Apple’s MacBook Pro with Core i9: You’re not getting your money’s worth

Apple

• The 2018 MacBook Pro with a Core i9 processor was initially found to perform worse than last year’s model with a less powerful Core i7 processor.
• The issue was blamed on the MacBook Pro’s poor cooling design.
• It’s now been found that the Core i9 model actually performs better overall, despite insufficient cooling.
• But the Core i9 model still doesn’t reach its full potential, and those who buy them may not be getting their money’s worth. 

Recent videos from prominent tech YouTuber Jonathan Morrison shed some new light on the controversy surrounding Apple’s new 2018 MacBook Pro that come with a powerful Intel Core i9 processor

A quick recap on the controversy: Last week, YouTuber Dave Lee showed that the 2018 MacBook Pro with a Core i9 processor performed slower in his test due to overheating issues than last year’s 2017 MacBook Pro that runs on a less powerful Core i7 processor. Lee’s test involved the Adobe Premier video editing software that many professionals use. 

Dave Lee from the Dave2D YouTube channel.YouTube/Dave2D

Without a doubt, the 2018 MacBook Pro with Core i9 should perform better than a MacBook Pro that’s running on a less powerful, older processor.

However,  Morrison found that Apple’s Core i9 2018 MacBook Pro performs better overall than the 2017 and 2018 MacBook Pros with Core i7 processors running Adobe Premier when it performs different common tasks than those Lee performed in his tests. The Core i9 model also performed better overall in other common professional apps and tasks.

Where “everyone” is wrong is the notion that the 2018 MacBook Pro with the Core i9 processor is slower overall than the 2017 or 2018 Core i7 MacBook Pro models.

Morrison’s findings don’t put Apple in the clear about the Core i9 MacBook Pro

It can be argued that anyone buying the MacBook Pro with a Core i9 isn’t getting their money’s worth. 

While the 2018 MacBook Pro with a Core i9 processor outperforms the 2017 and 2018 models with a Core i7 — according to Morrison’s tests — it still doesn’t reach its maximum potential. It could perform even better had it not been for an issue with overheating. “I think the i9 is not properly cooled. I don’t think the laptop is reaching its full potential,” Morrison said in his latest video. 

Jonathan Morrison.YouTube/Jonathan Morrison

The Core i9 processor inside the 2018 MacBook Pro throttles down its performance and speed, as the MacBook Pro doesn’t have the proper cooling to prevent the Core i9 processor from overheating. It’s a preventative measure called “thermal throttling” that prevents heat-related damage to the processor.  

A Reddit user posted another theory that was picked up by 9to5Mac claiming that other parts in the 2018 MacBook Pro — called the voltage regulator modules (VRM) — that supply power to the Core i9 chip throttle themselves as a result of overheating. As a result, the Core i9 doesn’t get the power that it needs from the VRMs to perform at its potential. 

Apple

If the performance throttling is due to overheating VRMs, 9to5Mac suggests the issue could potentially be fixed with a software update from Apple. 

With either theory, overheating is the suggested overarching issue here, and the 2018 MacBook Pro with the Core i9 processor isn’t cooling the proper parts correctly, whether its the VRMs or the Core i9 processor.  

Business Insider did not hear back from Apple for a comment request.