Tests Confirm Apple's Throttling Fix Improves Performance for 2018 MacBook Pro Models [Updated]

[fairuz]

Any snide remark about someone holding onto outdated technology can be turned around and made into an equally snide remark about someone who latches onto every new fad because "newer is better". The so-called "fashionista", "futurist", "yuppy" who is walking around in his moon suit and proclaiming every year that cryonics and flying cars will be here next year. So Advantage:zero for both sides.

P.S.: Since we are so into the future, can we all agree that Apple should replace their old, outdated Lightning ports with the newer and therefore better USB-C?

Ugh, I remember when there was a massive push for the hot new protocol SOAP. I'm so glad that piece of worse-than-worthless garbage died off before I entered the software industry. Also counting the days until XML (outside of webpages) is fully buried.

 

[citysnaps]

And we thought with innovations, technology gets cheaper!

Certainly priced right.

 

[DanBig]

We have the original MagSafe. I agree that it has difficulty charging, especially as it has gotten older. I always have to check the connection to verify that the charge light is on. I often have to disconnect and reconnect a couple of times before it begins charging (both of our mbps do this).

Check out this Apple TN https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203207

My 2011 17" MacBook Pro is still flying high! I've needed to replace the DC-In board twice, I think I'm on my forth charger (I kill the cords). The real trick here is keeping the connector faces clean both sides! My other two 15" MacBooks are not banged about as much as my 17" they too haven't failed me again I've gone through a few chargers with them too! MagSafe is a great idea! It needs a refresh to work within the USB-C world Apple missed the mark not having it incorporated in the design with the newer MacBook Pro's.

 

[fairuz]

Dongles (or adapters in the adult world)?

Last year I purchased two USB-C to USB-A 3.1 cables for $9.99 each. And they work great. This year I could buy them for $7.99.

Easy. And professional.

For USB-C to USB-A, no issue. Taking into consideration the other missing ports, you basically need an entire dock, which is not only expensive but complicated. Apple doesn't give you it or even sell it, and you don't really know what you're getting when you buy a third-party one because the marketing language is so vague or misleading (is it Thunderbolt or just USB-C? which monitors work? etc). Also the Apple TB monitor, at the time one of the best docking solutions, was never updated.

This seems very un-Apple to me, using so many peripherals and having to do research on your PORTS. I've had friends come ask me for advice on it. The big selling point of the Mac was always "no setup required, stuff works out of the box."

 

[NT1440]

For USB-C to USB-A, no issue. Taking into consideration the other missing ports, you basically need an entire dock, which is not only expensive but complicated. Apple doesn't sell one, and you don't really know what you're getting when you buy a third-party one because the marketing language is so vague or misleading (is it Thunderbolt or just USB-C? which monitors work? etc).

This seems very un-Apple to me, having to do research on your PORTS. I've had friends come ask me for advice on it.

Most usb c docks run about $50, unless you want the fancy color matched ones that support more than one monitor.

 

[Hitrate]

Perhaps "fix" is the wrong word, and I agree.

Glad to see Apple "address" this somehow other than "you're using it wrong".

And I agree, it's doubtful that unless Apple sees enough people not buying due to the KB comfort, they'll offer what I need them to to justify the price of a new MBP. Hope my 2012 non-retina keeps chugging along for a while.

yup...considering adding one more evo to mine instead of the insane bump in price (albeit a much faster drive) for the 1tb+ though I have a hard time justifying getting such an expensive item anyway, and then not upgrading the hdd space I'm used to, cause undoubetly I'll be needing to use more space than before and probably wanting to do 4k since it's capable of it. But in DK prices those numbers just go sky high resulting in a 1/3 of the original base model price of the whole computer bump just because of the 1.75tb or whatever added storage capacity...Guess that's just how it is these days, people complaining more about having to use a dGPU for gaming and no one really bats an eye about the upgrade price, because it's all referencing the US upgrade price without any added tax etc. which over here though means a premium for any BTO

 

[IG88]

Okay so what you're saying is it's a design error, ie no cpu cooling optimization other than lowering voltage, upping fan speeds etc. all band aids for a physical issue.

Not what I'm saying. I'm not an Apple apologist, no need to twist my words.

I'm saying that Apple's method for many years has been to move the CPU peak power limit up out of the way to where that will never come into play, such that the CPU can goto max until it hits thermal design limits, which then kicks in thermal throttling.

