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Overclocking Macbook Pro
- Thread starter AlexBass
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I have some experience with this topic as I am a mechanical engineer and have replaced thermal paste on a macbook pro. I'm by no means an expert but I have put beyond average thought into the topic of heat transfer and thermal paste. What you are saying is not exactly correct. For whatever reason, at least in the past, Apple has not put a lot of pressure on Foxconn to improve the thermal pasting process. Here's what happens when too much paste is put on a chip. It increases the separation between chip and heat pipe. While the paste conducts heat better than air, it conducts much poorer than actual metal-metal contact. The paste should really only fill in imperfections on each surface and in fact the "high spots" on each surface should have zero paste. The idea being to get each surface as close to contact as possible. When I reapplied the paste on my MacBook Pro, it was clear the worker thought he was doing me a favor by giving me a lot of thermal paste. It was really gooped on there. Before I did this, the case would get scorching hot in normal use. I could not use it on my lap. What happens is, when the heat doesn't make it to the pipe, the fans don't kick on properly and the heat goes through the case instead. When a proper connection is made between chip and pipe, the heat flows efficiently, the heat pipe sensors trip the fans on and the fans get to do their job better. I could finally use the laptop on my lap!
As to your statement that Apple made the fans just big enough to remove the heat, this would be poor engineering.
This is not true.
as far as i know there is no proper way unfortunatly to OC the cpu on this mac but there is throttlestop to do some minimal tweaking to the cpu like undervolting it to get cooler temps and increasing the multiplier by 0.5 witch is already an OC but a very poor one lol .however you can do it on the gpu very well.
read my last posts as jaks to know more about OCing the gpu and about throttlestop
https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=16702055#post16702055
read my last posts as jaks to know more about OCing the gpu and about throttlestop
https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=16702055#post16702055
Overclocking can be done!
Hi everyone I can confirm that overclocking is possible I'm not sure about your mac but I have successfully overclocked my mid 2009 13" MacBook Pro through bootcamp the overclock doesn't transfer over to os x but I get a significant boost 20-25% performance I do this by using a program called nvidia system tools it is possible to overclock the GPU CPU and RAM to overclock the GPU you can either change the core shader or Vram i recommend that you don't go any further than 700Mhz from the stock 450Mhz because you start to get unstable also do NOT overclock the Vram just don't Vram is easy to fry and can seriously mess up your whole computer. If you are interested on how far I have gone with my GPU overclocking I have gone from the stock 450Mhz to 760Mhz with a slight voltage boost to keep it stable be advised that this is an extreme overclock and is not something I run constantly if you ran this 24/7 you would burn out your gpu in a matter of months i have managed to get my shader clock from 1.1ghz to 1.6Ghz again long term 1.2-1.4Ghz maybe depends on how good your thermal paste is I recomend some arctic silver 5 using the dot method to apply and redoing the paste every 4 months if you will be constantly overclocking. Now for the people who say that cpu and ram overclocking is impossible let me tell you how I'm not sure about your computers but I have overclocked my mid 2009 13" MacBook Pro it has the 2.53Ghz core 2 duo to do this you open the nvidia control panel pane and select performance the where is says FSB clock this is the reference clock that is multiplied by however many times the manufacturer selects in my case it is 9.5 and YES the clock multiplier is locked however the FSB is not in my case. My FSB clock is 266.5Mhz 266 x 9.5 = 2531.75Mhz. So the further i have been able to increase this is 309Mhz so 2.93ghz that is around another 400Mhz of stock clock. However the FSB clock also controls other things such as ram with my processor set to 2.9Ghz my 8GB of DDR3 1333Mhz ends up at 1575Mhz which isn't very stable but it is possible.If you didn't pick up already this OC can only be done in bootcamp. Also on the cooling side of things you HAVE to have your fans at full speed other wise not only will your computer become unstable it will probably melt jk it will turn itself off if you cant stand loud fans in lubbos fan control drag the top slider to 85C and the next one down to 35C and set the max fan to the max and the min to 2000rpm that way by the time your temps hit 85C the fans will be at max. Another thing I do is elevate my computer so that there is more airflow underneath. Also if you live in america during a heatwave it is common logic not to try this isn't it. Finally it is up to you to try to overclock your computer and if you set the FSB to 9001 by accident and hit apply it is not my fault nor is it my fault if you harm your computer in any way. Good luck overclocking the GPU is the easiest
.
