Hello, I have just purchased my first apple macbook pro 2015 retina 8 gigs of ram model. The purchase was made about 4 days ago so I am still within the return period. The day after I made my purchase I went back to the apple store to get an exchange processed since there was terrible UI lag in Yosemite. The replacement model had relatively less UI lag but still noticeable so I brought it home anyway hoping that an OS update would fix these issues. So far the lag persists through the developer previews and even the new beta for El Capitan. I have searched through the internet and it seems quite a few people are having issues with UI lag, but I am not sure about the percentage. Would you guys recommend I try to exchange another model or is that a futile exercise since most machines are impacted? I will probably end up returning this machine if there isn't an improvement. Possibly opting for a Dell XPS since Windows 10 is a huge improvement over 8. The lag is noticeable when resizing windows and even launching apps like Safari, it isn't horrible but still ruins an otherwise pleasant experience.
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New macbook purchase, should I return it?
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If Yosemite still had noticeable lag for you then consider running some benchmarks or the AHT. If something is wrong then return it. If not then the choice of sticking with OS X or swapping it for a Windows system is 100% yours. I personally would not have left the store if the system appeared to lag at all.
A lot of people say their is UI lag. I don't see it myself, however I'm on the dGPU 15in... 10.11. full release may resolve the issue with Metal but there is no guarantee. If it really bothers you that much, I would first contact AppleCare and see what they say before throwing in the towel. Personally I would keep it, as I love the Mac OS and that's the whole reason I buy Macs, and I also dual boot windows for the times I need those apps/gamez. Windows 10 is nice but its still not Mac and will not run Mac apps. If your even considering going straight windows, then you probably don't need a Mac to begin with, and could probably get a cheaper more powerful option. But it wont be Mac...
Apple really tries to work with customers the best they can. I would give it another try. Also if you haven't already, try re-installing the OS all together
I've read that resetting the pram can help. I have a 13" coming next week. I did not notice any slowness in the two stores I visited.
Yes I have reset the PRAM and also installed new betas for yosemite and even El Capitan yesterday, there is still noticeable lag and choppiness. It isn't horrible but definitely noticeable, I think for a machine this expensive and powerful there really shouldn't be any issues with simple animations.
Yes , return it . Intel integrated graphics are not powerful enough for the retina screen . Buy the 15 inch model with dedicated graphics . That one would have no ui lag . Even the mid 2012 model with gt 650m , when you activate the dgpu , there is no ui lag . Otherwise all the 13 inch models have lag including 2015 .
A dedicated 15 inch macbook pro would cost a fortune. I thought the 13 inch pro was striking a good balance between price and performance. Intel iris graphics should be more than adequate to power a retina display, I really do feel its a software issue on Apples end. What about all those people saying they have no lag issues?
For what it's worth, I've done tests on my 15" MBP 2015, and when I force the intel Iris Pro graphics (like OPs model is limited to), the UI can be quite choppy/laggy depending on what I have open. When I force the dedicated AMD GPU (using gfxCardStatus), it fixes these issues. It's frustrating to see Apple selling hardware that can't handle their software. The Intel Iris or Iris Pro simply cannot smoothly handle OS X Yosemite. I hope El Capitan fixes these issues for people.
Because there seems to varying results. The replacement I got is relatively less choppy than the one I returned, even in store there were differences in UI lag of the same configurations. You also have a whole bunch of people saying they are having no issues at all with the same configuration I have. For those that are experiencing issues, for some its being resolved by reducing transparency or installing newer beta versions of the OS, for others this does not work.
My 13" 2015 rMBP doesn't exactly have smooth animation when I'm resizing windows, but why does it matter? I'm actually USING my laptop to accomplish something, not resize windows all day.
I have a 2015 13" rMP model and I see the lag when you maximize the windows.. Its unnoticeable for people who is not in the detail, but I'm sure its a software problem. You can use photoshop, edit videos.. That animation is very simple, it cant be a hardware failure or lack of processing..
This is nonsense, the hardware in all the machines has been more than enough to run the panels no problem since 2013, hell a crappy little arm processor could probably do it.
The problem seems to be glitch in the software that apple can't sort out.... People have it on all sorts of machines from top of the range retina imacs to the rMB. It does fine in windows after all. The funny thing is different machines seem to have different amounts of it.
Basically you have one choice, accept it or buy something else, thats it at the moment.
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No, its not a hardware issue, Intel's iGPUs are very power now a days, its not the hardware that's the issue but the OS.
Exactly. There is no lag on the new Dell XPS 13 (3200 x 1800) running Windows with i5-5200U and HD Graphics 5500. The base model 2015 rMBP (2560 x 1600) has i5-5257U with Iris Graphics 6100. Also, if you Bootcamp to Windows, there is no lag there.
The problem is software related. No amount of switching computers will help.
You're wasting your time and Apple's. Complain with the feedback form on Apple.com.
Thanks for the replies everyone, I think I will pass on a macbook pro for now and return this unit, Windows 10 seems a pretty sleek upgrade and I might continue with windows for another year or so. This macbook pro sure is solidly built but lag on such simple animations just kills the experience. Would definitely have kept it if Windows 8 was the alternative.
Yes I have, turning transparency off helps a little but it is still there. I wouldnt have an issue if this was a temporary yosemite thing, but if this will persist through el capitan (there is lag in the beta I installed) then it's not worth the 1600 dollars I paid for this machine.
Very strange that you're having these problems, I'm using a non-Retina MBP (which has older hardware compared to your system) with an SSD and Yosemite runs perfectly fine, no lag whatsoever.
One last thing I'd suggest, have you also tried resetting the SMC?
One last thing I'd suggest, have you also tried resetting the SMC?
Your computer has less than a quart of the pixels a retina has to drive, that's why you're not experiencing lag. It doesn't have to rescale everything in real time like a retina does.
The poster above is right, even much weaker non retina models and macbooks from years ago run Yosemite fine with no lag whatsoever.