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MagyarMacBook Pro 2018: First benchmark results after software update
The CPU performance of the new 2018 MacBook Pro models was disappointing, especially under sustained workloads. We confirmed the problems in our reviews of the MacBook Pro 13 2018 and MacBook Pro 15 2018. Apple just released a software update, and the official statement says the manufacturer forgot a digital key in the firmware. However, the update is about 1.5 GB, so it looks like the software just was not completely finished for the hardware release.
We already found a way to improve the long-term performance, so we were eager to see the effect on the CPU performance after the official software update.
MacBook Pro 13 2018
The performance of the smaller MacBook Pro 13 2018 is significantly better after the software update. The clock fluctuations are much smaller and we see a steady clock of more than 3 GHz as well as a consumption above 30 Watts. The result in the Cinebench loop drops a bit in the second run, but the score then levels off at more than 680 points. This is also a few percent point higher compared to our solution with the fixed TDP.
MacBook Pro 15 2018
The situation is not quite as good for the 15-inch model. The fluctuations are also much smaller compared to the factory settings, which improves the short-term performance in particular. The first Cinebench Multi rund now determines 1064 points instead of 953 points. However, the performance drops in the following runs and we can eventually see the limitations of the cooling solution. The last runs of the loop determine score below 1000 points and it is getting closer to 950 points. We will have a closer look at the sustained performance over the next few days, but it seems that the manual adjustment of the TDP is the better choice, at least for sustained workloads.
