“Apple appears to have underclocked the ATI Radeon Mobility X1600 graphics chip in its MacBook Pro laptop. According to one online report, the GPU’s core runs 35 per cent slower than the clock speed recommended by ATI. The memory clock is 41 per cent below par,” Tony Smith reports for The Register. “The speed differential was spotted by a poster on French-language site MacBidouille, the site reports. The correspondent ran ATI’s ATI Tools utility – version 0.25, a beta release – running under Windows XP. The software revealed his MacBook Pro’s X1600 was clocked at 310MHz and the memory at 278MHz (556MHz effective).”
“Apple’s motivation would seem to be to keep the MacBook Pro’s overall thermal envelope down in order to keep the fan running as slowly as possible and the system as quiet as it can make it. There’s a battery life benefit too,” Smith reports. “According to the forum poster, who followed up his initially finding by installing “ATI-optimised drivers” rather than the ones supplied by Apple, his Counter Strike benchmark test with all settings pushed to the max and the resolution set to 1,440 x 900 saw frame rates jump from 61 to 97. Of course, that’s under Windows XP – it remains to be seen how Mac OS X users can gain the same benefit.”
More in the full article here.
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35% slower? You guys are paying top dollar for commodity hardware and getting FLEECED because the shiny box holds too much heat.
LOL
This was apparently done only to units shipped to France. Apple just wanted to f*ck with them for trying to piss on iTunes and iPod.
first post.
maybe… but our boxes are shiny!
Hopefully they won’t ramp “down” the speed when they release the new pro towers.
Anyone know if this under clocking happens on the Intel iMac?
The CPU is also hobbled.
The Core Dual 2.16 scores 76 CPU and a three year old Dual 2 ghz (seperate processors) G5 scores 100 CPU.
It’s to keep the heat down and sell a laptop, but we are not getting the performance.
Also no Firewire 800 and only one USB and one Firewire 400.
The whole machine is hobbled to keep the heat down, we need new technology. This “performance per watt” marketing glitz is only a temporary solution.
I wonder if the Intel switch was worth it now.
Vista,
Your stuck only running bug ridden lame ass Windows paying a premium to protect your PC from spyware viruses. HA HA HA!!! Lame Microsoft Butt Monkey Fan Dork.
that’s just damn lame, they should put in a slower card in the first place and not charge people for hardware that works at 2/3 capacity.
confused, I thought the whole move to Intel was that IBM made chips that put out too much heat.
“Vista” you are one to talk… Microcrap “FLEECES” virtually the entire PC world with their poorly copied OS and all the viruses it attracts. What are you doing on a Mac website anyways? Clearly, you have Mac envy.
Hello, I’m Moores Law
I’m dead. Buy a Quad if you want performance.
Buy a cheap laptop to surf, email and use Office on.
Because Laptop ≠ Performance because Performance = Heat and Heat ≠ Laptop
Hopefully Apple can address this by having an Auto/Max/Min option under Power Savings, as for the CPU. Doesn’t seem beyond the realms of possibilities. Shame on Apple for this underhand hardware crippling though.
Mmm, not really Billy. I use Linux. I’m simply enjoying the “Vista” of the elitest Mac crowd finding out their shiny new V8 is missing 4 cylinders.
LOL x2
<<I wonder if the Intel switch was worth it now.>>
Yeah, sure. We all know how well those PowerBook G5s performed right? It’s a travesty that Apple killed off IBM’s superior technology and are offering us this Intel crap instead.
“Mmm, not really Billy. I use Linux. I’m simply enjoying the “Vista” of the elitest Mac crowd finding out their shiny new V8 is missing 4 cylinders.”
Oh, so you’re even less important….
Vista, that’s the silliest thing I have ever heard. My shiny new V8 is humming along just fine. It’s quick and functionally outstanding. I knew exactly what I was getting when I bought it. Your pathetic “I-wish-I-had-a-life-but-since-I-don’t-I’ll-make-fun-of-someone-who-bought-a-machine-that-is-much-better-than-anything-I-own” version of schadenfreude is more reflective of what’s wrong inside you than anything else.