The idea being that on short burst loads the CPU can hit max turbo and possibly get the task completed before it heats up far enough to hit Tj max. On long duration loads it will thermal throttle and hit some equilibrium where the power draw balances out with the CPU cooler.

This worked fine up until this year when they added a 6 core CPU that can draw enough peak power to overload the VRM before the CPU goes into thermal throttling. So now they actually had to set a peak power limit on the CPU.

I already linked you to evidence of Dell previously using a peak power limit where Apple did not. I've attempted to explain this to you, but I can't understand it for you.
[doublepost=1532559599][/doublepost]

Do you believe a better/upgraded VRM chip would lead to better performance or just less throttling ? others have pointed out that there isn’t any passive cooling system connected to the VRM inside the MBP as a potential mistake (and I tend to agree)

It might help on short term loads, but I don't think it would do anything on long term loads like video editing and such that peg the CPU for like 30 minutes or something like that.

It seems clear to me that the CPU is back to thermal throttling like we would expect it to do.

The only way I would see needing to mess with VRM cooling would be if Apple had to set the CPU power limit so low that the CPU was only throttling by power and never reaching thermal limits. Say for example....you hit the silicon lottery and you have a really efficient CPU that's hitting Apple's power limit but it still has some significant headroom left on CPU temperature. But in this case you would need to do two things....construct a heat sink for the VRM AND use a tool to raise the power limit on the CPU. Me personally....I would rather leave it alone and just be glad I have a CPU that runs cooler than others and never hits max core temp.

 

[Hitrate]

Not what I'm saying. I'm not an Apple apologist, no need to twist my words.

I'm saying that Apple's method for many years has been to move the CPU peak power limit up out of the way to where that will never come into play, such that the CPU can goto max until it hits thermal design limits, which then kicks in thermal throttling.

The idea being that on short burst loads the CPU can hit max turbo and possibly get the task completed before it heats up far enough to hit Tj max. On long duration loads it will thermal throttle and hit some equilibrium where the power draw balances out with the CPU cooler.

This worked fine up until this year when they added a 6 core CPU that can draw enough peak power to overload the VRM before the CPU goes into thermal throttling. So now they actually had to set a peak power limit on the CPU.

I already linked you to evidence of Dell previously using a peak power limit where Apple did not. I've attempted to explain this to you, but I can't understand it for you..

How can I help you understand that this "overloading of the VRM" is just another political phrase for "we put a beefier cpu into an existing design, claiming it would perform as expected, turns out it didn't, and now we have to cap the system to avoid massive failure and heat issues and user patches, for the Pro users, and too many returns, possibly legal cases etc. etc. you probably know all this but instead you try and belittle my intelligence and claiming all is fixed when no, things where just capped, so users expecting an exponential upgrade will be getting a hotter, potentially slower machine (at least till the patch is rolled out to ALL 2018 MBP's) and potentially/probably with louder fans to boot.

Oh and let med add, since there's a difference between consumer talk and prosumer talk - to the consumers getting a mac with the patch installed - fine, they'll probably be happy and think it's all fixed and everything is working.

To the "Pro-sumer" it's a little bit of a different story, you might encounter people who actually rely on their gear and how it performs. That might include the noise level, heat level, how fast the system acts in spurs and in prolonged sustained renders (as so many of you seem to be fixated on), real time computing power etc. So when we start talking about patching things, that might destroy the workflow one might be expecting when the marketing department says 70% faster, and you go ok time to upgrade, when it might have been a better option sticking with the higher base-clocked previous gen model perhaps even to the point where the 2018 is unusable. But no, let's not think about that, let's just claim it's fixed and all behaving like it should, I'll run out and get the i9 and won't experience any issues like i did when testing it in the store, I won't even hear the fan, cause everything is fixed, I have your word on it.

 

[IG88]

How can I help you understand that this "overloading of the VRM" is just another political phrase for "we put a beefier cpu into an existing design, claiming it would perform as expected, turns out it didn't, and now we have to cap the system to avoid massive failure and heat issues and user patches, for the Pro users, and too many returns, possibly legal cases etc. etc. you probably know all this but instead you try and belittle my intelligence and claiming all is fixed when no, things where just capped, so users expecting an exponential upgrade will be getting a hotter, potentially slower machine (at least till the patch is rolled out to ALL 2018 MBP's) and potentially/probably with louder fans to boot.

