RMBP 10.8.2 - My opinions so far...

[leman]

The 10.8.2 includes new graphics drivers. Safari responsiveness on complex websites has increased dramatically, previously I would see around 20-30 fps when continuously scrolling on TheVerge, now its more like 30-40 fps. Facebook is still a bit laggy, bit this is because it dynamically loads the content as you scroll. Before any of you naysayers come with 'placebo', yes, this is objectively tested using Apple developer tools. Didn't notice any other difference so far.

P.S. They also appear to have fixed the sleep issue - resume from sleep is now near to instant. That was my biggest gripe with the rMBP.

 

[Cassadian]

The 10.8.2 includes new graphics drivers. Safari responsiveness on complex websites has increased dramatically, previously I would see around 20-30 fps when continuously scrolling on TheVerge, now its more like 30-40 fps. Facebook is still a bit laggy, bit this is because it dynamically loads the content as you scroll. Before any of you naysayers come with 'placebo', yes, this is objectively tested using Apple developer tools. Didn't notice any other difference so far.

P.S. They also appear to have fixed the sleep issue - resume from sleep is now near to instant. That was my biggest gripe with the rMBP.

Right, and now I DO have issues with sleep. Thank god for patch 10.8.2.

Just wondering, what do you use to monitor FPS?

And from what I can tell, the nVidia graphics drivers were not updated for this patch only AMD. So again, I'm going to assume placebo or coincidence.

Just FYI, it seems that Apple's driver updates have placed in the 295's for nVidia driver updates while Windows is at 306. Glad to know we're catching up or not so!

 

[leman]

Right, and now I DO have issues with sleep. Thank god for patch 10.8.2.

Just wondering, what do you use to monitor FPS?

And from what I can tell, the nVidia graphics drivers were not updated for this patch only AMD. So again, I'm going to assume placebo or coincidence.

Just FYI, it seems that Apple's driver updates have placed in the 295's for nVidia driver updates while Windows is at 306. Glad to know we're catching up or not so!

I am using Quartz Debug.

I am obviously talking about the OS X graphics driver, not the Bootcamp one You don't have to assume anything, just check the driver version. The Nvidia graphics driver in 10.8.2 is 8.0.61, in the 10.8.1 it was 8.0.51

 

[Cassadian]

I am using Quartz Debug.

I am obviously talking about the OS X graphics driver, not the Bootcamp one You don't have to assume anything, just check the driver version. The Nvidia graphics driver in 10.8.2 is 8.0.61, in the 10.8.1 it was 8.0.51

I realize that. And yes I am talking about OS X. Trust me, I am not being ignorant. That is OS X's Kext version. The change from .51 to .61 doesn't signify anything meaningful.

There's a reason I play games on Bootcamp. Because it doesn't have the same software issues that cause severe incongruities in performance between platforms.

 

[Diveflo]

Facebook & TheVerge still a little laggy for me, but nothing compared to Lion.
Mission Control lag-free as of now. Was getting pretty bad if you had >10 applications/windows open.

 

[nontroppo]

I realize that. And yes I am talking about OS X. Trust me, I am not being ignorant. That is OS X's Kext version. The change from .51 to .61 doesn't signify anything meaningful.

Huh, first you say there was no change, now you say you know that, ok there is a change, but that change is not "meaningful". Have you performed some kind of binary decompilation to make that statement? Both the NVidia and Intel kexts were updated, and unless you work in Apple's core graphics team or are some kind of reverse engineering genius, you can't know whether the new drivers are "meaningful" or not.

 

[leman]

I realize that. And yes I am talking about OS X. Trust me, I am not being ignorant. That is OS X's Kext version. The change from .51 to .61 doesn't signify anything meaningful.

Why would they up the version if nothing changed? Anyway, I see a noticeable increase in performance for the guild wars 2 is x client.

 

[CFoss]

Everything is performing smoothly with 10.8.2 on my rMBP. Spaces feels like normal now, and scrolling has improved.

I still need to fully test out the new features (such as Facebook integration - It's difficult to test at 5am in the morning...). My Contacts List is huge now (some might like it, some won't). I think Facebook added people's birthdays to a new calendar, but I'm not sure. It's missing a few people off the top of my head (my friend's birthday is tomorrow and listed on their Facebook profile, yet it isn't showing in Calendar).

Only hiccup is Time Machine is not backing up (well, it technically is... at about 1MB/s. For 16GB, you can imagine how long that takes).

 

[DTKblaster]

It sounds like the itunes music stuttering bug is back when using intel graphics:/ I'll have to test for a little longer to be sure.

