I have installed 10.15.6 beta 2 and I think Apple may have done something in this release. I have only been on this for less than a day but I think the fan tends to stay at lower speeds, so they may have changed the fan curve. Also, temperature seems to be lower too at idle, at least by a few degrees. Hope others can help confirm.
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(2019) 16" is HOT & NOISY with an external monitor! :(
- Thread starter Appledoesnotlisten
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Crossing my fingers. The question I have now is whether the Radeon idle power draw is ~7 W or ~17 W in dual monitor mode. I am hoping that someone will be kind enough to check that.
Can you check the Radeon High Side in both clamshell and open and let us know the watts it's burning? What is the model of external monitor are you running and how is it connected? Thanks for the info!
So I went and connected my 16" to a 2K Dell UP2716D monitor
Mac is set to scaled max resolution.
It's running on the Radeon 5300 and I'm under 70 degrees for majority of time when working on Xcode and having photoshop open on the external screen. There are some random spikes but this thing is neither hot nor loud.
The fans are at around 2500-2900 for most part. My kid is playing on his Alienware next to me and that thing is like a jet turbine in comparison though he's playing a game.
Once I kill photoshop and just leave Xcode running, YT playing music plus 3 tabs and then type on external screen using safari (like I am doing now I get temps in the high 50s with fans dropping to +/-2400
My model was purchased refurbished and serial is showing manufacturing Apr 2020. It came reinstalled with 15.4 but I immediately installed 15.5.
Mac is set to scaled max resolution.
It's running on the Radeon 5300 and I'm under 70 degrees for majority of time when working on Xcode and having photoshop open on the external screen. There are some random spikes but this thing is neither hot nor loud.
The fans are at around 2500-2900 for most part. My kid is playing on his Alienware next to me and that thing is like a jet turbine in comparison though he's playing a game.
Once I kill photoshop and just leave Xcode running, YT playing music plus 3 tabs and then type on external screen using safari (like I am doing now I get temps in the high 50s with fans dropping to +/-2400
My model was purchased refurbished and serial is showing manufacturing Apr 2020. It came reinstalled with 15.4 but I immediately installed 15.5.
Sorry to say it's still 18W+ with both internal display and external monitor being on simultaneously.
My monitor is a Dell U2719dc and it's connected to the right side of the MBP 16 via a Apple TB3 cable since this monitor does power delivery.
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As a result of my Apple management team e-mail - I had a call from high level Apple technicians - they performed some troubleshooting and I also showed them the issue by a remote desktop. Going to have another call next week with some steps. Probably MacBook is going to be verified by a local service provides (which obiously have no sense, but that's how the process works).
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Curve has changed, power usage no, which is a terrible idea, machine is going to fry...
That's pretty brilliant. I had HDMI 1920x1080 working at 5-6W in clamshell but not miniDP at 2560x1440. With this GTF setting in SwitchResX, I now also have miniDP at 2560x1440 working at 5-6W. Screen is a Dell U2711.
It's not the complete solution because I like using 2 screens in a couple of scenarios, but the increased resolution is definitely a big help.
hey guys - i was dealing with this issue myself too and i did a lot of research and my problem seems to be solved, at least during low to moderate use
before, my 16" was getting hot and noisy with outlook, safari and when I played a youtube.. well, forget about it!
So I did some digging. I'm using a stay go dock, and I was using an alienware 34" 3340x1440p monitor through the HDMI port which I could NOT get out of or higher than 50 hz.
I purchased a USB-C to Displayport cable and I've connected that cable directly to one of the TB3 ports and into the monitor. That's it, I can hit 60hz now and my GPU is not pulling more than 5watts during normal use.. I can watch youtube videos without the fans spinning up like crazy or getting super hot with either the lid closed or not.
So for me - the fix was simple.. Display port > HDMI and hitting 60hz. I can't say that'll work for every setup but I was getting the same heat and noise issues on my 2020 entry level 13" until I used this cable as well.
before, my 16" was getting hot and noisy with outlook, safari and when I played a youtube.. well, forget about it!
So I did some digging. I'm using a stay go dock, and I was using an alienware 34" 3340x1440p monitor through the HDMI port which I could NOT get out of or higher than 50 hz.
I purchased a USB-C to Displayport cable and I've connected that cable directly to one of the TB3 ports and into the monitor. That's it, I can hit 60hz now and my GPU is not pulling more than 5watts during normal use.. I can watch youtube videos without the fans spinning up like crazy or getting super hot with either the lid closed or not.
So for me - the fix was simple.. Display port > HDMI and hitting 60hz. I can't say that'll work for every setup but I was getting the same heat and noise issues on my 2020 entry level 13" until I used this cable as well.
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uni USB C to DisplayPort Cable for Home Office (4K@60Hz, 2K@165Hz), Sturdy Aluminum USB Type-C to DisplayPort Cable [Thunderbolt 3/4 Compatible] for MacBook Pro/Air, iPhone 15 Pro/Max, XPS, Surface
Important Note 1: Please ensure that your device's USB-C port supports video output function "DP Alt Mode". Thunderbolt 4/3 output ports are also compatible. Important Note 2: Unidirectional transmission: It can only transmit from the USB-C port to the DP interface. Important Note 3: The final re...
