YouTuber Claims 15-Inch MacBook Pro With Upgraded Core i9 Chip is Severely Throttled Due to Thermal Issues

[radus]

I would not render films at all with a Laptop,

Burst speed of the new i9 for a short time is much higher compared to the old i7 -- for most people this is enough.
Productive work in front of the computer, interactive work, requires multiple repetitive short time bursts, giving enough time for the processor to cool down, while being very productive a short time when needed.
i.e. voice recognition on a vm while reviewing images, retouching an image, reconstruct and retouch a small set of images in 3d ...

 

[bkkcanuck8]

It is not possible to claim the MBP is a "Pro" computer and then claim you can not use all professional software with it

Sorry, but that is silly... There is still software that will not perform acceptably on any laptop... period... Does that mean that no laptop is considered a pro machine?

 

[maflynn]

Again, this isn't proven. Like I said, there's all kinds of different ways a YouTube video could mislead the viewer in regards to the conditions for the testing. The idea that Apple would just release the i9 for the hell of it without testing is baloney.

What are you talking about it? He used Adobe Premiere and it ran slower then the prior generation MBP. By the way Dave2D is a big apple fan, if you ever watched his videos in the past. He ran a typical application that people use for content creation. There's another video from someone else that basically details the throttling as well.

 

[bkkcanuck8]

I would not render films at all with a Laptop,

Burst speed of the new i9 for a short time is much higher compared to the old i7 -- for most people this is enough.
Productive work in front of the computer, interactive work, requires multiple repetitive short time bursts, giving enough time for the processor to cool down, while being very productive a short time when needed.
i.e. voice recognition on a vm while reviewing images, retouching an image, reconstruct and retouch a small set of images in 3d ...

No no, you should be able to run a render farm on a single laptop

 

[0095059]

For what it’s worth, if anyone else has iPhone or iPad overheating issues while charging their device, the easiest solution is to not charge it while using CPU intensive apps. The battery lasts for a while, especially on iPad.

In terms of mobile gaming, I’m fairly sure a case that acts as a sink would dissipate the heat, while your hands or a case that warms to the touch might trap the heat.

Perhaps it varies by person because cases are made of different materials.

 

[maflynn]

t is not possible to claim the MBP is a "Pro" computer and then claim you can not use all professional software with it.

Agreed, we see apple promoting their products for professionals, they made it a point to communicate last year that they are still interested in the professional market, they increased the max ram to be over 16GB and gave us a i9 all of which professionals wanted and now those folks cannot run apps that are considered professional as it will throttle?

 

[bkkcanuck8]

I realize this would require Intel iGPUs; however the Iris Pro variants seem to run hot and if Apple is going to include dGPUs and push eGPUs then the issue is moot.

That would be an interesting test (if it is possible)... Disable the internal GPU so that it is not used at all - use only the dGPU... Disable the use of AVX ... then run the same tests.... see if the thermals are acceptable.

 

[A7ibaba]

Not just 15" is hit severely by throttling , 13" is also struggling with Intel i5 4-cores CPU

So how is this possible? We observed the clocks and the power consumption of the processor with the tool Intel Power Gadget (macOS). The following screenshot shows the behavior of the CPU during a single CB R15 Multi run. The processor starts with the full 3.6 GHz for about 5 seconds, which corresponds with a consumption of 48-49W. The cooling solution is quickly overpowered and the CPU hits 100 °C, which results in a clock reduction. The consumption fluctuates heavily between after that (between 20-40W), which obviously impacts the clocks. And we are talking about one single run of the Multi test.

It seems Coffee Lake-U is just not as efficient as Kaby Lake-R

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Apple-MacBook-Pro-13-2018-Touch-Bar-i5-Laptop-Review.316648.0.html

 

[Rogifan]

Might I submit to you that the timing of the new MacBook Pro launch and the release of this YouTube’s first video (complaining about being disappointed with Apple’s lack of current gen processors after so long) was not entirely coincidental? It was seen by a large number of people. Phil Schiller could have seen it and said “man this doesn’t look good for us, let’s just go ahead and surprise people by launching the new line a little early”

The timing and lack of press and keynote for the new hardware took a lot of people by surprise.

