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(2019) 16" is HOT & NOISY with an external monitor! :(
- Thread starter Appledoesnotlisten
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Different to what? Running monitors directly connected to the machine?
Well, yes, but it does put load on the CPU and GPU and move the same number bits of graphical data to external displays.
I can't say I noticed objectionable heat and noise when I have connected one or two monitors directly. I haven't tried 4K monitors, so this may be where the problem lies.
It's quite simple:
Plug in a monitor and check what wattage the GPU is using if it's higher than 15W then you have the problem. Whether this problem affects you personally is a whole different story as that is dependant on lots of factors like the environment you're in, usage, hearing........
Plug in a monitor and check what wattage the GPU is using if it's higher than 15W then you have the problem. Whether this problem affects you personally is a whole different story as that is dependant on lots of factors like the environment you're in, usage, hearing........
I also tried the DisplayLink solution with the Dell D6000. I returned it because the monitors lag behind one frame and the refresh rate seems to go down to 30hz when a video is playing on one. I find it really noticeable using my mouse on the screen while the video is playing. But it does use less overall wattage and runs more cool. These are my results while watching a fullscreen video on one monitor using an i7 5300M with 3 monitors (1 x 1080p@60hz over HDMI and 2 x 1440p@60hz over DisplayPort)
Nope it doesn't. It moves data over USB (like copying data to a USB drive). It doesn't use the DisplayPort subsystem of the GPU (and the TB controllers). It moves way less data over the wire because it's compressed.
Yeah, it does increase load on the CPU/GPU, but it doesn't fire up the VRAM to full clock speed. Actually it doesn't even fire up the AMD GPU. DisplayLink can be used with the iGPU.
While DisplayLink is technically more inefficient than connecting a monitor directly, it doesn't trigger this flaw on the 16" like directly connected monitors do.
Right, my i7 5600M stay cool at normal use.
Internal monitor plus LG5k connected to the right port at idle:
Internal monitor plus Dell lU3818DW on the right, and Apple LED Cinema Display (27 inch) to the left through a docking at idle:
I do noticed that Thunderbolt is the hot spot when connect to 5k monitor.
Was literally about to say this worked for me too. Then kernel task kicked in.
I was literally only watching a 4k video on my external monitor in clamshell mode. It did seem to last longer than normal hence why I almost sang the new beta's praises.
Check your GPU power consumption, I guess it's still around 18W.
of course Apple won’t fix it. Because they don’t see it as Problem. They designed it that way. So to then, it’s working as expected. Ergo: Nothing to fix.
We can only bug them and let our machines get repaired/replaced over and over again until they might offer you a refund. But I’m afraid that even that won’t make apple change their minds.
As long as YouTubers and the tech press are praising this machine, Apple doesn’t care at all.
At the time, an Apple engineer told me, that the machine is working as designed, I knew it won’t get fixed. And if someone still believes Apple would care about that or even thinking about to fix this, then I have bad news for you: They don’t and they never will until they’re forced to.
the only solution is to buy the 16“ with a 5600M. Sadly this was not an option at the time I bought mine. And upgrading isn’t possible. So I’m stuck with a 4000€ machine that’s broken by design and Apple continues to tell me that it’s „working as designed“ (whatever this is).
To summarize it: there’s no solution and there probably will never be one.
That's why I got the eGPU which by the way might be a dead end with arm anyway lol but since I got it for dirt cheap figured what the hell. At least now I am happy with performance... for most part
That's why I got the eGPU which by the way might be a dead end with arm anyway lol but since I got it for dirt cheap figured what the hell. At least now I am happy with performance... for most part
Still a joke that you need an external GPU for an about 4000€ „Pro“ Laptop to behave with an external display.
I also planned to get an eGPU. But the prices for them are ridiculous. Actually I would be glad if Apple would let me upgrade to the 5600M. Even if that means I’m shoving more money down their throats.
I stopped using an external screen for now. I can’t concentrate while sitting next to a jetengine
Even if they realize that it is a design flaw, internally They would never let any customer-facing ppl to admit it to the customers. (tho they might decide to quietly 'fix' it in subsequent revisions/models)
But from what I've read. They decided that Intel Macs were 'dead' since Skylake anyway. So I think their rationale would be just to keep the platform on 'life-support' until their ARM64/"Apple Silicon" products comes online.
IMO I see their hardware evolution since 2016 as they start to shift away from conventional X86+EFI platform and letting their T-Series chip taking over more and more functionalities (first security (T1), then adding NVMeController, then HW decoding/Acceleration (X.265) among other processing capabilities and having its own non-standard-PCH-based boot sequence) (T2) )
That's why I am might wait until at least gen 2-3 of ARM64 Macs to hit the market (If I can hold off the temptaion of being their paying guinea pig that is)
No issues in regular use to report so far. I did have one time where I couldn't see the external screens and had to reboot, but I've had similar issues in the past with directly-connected external monitors. It may have been unrelated to DisplayLink. Quality and refresh rates are good. I can't really see any difference on my FHD monitors between DisplayPort via a dock and direct connections.
I
Are you using clamshell mode or open lid? Most people have no issue with DisplayPort and clamshell mode. The problem is when you use open lid or HDMI. So what you are reporting is not really a fix. Check your Radeon High Side power consumption with the lid open. It will probably still be 18-20 Watts.
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There is little CPU overhead, certainly less energy and heat than what the Radeon 5500M consumes. Stability, sleep, wake are all fine with displaylink. The only issue is that 4K HiDPI resolutions are laggy. 4K native or 1080p native are fine.
Displaylink does not load the GPU at all. It only uses the CPU (less than one core, and you havee 6-8 cores available). That energy and heat is a lot less than what the awful Radeon 5500M consumes.
I use DisplayLink with the MBP16 open and two external displays. No issues so far.
Do you mind trying to run all of your screens with higher resolutions with this app? It's a terrific app that gives you so much extra real estate and extra pixels.
www.madrau.com
It's a cool thing and every Mac user should try it. I use it on all of my computers and it make them warmer when I double native resolutions. So would love to see what your 5600m is capable of.
My i7 2018 shows exact same temps both when I just turn on and after working for a while.