Macbook Pro GPU Underclocked?

Hey I was just on the apple website and a little box poped up asking me wether I wanted to chat with one of there people, so I figured why not?
Well I told him that I was wondering about the macbook pro's GPU and why it was underclock(of course I have an idea why but wondered what he would say) Well he comes back and says that the Macbook Pro does not have a underclocked GPU.
So what gives? does the macbook pro have an underclocked GPU or not. Is a non underclocked GPU a feature of the new macbook pro's or did the rep just make a mistake.
I was also wondering if the C2D Imacs have a underclocked GPU?

 

Reps lie to make a living...that's why I don't trust them at all.

Anyway, if you're talking about the X1600 MacBooks: their benchmarks (some on this site) clearly prove they are under clocked.

 

The MBP GPU is underclocked to help deal with the chronic heat issues the whole model line has been plagued with from the start of it's release. I remember the day when MBPs were so unstable they could burn your crotch.

 

Do you Know if the IMac GPU is underclocked?

 

I don't think the iMac is underclocked. Also, the new C2D MBP, may or may not be underclocked, the x1600 that is. My guess is that it is still, but I would wait to see some benchmarks.

 

That is what I was wondering. could the new macbook pro have a regular GPU. It probably dosn't but it would certainly make it more of a possibility for gamers and serious CAD programs if it did. and boy do I wish they would stick a dedicaited GPU in there macbook, nothing exspensive, an x1300 or go7400 would be nice. mybee it could be an option for the black macbook. I'd be willing to bet they would sell great if they did

 

Instead of asking if it's uderclocked, ask at which speed it runs and lets see what they say...

 

Yeah, because technically its not "underclocked" anyways. Its just clocked lower than the average x1600.

 

aaaaaah crafty, so he might of been telling the truth. But technicaly if it is the same piece of hardware and it runs slower it is underclocked.

 

It still runs within the specs provided by ATI at which the, as in Apple, can clock it to their liking. So to be underclocked, it would have to be lower than those provided specs, which it is not. Hence the term overclocking, which is higher than the specs provided by ATI.

 

Of course I understand that, but the fact of the matter is that it runs slower than is standard so we call it underclocked. If it was faster than standard for that particulare piece of hardware we would call it overclocked. I think that when a slightly overclocked X1400 can run faster than the macbook pro's X1600 there is a problem. why not just put a slightly overclocked X1400 in, it would probably solve the heat issues. I think Macs are really great, but untill they start improving their graphics cards they are not going to get much of the informed performance market.

 

Anyways. I'm sure its still not up to par with other x1600s because of the 1inch thickness, which is a little dissapointing. But it still does better than the x1400.

I actually read somewhere that the x1900xt in the Mac Pro isn't even clocked the same as the standard. I guess Apple just likes slower GPU's haha.

 

LOL, I wonder why the mac pro would be under clocked. Oh I was saying that a slightly overclocked X1400 was as fast as the macbook pro's X1600 not a regulare X1400.

 

It depends on which MBP ur talking bout, the 15.4 or the 17. For the 15.4 in the past, it was underclocked. But for the 17, it is not. It goes slower coz it has some sort of speed stepping feature, when there is 3d app going on, it clocked fully to a normal X1600.

 

Lunateck is right. Another thing to remember is that all of these benchmarks are run in Windows using Boot Camp. That is a different display driver than the one running in OS X. No one knows how underclocked it is in OS X. Also, nearly ALL x1600's are underclocked to some degree. The only one that runs at the max speed recommended by ATi is the Acer 8200.

**EDIT** Keep in mind, Macs are not meant for gaming. As for pro 3D apps going nVidia would be more helpful than getting a fully clocked x1600, due to their OpenGL performance.

 

you think that the speedstep is to save on battery or more to reduce the heat

 

both... if you're checking your e-mail, you don't need the full output of the graphics card. being a laptop, there are heat challenges already, so you might as well underclock things to bring that down. plus, when running on battery power, you're probably not going to be busting out the 3d-accelerated games, so you might as well underclock to save juice.

 

I am interested in the possibility of bringing up the underclocking, perhaps not up to that of the Acer 8200 though. I hear there is software that will increase the fan speeds on the MBP's, so perhaps a considerable increase in GPU settings can now be done safely. No one out there with a link?

Still, the new MBP looks like a great machine and is definitely on the top of my list now. Was speculating on the Sony SZ while waiting for the new MBP merom version, but now that it is here and I am settling for the MBP. Even underclocked the ATI 1600 is about a thousand points more on the 3Dmark05 than the SZ. I like to game now and then and I know the structural integrity of my 17" Powerbook is unparalleled IMHO especially in the hinge area. My Powerbook still looks brand new after a year. My painted plastic Sony T250 does not; but then I use it all the time.

