So what is the status now with the new MacBook Pros in terms of heat?

[Super Spartan]

I have lost track since I've been away from the forum for a while but when the new MacBook Pros were released they were overheating and thermal throttling.


I am planning to switch from my MSI GT75 Titan laptop to a Macbook Pro as I am sick of Windows 10 and it's constant buggy updates.

Did Apple manage to solve the overheating issues and thermal throttling with the latest MacBook Pro or not yet and I am better off waiting for the next refresh in 2019?

 

[maflynn]

Did Apple manage to solve the overheating issues and thermal throttling with the latest MacBook Pro or not yet and I am better off waiting for the next refresh in 2019?

Yes and no.
there was an issue where all new MBPs were throttling heavily upon release back this past summer. They've fixed that, but given the thin design of the laptop the i9 and 2.6GHz still thottles and easily hits 100c when pushing the laptop.

To summarize its better then it was, but the laptop still gets too hot imo.

 

[Super Spartan]

Yes and no.
there was an issue where all new MBPs were throttling heavily upon release back this past summer. They've fixed that, but given the thin design of the laptop the i9 and 2.6GHz still thottles and easily hits 100c when pushing the laptop.

To summarize its better then it was, but the laptop still gets too hot imo.

I see, it's not worth it at the moment then because if I configure one with the 2.9 GHz CPU and 4TB of SSD the price is like $9000 USD that's insane man. They are charging north of 3K just for the SSD upgrade alone! What are these guys thinking?

 

[GoldfishRT]

I see, it's not worth it at the moment then because if I configure one with the 2.9 GHz CPU and 4TB of SSD the price is like $9000 USD that's insane man. They are charging north of 3K just for the SSD upgrade alone! What are these guys thinking?

Why would you need 4tb of local SSD storage though? That’s really where your insane pricing comes from and as far as I know Apple is the only company offering an SSD like that in the first place.

 

[Super Spartan]

Why would you need 4tb of local SSD storage though? That’s really where your insane pricing comes from and as far as I know Apple is the only company offering an SSD like that in the first place.

I guess you're right. I have a large collection of movies but I guess I can keep those on an external USB drive and opt for a smaller SSD for the MacBook Pro

 

[turbineseaplane]

HAWT baby..
Sales are brisk..
"Best MacBooks we've ever made"
"We're really excited to see what people do with them..."

 

[leman]

I have lost track since I've been away from the forum for a while but when the new MacBook Pros were released they were overheating and thermal throttling.

That was a bug in power management firmware which Apple fixed in like a week after release. It’s really incredible how persistent some sensationalist “facts” can be.
[doublepost=1551335797][/doublepost]

They've fixed that, but given the thin design of the laptop the i9 and 2.6GHz still thottles and easily hits 100c when pushing the laptop.

Every single Mac laptop ever released runs hot when pushed, since Apple is utilizing the entire operating range temperatures of Intel CPUs (which currently ends at 100C), duh. And given the fact that the i9 and i7 run at 400 resp. 800 MHz higher than their nominal frequency under full load - indefinitely - to claim that they are throttling doesn’t make any sense under any definition of throttling that makes any remote sense.
[doublepost=1551335919][/doublepost]

I see, it's not worth it at the moment then because if I configure one with the 2.9 GHz CPU

The I9 CPU is a situational upgrade and not worth the money for the majority of users. Especially with Coffe Lake which allows CPUs to boost much higher than its predecessors. Any reasons why you are looking at the 2.9 CPU?

 

[maflynn]

Every single Mac laptop ever released runs hot when pushed, since Apple is utilizing the entire operating range temperatures of Intel CPUs (which currently ends at 100C), duh. And given the fact that the i9 and i7 run at 400 resp. 800 MHz higher than their nominal frequency under full load - indefinitely - to claim that they are throttling doesn’t make any sense under any definition of throttling that makes any remote sense.

You're making excuses for a poor design, I have a 2.6 GHz i7 Thinkpad and that does not come anywhere close to 100c nor have I seen any throttling. I'm seeing an average of the mid 50s, doing office/surfing type work. 60s all the way up to the mid 70s when pushing the CPUs at a sustained rate. It might have broached the 80c mark on occasion but that's a rarity.

I'm not denying that apple is using the entire operating range, in fact I agree. Its using the the top end where throttling occurs. While agree using the system in a sustained fashion will produce heat, that's where the thin design of the MBP falls down. My Thinkpad is faster and cooler, uses the same CPU and a better GPU (then the non-VEGA) MBPs - yet you're saying The MBP design is not flawed?

 

[e1me5]

It barely rises above 55 when using it for lightweight stuff, and the only time I hear the fans is when I export video on FCPX or Resolve. And when throttling is supposed to happen, I've seen the CPU hit 4GHZ and maintain it until that task was done, like 20 minutes later. If the frequency is low when doing something heavy doesn't always mean it is throttling, most apps I use tend to use the GPU more and the CPU barely needs to move.

