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

[justinchao740]

Irrelevant. A software should not make a cpu run up to 100°C no matter what. It’s hardware issue.

of course it can and should. try running a cpu intensive game like city skylines and it will fully max out your cpu at 100% and if adequate cooling isnt presented (like the i9 mbp) then the cpu will be pushed to 100 degrees. I agree with the part that it's a hardware issue, because obviousely apple didnt put adequate cooling and that's their fault, but a software will absolutely run a cpu up to 100c if not enough cooling was presented.
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And I just ordered the i9 yesterday.....

can i just ask, what are you using your macbookfor that you need a core i9?????

 

[cm_junk]

It's not clear if there's something wrong with the MacBook Pro with Core i9 chip that Lee received, because this kind of throttling is likely something Apple would have tested for and not something that other users have reported at this point.

Because this is just one data point, it's not enough information to reach a conclusion about the i9 chip available for the 15-inch MacBook Pro, but additional testing will certainly follow to shed more light on Lee's video.

I'm sorry, but this is an absolutely terrible way to end this article. Throttling on Macbooks is something I've been hearing about for years, experience myself on my 2015 15", and it's been proven time and time again by various Youtubers over the years. This is definitely not "something Apple would have tested for and not something that other users have reported at this point." Apple designs with maximum thinness in mind (because that's what "pros" want in their $3000+ machines, right?) and these throttling and heat issues are a direct result of these design decisions.

 

[bkkcanuck8]

For my use I am thinking of a second hand 2013 Mac Pro and a egpu. Still cost way less then even a 4 core MB Pro! And it’s upgradable and I can fix it myself if anything breaks.

These new Apple laptops are just too expensive and none user reparable for my liking.

And in 2 years - don't be surprised if it becomes vintage and not supported

 

[Faelan]

To be honest, this was to be expected. This isn't a new problem and it's not unique to Apple. It just looks really bad in this particular scenario because Apple dumped what borders on being a desktop class component into an ultra thin laptop chassis with two puny fans. People need to realize that super thin and light laptops aren't supposed to be desktop replacements for those who need to do work that keeps your CPU (or GPU) at max speed for more than brief moments of time. You can do it in a pinch if you have to be mobile for one reason or the other, which is great, but you'll have to live with the performance compromise while doing so. Same thing with gaming on a laptop. It's great to be able to lug a gaming capable machine over to a friend for a fun time together or if you need to be on the road for an extended period of time, but if you spend hours gaming at home every day, get a gaming desktop. It'll be a much better experience in the long run.

Anyway, you get the higher rated MacBook Pro CPU not for sustained workloads, but for short fast boosts of performance. Basically, to make the system feel snappier in use, not to have it grind through hours of video encoding and what not while you drink you coffee. That's the job of a desktop PC. Now, whether you can actually FEEL the top spec system being snappier compared to the base line, that's frankly a much more interesting question to me than throwing around benchmark scores. Problem is, this is very difficult to measure and highly subjective, which is why people resort to benchmarks or doing things like opening a gazillion apps and switching between them while having a stopwatch running.

My guess is that the added performance is not worth it though and if you absolutely want to spend that money, you're probably better off getting more RAM or storage, depending on your needs. Both will extend the usable life span of you device more than the added CPU performance. Once you run out of RAM, your performance is going to tank regardless of how good your CPU is and once you run out of storage, the CPU isn't going to help you there either. When the baseline is too slow for you though, I can guarantee you that the top end CPU is going to feel too slow as well. It's just going to feel slightly less painful to use. There's just not enough difference between them to make one feel useless and the other usable.

 

[jclardy]

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.

The i9 is perfectly capable of that performance, the issue is whether or not the thermal design of the MacBook Pro chassis can handle it. Unfortunately it seems as if it can't, though I'll wait to hear from Anandtech or Ars Technica for a more generalized report. Premiere Pro is terribly optimized for Mac and AMD GPU's.

 

[Ifti]

can i just ask, what are you using your macbookfor that you need a core i9?????

To be fair I generally max CPU and RAM to make the system last as long as possible. The most intensive task I run is using FCPX I guess.
I'm now considering returning the i9 and going for the i7..........

 

[Haswell]

Liquid metal!!!!!

 

[Elian_Gonzalez]

LOL....yeah some random well respected YouTuber with 1.4 million subscribers.

Raise your standards if you think any YouTuber should be the north star in your life's journey, dood.

