. The feature was previously only available on the 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 Max and M2 Max.

"For some tests, I switched the MacBook Pro into High Power Mode, which is now available on both 14- and 16-inch models in the M3 Max configuration," wrote Snell, in his review of the new MacBook Pros. "I didn't actually find it made much of a difference in the tests I was running, but it sure did make the fans kick in at a very loud volume."

In a support document, Apple says High Power Mode allows a MacBook Pro's fans to run at higher speeds, and this additional cooling may allow the system to deliver higher performance for "intensive sustained workloads," such as 8K video color grading.

On macOS Ventura and later, High Power Mode can be enabled in the System Settings app under Battery by clicking on the dropdown menus next to "On battery" or "On power adapter" and selecting the "High Power" option.

9to5Mac was first to report this news.

Article Link: High Power Mode Expands to 14-Inch MacBook Pro With M3 Max Chip

 

[eropko]

So guess thermal pressure of M3Max is higher than it was on M1/M2, at least in 14 inch body.

Back on M1Max this mode did nothing.

 

[sw1tcher]

"For some tests, I switched the MacBook Pro into High Power Mode, which is now available on both 14- and 16-inch models in the M3 Max configuration," wrote Snell, in his review of the new MacBook Pros. "I didn't actually find it made much of a difference in the tests I was running, but it sure did make the fans kick in at a very loud volume."

In a support document, Apple says High Power Mode allows a MacBook Pro's fans to run at higher speeds, and this additional cooling may allow the system to deliver higher performance for "intensive sustained workloads," such as 8K video color grading.

So the key word is it "may" allow the system to deliver higher performance, not that it "will" allow the system to deliver higher performance.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Software gimmick vs. reducing the performance cores & cutting memory bandwidth??? Or does high power mode apply to efficiency cores?

Edit: misread title to think this mode was added for MBpro with M3 PRO... but it's only about M3 MAX which didn't get the amazing cores downgrade.

 

[eropko]

So the key word is it "may" allow the system to deliver higher performance, not that it "will" allow the system to deliver higher performance.

I think you've overlooked the word 'sustained'. It's not about delivering performance it's about trying to keep that performance up for long(er).

 

[gpat]

That's gonna feel toasty.

 

[kemal]

What were the tests?

 

[eropko]

Software gimmick vs. reducing the performance cores & cutting memory bandwidth??? Or does high power mode apply to efficiency cores?

E-cores in base M and Pro/Max M are not the same and are managed differently. E.g. in M1 generation two M1Pro E-cores were cumulatively faster than four M1 E-cores cumulatively.

Source:

M3 Macs: there’s more to performance than counting cores

A look at some of the factors determining the performance of new M3 chips compared to the M1 and M2 versions, and how not to compare them.

eclecticlight.co

 

[Apple Fan 2008]

I didn't even know High Power Mode existed. (I do have a 2021 14 inch though)

 

[Fuzzball84]

may allow more power 🤔

Looks like it allowed higher fan speed for sure… doesn’t look worth it. Unless you were doing some intensive computing to save the earth one day!

 

[Fuzzball84]

Imagine enabling an ultra low power mode and getting 30 plus hours on a single charge.

I think more people would find that useful than this high power mode.

Especially if you’re not doing anything demanding.

 

[bradman83]

Software gimmick vs. reducing the performance cores & cutting memory bandwidth??? Or does high power mode apply to efficiency cores?

This only applies to Max-enabled machines, which did not cut performance cores (or memory bandwidth on the higher core model)

 

[bradman83]

So guess thermal pressure of M3Max is higher than it was on M1/M2, at least in 14 inch body.

Back on M1Max this mode did nothing.

I would think the opposite - Apple felt the 14" didn't have the thermal management capacity to enable high performance mode on the M1 and M2 generations but does with the M3. Either the M3 Max runs a bit cooler at peak load than its predecessors or Apple improved the internal cooling capacity of the 14". I'm sure once iFixit does a teardown we'll know more.

 

[eropko]

Imagine enabling an ultra low power mode and getting 30 plus hours on a single charge.
I think more people would find that useful than this high power mode.
Especially if you’re not doing anything demanding.

You can make any tasks/apps strictly use only E-cores with some Terminal commands.
Good performance is not guaranteed though.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

error in post.

 

[eropko]

I would think the opposite - Apple felt the 14" didn't have the thermal management capacity to enable high performance mode on the M1 and M2 generations but does with the M3. Either the M3 Max runs a bit cooler at peak load than its predecessors or Apple improved the internal cooling capacity of the 14". I'm sure once iFixit does a teardown we'll know more.

Nice idea. Well, we will wait and see quite soon.

 

[Fuzzball84]

You can make any tasks/apps strictly use only E-cores with some Terminal commands.
Good performance is not guaranteed though.

I think this function and a disclaimer would be useful for some. Imagine only having 30 percent battery remaining and only needing to do light stuff while away from power source.

 

[OrenLindsey]

This is the only reason I wish I had an M3 MacBook Pro: The M3 Max chip. It's an amazing piece of silicon.
The Pro chip? A very, very tiny upgrade. The base M3 chip? Nice, but most base model users don't need that much performance. But the max chip is a really good upgrade.

 

[erikkfi]

This used to be an option in early versions of OS X. My iMac G5 definitely had a performance setting.

 

[eropko]

I think this function and a disclaimer would be useful for some. Imagine only having 30 percent battery remaining and only needing to do light stuff while away from power source.

Well, they can get App Tamer app (paid) or do it as explained on this page for free

Making the most of Apple silicon power: 5 User control

How you can use the taskpolicy command to confine all the threads of a process to the E cores, as a brake, but there’s no accelerator in macOS.

eclecticlight.co

 

[diego]

Really what's the point of letting the user choose this so easily? It should be a hidden option by pressing alt or something. This is going to confuse most regular users.

 

[HylianKnight]

Does High Power mode do more than just ramp the fans up? If not, then wouldn’t a correctly programmed fan curve eliminate the need to manually enable some sort of “high power” mode. On the other hand, if High Power Mode is doing things like increasing the thermal limit, voltage, or clock of the cpu then I suppose that would validate its existence.

 

[CarAnalogy]

Now give me a low power mode toggle in control center. In fact, just give me iOS’s control center on Mac. They half-ass gave it iOS notifications, give it the one good part of that area of iOS.

 

[GraXXoR]

Tail end of the power/performance graph is not only higher power (by definition) but also lower efficiency. So you'll be getting a whole lotta heat for a tiny little performance boost.

That's why so many people with monster graphics cards undervolt; reducing the power by a lot at the top end only reduces performance by a tiny margin.

One could even posit that Apple are basically undervolting out of the gate.

 

[StealthRider]

Really what's the point of letting the user choose this so easily? It should be a hidden option by pressing alt or something. This is going to confuse most regular users.

Frankly, if this confuses them they probably shouldn't be driving an M3 Max.