Ps: to all the people out there who say it is impossible to overclock a mac please make sure you have your facts correct before you say something is impossible just because you cant find out how or it doesn't come up on google doesn't mean you can do it also i will agree with you that without modification it is close to thermally impossible. I am not trying to anger all the people who say it is impossible I am simply trying to help someone who asked for it
PPs:If anyone has any questions feel free to email me at wilkeszac@gmail.com
Hi everyone I can confirm that overclocking is possible I'm not sure about your mac but I have successfully overclocked my mid 2009 13" MacBook Pro through bootcamp the overclock doesn't transfer over to os x but I get a significant boost 20-25% performance I do this by using a program called nvidia system tools it is possible to overclock the GPU CPU and RAM to overclock the GPU you can either change the core shader or Vram i recommend that you don't go any further than 700Mhz from the stock 450Mhz because you start to get unstable also do NOT overclock the Vram just don't Vram is easy to fry and can seriously mess up your whole computer. If you are interested on how far I have gone with my GPU overclocking I have gone from the stock 450Mhz to 760Mhz with a slight voltage boost to keep it stable be advised that this is an extreme overclock and is not something I run constantly if you ran this 24/7 you would burn out your gpu in a matter of months i have managed to get my shader clock from 1.1ghz to 1.6Ghz again long term 1.2-1.4Ghz maybe depends on how good your thermal paste is I recomend some arctic silver 5 using the dot method to apply and redoing the paste every 4 months if you will be constantly overclocking. Now for the people who say that cpu and ram overclocking is impossible let me tell you how I'm not sure about your computers but I have overclocked my mid 2009 13" MacBook Pro it has the 2.53Ghz core 2 duo to do this you open the nvidia control panel pane and select performance the where is says FSB clock this is the reference clock that is multiplied by however many times the manufacturer selects in my case it is 9.5 and YES the clock multiplier is locked however the FSB is not in my case. My FSB clock is 266.5Mhz 266 x 9.5 = 2531.75Mhz. So the further i have been able to increase this is 309Mhz so 2.93ghz that is around another 400Mhz of stock clock. However the FSB clock also controls other things such as ram with my processor set to 2.9Ghz my 8GB of DDR3 1333Mhz ends up at 1575Mhz which isn't very stable but it is possible.If you didn't pick up already this OC can only be done in bootcamp. Also on the cooling side of things you HAVE to have your fans at full speed other wise not only will your computer become unstable it will probably melt jk it will turn itself off if you cant stand loud fans in lubbos fan control drag the top slider to 85C and the next one down to 35C and set the max fan to the max and the min to 2000rpm that way by the time your temps hit 85C the fans will be at max. Another thing I do is elevate my computer so that there is more airflow underneath. Also if you live in america during a heatwave it is common logic not to try this isn't it. Finally it is up to you to try to overclock your computer and if you set the FSB to 9001 by accident and hit apply it is not my fault nor is it my fault if you harm your computer in any way. Good luck overclocking the GPU is the easiest
.Ps: to all the people out there who say it is impossible to overclock a mac please make sure you have your facts correct before you say something is impossible just because you cant find out how or it doesn't come up on google doesn't mean you can do it also i will agree with you that without modification it is close to thermally impossible. I am not trying to anger all the people who say it is impossible I am simply trying to help someone who asked for it
PPs:If anyone has any questions feel free to email me at wilkeszac@gmail.com
Thread necromancy! But pretty cool necromancy. I'm guessing you're one of the first to do this (congrats). But the threads over a year old... maybe why the previous posters could not overclock.
Nice to get a straight answer on this (though I will likely never do it to a laptop...).
So...I'm assuming your OC/mods have rendered your comma key inoperable and that your period key has an intermittent fault.
Sorry, your post was just too hard to read and made my brain hurt. If there's good info in there I missed it.
Sorry, your post was just too hard to read and made my brain hurt. If there's good info in there I missed it.
Just so you know, your mid2010 13' mbp will probably do 16gb ram.