The VRM is a red herring. You're all locked into it thinking that if they put a better VRM in there that magically the CPU cooler could dissipate more heat.

The limiting factor here has always been the CPU cooler. Apple initially had the peak power limit set to something crazy like 100W. They never should have done that. Had they set a proper peak power limit to begin with you would have never known about any of this.

I'm "belittling" you because I have a basic understanding of the situation and I'm trying to give you some insight, yet you choose to ignore it and attempt to twist my words and accuse me of being an apologist.

If the CPU in a steady state long term load is running at or above base clock and delivering rated TDP it is working as advertised. I believe that to be the case now, so I don't see what your problem is.

Again, I already gave you an example of another manufacturer (Dell) setting a peak power limit in a CPU that was lower than what Apple was using in a comparable CPU. I don't see you crying foul about Dell putting power caps in place. Why is that?

 

[VictorTango777]

i get it that if these things are always used in calm/clean/controlled environments then you may have better luck with them but bring them into a fast paced environment (or in my case, a fast-paced manufacturing environment) and your idea about how good magSafe is will likely change relatively quick..

It really does seem that Apple expects people to only use Macs in sterile cleanroom environments while wearing bunny suits. But clearly you are not working in that kind of environment.

Have you had to open your laptop to clean out dust from the fans and heatsink? Opening the case is pretty easy for the MBP once you buy the right screwdriver. But what about those Mac Minis and iMacs?

Should Apple make it easy for end users to open Mac desktops without voiding warranty in order to clean out dust? Or is it better to respond with "You're not using it in the right place"?

I have a Synology 8 bay NAS which kept shutting down due to overheating, according to the system log. After turning it back on, it would shut down again an hour later. Eventually I turned it off, pulled out all the drives and found so much dust clogging up the drive bays. After removing all the dust, everything is running fine again.

 

[Hitrate]

The VRM is a red herring. You're all locked into it thinking that if they put a better VRM in there that magically the CPU cooler could dissipate more heat.

The limiting factor here has always been the CPU cooler. Apple initially had the peak power limit set to something crazy like 100 MW. They never should have done that. Had they set a proper peak power limit to begin with you would have never known about any of this.

I'm "belittling" you because I have a basic understanding of the situation and I'm trying to give you some insight, yet you choose to ignore it and attempt to twist my words and accuse me of being an apologist.

If the CPU in a steady state long term load is running at or above base clock and delivering rated TDP it is working as advertised. I believe that to be the case now, so I don't see what your problem is.

Again, I already gave you an example of another manufacturer (Dell) setting a peak power limit in a CPU that was lower than what Apple was using. I don't see you crying foul about Dell putting power caps in place. Why is that?

Because I could care less about Dell or any other windows machine, it's as irrellevant as you trying to claim I don't understand what you're saying. Not ackwnogledging any of what I'm saying really, and disregarding everything I just wrote about the heat and fan noise, then going on "lecturing" me about how "we're" fixated on the VRM, which you brought up, not me, when I clearly have written about the fan speed and heat and added noise, I thought you would put those two and two together, and see that I already know about the fact that the fans are underperforming. Why are you not addressing it relative to the previous generations? And relative to the 2.2Ghz and 2.6Ghz...there's more to it than just capping the peak power limit, it's almost like you're desperately trying to put words in MY mouth now talking about dell and rated TDP - dude this whole debackle is about more than just the VRM or TDP or fan, which they would'nt change just because of these issues, that's in a nutshell the issue now - how well can we trust these new machines to work cool and quiet enough. Let's try and focus on getting stuff like this answered properly, and we can see who's right.

 

[IG88]

Because I could care less about Dell or any other windows machine, it's as irrellevant as you trying to claim I don't understand what you're saying. Not ackwnogledging any of what I'm saying really, and disregarding everything I just wrote about the heat and fan noise, then going on "lecturing" me about how "we're" fixated on the VRM, which you brought up, not me, when I clearly have written about the fan speed and heat and added noise, I thought you would put those two and two together, and see that I already know about the fact that the fans are underperforming. Why are you not addressing it relative to the previous generations? And relative to the 2.2Ghz and 2.6Ghz...there's more to it than just capping the peak power limit, it's almost like you're desperately trying to put words in MY mouth now talking about dell and rated TDP - dude this whole debackle is about more than just the VRM or TDP or fan, which they would'nt change just because of these issues, that's in a nutshell the issue now - how well can we trust these new machines to work cool and quiet enough. Let's try and focus on getting stuff like this answered properly, and we can see who's right.

