Retina 15 (2013) CPU Throttling

[Tandeer]

So my use for the retina 15 is as a desktop replacement for a Digital Audio workstation.

I currently have a late 2011 MBP 15 which throttles heavily everytime the CPU load crosses 80%, causing crackles and dropouts.

My question is can anyone into music production confirm how the new 2013 retina 15s handle CPU throttling under heavy load? This is critical if we are to use it as a low latency DAW replacing a desktop.

Thanks!

 

[Doward]

Any Macbook Pro that exhibits throttling can be easily solved:

Work:

My 2.5Ghz Core i7 Quad Core system under full load will maintain 3.3Ghz on all 4 cores while rendering in FCPX.

 

[Tandeer]

Any Macbook Pro that exhibits throttling can be easily solved:



Work:

YouTube: video



Results:

YouTube: video



My 2.5Ghz Core i7 Quad Core system under full load will maintain 3.3Ghz on all 4 cores while rendering in FCPX.

Thanks for this, but not everyone wants to open their MacBooks and tinker with them, we expect it to 'just work' )

 

[l.a.rossmann]

Thanks for this, but not everyone wants to open their MacBooks and tinker with them, we expect it to 'just work' )

Then you're buying the wrong computer.

The 2010 and 2011 15.4" machines use 820-2850 and 820-2915 motherboards which are overpriced space heaters. The bottom of my Lenovo runs cooler mining litecoin than those do watching a lowres youtube video...

The retina is nothing like those old space heaters. It's efficient and amazing.

They do have a design that traps dust inside, but so do almost all Apple products. You should have no problem as long as you open it once every six months and give it a nice burst of compressed air to clean the dust out.

 

[maflynn]

Any Macbook Pro that exhibits throttling can be easily solved:

Thanks for this, but not everyone wants to open their MacBooks and tinker with them, we expect it to 'just work' )

Doward, I have to disagree, I've only opened up one apple laptop in all the years of owning them (I've owned apple laptops since the G3 days) and providing advice that you have to open up the computer to fix the heating problem is wrong.

I own a 15" rMBP and do not suffer from heating, my prior laptops have not been impacted by any heating issues otherwise. I understand you've had positive results from your operation but that doesn't mean every consumer should go and do that.

If it starts over-heating and throttling on such tasks, then take it back because that's not normal.

 

[Gav Mack]

Doward, I have to disagree, I've only opened up one apple laptop in all the years of owning them (I've owned apple laptops since the G3 days) and providing advice that you have to open up the computer to fix the heating problem is wrong.

I own a 15" rMBP and do not suffer from heating, my prior laptops have not been impacted by any heating issues otherwise. I understand you've had positive results from your operation but that doesn't mean every consumer should go and do that.

If it starts over-heating and throttling on such tasks, then take it back because that's not normal.

If it's outside of AppleCare and for that particular model of 2011 MBP all Apple will say is a new logic board and nothing to do with the shocking thermal paste application which even today most 'genius' and engineers simply do not have a clue. Cost a fortune too. A decent re-paste by a competent engineer will cost a fraction of that if you are unable to do it yourself. Having done many myself Doward's video is an excellent instruction for either the capable user or an engineer who has never done one before for the 2011 MBP. Principles of cleaning and tinting the heatpipe and CPU/GPU in the video apply to every mac notebook, shame that Apple engineers could actually learn something by watching it.

This particular one is in warranty but if I was a fly on the engineers wall odds on it's bad thermal paste application. I have seen too many over the years in MB/MBP's to not think its the prime suspect!

 

[maflynn]

This particular one is in warranty but if I was a fly on the engineers wall odds on it's bad thermal paste application...

Its not even warranty work. The OP is asking about the potential of throttling on new rMBPs before he purchases one - he wants to make sure his new purchase doesn't throttle.

My point is if a new computer doesn't work as designed, get it replaced.

btw, I'm not saying the video is bad, but rather unnecessary, why buy a brand new computer and then open it up and re-apply the thermal compound.

 

[Gav Mack]

Its not even warranty work. The OP is asking about the potential of throttling on new rMBPs before he purchases one - he wants to make sure his new purchase doesn't throttle.

My point is if a new computer doesn't work as designed, get it replaced.

btw, I'm not saying the video is bad, but rather unnecessary, why buy a brand new computer and then open it up and re-apply the thermal compound.

Soz - most of them don't from new from the very start. Problem is that they put too much of it on and after few months, often less than a year down the line these problems rear their head. But if he has a 2011 with throttling problems why not fix that for far less? With a re-paste and tint, with an SSD and maxed out ram they still are excellent machines and still more than capable of doing the job!

The paste issue isn't just an Apple problem, though I have to say they are probably the worst partly cos of the tight TDP tolerances and they let everything get very hot. And if you read every one of their service manuals like I have the instructions to their engineers is still wrong. An official engineer has to break Apple's guidelines to do it the correct way I kid you not.

Me personally and because I am capable I've re-pasted and tinted every single Mac, in fact computer I have in the house for years with the only exception being this Mac Pro 3,1 I recently acquired. That will be done before the excuse we call a summer arrives in the UK!