Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
2018 i9 MacBook Pro throttling discussion [merged]
- Thread starter M.Rizk
- Start date
-
- Tags
- macbook performance pro
- Sort by reaction score
I’m so done with Windows after trying to migrate since 2016. Good for games, but so is a PS4 Pro og Xbox One X. It took Apple five years, from 2011 to 2016, to supply us with a 15 inch with dGPU and quad core to stay silent during normal operations and to not throttle under load. Again, codecs do matter, and using file formats that work well with the new i9 and AMD gpu is crucial. Check your gear before buying and see if it fits your workflow.
There is alot of issues with building a modular and silent desktop machine for Windows as well. The CPU cooler is usually the sinner, but with the weight of a desktop cooler matching a Mac Mini, I guess we’ll have to wait for smaller dies in the chipset before thermal will improve.
In the meanwhile we are stuck with software optimisation, codecs and the good ol’ throttling.
There is alot of issues with building a modular and silent desktop machine for Windows as well. The CPU cooler is usually the sinner, but with the weight of a desktop cooler matching a Mac Mini, I guess we’ll have to wait for smaller dies in the chipset before thermal will improve.
In the meanwhile we are stuck with software optimisation, codecs and the good ol’ throttling.
Last edited:
The i9 is a configure-to-order upgrade on the i7 models; it's not listed as a separate model.
Just for kicks, I gave this to my 2.8 i7 from 2015 and got 11min flat almost every time vs your 6.5min on the i9. So throttling or not... if 32GB RAM is a big deal for you... the 2018 is still the better buy for those with a much older machine like me. Those who had a 2015 model and upgraded every year or almost every year might not be getting the best value but those hanging onto machines for a few years? Different story.
Thanks for sharing this. I’m on a mid-2010 mbp. I have the i9 on my desk (still in the package) and an i7 on its way.
I have been following a some folks on Twitter, including a couple from anandtech. I am definitely keeping one of them, but I am trying to gather as much data as possible.
Would it still throttle under load if you're in an air conditioned - 18 to 22 °C (64 to 72 °F) - room and if it would, how badly?
Here is another review testing the i9 which again yes, throttles but here are a few takeaways from this review. Nevertheless, even though it throttles, the i9 still gives the best results when needed. Also, the fans seem to kick in a little later and when the reviewer adjusts the fans...
*edit* I cant seem to add the image. But check out the comment section.
No throttling.
With this said, again this is not an absolute but there is a good possibility that an adjustment to the fan curve could help.
Sorry, can't watch right now. But do they compare it to the other i7 2018 models?
Futureproof? You don’t know what will happen in the future? Then go for the base configuration. Configure the computer according to your use case. The future is blind, and what will happen in a year or two may bore you to death or blow your mind, so be present.
Resale value is best at base, because second hand punters are bargain hunters or time wasting talking heads. They just want the lowest price. Even lower than base. Get ready to be a dart board for low throws.
Up the memory? Only if you know you are running tons of VMs or have some special field to cover by clients you already have. Future clients are like the future, something you can’t predict.
Resale value is best at base, because second hand punters are bargain hunters or time wasting talking heads. They just want the lowest price. Even lower than base. Get ready to be a dart board for low throws.
Up the memory? Only if you know you are running tons of VMs or have some special field to cover by clients you already have. Future clients are like the future, something you can’t predict.
That video no, but this video yes.
He compared the i9 with the 2.6 i7 with a FCP export and the i9 beat it by 50 seconds. And both the i7 and the i9 were throttling. He also mentions that he did other tests with the other MacBooks and the i9 still beats all of them despite the throttling. Now, this of course is with FCP which is greatly optimised for MacOS.
I'l have to watch later. I feel like that's the comparison I've been waiting for though. So it seems like the i9 still outperforms the i7 models in most day-to-day usage, but is not performing as well as it should. Is it worth the extra $300 bucks though? That's what I'm trying to wrestle with.
I edited my post with more information. Even though he doesn’t go into huge detail but generally (and as you and I assumed in the first place) the i9 does perform the best out of the 2017 top end 15 inch and the 2018 2.6 i7. Now, of course that still doesn’t kill the fact that the i9 should be out performing these other machines with better scores than a measly 50 seconds which of course means there still is an issue with the thermals and as proven by those who have manually adjusted their fan curves, a firmware update to adjust these is needed for better results. Now whether these result difference will be significant, that might be another story, maybe another 10 seconds added to the 50 second lead on the 2.6 i7? I’ll keep an eye out for more reviews.
CPU upgrades usually offer 5-10% difference in performance, especially when you compare within Pro 13 and Pro 15. in other words is it just worth it if you are counting on seconds or minutes to make more money. Again, if you don’t know, get the base.
Even with the fans at a max of 6K the Cinebench R15 is poor for an 8th Gen hex core with even the base 2.2GHz 8750H easily out performing the i9 8950HK, in a well designed chassis with adequate cooling.
So it's going to take a lot more than just an adjustment to the fan curve...
Q-6
Umm, yes benchmarks are great but real world use is more important. So as with the videos, if I were doing actual work, my results will be better.
Also when Cinebench founder/developer was asked if the results on the new MacBook Pros are accurate, he himself said, “probably not”. So I Prefer these real world tests to technical benchmarking.
Right. I honestly could give a **** about Cinebench. I want to know how After Effects, FCP X and Premiere perform between the 2.6GHz i7, 2.2GHz i7, and i9.
I agree, benchmark's in some case allow for a level of comparison. Personally I'd either pick up the i7 2.2 or the i9, the i7 2.6 I'd avoid.
People need to see how the notebook fits their workflow, equally it's very disappointing for Apple not to have done a better job with the thermals and power...
Hey guys, my i9 finally arrived today. Loaded up Final Cut and it exported my project 50% faster than last years 2017 i7. And performed 10% faster than the Base i7 I tested in the Apple Store yesterday. Playing back h264 videos was a lot faster than the Base 8-Core iMac Pro. Best thing was that it was whisper quiet during operation, whereas last years 2017 i7 and my 2016 13" would hit the fans hard during an export.
Posted up the perf video on my channel for proof. Still need to do a lot of testing to validate the results, but that's what I have so far.
Posted up the perf video on my channel for proof. Still need to do a lot of testing to validate the results, but that's what I have so far.