I have yet to see a do-it-all laptop. How close the Macbook came though, except for the weak GPU and quality control issues! Hence the need for at least two laptops, in my world anyway. Looks like my 17" will soon be up for sale. Oops, it is already for $950:

http://homepage.mac.com/bhardy3/PhotoAlbum34.html

 

No there is no overclocking utility for OS X that I know of. It is just not something that people really demand. You could always use ATiTool for your Windows side, but for OS X not gonna happen.

 

a $2500+ machine, i wont even think bout tinkering its setting.

 

Might as well throw it into a nearby body of water if your gonna do overclocking. Guess you could take that two ways.

1. The overclocking's heat output will dramatically increase, and that water will help for a split second.

2. Overclocking = void warranty.

Apple has an awesome warranty plan.

 

what I don't understand is why this is an issue at all. maybe I'm old fashioned, but I don't see the point of getting a notebook to game with, especially a really small chassis like a macbook, or for that matter, why buy a mac at all if you want to game?

I understand that some people want to do CAD drawing or other professional work, but do you seriously need THE MOST blazing fast video card to do that?

ps. I was checking out a macbook at bestbuy... dang I want one.

 

Yeah, I kinda agree. I bought a gaming laptop a few years ago. Big mistake. You can't upgrade the video cards, and for those that you can, it's extremely expensive. Plus low battery life and often poor response rates that cause ghosting.
And they're hot. The only instance I woudl get one, is if I did a lot of pro lan partys, even then, you'd want that fastest pc possible, and a laptop isn't going to provide that.

It's understandable that people want a mac and want to game. I have XP on here so I can game. The argument that you can't buy a mac for gaming is really null now. Granted, the pre built systems aren't SLI, but I think if Apple could release a desktop similar to the Mac Pro, but not be server/workstation centric, it would be a good move.
I for one, would love to buy a Mac desktop as my gaming machine and workstation. Boot into XP for games, OS X for productivity.

 

You know what I was love?

Seeing parallels run 3D at full speed, basically it'd be like 'running xp speed' for games. Then you would never have to reboot your computer again except for certain updates.

 

funnily enough, I was checking out the apple website, and quite a few of the current gen of shooters were listed in the software section...

Doom3, Quake4, etc. etc.

I was kinda surprised.

 

Wanna know whats funny...

I'm at Apples website right now looking at games too, I'm looking at the freeware ones. I gotta say "OMG" for some of the freeware ones, like they should be charging money for em but hey I'm not complaining.

If I could find some way for it to show all the freeware games.

In middle school there was this one game which was like Space invader basically, but it was with meat instead and you shot with a ketchup bottle trying to shot the bad meat and whatnot, I wish I could remember the name of that game.

Anyways, wanna see a sweet looking free game for the Mac?

Check this out. http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/games/action_adventure/sauerbraten.html

EDIT

BTW if anyone knows the name to that meat game, I'll become your new best friend.

 

Most people don't just game all the time, it's just something nice if occasional gaming is possible WITH decent gaphics on a mac, plus people who game all the time will just go ahead and buy a gaming pc instead. The keyword is decent, as long mac can run games decently, I'm happy with that.

 

Yeah, those would be games which actually have native Mac ports (and Quake 4 at least as a Universal binary, meaning it runs natively on Intel machines).

 

Both are id products, a company that relies on OpenGL and always has been very open about multiplataform (an incidentally, always open-source their engines after a while). Go try to find DirectX based games such as Half-Life 2, Oblivion or F.E.A.R. for OS X.

 

Cube2... cube was conceptually a very insteresting engine. Unfortunely (or fortunately) for the author, it was never able to compete in the mod scene with id's GPLed engines, so Cube has always been a lone wolf.

 

Looks like I won't have to tinker with overclocking. The new C2D MBP underclocking looks much improved according to one lucky user who received his machine. He is reporting core clock 418 point and memory clock 450 ratings instead of the 300 something ratings in the first revision MBP. Great news; something I hardly expected in a 1" thick laptop, but Apple apparently did it:

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=245617

The C2D MBP is looking better and better. I will surely keep tabs on my local store for its arrival. I think in that link the user reports that it also has draft N, whatever that is.

Call me crazy but I loved Giants, Citizen Kabuto on my Powerbook 1.5 Ghz ATI 64 MB. Too bad my disk got damaged.

 

Yeah, the new units cdertainly look nice Buddy.
Draft N is a new wireless specification. Currently, there is A, B, and G. Modern cards and router use B and G (and some can use A as well).
G is considered the current best specification.
However, Pre-N is still not very stable. There are problems with it working with B/G routers.
I don't know why some companies are really pushing the Pre-N like dell, since it has problems. I'd rather not go through the trouble of dealing with pre-n.
However, aparantly the pre-n side is completely turned off in OS X so it doesn't casue problems. Not sure if it's a problem in windows though.

 

At this point it's technically a problem in Windows since the BootCamp drivers don't enable wireless at all. Apple will presumably have to update BootCamp soon to handle the new hardware. Whether they make the Windows drivers handle the full chipset or not will be interesting.

 

I've read that it does work in windows. You have to d/l the proper D-link drivers. Not sure if the N part is turned on though.