Struggling with MacBook Performance: Is It Me or the Machine?

[vorob]

I want to share my experience with my MacBook and see if I might be doing something wrong. I’m a content owner of a 2018 MacBook Pro with an i7 6-core CPU, an AMD 555X GPU, and 16GB of RAM. It's similar in specs to my 2019 Windows laptop, which has the same Intel 8750 CPU, an iGPU + NVidia 2080, and 16GB RAM. However, despite their similarities, the performance gap between these two machines is massive.

On the MacBook, everything feels laggy or sluggish, even when I'm just doing basic tasks like working in Google Sheets or watching YouTube. Safari is always problematic, though performance improves a bit in Edge. Some actions feel especially slow, as if deliberately so. For instance, on Windows, commands like minimizing a window, snapping it to the side, or going full screen happen instantly. In macOS, these actions are always accompanied by sluggish animations.

I get the impression that Macs are intended for extremely relaxed users who have the time to let their computer dawdle through these animations. But if animations are a matter of personal taste, the overall lags in some scenarios on a 2018 machine is fundamentally baffling to me. Why does an equivalent Windows machine perform so well? How come everything runs smoothly when I install Windows on this Mac? Why does macOS on this laptop get fan on maximum and slow down from something as simple as a Google call? And if I share a presentation during that call, everything descends into chaos.

 

[Bungaree.Chubbins]

Maybe there is some sort of software or hardware problem with your machine. My 2012 i7 MacBook Air still runs smoothly. It’s getting a bit slow these days, and doesn’t run a lot of software I need, but it still runs well enough that my brother uses it for Zoom, study, and office type tasks no problem.

 

[Mega ST]

Typing this on a 2018 i7 MBP 15 that runs smooth and nice on Sequoia.

 

[Fishrrman]

It could be -something- in your user account that is "clogging things up".

There's an easy way to check this.

You need to open the users & groups preference pane.

At the bottom left, there's a "+" sign, which is used to create a NEW account.
Click it. Enter your password if required.

MAKE SURE you give this new account administrative privileges (use the popup).

Give it any name you wish, and any password you want (doesn't matter).

Now...
Reboot (just to get things "started fresh").
Log OUT of your regular account, and log INTO the newly-created account.

Check around as you normally would.
Safari, etc.

Has anything changed?
Is performance improved?

If you DO notice a significant improvement, then it points to something in your regular user account that is "mucking things up".

The problem is finding out WHAT THAT IS.
That's up to you.

When you're done testing with the new account, you can either delete it, or just "keep it around". A "bare" user account takes up very little disk space.

 

[bzgnyc2]

On the MacBook, everything feels laggy or sluggish, even when I'm just doing basic tasks like working in Google Sheets or watching YouTube. Safari is always problematic, though performance improves a bit in Edge. Some actions feel especially slow, as if deliberately so. For instance, on Windows, commands like minimizing a window, snapping it to the side, or going full screen happen instantly. In macOS, these actions are always accompanied by sluggish animations.

That's a solid machine should be fine. Start with Fishrrman's advice.

Also share with us which OS you are running and a snapshot from Activity Monitor. View-All Processes -> CPU, sorted descending by % CPU. Similarly Activity Monitor -> Memory, sorted descending by Memory.

 

[vorob]

First of all, I must note that I've observed similar issues on a few other laptops. Previously, I tested a MacBook Pro 2012 with a GT 650M, then a 2015 model with an R9, and now a 2018 version.

Let's examine this example: In Google Sheets, I won't provide specific details due to confidentiality, but when I scroll through it in Safari, it lags significantly. However, when using Edge, the performance improves. On Windows, it runs perfectly.

The same issue occurs with Telegram; it also lags notably on macOS.

I've noticed that forcing the use of the discrete GPU (dGPU) makes the interface more responsive. However, an Acer laptop with the same integrated GPU (iGPU) under Windows operates smoothly.

 

[StoneJack]

I want to share my experience with my MacBook and see if I might be doing something wrong. I’m a content owner of a 2018 MacBook Pro with an i7 6-core CPU, an AMD 555X GPU, and 16GB of RAM. It's similar in specs to my 2019 Windows laptop, which has the same Intel 8750 CPU, an iGPU + NVidia 2080, and 16GB RAM. However, despite their similarities, the performance gap between these two machines is massive.

On the MacBook, everything feels laggy or sluggish, even when I'm just doing basic tasks like working in Google Sheets or watching YouTube. Safari is always problematic, though performance improves a bit in Edge. Some actions feel especially slow, as if deliberately so. For instance, on Windows, commands like minimizing a window, snapping it to the side, or going full screen happen instantly. In macOS, these actions are always accompanied by sluggish animations.