GPU performance on my 2.16 MBP is already way ahead of where I was before. Is it less than it could be? Probably. Many chips are underutilized in many configurations. So what? Seriously, so what? Someone here give me a reason why the apparent underclocking actually matters, since many stats reflective of graphic performance were published and are published now. FPS stats from several games were widely published before most people ordered their MBPs. Those stats don’t change because it turns out the chip could actually run even faster. How does this matter? This is like complaining that the condenser in your refrigerator could actually run colder if there was just some need for it or if the manufacturer “would just let it.”. But here, there isn’t.
And as for Reality Check, what on earth is underhanded about this? This hyperbole [Apple screwed me by doing “it,” whatever “it” is, in a way I don’t like] is just ridiculous. When the 17-inch MBP comes out with a faster processor and more storage, are you or others like you going to complain that early MBP-15 adopters got screwed? Yeah, probably, because there are always whiners like you and Vista.
Almost any car engine can propel 2000 pounds two or three times faster than the legal speed limit. So, are you screwed because some of that power is used to drive the AC compressor, or the alternator pulley, or the automatic transmission, or whatever power-robbing devices got built-in? Is your car maker underhanded for building in those heavy airbags to slow down your engine? In your world, apparently the incredible answer is “yes.” In mine, those, just like a variety of other compromises Apple made to bring this particular model to market, are just that: market delivery compromises.
Go troll somewhere else. Oh, and Linux, yeah sure whatever you want. Me, I prefer to use an OS that lets me get something done on my shiny new V8.
Beautiful Mista!
MW: “window”
yep, this hobbled macbook pro of mine is kicking the crap out of my dual G5 performance wise in Final Cut Pro and Logic.
this Intel switch was TOTALLY worth it!
Last time I checked my MacBook Pro was faster the the Powerbook G5…
Oh that’s right, there is no Powerbook G5..
Does everyone compare Apples to Oranges?
The switch to Intel Dual Core chips from G4 chips is to give us FASTER laptops!
Even with the underclocking we are still ALOT faster than what we had before.
And for those who say the Intel chips aren’t as great as G5 chips – you’re right.
BUT – that’s not the point. You’re doing the same as those Liberals who try to make the aswers fit their arguement even if it’s an answer from another questions.
Look when we get the replacements for the G5 PowerMacs we won’t have to worry about heat since the unit can have the largest cooling system out there.
The MacBooks are not PowerMacs and we shouldn’t be comparing the two different performance stats.
It makes me sick to see people second guessing Apple’s decision and making the answers fit their attacks on Apple.
The bottom line is: WE HAVE FASTER LAPTOPS! The G4 laptops weren’t going anywhere in regards to speed.
Vista: I don’t know ANY Mac users that go into WinBlows fora and flame.
Why?
Because our computers work.
Your beige POS – whether running Linux or WinBlows is inferior in every way.
You have to come here for fun?
LOL x10(10E)
Dink
BTW – if the speed of the Intel Dual Core laptop chips are close to the performance of the G5
–think about what we can expect for TRUE desktop Intel chips that don’t have the Heat and Power limitations placed on them.
We are going to ROCK!
And Vista, you’re extra lame because you forgot to brag about First Post. If you can’t brag about meaningless accomplishments, why are you using Linux?
My MacBook Pro-
One hand tied behind it’s back–
AND STILL KICKING YOUR PC’s ASS!!!!
AHahahahahahaha!
Ok people do you want the best laptop such as the MacBook Pro or this piece of CRAP:
http://web.eurocom.com/EC/ec_model_config1(1,172,0)
Good god it’s a giant what???????
WHOA WHOA! Slow down guys. It said “The correspondent ran ATI’s ATI Tools utility – version 0.25, a beta release – running under Windows XP”. This is a cheesy little utility in beta. How do we know it’s reading the clock speeds correctly? It could be a glitch with the software on the MBP. Let’s not jump to conclusions. Apple may yet release a statement on this.