Ok. You're going to believe whatever you want to believe. I don't own Apple stock, it doesn't affect me in the slightest how happy or unhappy you are. Good luck.

 

[Hitrate]

Ok. You're going to believe whatever you want to believe. I don't own Apple stock, it doesn't affect me in the slightest how happy or unhappy you are. Good luck.

Believing is actually the opposite of what I'M trying to accomplish, I want answers, facts, real facts not just one part of the story. Actually that's what makes someone like me invaluable, I don't just take the first handfull of test videos and claimed fixed as fact. Sometimes you gotta get dirty and test things out yourself. I'll probably do a video about it real soon in a store somewhere and show you just how bad they perform at simple functions bringing it to it's knees as if it was from 2011. If I help other people along the way to not waste money before they have all the facts laid down and know this is what they need, and know it will perform to their expectations, that's just an added bonus. Arguing with people who cannot see the whole picture will just get me banned so good luck to you too my friend.

 

[citysnaps]

For USB-C to USB-A, no issue. Taking into consideration the other missing ports, you basically need an entire dock, which is not only expensive but complicated. Apple doesn't give you it or even sell it, and you don't really know what you're getting when you buy a third-party one because the marketing language is so vague or misleading (is it Thunderbolt or just USB-C? which monitors work? etc). Also the Apple TB monitor, at the time one of the best docking solutions, was never updated.

This seems very un-Apple to me, using so many peripherals and having to do research on your PORTS. I've had friends come ask me for advice on it. The big selling point of the Mac was always "no setup required, stuff works out of the box."

You missed my point. Which was in response to another saying: "If you want to plug in a USB-A keyboard and mouse it will only cost you $100 is dongles? Seriously your AppleFanWorship is a little blatant."

Which is not only not true, it's a disingenuous claim.

Personally, as one who travels, I'd rather have the 2017 MBP that I have now with four 40 Gbit/sec ports, any of which can accept or supply charging and on either side of my laptop. It's compact, thin, and weighs little, which makes it ideal for traveling.

I do need a USB-C to RJ45 Ethernet adapter from time to time. That cost a whopping $15 and works great. But the same is true with Apple's previous generation MBP (and my MBA) which also was lacking an RJ45 connector.

I'll take thin/lightweight/compact any day for the 98% of the time I don't need an adapter. Little to no research was required. It just works. It's an outstanding laptop. And it looks like the 2018s are even better! Kudos to Apple.

 

[farewelwilliams]

"MBP has been maintaining around base clock under 100% load." This is not a well defined test. The processor has different instruction sets (like AVX, AVX2 etc.). These affect CPU differently (in terms of performance, temperature etc.).

Final Cut uses Apple's Accelerate framework. That framework uses AVX instructions. So far Final Cut has been performing at base clock during heavy renders. Also, Geekbench lists their instruction sets in the manual that they test which includes SSE2/SSE3/AVX2 instructions. So far Geekbench results have been fine. Is there a particular instruction set that you see is problematic? If not, then I don't see how testing various real world pro apps and benchmarks aren't sufficient enough to decide whether the CPU is still experiencing unusual throttles.

That's why to compare Dell to MBP we need to have the same test. And for the same test, this article says the two laptops performed "on par".

Dave only ran a single Adobe Premiere test and suggested they were "on par". But you just said earlier in your reply that it's not a well defined test, not to mention Premiere in Windows does not render in the same way as macOS.

You're saying you can't conclude if the MBP has been fixed yet because one Adobe Premiere test isn't a "well defined test", but that same Adobe Premiere test is enough to conclude that XPS 15 is "on par". Don't you see a problem here?

 

[markedlymac]

This is my take.....

I believe that Apple historically has put in crazy high power limits for the CPUs, to move that limit up out of the way, so that the CPU will only thermally throttle when it needs to.

This works fine as long as your power delivery circuitry is sized to deliver the highest load the CPU could ever draw.

In this case however, an i9 with 6 cores @ full boost can overpower the VRM chip which leads to some nasty throttle behavior instead of the relatively smooth and stable behavior that you typically see with thermal throttling.

So Apple's fix was to put in a power limit for the CPU that keeps its peak draw within the limits of the VRM.