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Those uni cables are nice I got a couple of their usb a-c adapters recently and I like themuni USB C to DisplayPort Cable for Home Office (4K@60Hz, 2K@165Hz), Sturdy Aluminum USB Type-C to DisplayPort Cable [Thunderbolt 3/4 Compatible] for MacBook Pro/Air, iPhone 15 Pro/Max, XPS, Surface
Important Note 1: Please ensure that your device's USB-C port supports video output function "DP Alt Mode". Thunderbolt 4/3 output ports are also compatible. Important Note 2: Unidirectional transmission: It can only transmit from the USB-C port to the DP interface. Important Note 3: The final re...www.amazon.com
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
hmmm. I tried that that...no improvement for me. Well, maybe not the right cable as suggested above, but i thought it was a 1.4 supported cable. Will double check. $17.99 cable vs $800 eGPU solution
The SwitchResX "Use Simple Settings + "GTF" did work for me.
I got my eGPU last night...and that truly solves the issues for me... internal dGPU stays around 2W...and the machine stays cool no matter what I throw at it. Pretty absurdly priced solution, but ...
edit: I tried this cable without success but it doesn't specify TB 3 compatibility. : https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07K36QBYX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I ordered the cable being suggested above. I doubt I'm giving up my eGPU at this point for a variety of reasons, but it would still be awesome to have a cost effective, mobile solution. Fingers crossed.
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I bought this same cable with no improvement = 18W. Only SwitchResX set to 60hz worked reducing 5500M wattage to around 4W in clamshell with my Dell screen.
Regards.
From what I recall, only with an eGPU have people seen low Radeon High Side wattage not in clamshell. I don't know if anyone has tried clamshell with two external monitors and an eGPU.
Just got my base model refurb 16" yesterday. I've been using a new 2020 13" MBP 4-port version past two weeks.
After a little use, I noticed the fans almost didn't shut off the whole day running around 3-4K. Still got hot enough where I could feel heat coming off from the top keys in the keyboard. I do have an external monitor connected but it's just a regular 1080p monitor.
Main workload yesterday was just a normal amount of chrome + video conferences & youtube. Did notice lower memory pressure for same workload in the 13", but not significantly.
It's disappointing because I actually think the noise was better with the 13" although temperature samples I've taken are roughly the same. Not having OPs issue with 90º+ temps.
After a little use, I noticed the fans almost didn't shut off the whole day running around 3-4K. Still got hot enough where I could feel heat coming off from the top keys in the keyboard. I do have an external monitor connected but it's just a regular 1080p monitor.
Main workload yesterday was just a normal amount of chrome + video conferences & youtube. Did notice lower memory pressure for same workload in the 13", but not significantly.
It's disappointing because I actually think the noise was better with the 13" although temperature samples I've taken are roughly the same. Not having OPs issue with 90º+ temps.
Thanks for sharing! This seems to be helping lots of people!
I just find it really interesting compared to what happens at 1440p and higher refresh rates. Your custom settings push the total video bandwidth quite a bit higher than default 1440p, a lot closer to what 1440p@100hz would use (which is the lowest refresh rate at 1440p that makes the mac silent).
I wonder if there's something weird happening that if the video output bandwidth is higher than something... the gpu is more efficient???
Plus some ad-hoc optimization for 1080p because that's a super popular resolution...
I recently purchased a refurb 16 because my 2019 15 is going to another employee. 2.3/32/1tb/5500m 4gb. I have it plugged into the LG 4k 24 inch ultra fine (the one Apple sells). It's plugged into the left side port using a short thunderbolt 3 cable.
Doing regular office work, email, slack, Trello, lots of safari tabs, excel, temps are in the low-mid 60s, fans 1800-2000 and radeon high side 18.
I fired up a 30 min, 1080p premiere project I was working on and exported it. Temps went to the 90s, high power draw and loud fans... EXACTLY as it should since I was exporting a video, no difference than my 15 inch would have either.
Non using clamshell mode either.
Doing regular office work, email, slack, Trello, lots of safari tabs, excel, temps are in the low-mid 60s, fans 1800-2000 and radeon high side 18.
I fired up a 30 min, 1080p premiere project I was working on and exported it. Temps went to the 90s, high power draw and loud fans... EXACTLY as it should since I was exporting a video, no difference than my 15 inch would have either.
Non using clamshell mode either.
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Ok, I made the custom "GTF" resolution. How I make my MacBook to take it? From where I choose it?
Fix in my case:
*plug power on one side, monitor on another side even if he power your mac
*set native monitor scaling in settings eg. 3840x2160 (yes it looks small but you will see temp difference)
*use Macbook in clamshell mode
The fans run now very quietly for me.
*plug power on one side, monitor on another side even if he power your mac
*set native monitor scaling in settings eg. 3840x2160 (yes it looks small but you will see temp difference)
*use Macbook in clamshell mode
The fans run now very quietly for me.
Am I reading this correctly?
If the USB-C monitor is directly powering your MacBook Pro, why would you plug the power adaptor in as well?
I personally found that switching sides and plugging my USB-C cable (which powers the laptop) into a port on the right hand side of the laptop seems to help in terms of heat / fan noise.
Yes, exactly. Power on the right side, monitor on the left.
Big difference is when i change interface scaling to native monitor resolution. This option consumes too much power when you try downgrade from 4k to 2k. Apple must look into this.
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Noticed the same, the left side ports seem to heat up a great deal from the power adapter.
After you create and save the custom resolution, click on the SwitchResX Icon at the top and you should now see an additional 60Hz option. Click on it to apply.
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Honestly, I have no idea why it works. I noticed that 1080p wasn't giving me issues and others were having some success with custom resolutions. A bunch of trial and error and finally came across a combination that worked. Would be great to know what the actual issue is though, and would be nice if Apple fixed it. I'm just glad I was able to help while we are forced to wait on a fix.
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