 

[alexballvideos]

My Vega 20 / 2.6 i7 / 500GB / 16GB does not run anywhere near as hot as the 560X machines that I had for a short while a month ago.

At 22-24c ambient. With no GPU load on the system (integrated graphics), I can do a sustained 4K handbrake encode with six cores at 3.3-3.4GHZ (1200% system CPU utilisation) for 30mins, well above the 2.6GHz rating and the CPU's will be in the 80c to low 90c range, not the 99c range. It starts at 4GHz and hangs there for about 15-20seconds. If I fully load the Vega 20 GPU with Luxmark and also the CPU, CPU will go at low 90c range and then drop to 80-85c range, but also drop the cpus down to 2.4-2.6GHz and not max them out at 99c, like MacBook Pro's of old, seems to hang about in the mid 80c.

If your in the market, suggest you get a Pro Vega 16 or 20 optioned base model and a Samsung T5 2TB SSD (these ssd's are tiny and weigh almost nothing). Hopefully the 15-inch machines come standard with Pro Vega 16/20 options after WWDC or later in the year with a CPU update, the 555X and 560X are rubbish chips for 2019. I also observed at idle with external monitor connected that the Vega 20 machine has 5-7c lower GPU PECI and CPU PECI temps than the i7/560X/500GB machines.

 

[leman]

You're making excuses for a poor design, I have a 2.6 GHz i7 Thinkpad and that does not come anywhere close to 100c nor have I seen any throttling. I'm seeing an average of the mid 50s, doing office/surfing type work. 60s all the way up to the mid 70s when pushing the CPUs at a sustained rate. It might have broached the 80c mark on occasion but that's a rarity.

X1 Extreme? Runs at temperatures close to 90C for sustained multithreaded worlds. So not that different from the MBP. I haven't seen any throttling with my i9+Vega MBP either, it performs quite admirably even if both CPU and GPU are loaded up, where most of these laptops (including the X1) break down. And of course you shouldn't be seeing anything more than 60C when doing office work - with neither laptop.

As an example, when I am writing this my CPU (i9) is around 55C and that's connected to an external monitor, which triggers the dGPU and makes the overall temps slightly warmer.

My Thinkpad is faster and cooler, uses the same CPU and a better GPU (then the non-VEGA) MBPs - yet you're saying The MBP design is not flawed?

The X1 is also 25% larger in volume and has only half of MBP's battery life, according to independent tests. You win some, you lose some. I don't think that either of designs is flawed, they simply choose different balance of features. X1 has better airflow, since it uses the meshed underside of the laptop for air intake (of course, this comes with its own disadvantages). It also seems that Lenovo has decided to restrict the upper range of the CPU temp to 90C, for whatever reason.

By the way, as to "runs cooler" — that kind of depends on definition, no? Compare the temperature readings from Notebookcheck reviews:

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenov...GTX-1050-Ti-Max-Q-Laptop-Review.335608.0.html

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Apple-MacBook-Pro-15-2018-2-6-GHz-560X-Laptop-Review.317358.0.html

Temps on the case are virtually identical under idle, and under max load, the upper side of the laptops are again equally hot (around 45C) while on the bottom part, the Lenovo is good 10C hotter in parts (53C vs 41C). So why would I care if the CPU runs 10C cooler if that means that the laptop case is 10C hotter? Again, you win some, you loose some. The X1, for example, has quieter fans on max.

 

[jerryk]

I guess you're right. I have a large collection of movies but I guess I can keep those on an external USB drive and opt for a smaller SSD for the MacBook Pro

Many people I know have their movies on a NAS. Then they can stream movies where ever the want, even while on the road.

Also, a NAS can rip DVDs and Blue-rays and convert them to stream-able (or transferable) files. Same with music and CDs or Vinyl.

 

[Super Spartan]

This worries me too I just read it:
Apple’s latest Macs have a serious audio glitching bug

 

[Queen6]

You're making excuses for a poor design, I have a 2.6 GHz i7 Thinkpad and that does not come anywhere close to 100c nor have I seen any throttling. I'm seeing an average of the mid 50s, doing office/surfing type work. 60s all the way up to the mid 70s when pushing the CPUs at a sustained rate. It might have broached the 80c mark on occasion but that's a rarity.

I'm not denying that apple is using the entire operating range, in fact I agree. Its using the the top end where throttling occurs. While agree using the system in a sustained fashion will produce heat, that's where the thin design of the MBP falls down. My Thinkpad is faster and cooler, uses the same CPU and a better GPU (then the non-VEGA) MBPs - yet you're saying The MBP design is not flawed?