 

[204353]

I'll chime in and say that I've seen nothing but improvements with 10.8.2. My MacBook Pro's animations are definitely much faster. Not perfect, but definitely much better and nowhere near as annoying.

I run mine with graphics switching off whenever its plugged in, I'll add. Even with the dedicated graphics, however, it's noticeably improved.

 

[Thors.Hammer]

Wow I never noticed the lage until I went to http://www.theverge.com
This being my first MBP I thought that was normal, heck my 10 year old win pc did that all the time. I've been supper happy with my MBP. Now I'm bugged. So this doesn't happen on cMBPs on the same web site?

You need a super computer to handle the performance hit at The Verge. Their over use of Flash has reached a whole new level of ugliness.

 

[bill-p]

Seems like iTunes was stuttering because it was indexing or something... I no longer hear the stutter.

Also I don't think scaled modes (1680 x 1050 and 1920 x 1200) have improved much. "Best for Retina" definitely has improved. I no longer feel like my rMBP is behind my old 2011 MBP.

You need a super computer to handle the performance hit at The Verge. Their over use of Flash has reached a whole new level of ugliness.

Or you could just install Adblock in Safari... it'll block everything... Flash or not. The Verge is 100% smooth to me using Adblock.

 

[mzjin]

You need a super computer to handle the performance hit at The Verge. Their over use of Flash has reached a whole new level of ugliness.

LOL?

The Verge is 60 FPS smooth on Macbook Air, Pro and everything else... that's not MBP Retina.

 

[stevelam]

You need a super computer to handle the performance hit at The Verge. Their over use of Flash has reached a whole new level of ugliness.

do you even know what flash is? because theres barely any flash on the verge. the only real flash content is just the videos within actual posts. once again people chiming on saying completely baseless things out of nowhere to try and justify RMBP's performance or lack there of.

 

[CFoss]

It sounds like the itunes music stuttering bug is back when using intel graphics:/ I'll have to test for a little longer to be sure.

I've always experienced that, including 10.8.1. I haven't had a chance to test out music with 10.8.2, but I don't have my hopes up.

 

[vickysud]

 

[Drask]

My battery seems to be worse, one hour takes up to 25% while just surfing the web (no flash, no videos). It was taking about 12% on 10.8.1

 

[Cassadian]

Huh, first you say there was no change, now you say you know that, ok there is a change, but that change is not "meaningful". Have you performed some kind of binary decompilation to make that statement? Both the NVidia and Intel kexts were updated, and unless you work in Apple's core graphics team or are some kind of reverse engineering genius, you can't know whether the new drivers are "meaningful" or not.

You don't have to be a genius to Google these issues instead of sheeping. Honestly, your argument doesn't make sense, because the way you word it doesn't make sense.

So if I changed the color of the blanket but I didn't change the quality nor the thread count or stuffing would you consider it an actual chance?

Honestly. You said both were updated as a sort of a fact. It's obvious you have no definitive proof. The AMD graphics were indeed updated, were the nVidia ones updated? At this point I don't think it seems likely.

@Leman. Have you heard of "correlation not causation". Just because something in the 10.8.2 update caused increased performance (or did it really), doesn't mean that it was because a graphics drivers update for the nVidia GT650M on the rMBP.

@Drask My battery seems roughly the same if not 30-40 minutes shorter on battery life but this is subjective. I can't be sure.

 

[bill-p]

The AMD graphics were indeed updated, were the nVidia ones updated? At this point I don't think it seems likely.

Please check your facts before making statements...

http://www.nvidia.com/object/macosx-304.00.00f20-driver.html

nVidia already updated it for OS X. It seems the updated drivers came after 10.8.2 beta came out, so Apple ended up not including it. But likely they included some fixes in there hence the slight version increase.

Maybe 10.8.3 will bring 306.xx.

 

[nontroppo]

Honestly. You said both were updated as a sort of a fact. It's obvious you have no definitive proof.

So the version number of software is unrelated to whether it changes or not? Normally a change is software is identified by its version number, with the higher number denoting a later version that has changed.

Apple increased the version number and included the new kexts in the 10.8.2 package (just open it up in Pacifist to see, you can check it instead of reading about it from others); that is a fact. Whether they have fixed a particular bug that someone may have is unknown until it is tested. But there are reports of improvements in graphics performance and factual evidence the graphics driver was updated, you can argue this is correlation (correctly), but you must also consider that it is parsimonious to assume causation unless you have a more elegant hypothesis? Or do you prefer to shave with a Gillette than with Occam's razor?

