What conditions will cause throttling

[swifty168]

Hi folks,
As we get more info about the throttling issue with 2018 mbp’s, can I enquire about what sorts of conditions are likely to cause throttling in real world use.

I’m upgrading from a 2012 13” rMBP and my next computer will likely last me 5+ years again.
I am a LR/PS (old versions) user and my old machine does ok (but not great) mainly because I haven’t upgraded my DSLR either in the same time, nor my software.
But my new computer will serve to process 40+MP RAW files. I don’t do video now but will very likely dabble in the future but I am a fairly high end stills photography user, using multiple layers and sometimes big stitches.

I guess I really only care about speed of operation during editing. I don’t really care so much how long it takes to export once I’m done with all my edits so if throttling only affects this portion, then it won’t be a major issue for me.

I will be trialing both LR/Photoshop CC vs Capture One Pro once I buy my new machine. No point using up my trial period on an old machine but it means I won’t know how the software will perform on a particular config.
I’ll also be getting Final Cut Pro X.

I’m almost certainly going to get 32GB RAM as in my experience, the more the merrier in programs such as LR so it limits me to the 15” models. Plus I’m likely going to be multitasking with a bunch of tabs opened in the browser + maybe MS Word, PS, Nik etc.


1) will I likely see throttling in i7 2.2, 2.6 or i9 models during editing?
2) will I see much performance gains between each of the 3 processors.
3) I understand GPU acceleration are now supported by both Capture One and LR, one of the two whichever I end up choosing will see the bulk of my usage. Will I likely see much performance gains between the 555x and 560x?

My thinking is if the performance gains are marginal for a) CPU and b) GPU, then I’ll just get the coolest one for potential longevity. But if my usage won’t be enough to cause throttling and there are performance gains by getting the faster CPU and GPU, then may as well get it. There are very little price difference between the i7 2.2 + 555X and i7 2.6 + 560X.

Similarly for Final Cut Pro X, during edits will it likely cause throttling, or only exports?

Lastly, are there any speed differences between the 512GB SSD and 1 TB SSD?

One more thing, I live in Singapore currently so ambient temps are likely in the low to mid 30’s degree celcius indoors most of the time with very high humidity but often the air cond will be on, dropping it down to around 23-24 degrees celcius and much lower humidity.

Thanks very much in advance.

 

[maflynn]

Thermal throttling occurs when the CPU's temperature reaches a pre-defined threshold and it purposely slows down to avoid damaging itself. with that said, any tasks that causes the heat to increase could cause throttling, that is a task that start pushing the CPU near or at 100% utilization.

I don't think its beneficial to list any or all specific actions that will cause throttling, other then understanding the concept and realizing when you see the CPU pegged at 100%, the temperature will increase. I recommend reviewing CPU utilization either in the supplied application Activity Monitor, or using iStat Menus. The latter provides exhibits of usage, and temperature readouts.

1) will I likely see throttling in i7 2.2, 2.6 or i9 models during editing?

Indications are yes, and since the 2.6 and i9 run faster then the 2.2, you'll see throttling occur on those sooner then the base model.

3) I understand GPU acceleration are now supported by both Capture One and LR, one of the two whichever I end up choosing will see the bulk of my usage. Will I likely see much performance gains between the 555x and 560x?

For Lightroom type tasks, I'm not sure you'll see a difference.

Lastly, are there any speed differences between the 512GB SSD and 1 TB SSD?

Larger SSDs tend to be faster, but will the speed difference be so large that you'll notice? Probably not.

 

[swifty168]

Thanks very much Maflynn.

I guess I thought checking utilisation on my current outdated machine using older versions of processing software won’t be particularly reflective of how the new computers will do with current software hence I was trying to get a feel of what sorts of tasks are likely to push the CPU to 100%.
I get that sustained utilisation eg. when exporting and batch processing would do it. But since photo editing involves lots of discrete instructions vs a continuous set of instructions although I can edit quite fast so there will be lots of discrete instructions in quick succession.

Sounds like i7 2.2, 555x, 32GB and 1TB would be the way to go.
Changing to i7 2.6 and 560X only adds a small increase in price, hence why I wanted to consider it.

Cheers