 

[JimmyTW87]

Talking the fully decked out price is a joke. It is 3,200 for the SSD... Using that price as the basis for making a point is ... only detracting from your position.

Yes I understand that half of the cost is in the SSD, but it still is a SKU apple sell to people, you can't upgrade later either. So someone could in theory spend £6500 on a machine with all these problems is my point, i understand that 90% of people wont do that, me included.

 

[Elian_Gonzalez]

Waiting to see more tests.

What for? You've already reached a definitive conclusion.

 

[bkkcanuck8]

Hey, it's Apple's that's using the "Pro" moniker, I was simply pointing this out in relation to your comment, so if anyone you should be calling them arrogant and moronic. I never said or even implied one design suits all. But if they want to use "Pro" for marketing purposes they should be able to accept any criticism and flack from actual pros. You seem to be saying Apple isn't making a laptop for those pros who need/want sustained, max-CPU performance.

At the end of the day, the thing that's moronic seems to be paying Apple almost the cost of a CPU to upgrade to an i9 for little to no benefit in this design.

Even if the laptop ran without throttling, it would still be less than performant than the (with a month or two) iMac (not pro). In this case, a laptop can NEVER be a pro based on some made up benchmark which divides the two. The i9, i7, 75, i3 are all consumer grade CPUs... there are Xeon processors available for laptops - but I have never seen one in the wild. So yes, 'pro' moniker is just marketing and completely meaningless.

 

[geromi912]

of course it can and should. try running a cpu intensive game like city skylines and it will fully max out your cpu at 100% and if adequate cooling isnt presented (like the i9 mbp) then the cpu will be pushed to 100 degrees. I agree with the part that it's a hardware issue, because obviousely apple didnt put adequate cooling and that's their fault, but a software will absolutely run a cpu up to 100c if not enough cooling was presented.
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can i just ask, what are you using your macbookfor that you need a core i9?????

Of course it can because of crappy cooling. But it should never, that’s the point. Adobe premiere is not the problem. ANY cpu intensive workload will cause this anorexic brick to throttle.

 

[simonmet]

Throttling back to the base clock speed under "extended" heavy loads, sure. I think that's totally unsurprising. Throttling back to below the base clock speed under "moderate" loads, I don't think so.

Agreed. Throttling under base basically means inadequate cooling and a flawed design.

 

[geromi912]

Even if the laptop ran without throttling, it would still be less than performant than the (with a month or two) iMac (not pro). In this case, a laptop can NEVER be a pro based on some made up benchmark which divides the two. The i9, i7, 75, i3 are all consumer grade CPUs... there are Xeon processors available for laptops - but I have never seen one in the wild. So yes, 'pro' moniker is just marketing and completely meaningless.

There are laptops with mobile xeons as well as Quadros and real Radeon pros.

 

[tdar]

I've read many posts where people were happy with the previous form factor. Not only did its larger size permit better cooling but it also allowed for (at least for many) a better keyboard. I think many people would be fine if Apple returned to the previous form factor. This constant quest for ever thinner and thinner devices by Apple is causing them to lose sight of why people buy them: To get work done.

But you did not consider what I said. The WORK load is changing. It is more demanding than it was in that time your referencing. NO FREE LUNCH. Pick the correct system for that workload. It MIGHT not be a laptop.

 

[Ifti]

The i9 is perfectly capable of that performance, the issue is whether or not the thermal design of the MacBook Pro chassis can handle it. Unfortunately it seems as if it can't, though I'll wait to hear from Anandtech or Ars Technica for a more generalized report. Premiere Pro is terribly optimized for Mac and AMD GPU's.

I think I will let mine arrive and hopefully the above sites will have full reviews on the issue while Im within my returns period!!

 

[eulslix]

But the balance is shifted FAR too close to the mainstream crowd who care about "thin" than the "Pro" users who want the I/O and performance.

Apple has seriously ****ed up with this new MBP design, imagine paying £6500 for it, what an utter joke that is.

I hope my current MBP lasts a long time because it's fantastic, even if its 5 years old now and "obsolete" SD Card Reader, Quad Core i7, Audio out, Card Reader, Mag Safe, HDMI out.

Buying a new Macbook Pro is a downgrade in literally any area I care about (I'm not a Professional user). To add insult the equivalent quad i7/16gb/512gb is something like £700 MORE expensive than the one i bought in 2013.