This theory would also explain why they released the i9 before it was truly ready.

Also, it’s not unheard of for Apple to pivot because of criticism of someone famous - see Taylor Swift and Apple Music free trial.

Why do they need a keynote for a spec bump on two laptops? This isn’t the first time Apple has announced new products via press release only.

 

[gnasher729]

I can't believe Apple would push something so defective. This is some Lenovo-style crap. Waiting to see more tests.

It's a bloody laptop. You carry it around with you. Physics is what it is, you can't change it. Most people would _not_ like the changes needed to make it run at full speed 24 hours a day.

 

[bkkcanuck8]

Not just 15" is hit severely by throttling , 13" is also struggling with Intel i5 4-cores CPU

So how is this possible? We observed the clocks and the power consumption of the processor with the tool Intel Power Gadget (macOS). The following screenshot shows the behavior of the CPU during a single CB R15 Multi run. The processor starts with the full 3.6 GHz for about 5 seconds, which corresponds with a consumption of 48-49W. The cooling solution is quickly overpowered and the CPU hits 100 °C, which results in a clock reduction. The consumption fluctuates heavily between after that (between 20-40W), which obviously impacts the clocks. And we are talking about one single run of the Multi test.

It seems Coffee Lake-U is just not as efficient as Kaby Lake-R

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Apple-MacBook-Pro-13-2018-Touch-Bar-i5-Laptop-Review.316648.0.html

If I read the article right - it is indicating the power usage profile is strange - and if that is the case ... it could actually be a software issue.

 

[Radon87000]

Not just 15" is hit severely by throttling , 13" is also struggling with Intel i5 4-cores CPU

So how is this possible? We observed the clocks and the power consumption of the processor with the tool Intel Power Gadget (macOS). The following screenshot shows the behavior of the CPU during a single CB R15 Multi run. The processor starts with the full 3.6 GHz for about 5 seconds, which corresponds with a consumption of 48-49W. The cooling solution is quickly overpowered and the CPU hits 100 °C, which results in a clock reduction. The consumption fluctuates heavily between after that (between 20-40W), which obviously impacts the clocks. And we are talking about one single run of the Multi test.

It seems Coffee Lake-U is just not as efficient as Kaby Lake-R

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Apple-MacBook-Pro-13-2018-Touch-Bar-i5-Laptop-Review.316648.0.html

You cannot run gaming class components in a chassis as restrictive as this. The Vega GPU is also notorious for running hotter than nvidia pascal. There is a reason Windows computers using i9 are monstrous bricks. That's what is necessary to allow the i9 to stretch its legs. You do get more mobility with this laptop but it comes at the cost of performance. On Windows you will lose mobility but get performance.

 

[LeeW]

Oddly enough a colleague and I were discussing the new line-up when it launched, when we saw the option to go with an i9 we both said the same thing "Can the thermals handle it without significant throttling?". I guess not but one test is not enough.

 

[Rogifan]

No, I'm not claiming that at all, I'm claiming that apple tested it, and knew it had thermal issues but still released it.

Doesn’t this apply to PC manufacturers as well with this generation of Intel chips? I thought someone said that in an earlier post. I’m not aware Dell’s XPS getting some massive re-engineer for these chips.

 

[drewsof07]

I hope this doesn't lead to failure from overheating. I hope the heatsinks and the way they apply the paste can hold up!

Foxconn has an army of mice with thermal paste diarrhea crapping on the heatsinks. Well maybe not, but it is poorly applied.

 

[maflynn]

Doesn’t this apply to PC manufacturers as well with this generation of Intel chips? I thought someone said that in an earlier post. I’m not aware Dell’s XPS getting some massive re-engineer for these chips.

