Mac Studio Still Lacks 'High Power Mode' Offered on Some MacBook Pro and Mac Mini Models

[MacRumors]

Ars Technica's Andrew Cunningham today published his review of the new Mac Studio. In it, he confirmed that the Mac Studio with the M4 Max chip lacks High Power Mode for intensive workloads. He also tested the higher-end Mac Studio with the M3 Ultra chip, and he did not mention anything about High Power Mode for that model either.

Mac Studio review units are running macOS Sequoia 15.3, according to the Geekbench database. macOS Sequoia 15.4 is currently in beta testing, but it is unclear if that update will expand High Power Mode to the Mac Studio.

Apple says High Power Mode allows a Mac's fans to run at higher speeds, and this additional cooling allows the system to deliver higher performance for graphics-intensive sustained workloads, such as 8K video color grading. On supported Macs, the setting can be turned on when the computer is on battery power or plugged in.

High Power Mode is currently available on 14-inch MacBook Pro models with the M3 Max, M4 Pro, or M4 Max chips, 16-inch MacBook Pro models with the M4 Pro or M1 Max through M4 Max chips, and on the Mac mini with the M4 Pro chip.

Given that High Power Mode is offered on MacBook Pro models with the M4 Max chip, it seems like Apple has made a deliberate choice to not offer it on the Mac Studio with the same chip. It could simply be that the Mac Studio is a large desktop computer, meaning that High Power Mode is not necessary due to the lack of battery life or thermal constraints to begin with. However, we have not confirmed Apple's actual reasoning behind this decision.

It might not matter much, regardless.

In his Mac mini review last year, Cunningham said High Power Mode performance gains were "essentially negligible," despite "considerably increased" fan noise. However, he acknowledged that his tests were short and that High Power Mode could be more beneficial "over many hours of activity." Apple says the feature is for "sustained" workloads.

High Power Mode can be enabled in the System Settings app under "Battery" or "Energy."

Article Link: Mac Studio Still Lacks 'High Power Mode' Offered on Some MacBook Pro and Mac Mini Models

 

[GMShadow]

I'm guessing it runs in High Power Mode all the time. It's a thicc desktop.

 

[iSee]

The Mac Studio is essentially in high power mode all the time.

 

[foobarbaz]

Cant we safely assume that desktop Macs just always run in high-power mode?

With the bigger case and fans and unlimited electricity there’s no need to default to a slightly more efficient mode.

 

[albert421]

It is not a battery power device. Why would it need the mode.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

I bet that Studio sure would burn though it's battery, no?

 

[t0rqx]

Only M5 is able to use high power in a Mac Studio because it is more powerful.

 

[dwaite]

The Mac mini setting is a 'proactive cooling' mode - any power throttling is due to the chip hitting thermal limits.

The Studio doesn't need proactive cooling, but I'm sure a third party could add a "make more noise" checkbox.

 

[BNBMS]

High power mode has nothing to do with performance. It only controls the fan speed which is totally normal.

 

[dunkin06]

What? It's a Mac Studio.

 

[mlayer]

Doesn't the M3 Ultra have the special, heavier copper heat sink as opposed to the Max chips with the aluminum? Sounds like this was engineered this way instead of a software toggle for a decidedly more constrained laptop enclosure.

 

[AngerDanger]

FWIW, the MacRumors bot isn't an AI, it's the name of the forum user that posts articles so they can exist on the Wordpress-based front page and the Xenforo-based forums.

It is not a battery power device. Why would it need the mode. Who ever wrote this post didn’t think for a second.

Apple includes High Power Mode on its desktop, the Mac mini. It's even mentioned in the article.

 

[mannyvel]

All those models (including the Mini) prioritize thermals over performance. I presume that's not the case with the Studio.

 

[russell_314]

FWIW, the MacRumors bot isn't an AI

Well, that’s disappointing. I thought we were living in the future, and AI was taking over everything 😂

 

[attohs]

The Mac Studio is always in High Power mode. So is the Mac Pro. They have nice big fans that move lots of air and do not make much noise at high RPM compared to the little fans in MacBook Pros and Mac minis. Are you going to pay me for doing journalism for you?

 

[AppleFeller]

The Mac Studio is always in High Power mode. So is the Mac Pro. They have nice big fans that move lots of air and do not make much noise at high RPM compared to the little fans in MacBook Pros and Mac minis. Are you going to pay me for doing journalism for you?

I was gonna say I swear Apple clarified that before somewhere.

 

[kyeblue]

The Mac Studio is always in High Power mode. So is the Mac Pro. They have nice big fans that move lots of air and do not make much noise at high RPM compared to the little fans in MacBook Pros and Mac minis. Are you going to pay me for doing journalism for you?

That's one of the most stupid articles that I have read here. There are so many obvious reasons that there is a not story.

 

[verdi1987]

I'm guessing it runs in High Power Mode all the time. It's a thicc desktop.

Yup. This is the obvious answer.

 

[obviouslogic]

I'm guessing it runs in High Power Mode all the time. It's a thicc desktop.

Yeah, first thing I thought… “It’s basically a ‘workstation’ meant to be used for higher-end workflows. It’s optimized for performance already.”

 

[Bob Sanders]

It could simply be that the Mac Studio is a large desktop computer, meaning that High Power Mode is not necessary due to the lack of battery life or thermal constraints to begin with. ​

​

The writer probably should have just read this sentence a few more times and then deleted this ridiculous article instead of publishing. The world can be a confusing place, but the idea that desktop workstations don't need the same power management features as laptops should not be confusing.

 

[Wanted797]

It is not a battery power device. Why would it need the mode.

Why is it on the Mac mini then?

 

[raghu8912]

i don't understand why desktop would need these settings.

 

[verdi1987]

Why is it on the Mac mini then?

Because it is a very small form factor which may have thermal considerations.

 

[SoldOnApple]

MacRumors pointing out that Andrew Cunningham isn’t aware that the Studio will always be in high power mode is a little funny.

 

[switz]

It would seem that the over five pound copper heat sink in the Ultra Mac Studios does a fantastic job of dispersing heat without the fan noise level of an old Hoover vacuum (or Intel powered device).

I can hear the fan in my m4 Mini Pro spool up under modest loads but one has to expect that with that small of an enclosure. There are lots of small fans blowing air around in my office so another one really is not an issue.

Back in the day of 300MB removable 12 disc platters in huge enclosures, the fan noise drowned out conversation in the computer rooms.

Today's users are whimps as compared to those of us who lived through the evolution of computing that started in climate controlled rooms with miles of wiring under the lift up panel flooring, roaring fan noise huge disc drives to today where there is a faint whisper of fan noise. Cheez!