Yeah Apple's explanation is kinda bs but it's not exactly lying either. It's one of those explanations that's technically correct yet not really the full story.

Thanks for a great answer.

Lying is one thing, but misleading is also equally bad, not only ethically but also in many cases, legally.

Let's give an example. Right now, I'm building a case of Apple (in Australia) undergoing misleading misconduct and deception under consumer law, by refusing to follow through on their own 1-year limited warranty regarding my defective 2017 MacBook Pro. See my profile for my recent posts currently documenting it.

I mean OK, we see misleading advertising by many companies all the time, but I'm pretty sure that's technically illegal as well, if it can be properly proven in court.

And I guess this whole thing is 'same-old same-old' with people suing Apple for failing to be honest when the stakes are high enough (people's devices failing, financial loss because of it, etc), so I'm only experiencing my own shift in how I perceive Apple because of experiencing this now first-hand.

I still root for the company. I'm about to volunteer an hour or two of my time on the phone with their iOS team trying to troubleshoot an annoying bug I've noticed on my iPhone SE to try and get it fixed in iOS (it may be a SE model-specific bug, but anyway, we'll get to the bottom of it). I can't stand Windows, and I would really miss macOS if I had to suddenly switch to another platform.
(Linux is getting better though! And we have VMs to fill the 'mainstream' app gap if need be)

But the BS in a lot their marketing, and how they handle hardware mistakes they make, I won't put up with anymore. I'm neither a fanboy nor a hater and have never been either of those extremes. I just love good tech, will choose it over others with my wallet, and deserve to be treated fairly like any other customer should be.

 

[RumorConsumer]

Glad to see Apple fix this.

It wasn't the only issue I had with the new 2018 MBP, but it was a serious one on a performance oriented pro laptop costing as much as $4000-$6000... Wish it hadn't slipped past Apple's QC in the first place.

I'm still holding out in hopes that we may see a BTO option that doesn't sacrifice key travel so much. Tried a new one, just as uncomfortable (for me) as the previous one. I know, I'm typing on it wrong .. sigh. I just can't justify paying so much for a laptop that isn't going to be comfortable for me to use w/o lugging around a giant "dongle" in the shape of a keyboard. Yay, it's as thin as a manilla envelope, but I have to carry a keyboard around too? Wish Apple could find the courage to offer one laptop that wasn't thin to the point of sacrificing function (maximum performance, repairability, comfort while using the primary input device). Now, *that* would be Insanely Great.

How do you get to that position?

There are ways to get the functionality of the MagSafe without interfering with the USB-C ports. No one is saying it needs to be exactly the same port as we had in the past.

As an example, the Back USB ports could be submerged a bit to allow a breakaway plug fixture to be slid in so its flush to the case then using the same magnetic mount concept to the charger cord.

It's the outside of the box thinking Apple was famous for that has given up the ghost in the MacBook Pro case design. Steve was a detail person, the details are drifting away.

I agree Steve was a detail person. Except this is an example of the current "details" we are currently seeing as a baseline of industrial design:

Do you see that pen how it sticks out from the ass of the iPad like that? I only met Steve once in person but my sense of the man is that this would not fly. To be sure, I cannot see many other ways. But this?

Your recessed port idea sounds like a very similar proposition. Not quite in the phallic sense but in the hideous Powerbook G5 prototype sense:

OK maybe not quite that bad, but the lines of the thing just sound terrible. I think we'd probably draw in a war about the cosmetics of the current line.

A little history on me. I've worked professionally in Apple support since I was an early high schooler. Got a work permit and everything. Not saying I know more than you or anybody else (bc I get shown up too) but I know my way around a bondi iMac if you know what I mean. So how do I get to that position? I have seen a lot of technologies come and go. Some perfectly good ones like OpenDoc. I happen to work as a creative in a field and for a company that takes a lot of criticism, just like Apple does. So I empathize with all sides, have compassion for those making the best decisions they can holding as many interests as real valid and true as possible as well as those affected by my decisions. Steve is, actually, the source of some of my sanity on this topic. This video in particular:

is part of my foundation. I don't pretend to know more than those making the decisions and I ultimately choose to trust them. I was a bit incredulous about the headphone jack going away and sneezed at AirPods until I used the damn things. Those doohickeys are of the best products Apple has come out with in years. I love the direction of the custom silicon in that W1 and then in the T2. I see what they're trying to do - be standard complaint outwardly facing and then make the rest of it work as well as humanly possible on the inside. Its smart and like the video says, it is more about a larger vision than any one technology.