The words as ever are carefully chosen in the defence of Apple, while not technically throttling, the MBP struggles to hold CPU frequency at higher loads due to inadequate cooling, plain and simple. Something some feel is not acceptable for such a premium priced product.

Apple has made far too many compromises in what it portrays to be a professional product. Cooling being just one of several in order to simply impress the masses who mostly wont purchase due to the elevated price point, as ever more professional's leave the platform for the former...

Q-6

 

[ilikewhey]

or you can do what i did, repaste the thermal yourself and watch the temp drop 10c magically.

 

[Super Spartan]

or you can do what i did, repaste the thermal yourself and watch the temp drop 10c magically.

I've never opened a MacBook before, is it easy to reach to the CPU to repaste it and does that void the warranty?

 

[maflynn]

I've never opened a MacBook before, is it easy to reach to the CPU to repaste it and does that void the warranty?

If you never did it before, then I would advise caution. At the very least look at some youtube videos and see the work effort.

 

[greenmeanie]

My Windows Updates go fine maybe it is just you?

I have lost track since I've been away from the forum for a while but when the new MacBook Pros were released they were overheating and thermal throttling.


I am planning to switch from my MSI GT75 Titan laptop to a Macbook Pro as I am sick of Windows 10 and it's constant buggy updates.

Did Apple manage to solve the overheating issues and thermal throttling with the latest MacBook Pro or not yet and I am better off waiting for the next refresh in 2019?

 

[Queen6]

I've never opened a MacBook before, is it easy to reach to the CPU to repaste it and does that void the warranty?

Believe that you will need to remove the Logic board to release the cooling assembly, nor is the process guaranteed to make a significant impact.

Q-6

 

[ilikewhey]

repasting shouldnt be too hard. the heatsink is right there when you open it up

 

[Queen6]

repasting shouldnt be too hard. the heatsink is right there when you open it up

How is it located, top or bottom? if the screws are in bottom the board needs to come out. Biggest factor is with Apple any issue and they may invalidate the warranty. Personally for $4,250 I don't expect to need or jump through such hoops or be on the end of a potentially voided warranty.

Did look on iFixit although no repair guide. No surprise these notebooks run hot, my passively cooled 2 in1 has more copper inside it

Q-6

 

[ilikewhey]

How is it located, top or bottom? if the screws are in bottom the board needs to come out. Biggest factor is with Apple any issue and they may invalidate the warranty. Personally for $4,250 I don't expect to need or jump through such hoops or be on the end of a potentially voided warranty.

Did look on iFixit although no repair guide. No surprise these notebooks run hot, my passively cooled 2 in1 has more copper inside it

Q-6

i just look at the tear down, although the heatpipe are facing down therefore exposed to you as soon as you open it, it does have screws that require u to take out logic board, not totally unmanageable to but for first timers its going to be a headache. the temp drop is noticeable though, ppl reporting quieter idle temp but peak temp is not much of improvement.

i guess this is what you get when apple slap in a more tdp cpu and does nothing to the cooling. oh well lets see what they do with the rumored 16 inch. i have a feeling that its gonna be even worse since apple don't think 100c is a problem.

 

[Queen6]

i just look at the tear down, although the heatpipe are facing down therefore exposed to you as soon as you open it, it does have screws that require u to take out logic board, not totally unmanageable to but for first timers its going to be a headache. the temp drop is noticeable though, ppl reporting quieter idle temp but peak temp is not much of improvement.

i guess this is what you get when apple slap in a more tdp cpu and does nothing to the cooling. oh well lets see what they do with the rumored 16 inch. i have a feeling that its gonna be even worse since apple don't think 100c is a problem.

Truly I'm hoping Apple wakes up that many of us don't want everything to be so thin that the usability of the notebook is hugely compromised. If not the exodus of professional's will continue as hardware that get's in your way is hardly useful.

Peak temp will remain the same as the cooling solution is inadequate, so the harder the CPU is pushed the harder it will throttle as T-Junction is reached even at reduced frequencies.

Apple should offer; entry level, ultraportable, mainstream and Pro/Prosumer, with distinct differentiation not variations of the same. Unfortunately Apple is not focused on the Mac and cares even less for it's professional audience. It's all about image now and I rather fear I've bought my last Mac...

Q-6

 

[PVDHell]

Many people I know have their movies on a NAS. Then they can stream movies where ever the want, even while on the road.

Also, a NAS can rip DVDs and Blue-rays and convert them to stream-able (or transferable) files. Same with music and CDs or Vinyl.

Forgive my ignorance but what is NAS?

 

[maflynn]

Forgive my ignorance but what is NAS?

Network Attached Storage. Unlike external drives attached to your computer NAS is attached to the router and accessible from all computers on your network