I get the impression that Macs are intended for extremely relaxed users who have the time to let their computer dawdle through these animations. But if animations are a matter of personal taste, the overall lags in some scenarios on a 2018 machine is fundamentally baffling to me. Why does an equivalent Windows machine perform so well? How come everything runs smoothly when I install Windows on this Mac? Why does macOS on this laptop get fan on maximum and slow down from something as simple as a Google call? And if I share a presentation during that call, everything descends into chaos.

replace SSD

 

[vorob]

🗿the one that is soldered to mb? All utilities mark it’s in perfect condition.

 

[buran-energia]

I have practically the same machine (mbp 16 2019) which doesn't feel slow even in low power mode for general browsing/youtube, but you can check if that is enabled.

Download some intel or another tool that shows CPU speed in MHz. See if it runs at full speed under load. If not, then how is the battery? I read that an issue with battery could slow it down. Some or all macbooks won't even turn on even with power if the battery is dead.

Also I assume you've tested it with other browsers such as Chrome / Yandex Browser.

 

[bzgnyc2]

First of all, I must note that I've observed similar issues on a few other laptops. Previously, I tested a MacBook Pro 2012 with a GT 650M, then a 2015 model with an R9, and now a 2018 version.

A MacBook Pro 2012 is pretty old by now even if those were good specs for the time. Do you have benchmark results or similar to suggest that hardware should keep up with lower-end but more recent hardware all else being equal?

Let's examine this example: In Google Sheets, I won't provide specific details due to confidentiality, but when I scroll through it in Safari, it lags significantly. However, when using Edge, the performance improves. On Windows, it runs perfectly.

One of the other questions was which OS you are running? Which also bounds which Safari version you are running though also share that information.

Older versions of Safari can be slow on new websites. Not that it should be this way in theory but in practice new websites (and Google is constantly refreshing its software) are tested with new browsers (or back a certain number of versions) and may or may not work well or at all under older browsers.

As an example, NYTimes (nytimes.com) recently updated their website and performance under Safari 15.6.1 was initially almost unusuable. Part of it was that it somehow pegged nfcd (Near Field Communications daemon -- not sure why that was involved at all) and spun WindowServer causing the whole system to a crawl. Same computer but using Orion (also WebKit based but actually uses a newer version than what Apple ships with release Safari for latest OS) and the site ran almost like before. Then I guess a lot of complaints because I noticed that site has gotten a little faster since their initial rollout.

The same issue occurs with Telegram; it also lags notably on macOS.

That is one thing I noticed in your Activity Monitor snapshot. Telegram is eating up 50% of a CPU. Also the WindowServer seems to have accumulated a lot of CPU time. It appears you have a background task slowing down your system and driving WindowServer and it is possible that it is Telegram. I don't run Telegram so I can't say what is normal for it.

Then if you can snapshot the Activity Monitor sorted by % CPU on the CPU tab and % Memory on the Memory tab that would help. I would do it with your normal suite of apps running and also with everything closed.

I've noticed that forcing the use of the discrete GPU (dGPU) makes the interface more responsive. However, an Acer laptop with the same integrated GPU (iGPU) under Windows operates smoothly.

I assume on the Windows laptop you were using Chrome? It is possible that Google Sheets works better with Chrome on a Windows laptop with an iGPU. That's such a common stack and now more likely to be optimized just as Apple seems to be optimizing macOS for Apple Silicon. Not that what you have shouldn't work and work well but rather head-to-head it would be more a surprise if that stack wasn't faster.

P.S.I would also follow Fisherrman's advice and test things under a new, clean account.

 

[vorob]

Okay, after some testings I must note that using dgpu-only mode (amd 555x) is a way smoother then on intel 630. So it's just trash igpu that can't handle enormous mbp resolution is half of the reason why everything lags, even google spreadsheets.

 

[bzgnyc2]

Okay, after some testings I must note that using dgpu-only mode (amd 555x) is a way smoother then on intel 630. So it's just trash igpu that can't handle enormous mbp resolution is half of the reason why everything lags, even google spreadsheets.

Especially up until the 2020s, the dGPU were there for a reason. iGPU were a fraction of the performance of dGPU.

That said iGPU from the twenty-teens were usually good enough for 2D work and basic 3D.

One issue particular to iGPU on Intel-based Macs: they don't handle non-integer scaling of the resolution very well. That is, if your video output resolution is not identical or 2x your Looks Like/UI resolution the whole system will feel slow.

The other issue is that if all your CPUs are busy responsiveness will often slow down more than if you have an iGPU. That is 100% busy CPU + dGPU feels more responsive than 100% busy CPU w/iGPU. I am perfectly have with the responsiveness of my MacBook Air 2020 (Intel) except when its running at 100% CPU (e.g. two CPU-bound processes or more likely runaway browser processes) or out of memory (e.g. browser using a lot of Compressed memory).