All Apple have done is convince me the Surface Book 2 is the way forward.

Way to go I was also very sceptical about the Surface Book and I really hated the hinge design on the first iteration. But I really recommend you trying out one at a store near you and give it a fair try. Incredible machines, I love mine. I discover something new every day, just so much creativity in there. Be sure to buy it from the Microsoft store though if you want to get Microsoft Complete.

I ordered mine from Amazon for 600€ less, which is enough of a price difference so that there's one free accident replacement in for me. But if there's no better deals than the Microsoft Store one for you, I really recommend you getting it from them.

If you live in Europe, you can also apply a coupon from Amazon to get the 15" 256GB model for 2200€ (listed under promitions at the start, easy to miss):
https://www.amazon.de/Microsoft-Surface-i7-8650U-4-2GHz-GeForce/dp/B078YHD9BB/

 

[Texh49]

Sold my 2016 to grab this particular model and such a review is hindering my purchase. I do graphic heavy work as well as coding.

 

[GoodWheaties]

Here are my results while rendering an intense 3D scene with Lightwave3D. Single core and multi core. Would also like to point out my houses AC was blowing directly on to my MacBookPro when this test was performed. So quite cool ambient temps.

Now, it is throttling, but about as much as every laptop with a high-end CPU in it.

2018, 15" i9, 32GB, 1TB.


View attachment 771205 View attachment 771206

I’m not exactly sure what you are working on there but looking at your charts it must be using hardware acceleration. The CPU usage is practically nothing most of the time. At the end of the second chart you can see the CPU usage go to 100% and you will notice that is right when the CPU frequency just tanks.

 

[Zwhaler]

These machines are ridiculously expensive, have a **** keyboard which Apple just doesn't care about, throttle to hell so that the fancy super expensive i9 is slower than last year's i7 - for what? So we can run MacOS? Have we all forgotten how bad High Sierra has been and how little Apple has cared about MacOS and the Mac since the iPhone took off making all the money?
Time to move on. Sadly. It is time.

What's even more sad is the feeling I get when I use Windows... as much as I agree with you on the hardware side. I quickly remember why I switched to Mac and trust me Windows bugs me (no pun intended) back into staying on the Mac. I haven't purchased a new Mac in years though.

 

[Thresher]

This doesn't surprise me at all.

I picked up the i7 15 inch on Monday. I'm coming from a mid-2014 MBP 15 and I can say for sure that the new one runs much hotter than the old one. There seems to be a good bit of heat coming from the keyboard and palm rest area, something I never noticed on my 2014.

 

[eulslix]

What's even more sad is the feeling I get when I use Windows... as much as I agree with you on the hardware side. I quickly remember why I switched to Mac and trust me Windows bugs me (no pun intended) back into staying on the Mac. I haven't purchased a new Mac in years though.

It can't keep up with OSX, true that. I still miss some things after 1 month with my new laptop. But all in all it's a good OS, you'll get used to it. I used it mainly on my cheap work notebook where it was a pain in the ass, absurdely enough Windows gets much more enjoyable on a premium device, especially with touch screens (the touch smears are not as bad as people here claim they are, but I guess that's a matter of taste)

 

[Shanghaichica]

Dave Lee is not some random guy. His claim warrants further investigation.

Last week he was moaning about Apple not updating their macs to the latest chipset and the fact that he broke his iPhone X and doesn’t have Apple care plus.

This week he’s found something else to moan about.

 

[pl1984]

To be honest, this was to be expected. This isn't a new problem and it's not unique to Apple. It just looks really bad in this particular scenario because Apple dumped what borders on being a desktop class component into an ultra thin laptop chassis with two puny fans. People need to realize that super thin and light laptops aren't supposed to be desktop replacements for those who need to do work that keeps your CPU (or GPU) at max speed for more than brief moments of time. You can do it in a pinch if you have to be mobile for one reason or the other, which is great, but you'll have to live with the performance compromise while doing so. Same thing with gaming on a laptop. It's great to be able to lug a gaming capable machine over to a friend for a fun time together or if you need to be on the road for an extended period of time, but if you spend hours gaming at home every day, get a gaming desktop. It'll be a much better experience in the long run.

I disagree. It is unique to Apple because Apple doesn't offer an alternative, mobile product.

 

[juri-han]

this is the same guy crying about apple not having a 6 core literally a week ago ... how ironic lmao