Apple might introduce new 'High Power Mode' for Mac

AppleInsider

Apple's latest macOS Monterey beta release includes references to a "High Power Mode" that is theorized to goose performance when a MacBook is not connected to a power adapter.

In early 2020, code discovered in a macOS Catalina beta build suggested that Apple was working on a new performance-focused operating mode for MacBook hardware. Code strings attached to the so-called "Pro Mode" warned users, "Apps may run faster, but battery life may decrease and fan noise may increase."

Apple has not released a macOS version with "Pro Mode," or anything comparable to a performance-first option, but code discovered in a macOS Monterey beta issued today revives hopes that such a feature could launch in the near future.

Uncovered by 9to5Mac, the latest macOS evaluation version includes mention of a so-called "High Power Mode."

Nothing about the feature is known aside from its name, though Apple's labeling would suggest that it would act in direct contrast to the upcoming Low Power Mode.

Available for the first time on Mac, Low Power Mode in macOS Monterey takes notes from the iOS feature and increases battery efficiency by making system adjustments like dimming the screen and reducing processor clock speeds. The feature is designed for use when unplugged, though it can be activated when connected to a power adapter.

While not confirmed, "High Power Mode" could provide a more performant Mac experience at the expense of battery life. Turning the option on could, for example, allow users to keep their screen brightness all the way up and maintain maximum processing capacity while on battery power.

Whether Apple intends to release "High Power Mode" remains unclear, though the company could choose to unveil the feature alongside expected 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models this fall.

Apple is due to release macOS Monterey in the coming weeks.

Read on AppleInsider

curtis hannah

It's been long rumored Apple was considering making more power focused performance features on Macs, and given where the M series potential is it will be the perfect opportunity.
Assuming there will be no more dedicated graphics cards options moving forward, this will probably be replacing "automatic graphics switching" on current Macs, and rather a feature that has all cores on the M series chip active while it is active, instead of temporary jumps when the high performance cores turn on.

mattinoz

So is this only going to be Laptop thing ie it's an acknowledgement you are using on a stand and burn stuff if the casing gets hot or is going to be Desktops as well and fans are going to get loud thing. 

Even if they do let the machine get a lot hotter they'll be watching for heat build up and switch it off. 

fastasleep

mattinoz said:

So is this only going to be Laptop thing ie it's an acknowledgement you are using on a stand and burn stuff if the casing gets hot or is going to be Desktops as well and fans are going to get loud thing. 

Even if they do let the machine get a lot hotter they'll be watching for heat build up and switch it off. 

Seems likely to be for laptops. Are desktops throttled beyond reaching their thermal limits given they're always connected to power? Seems silly if so.

DAalseth

I'm old enough to remember when computers had a "Turbo Mode" button on the front of the tower. LOL

sdw2001

So we're basically back to the old Energy Saver system preferences.  There may not be an official low or high power mode, but they used to exist in reality.  

sdw2001

fastasleep said:

mattinoz said:

So is this only going to be Laptop thing ie it's an acknowledgement you are using on a stand and burn stuff if the casing gets hot or is going to be Desktops as well and fans are going to get loud thing. 

Even if they do let the machine get a lot hotter they'll be watching for heat build up and switch it off. 

Seems likely to be for laptops. Are desktops throttled beyond reaching their thermal limits given they're always connected to power? Seems silly if so.

It's not an acknowledgement of any such thing.  I have a mid-2015 MBP that is on power adapter 90% of the time.  It never gets so hot as to "burn stuff."  This wasn't even acknowledged back in the old aluminum PowerBook days, when we literally had to use laptop cooling pads when playing games.  

It also would make no sense on a desktop.  And who is switching something off...the user or Apple?  

darkvader

fastasleep said:

mattinoz said:

So is this only going to be Laptop thing ie it's an acknowledgement you are using on a stand and burn stuff if the casing gets hot or is going to be Desktops as well and fans are going to get loud thing. 

Even if they do let the machine get a lot hotter they'll be watching for heat build up and switch it off. 

Seems likely to be for laptops. Are desktops throttled beyond reaching their thermal limits given they're always connected to power? Seems silly if so.

The iMac has been a terrible thermal design for years.  It's pretty well known that this happens.  It can't be fixed with software, though.  The heat sinks are physically not big enough.  The iMac Pro was practically guaranteed to throttle if you actually put significant computing load on it.

tht

fastasleep said:

mattinoz said:

So is this only going to be Laptop thing ie it's an acknowledgement you are using on a stand and burn stuff if the casing gets hot or is going to be Desktops as well and fans are going to get loud thing. 

Even if they do let the machine get a lot hotter they'll be watching for heat build up and switch it off. 

Seems likely to be for laptops. Are desktops throttled beyond reaching their thermal limits given they're always connected to power? Seems silly if so.

I think it would be all late model Macs, something like 9th generation Intel chips or later, be it desktop or laptops. It will probably mean something like 15% multicore perf gain for 50% more heat, 100% more noise type of thing.

Throttling is not the right term to use. Latter model Intel processors will run at their "turbo" settings in perpetuity as long as there is enough cooling. Eg, a 45 W TDP 8-core in a MBP16 can run at 90W as long as there is enough cooling to keep it below 200 °F or thereabouts. This is true of the current machines with the 9980K. That means running the fans at max and exhausting 2x the heat. So, it's more that Intel and OEMs are making the best of bad situation rather than throttling.

So, for the past 2 or 3 years or so, it was up to the OEMs to design how much "performance" they wanted and how much cooling they were willing to afford. The increased performance comes at the cost of more heat, more noise and more expensive components. You know what Apple wants. They always trade for less heat, less noise. Basically all OEMs designed for Intel's advertised specification, the minimum, instead of going all out.

90W in a MBP doesn't sound bad on the face of it perhaps. It is bad, actually. Really bad. It's a laptop. It's got no business using that much power. If it is a combined CPU+GPU load, the power brick won't be able to supply enough power. There will be limitations. On an iMac 5K, the Core i9-10910K can run at 250 W with all the cores at 5 GHz. Again, when combined with the dGPU, it is nearing the limit of how much power the power supply can deliver, and interfere with other things, like not being able to power peripherals that need 10 to 15 W. There will be limitations.

Some gaming PCs do the all turbo, all the time stuff, on both the CPU and GPU, and those need 600 to 800 W. If your desktop computers are nearing microwave or hair dryer levels of power, it's just a bad situation. That will mean your room will need additional cooling if you are using a computer at those Watts for any extended time. And the Mac Pro with 4 GPUs, well, people are making money with it, and hopefully they are in well air conditioned rooms.

fastasleep

darkvader said:

fastasleep said:

mattinoz said:

So is this only going to be Laptop thing ie it's an acknowledgement you are using on a stand and burn stuff if the casing gets hot or is going to be Desktops as well and fans are going to get loud thing. 

Even if they do let the machine get a lot hotter they'll be watching for heat build up and switch it off. 

Seems likely to be for laptops. Are desktops throttled beyond reaching their thermal limits given they're always connected to power? Seems silly if so.

The iMac has been a terrible thermal design for years.  It's pretty well known that this happens.  It can't be fixed with software, though.  The heat sinks are physically not big enough.  The iMac Pro was practically guaranteed to throttle if you actually put significant computing load on it.

Not at all what I'm talking about.