 

[Cassadian]

Please check your facts before making statements...

http://www.nvidia.com/object/macosx-304.00.00f20-driver.html

nVidia already updated it for OS X. It seems the updated drivers came after 10.8.2 beta came out, so Apple ended up not including it. But likely they included some fixes in there hence the slight version increase.

Maybe 10.8.3 will bring 306.xx.

It says it was released on 9.10.2012. From what I can tell, OS 10.8.2 was released after that... Meaning that nVidia drivers were indeed not updated this time. I'm sorry, was I being ignorant? Furthermore, the supported products does not include the GT650M. Again, what facts was I missing? There may be missing facts but those definitely aren't it.

 

[bill-p]

Oh, and for those who still haven't had any speed up, I have a tip:

1) Turn off your computer.
2) Yank the magsafe.
3) Connect magsafe.
4) Steps 2 and 3 aren't necessary... but I'm just pulling your leg.
5) Hold down Control + Option + Shift on the left side of the keyboard, and then hold down the Power button as well.
6) Release them all at the same time.
7) Now turn on your computer.

If it's still laggy, repeat until it's no longer laggy.

Reason: Apple messed up your SMC after the EFI update. I know because my own rMBP just experienced it. I couldn't get the CPU up above 1.1GHz under Bootcamp.

 

[Cassadian]

So the version number of software is unrelated to whether it changes or not? Normally a change is software is identified by its version number, with the higher number denoting a later version that has changed.

Apple increased the version number and included the new kexts in the 10.8.2 package (just open it up in Pacifist to see, you can check it instead of reading about it from others); that is a fact. Whether they have fixed a particular bug that someone may have is unknown until it is tested. But there are reports of improvements in graphics performance and factual evidence the graphics driver was updated, you can argue this is correlation (correctly), but you must also consider that it is parsimonious to assume causation unless you have a more elegant hypothesis? Or do you prefer to shave with a Gillette than with Occam's razor?

Look. Sometime's the simplest answer is the right answer, and that is true in many cases. But they may have updated things, but I'm pretty sure they haven't updated any major nVidia drivers as of 10.8.2 or else there'd be news on the nVidia site too (like the link the person above posted claiming new updates for a certain OS X version). In more likelihood they updated AMD drivers and improved compatibility or some bugs with the nVidia dGPU.

Oh, and for those who still haven't had any speed up, I have a tip:

1) Turn off your computer.
2) Yank the magsafe.
3) Connect magsafe.
4) Steps 2 and 3 aren't necessary... but I'm just pulling your leg.
5) Hold down Control + Option + Shift on the left side of the keyboard, and then hold down the Power button as well.
6) Release them all at the same time.
7) Now turn on your computer.

If it's still laggy, repeat until it's no longer laggy.

Reason: Apple messed up your SMC after the EFI update. I know because my own rMBP just experienced it. I couldn't get the CPU up above 1.1GHz under Bootcamp.

And bill, thanks for the advice. I've been hearing about resetting the SMC fixing issues for people Bootcamping a lot.

 

[bill-p]

It says it was released on 9.10.2012. From what I can tell, OS 10.8.2 was released after that... Meaning that nVidia drivers were indeed not updated this time. I'm sorry, was I being ignorant? Furthermore, the supported products does not include the GT650M. Again, what facts was I missing? There may be missing facts but those definitely aren't it.

Have you tried installing those drivers?

They do work on the 650M even though the official website does not say that they are supported.

Anyhow, you'll get a kernel panic on 10.8.2. The drivers were only supposed to work on 10.8.1.

And the fact that these drivers exist means that there exists updated drivers for the 650M for OS X. Apple just has not included it in their 10.8.2 update. But Apple did include a hotfix of the 295 drivers in 10.8.2.

And bill, thanks for the advice. I've been hearing about resetting the SMC fixing issues for people Bootcamping a lot.

Because as a matter of fact, I myself experienced SMC messing up after the EFI update under Bootcamp. My processor would not get up past 1.1GHz regardless.

 

[Cassadian]

Have you tried installing those drivers?

They do work on the 650M even though the official website does not say that they are supported.

Anyhow, you'll get a kernel panic on 10.8.2. The drivers were only supposed to work on 10.8.1.

And the fact that these drivers exist means that there exists updated drivers for the 650M for OS X. Apple just has not included it in their 10.8.2 update. But Apple did include a hotfix of the 295 drivers in 10.8.2.



Because as a matter of fact, I myself experienced SMC messing up after the EFI update under Bootcamp. My processor would not get up past 1.1GHz regardless.

I mean that's why I'm disappointed. How are we still on 295. whatever, when there are non-beta released drivers for 304.x

I know, we shouldn't be relentless or nit-picking, but Apple does have the resources and the influence and the manpower to have regular updates.