Yes, that was me stating it Dell had thermal issues in the 2017 laptops, and Coffee Lake exacerbated the throttling issue for the Dell

 

[OC40]

As I meantioned earlier in this thread, an i9/32/512 will be delivered tomorrow.

I’m seriously considering exchanging it for an i7/32/512.

That said, I do not believe I use any applications that eat up a significant chunk of cpu...

 

[Mark-Technology]

I run my 15" Late 2011 MBP in a very unique way specifically because of thermals:

- Open laptop with magnet on bottom left speaker corner (to trick the display into turning off as if the clamshell is closed, but not for airflow)
- Bottom cover removed and elevated placed on top of a laptop cooling pad
- External display only, with usb mouse/keyboard
- I also replaced the thermal paste myself not long ago and gave it a deep cleaning by completely removing every component and hand cleaning it inside out

For the first 5-6 years of the laptop's life, I used it as it was designed, now I'm using it more like a desktop replacement.

The improvement in the i7 quad core has been unbelievable. It never throttles and I can use the AMD 6750M overclocked by 33% in bootcamp with no issues. Temps never rise over 85 C even under insane load and automatic fan curve. If I blast fans on full RPM then they won't even reach 80 C.

OF COURSE this is an absolutely unreasonable configuration to use this laptop in and is unintended. It's unreasonable to compare this with it's intended use and boast about performance gain, but I thought it was worth mentioning anyway.

If Apple focussed less on making everything thinner, and instead more on cooling and performance instead...we would actually have "Pro" machines.

 

[maflynn]

That said, I do not believe I use any applications that eat up a significant chunk of cpu...

If you don't need it, then don't buy it.

My usage is more humble then most others, so I'm happy with my ordering of the base model

 

[apolloa]

I saw this video earlier and have to say wasn’t surprised in the slightest, a computer that thin with an i9? Pointless PR stunt if you ask me.
Stick to an i5 or i7 four core, should run a bit better.

 

[OC40]

If you don't need it, then don't buy it.

My usage is more humble then most others, so I'm happy with my ordering of the base model

I made a last second change from the i7 to the i9...

I believe I will reorder with an i7 and return the i9.

 

[jgbr]

just an FYI I managed on my 2017 HQ sustained 4GHZ at 4000RPM.

We come back to a benchmark is often misleading.

Getting a job done fast is better and the four cores can sustain it longer than the i9. More reason for 2017 users to stick with what they have.

 

[justinchao740]

Intel doesn't help with their cheap-ass way of connecting the heat spreader. I mean, why is delidding even a thing? Because Intel cheaped out!

funny, laptop doesnthave any heat spreader dummy!!! the coolers on laptops are placed directlt on the die. learn your facts before you post.

 

[apolloa]

Welcome to the new Intel. This has been happening for a while. Carefully chosen benchmarks highlighting potential speed gains during brief bursts of use. Specs nowadays pretty much amount to fraud.

Sooo your blaming Intel for Apples own design flaws?

If you see the other none Apple laptops with an i9, look at how thick they are or how powerful the cooling systems are, then maybe you’ll realise why in a stupid thin Apple laptop it’s pointless and makes no sense..

 

[satinsilverem2]

It really is like 2011 again! I remember when the 2011 machines came out they were touted as the biggest upgrade since since the intel switch and last week the new machines are said to be the biggest leap since 2011. When the 2011's came out people were complaining left and right about the CPU throttling and now the same thing is happening again. I had a 2011 MBP and it was throttling within seconds of me starting to export in FCPX. It was slightly better after I replaced the mess of thermal paste but still would throttle to below the base clock speed. My 2016 maxed 13" sits right at 3.4GHz which is the max for 2 cores active on my CPU for the entire time. I think this is somewhat normal for Apple sadly. They will probably change something in the next revision to make them run cooler and then make a 5 minute video with Jony about how innovative they are with this new cooling solution.