The one time I met Steve was at Macworld years ago. He was on the floor having a stroll around. I just kinda found myself face to face with him and said thank you for everything. He nodded and we talked for a minute. Another guy approaches from the right and starts giving Steve s**t about Windowshade (OS9 technology that collapsed windows into their title bars) not being present in OS X. Steve took about 5 seconds of listening to this guy, looked at me, I shook my head, Steve looked back and said point blank "You are living in the past" and kept walking.

 

[makitango]

Geekbench Labs founder John Poole tested the 2018 Core i9 MacBook Pro after the patch and found that it was faster with a more stable processor frequency. It was slightly slower than the 2018 Core i7 MacBook Pro. Poole says that while long running heavily multi-threaded tasks are going to see similar performance on the Core i9 and Core i7 machines, single and lightly-threaded tasks should be faster on the i9.

Do I understand it correctly that if you don't just need a few peak boosts but rather constant raw cpu power, the i7 still outperforms the i9? I don't understand how Apple can call this a fix if they merely just fixed the fluctuation in cpu temp and clock speed and thus their "pro" processor is handling the pro use case worse.

No bashing intended but it's really weak sauce.

 

[halluxsinister]

Who else but Apple could get away with these kind of shenanigans?

Imagine if Ford introduced a new Mustang that was just like last years model, but with a 1500 cubic inch engine, and everything under the hood was welded in place, including the radiator, and was still designed for last year’s 500 cubic inch engine. While everything works just fine, and the engine sounds great, roars like a lion, looks totally awesome, when you push it too hard it overheats and shuts down, because the cooling can’t keep up with the heat the engine produces at over 33 percent of its rated power output for more than a few seconds.

When you try to “take off,” off the line, as it were, testing how quickly it can get from 0 to 60 miles per hour with a cool engine, as soon as you floor it, it cranks out so much torque that the rear tires explode, the drive shaft tears itself in half, and the rear axle goes skiddering under the car and flies out in front of you, flipping end over end down the road, finally landing in a ditch a quarter mile away.

Ford won’t fix it because they stupidly saved weight and money making the car slightly cheaper and lighter, by replacing almost all the bolts and fasteners with welding, so nothing’s replaceable or repairable, they welded the hood shut, in fact, and Ford’s response to complaints is, “sorry about that... why not buy a new one?”

Or at least that’s what they’d do, if they weren’t Ford... but Apple. As far as I know Ford never acted like this, even when they and Firestone were busy pointing fingers at each other over one of their SUV models having a tendency to do dog impressions. (You know, rolling over?)

Meanwhile, they could update the Mac Mini but so far... nope. Pretty soon the Raspberry Pi 4 will be released, and THAT will be more powerful than the latest base, stock Mac Mini, and at less than a TENTH the price.

Samsung’s latest phone, in fact, I think might be more powerful than the Mac Mini... and that’s just sad.

(I’ll admit much of that analogy might be flawed, but I just was having too much fun speculating what could happen if someone stuck an engine into s car that was comically oversized... good times. Good times.)

Apple today released an important bug fix for 2018 MacBook Pros, which was designed to address an issue that caused the machines to excessively throttle when doing system intensive tasks.

The bug fix came in the form of a supplemental update to macOS High Sierra 10.13.6, which many new MacBook Pro owners have now installed on their machines. Multiple MacBook Pro owners and media sites have been testing the new patch, and the results appear to be largely positive -- the throttling issue has been resolved for the most part and the machines are performing better.

CNET for example, did some before and after testing with a video encoding test. Prior to the patch, the Core i9 machine the site tested saw frequent fluctuations in internal temperature and CPU clock speed, while after updating, the CPU throttling in the Core i9 MacBook Pro ceased, with the clock frequency of the cPU and internal system temperature remaining stable.

Original throttling tests showing frequent fluctuations on left, after patch test on right. Image via CNET​

Macworld shared some preliminary test results from its 4K Adobe Premiere test and had similar results, with even clock speed at or above base rather than spiky throttling. Macworld estimates that prior to the patch, the 2018 Core i9 15-inch MacBook Pro was 11 percent faster than the last year's comparable 2.9GHz Core i7 MacBook Pro. After the patch, "it's more like 20 percent faster."

