Thermal regulation in the base model, mid-2019, 13-inch MacBook Pro

AppleInsider has on hand the new 13-inch MacBook Pro base model and we wanted to know if the single-fan design of this new MacBook Pro was a problem for thermal conditions and, as such, the processing power take fire .

The previous generation of MacBook Pro 2018 with i9 processor was launched with a bug that inadvertently slowed down the processor at a speed below its rated speed and only recovered if the processing load of the computer was much lower. Apple quickly solved the problem about a week later and made a formal apology. However, even with the fix, any given MacBook Pro since 2016 is still very narrow from a thermal point of view.

What is the thermal design point?

The Thermal Design Point (TDP) is defined by Intel as "the average power dissipated by the processor when operating at base frequency with all cores active in a very complex workload." It's a long way of saying that it indicates how hot a processor can be when running at rated speed. This is also a measure of what every manufacturer needs, at the very least, to implement for a cooling system in order to prevent a computer from falling below a rated speed.

When a processor is cold, it is able to exceed its nominal clock speed compared to Turbo Boost speeds announced by Apple and Intel. This, of course, generates more heat beyond the TDP and brings it back to a state of equilibrium in which it generates as much heat as the chassis can dissipate.

If the heat is too high, the chip will fall below the normal operating speed (the speed advertised by Apple for the machines) in order to prevent further damage and cool down further. That's what you have to think about when you think about the thermal throttle and not the immersion below so-called "turbo" speeds, that any computer with a turbo speed has always had to do.

Today's test is therefore to see what is the balance speed under load, and if the machine plunges below the nominal speed, as we did with the 2018 MacBook Pro and the 2019 refresh.

Single fan design but with lower TDP

Like the 2017 MacBook Pro with function keys, the 2019 refresh of the 13-inch MacBook Pro comes with only one fan. The processors of the new $ 1299 MacBook Pro Core model have a TDP of 15W versus 28W on the 13-inch midrange MacBook Pro with four Thunderbolt 3 ports priced at $ 1,799.

Procedure

For our test, we powered Cinebench R20 and ran this complete reference test ten times in a row. This allows the processor to operate in such a way that it is constantly subjected to a high load, which improves its thermal performance.

To monitor the clock speed and frequency of the chipset, we use the Intel Power Gadget. Before launching heavy intensive applications, we had noticed that our clock speed hovered around 1.3 GHz, which is normal. If the 13-inch MacBook Pro base model were strangled under load, we would see the temperature stay high and the speed drop below the announced 1.4 GHz frequency.

Bring the heat

After our tenth race, we found that the speed quickly reached the turbocharger boost rate of 3.9 GHz, then slowed down to 100 ° C. Instead of going back to 1.4 GHz, however, we noticed that it maintained a speed between 2.6 GHz and 2.7 GHz, significantly more than the nominal clock speed, and compliant with Windows computers using the same processor.

After running the test several times, we achieved an average score of 1583 points, lower than the MacBook Pro 2019 13-inch 2.4GHz i5 processor, which scored 1779 for the processor.

True to the promises

Apple's new 13-inch MacBook Pro base model with touchbar does not dip below the announced 1.4 GHz frequency, even under heavy load. The average clock speed hovers around 2.7 GHz throughout our tests.

Each computer with an Intel processor will have a temperature dependent balance of several factors: the size of the process, the cooling system and the ambient temperature. In our case, with offices around 21C, we got exactly what we were hoping to find.

Where to buy and save on the new 2019 MacBook Pro

The new Apple's 13-inch MacBook Pro 2019 is on sale thanks to stacked coupon offers with no interest funding incentive. Our MacBook Pro 2019 13 inch with touch bar The Price Guide, updated daily, shows the current availability of products, as well as the lowest prices for each configuration.

Those looking for the lowest prices, regardless of model year, can also benefit from liquidation savings on: MacBook Pro 2018 13 inch systems, with the potential to save hundreds of dollars on models of the previous generation.