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/8566DDR3S16P/
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/8566DDR3S16P/
Hi everyone I can confirm that overclocking is possible I'm not sure about your mac but I have successfully overclocked my mid 2009 13" MacBook Pro through bootcamp the overclock doesn't transfer over to os x but I get a significant boost 20-25% performance I do this by using a program called nvidia system tools it is possible to overclock the GPU CPU and RAM to overclock the GPU you can either change the core shader or Vram i recommend that you don't go any further than 700Mhz from the stock 450Mhz because you start to get unstable also do NOT overclock the Vram just don't Vram is easy to fry and can seriously mess up your whole computer. If you are interested on how far I have gone with my GPU overclocking I have gone from the stock 450Mhz to 760Mhz with a slight voltage boost to keep it stable be advised that this is an extreme overclock and is not something I run constantly if you ran this 24/7 you would burn out your gpu in a matter of months i have managed to get my shader clock from 1.1ghz to 1.6Ghz again long term 1.2-1.4Ghz maybe depends on how good your thermal paste is I recomend some arctic silver 5 using the dot method to apply and redoing the paste every 4 months if you will be constantly overclocking. Now for the people who say that cpu and ram overclocking is impossible let me tell you how I'm not sure about your computers but I have overclocked my mid 2009 13" MacBook Pro it has the 2.53Ghz core 2 duo to do this you open the nvidia control panel pane and select performance the where is says FSB clock this is the reference clock that is multiplied by however many times the manufacturer selects in my case it is 9.5 and YES the clock multiplier is locked however the FSB is not in my case. My FSB clock is 266.5Mhz 266 x 9.5 = 2531.75Mhz. So the further i have been able to increase this is 309Mhz so 2.93ghz that is around another 400Mhz of stock clock. However the FSB clock also controls other things such as ram with my processor set to 2.9Ghz my 8GB of DDR3 1333Mhz ends up at 1575Mhz which isn't very stable but it is possible.If you didn't pick up already this OC can only be done in bootcamp. Also on the cooling side of things you HAVE to have your fans at full speed other wise not only will your computer become unstable it will probably melt jk it will turn itself off if you cant stand loud fans in lubbos fan control drag the top slider to 85C and the next one down to 35C and set the max fan to the max and the min to 2000rpm that way by the time your temps hit 85C the fans will be at max. Another thing I do is elevate my computer so that there is more airflow underneath. Also if you live in america during a heatwave it is common logic not to try this isn't it. Finally it is up to you to try to overclock your computer and if you set the FSB to 9001 by accident and hit apply it is not my fault nor is it my fault if you harm your computer in any way. Good luck overclocking the GPU is the easiest
Ps: to all the people out there who say it is impossible to overclock a mac please make sure you have your facts correct before you say something is impossible just because you cant find out how or it doesn't come up on google doesn't mean you can do it also i will agree with you that without modification it is close to thermally impossible. I am not trying to anger all the people who say it is impossible I am simply trying to help someone who asked for it
PPs:If anyone has any questions feel free to email me at wilkeszac@gmail.com
Are you stupid, or did you just not read any of the posts in this thread? I felt the need to sign up literally just so I could reply to this old ass post. This thread turned up on a google search. So I'm worried that people reading this, like myself, will be misled by your post and end up wasting their time. Your post is just completely missing the point. You typed up paragraphs, paragraphs, criticizing the people for saying it's not possible, and giving unnecessary detail about your OC, yet completely failing to mention that you have an NVIDIA GPU. This is almost embarrassingly stupid. Macbook Pro's do not have dedicated GPUs anymore; they have integrated processor graphics cores. Have you never heard of the Intel HD Graphics 4000? That's what literally everyone in this thread has. It absolutely cannot be overclocked, regardless of OS. I'm pretty upset at Apple for making this choice, and basically trapping their customers in a system where they cannot replace any module without replacing the whole computer. You simply can't upgrade an Apple computer anymore.
You only managed to overclock because you're using an old processor, which even at its max OC is worse than our GPUs at default speed. The people who spent their time explaining why it's not possible don't need your ignorant criticism. You are the one who needs to do some research before coming in with an opinion. You didn't even mention your own GPU, the only reason I knew is because I did my research. The fact that you didn't mention it, and weren't even aware that you might have a different card than the rest of the posters, tells me basically that you don't even know that some graphics cards can't be OC'd. Which is really hilarious because the vast majority of graphics cards can't be OC'd, and virtually all current GPUs used in Apple products can't be OC'd. Here you are, without even basic knowledge of graphics cards, popping in and lecturing everyone.
Okay, I'm done. Sorry guys, can't overclock the ****** intel integrated processor/GPUs. Total crap... Can't wait to get a new, modular laptop. Apple should really get into the business of making either modular laptops, or laptop frames. I'd love a macbook frame with some decent internal organs. Let it come factory shipped with a partitioned drive, Win7 and OSX 10.7.5...
Ummm...
You may want to slow your roll, apologize, and do some more "research" because you are sorely mistaken if you think that MBPs don't have a dGPU anymore. Yes, there are models without them but there are also models with them, now, available today, from Apple.