​

Dave Lee, who highlighted the throttling problem in the first place, tweeted some post-patch test results and said the performance was much better.

​

Geekbench Labs founder John Poole tested the 2018 Core i9 MacBook Pro after the patch and found that it was faster with a more stable processor frequency. It was slightly slower than the 2018 Core i7 MacBook Pro. Poole says that while long running heavily multi-threaded tasks are going to see similar performance on the Core i9 and Core i7 machines, single and lightly-threaded tasks should be faster on the i9.

​

MacRumors reader Aea shared pre-patch and post-patch Cinebench benchmarks done with the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Core i9 chip showing the jump in score following the update.

Multiple Reddit users with 2018 MacBook Pro models have been sharing their benchmarking and testing results after installing the supplemental update and have seen significant improvements. This image from Reddit user XNY, for example, depicts a before and after from a 13-inch 2018 MacBook Pro with a Core i5 chip.

Another Reddit user (apple_) confirmed that following the update, his Core i9 machine is performing consistently better.The throttling issue was first discovered just a few days after the MacBook Pro models were released, when YouTuber Dave Lee tested the top-of-the-line 2018 15-inch MacBook Pro with 2.9GHz Core i9 chip using Adobe Premiere Pro and found that it was underperforming compared to a 2017 MacBook Pro due to what Lee said was an "unacceptable" level of throttling.

Apple reached out to Lee to and worked with him to replicate his workflow, getting to the source of the bug. Apple discovered that there was a missing digital key in the MacBook Pro firmware that impacted the thermal management system, driving down clock speeds under heavy thermal loads. This was a problem that appears to have affected all 2018 MacBook Pro models.

The problem appears to have been successfully addressed in today's macOS High Sierra supplemental update, and Apple has issued an apology to customers who experienced less than optimal performance on their new 2018 machines.

Customers who have a 2018 MacBook Pro and have not installed the update should do so immediately to see the performance improvements for themselves.

Update: Dave Lee, who first found the throttling issue, also uploaded a new video and says the supplemental macOS High Sierra update has successfully fixed the throttling issues that he saw prior to the patch.

Using the same Adobe Premiere render time test, Lee found that the Core i9 MacBook Pro was significantly faster than the 2017 Core i7 model that had beaten it prior to the patch.

Lee went even further and tested six laptops equipped with an i9 from various manufacturers. Unsurprisingly, thicker laptops with better cooling did outperform thinner laptops, including the MacBook Pro. The Alienware 17 R4, Acer Helios 500, and Asus G703 (all very thick) saw higher average clock loads.

The Dell XPS 15 and the Zenbook Pro were right on par with the 2018 MacBook Pro. None of the laptops tested beat the MacBook Pro when it came to noise level though, with the MacBook Pro winning out as the quietest of the bunch. Lee says that overall, the Core i9 MacBook Pro is performing the way that a 6-core MacBook Pro should, but he wishes Apple had engineered a better thermal solution for the i9.

Article Link: Tests Confirm Apple's Throttling Fix Improves Performance for 2018 MacBook Pro Models [Updated]

 

[RumorConsumer]

Who else but Apple could get away with these kind of shenanigans?

Imagine if Ford introduced a new Mustang that was just like last years model, but with a 1500 cubic inch engine, and everything under the hood was welded in place, including the radiator, and was still designed for last year’s 500 cubic inch engine. While everything works just fine, and the engine sounds great, roars like a lion, looks totally awesome, when you push it too hard it overheats and shuts down, because the cooling can’t keep up with the heat the engine produces at over 33 percent of its rated power output for more than a few seconds.

When you try to “take off,” off the line, as it were, testing how quickly it can get from 0 to 60 miles per hour with a cool engine, as soon as you floor it, it cranks out so much torque that the rear tires explode, the drive shaft tears itself in half, and the rear axle goes skiddering under the car and flies out in front of you, flipping end over end down the road, finally landing in a ditch a quarter mile away.

Ford won’t fix it because they stupidly saved weight and money making the car slightly cheaper and lighter, by replacing almost all the bolts and fasteners with welding, so nothing’s replaceable or repairable, they welded the hood shut, in fact, and Ford’s response to complaints is, “sorry about that... why not buy a new one?”

Or at least that’s what they’d do, if they weren’t Ford... but Apple. As far as I know Ford never acted like this, even when they and Firestone were busy pointing fingers at each other over one of their SUV models having a tendency to do dog impressions. (You know, rolling over?)