Would you like to correct and re-word your post?
Hi everyone I can confirm that overclocking is possible I'm not sure about your mac but I have successfully overclocked my mid 2009 13" MacBook Pro through bootcamp the overclock doesn't transfer over to os x but I get a significant boost 20-25% performance I do this by using a program called nvidia system tools it is possible to overclock the GPU CPU and RAM to overclock the GPU you can either change the core shader or Vram i recommend that you don't go any further than 700Mhz from the stock 450Mhz because you start to get unstable also do NOT overclock the Vram just don't Vram is easy to fry and can seriously mess up your whole computer. If you are interested on how far I have gone with my GPU overclocking I have gone from the stock 450Mhz to 760Mhz with a slight voltage boost to keep it stable be advised that this is an extreme overclock and is not something I run constantly if you ran this 24/7 you would burn out your gpu in a matter of months i have managed to get my shader clock from 1.1ghz to 1.6Ghz again long term 1.2-1.4Ghz maybe depends on how good your thermal paste is I recomend some arctic silver 5 using the dot method to apply and redoing the paste every 4 months if you will be constantly overclocking. Now for the people who say that cpu and ram overclocking is impossible let me tell you how I'm not sure about your computers but I have overclocked my mid 2009 13" MacBook Pro it has the 2.53Ghz core 2 duo to do this you open the nvidia control panel pane and select performance the where is says FSB clock this is the reference clock that is multiplied by however many times the manufacturer selects in my case it is 9.5 and YES the clock multiplier is locked however the FSB is not in my case. My FSB clock is 266.5Mhz 266 x 9.5 = 2531.75Mhz. So the further i have been able to increase this is 309Mhz so 2.93ghz that is around another 400Mhz of stock clock. However the FSB clock also controls other things such as ram with my processor set to 2.9Ghz my 8GB of DDR3 1333Mhz ends up at 1575Mhz which isn't very stable but it is possible.If you didn't pick up already this OC can only be done in bootcamp. Also on the cooling side of things you HAVE to have your fans at full speed other wise not only will your computer become unstable it will probably melt jk it will turn itself off if you cant stand loud fans in lubbos fan control drag the top slider to 85C and the next one down to 35C and set the max fan to the max and the min to 2000rpm that way by the time your temps hit 85C the fans will be at max. Another thing I do is elevate my computer so that there is more airflow underneath. Also if you live in america during a heatwave it is common logic not to try this isn't it. Finally it is up to you to try to overclock your computer and if you set the FSB to 9001 by accident and hit apply it is not my fault nor is it my fault if you harm your computer in any way. Good luck overclocking the GPU is the easiest
Ps: to all the people out there who say it is impossible to overclock a mac please make sure you have your facts correct before you say something is impossible just because you cant find out how or it doesn't come up on google doesn't mean you can do it also i will agree with you that without modification it is close to thermally impossible. I am not trying to anger all the people who say it is impossible I am simply trying to help someone who asked for it
PPs:If anyone has any questions feel free to email me at wilkeszac@gmail.com
Hey, ever heard of Paragraphs ?? No paragraphs, no read
Are you this friggin' thick?
Have you forgotten that there is a goddamn late-2013/mid-2014 15" retina MacBook Pro with 2GB of GT 750M, GDDR5? Where the hell did you read that rMBPs don't have dGPUs anymore?
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Ok, i wasn't about to post, but as so many of us has expressed this uncontrollable urge to post here, i will just say that:
this entire thread has over clocked the S*** out of my laughing capacity!
Thanks for that
this entire thread has over clocked the S*** out of my laughing capacity!
Thanks for that
"recyclethepanda", who 99% of us are responding to, posted up today and not 2 years ago.
Not possible.
All paste does is help in heat transfer. 18 degrees Celsius is too high. It'll never keep up. It's literally impossible. Something about physics and thermodynamics.
I think you mean 18 degrees fahrenheit. Which would be 7.77778 C. That is a bit more plausible. Highly unlikely though.
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Not my fault people zombify posts. Isn't that against the forum rules somewhere?
All paste does is help in heat transfer. 18 degrees Celsius is too high. It'll never keep up. It's literally impossible. Something about physics and thermodynamics.
I think you mean 18 degrees fahrenheit. Which would be 7.77778 C. That is a bit more plausible. Highly unlikely though.
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Not my fault people zombify posts. Isn't that against the forum rules somewhere?