Meanwhile, they could update the Mac Mini but so far... nope. Pretty soon the Raspberry Pi 4 will be released, and THAT will be more powerful than the latest base, stock Mac Mini, and at less than a TENTH the price.

Samsung’s latest phone, in fact, I think might be more powerful than the Mac Mini... and that’s just sad.

(I’ll admit much of that analogy might be flawed, but I just was having too much fun speculating what could happen if someone stuck an engine into s car that was comically oversized... good times. Good times.)

You used part of your life to write that. And now I am using part of mine to reply to it. This is not good.

 

[torana355]

nothing?

not charging:

View attachment 772755


not charging:

View attachment 772756


sketchy AF looking:

View attachment 772757


-----
i promise you these aren't setup photos in attempt to make it look worse than it really is.. they're exactly real life conditions and i'm always having to make sure my laptop /cord is in a certain position to get a charge.. also, the magsafe connector is spring loaded and will jam up.. i have to buy a new one about once per year.. judging by my third picture, that time is coming up (although the laptop itself will be replaced soon instead of the power cord).. it will start smoking eventually due to the shorting/flakey connection..

i get it that if these things are always used in calm/clean/controlled environments then you may have better luck with them but bring them into a fast paced environment (or in my case, a fast-paced manufacturing environment) and your idea about how good magSafe is will likely change relatively quick..

if you're worried about tripping on the cord and crashing the machine to the floor, coil up the slack near the connection.. you'll then have to trip on the cord and drag it 8' before it snags the laptop.. bonus tip-- this works with all sorts of other tools/machines/plug-in-stuff too..

Not sure what you are doing with your laptop but my 2011 MBA Magsafe port is pristine and works every time. I find the weak point is the cable itself, it frays at the end and needs to be replaced every 2 years.

 

[RumorConsumer]

Not sure what you are doing with your laptop but my 2011 MBA Magsafe port is pristine and works every time. I find the weak point is the cable itself, it frays at the end and needs to be replaced every 2 years.

Which is why I think Apple removed the cord wrapping wings from the latest power bricks.

Little known fact - the Apple power adapter for portable Macs is the product with the highest number of revisions at Apple.

 

[DeepIn2U]

Good news for all.

Sweet! With this fix my upcoming 2018 MBP 13” just got better and it hasn’t delivered yet: July 31st

This still won't shut the Apple haters up.

Maybe not but I’ve got Airpods or Beats Solo3’s to keep from hearing their banter/chatter lol

 

[flat five]

.

Not sure what you are doing with your laptop but my 2011 MBA Magsafe port is pristine and works every time. I find the weak point is the cable itself, it frays at the end and needs to be replaced every 2 years.

i’m really not doing anything crazy with the cord.. i don’t yank it out by the wire or put unnecessary stress on it. (though maybe charging while in a backpack could be considered placing unnecessary stress on it)..
i also clean the port/contacts at least once per month.. and give it some indirect compressed air often.

for comparison, i see the frayed stuff happening on people’s iphone chargers but for me, i still have/use a 6’ Lightning cable i bought with my old 6s..

——
idk, i’ve had problems with the power cord on every single laptop i’ve owned.
(2003 powerBook / 2006 MBP / 2010 MBP / 2014 MBP).. it’s the only notable issue and/or replacement parts i’ve had with any of these computers and it’s happened with all of them.

so i’m hyped to give the USB-C variety a shot.. for one, the plug will lock into place a little stronger, there are multiple ports to use instead just the one, and if a cord does need replaced, i don’t have to drop 90 bucks in the thing.

i’m glad your magSafe is working out ok.. i wish mine (and the barrel magSafe and the cylinder plug pre-MBP) had given me similar experience but they just haven’t. for whatever reason.

—-
i do understand people being bummed about Apple ditching MagSafe.. i mean, it’s so freaking cool and such a good idea.. but for me and many others (read the reviews), it hasn’t quite played out so sweet.. so maybe some of you all can try to see that side of things.. pretty sure i’ve spent around $1000 on replacing laptop cords over the past 15years..

 

[fairuz]

Which is why I think Apple removed the cord wrapping wings from the latest power bricks.

Little known fact - the Apple power adapter for portable Macs is the product with the highest number of revisions at Apple.

The wings were deceptive. You think you're supposed to wrap it neatly around them, then your cable breaks after a year.