Hey dumbass, what did I say? Why don't you read it over before you quote it? I said intel integrated graphics can't be overclocked, which is just a fact. I never said that all MBPs don't have dedicated GPUs, I said that virtually all modern MBPs can't be overclocked because they have integrated graphics, which is pretty much a fact. I haven't met even a single person, offline or online, with a 2011+ macbook with a dedicated GPU that can be overclocked. Among MBPs with dedicated GPUs from before 2011, nearly all cannot be overclocked, and those that can, will see a microscopic difference.
Regardless, it seems you failed to notice the fact that when this thread was posted, the 2014 MBP did not even exist. When this thread was posted, there was not even a single 2011+ MBP with dedicated graphics. That's a simple fact. I posted this in response to the rampant stupidity and ignorance that seemed to exist in this thread two years ago... not to mince words about minuscule details like whether mac has ever made a laptop with dedicated graphics. Mentioning the one laptop they made with dedicated graphics does nothing to help people finding this thread to try to see if they can overclock their GPU. It only makes you look like a tool, desperate to be "correct." How many people have the 2014 MBP with non-integrated graphics? Anyone buying a new laptop in 2014, who intentionally selected the more expensive dGPU option either already knows how to overclock it, or is merely interested in buying an expensive computer to feel good about himself, and couldn't care less about overclocking. These posts are intended to help people who can't afford a better GPU, and want to overclock what they have. Sadly it's not possible, because that demographic seems to have bought, by and large, computers that can't be overclocked.
If there are people looking to overclock their 2014 MBPs, then they either can't (because of intel graphics) or they already know how, because they took the time to buy a dGPU. So you either don't understand this very basic point, or you knew it but ignored it because you desperately wanted to be the correct one in an internet argument, and were willing to overlook the fact that your criticism made no sense, because you assumed that nobody would put two and two together and realize how stupid your argument was. Which is honestly a pretty safe assumption because most of the people on here are clueless apple fanboys in the first place. Either way you and I both know that you're not a badass for pointing out that a 2014 computer has a dGPU option, in a conversation about -2012 computers not being OCable... and if other people can't get their heads around that, that's fine because I only dropped in to point out the obvious and help people avoid wasting their time. I don't know you and I never will, so bye bye!
My wife's early 2011 MBP has a Radeon 6490m dGPU. I'm not ragging on any other point that you've attempted to make, I just want to point that, just like everyone else who gets a little heated on these threads, your own wall of angry text also contains some nonsensical and fictional content.
This doesn't make your key point any less correct, though. It just adds a little more to the entertainment.
Anyone who is knowledgable and skilled enough to overclock their MacBook Pro should not, and wouldn't need to, take any information from this thread.
Geez guys.. this is just a crazy thread.. lol I will break it down for you.
CPU: only possible if your CPU has a QM/XM after the name (Ivy/sandy Bridge only) and the QM isn't overclocking really, it's called Unlocked Turbo Bins.. As per the Mac desktops, the CPU sku need to have a "k" at the end. I don't think Apple ever has put a 'K' sku CPU in their Macs. This needs to be done in the UEFI/BIOS which you can't edit in a Mac easily.
Memory: Not possible, the UEFI/BIOS (Legacy) controls this and you would need to hack that.
GPU: easily in windows/linux with Afterburner, nVidia inspector or the like..
Intel HD 2,3,4,5xxx is only overclockable via the BIOS/UEFI (such as my windows laptop) I have overclocked my Intel HD4000 to 1500mhz. Not possible in a Mac, sorry guys.
So there are the answers.
CPU: only possible if your CPU has a QM/XM after the name (Ivy/sandy Bridge only) and the QM isn't overclocking really, it's called Unlocked Turbo Bins.. As per the Mac desktops, the CPU sku need to have a "k" at the end. I don't think Apple ever has put a 'K' sku CPU in their Macs. This needs to be done in the UEFI/BIOS which you can't edit in a Mac easily.
Memory: Not possible, the UEFI/BIOS (Legacy) controls this and you would need to hack that.
GPU: easily in windows/linux with Afterburner, nVidia inspector or the like..
Intel HD 2,3,4,5xxx is only overclockable via the BIOS/UEFI (such as my windows laptop) I have overclocked my Intel HD4000 to 1500mhz. Not possible in a Mac, sorry guys.
So there are the answers.
You can over clock the GPU. There's a forum entirely dedicated to it. Its called hd4000 vram hack. Look it up. People have allocated 2 and 3 GB of ram to their gpu.
First of all, congrats on resurrecting this thread yet again.
Secondly, allocating more video memory to your iGPU isn't the same thing at all as overclocking it.