With the latest Apple Unleashed event showing off the Apple M1 Pro and M1 Max processors, the Cupertino giant seems to be taking things to a new level with Apple Silicon. In fact, Apple themselves called their new line of MacBook Pro laptops beasts in their own ad, perhaps highlighting how powerful they are.
Slick ads aside, it’s important to note that Apple’s computer chips are also typically some of the most energy efficient out there, with the original M1 processor efficient enough to be passively cooled on the 2020 MacBook Air. But with the M1 Max being the most powerful piece of silicon they’ve built, Apple looks set to add an extra ‘High Power Mode’ in the upcoming MacOS Monterey update.
According to MacRumors’ Steve Moser, they’ve found mentions of a high power mode in the recent MacOS Monterey release candidate beta build. It states that switching to this energy mode will optimise performance to better support resource intensive tasks, and may result in louder fan noise too.\
Found more information on the high power power mode in the macOS RC: “Your Mac will optimize performance to better support resource-intensive tasks. This may result in louder fan noise.” https://t.co/4q3zlbyLnf pic.twitter.com/0mKVekGa0M
— Steve Moser (@SteveMoser) October 19, 2021
This feature would actually be fairly familiar to many a Windows user, as you’ve been able to change your PC’s power plan for a long time now. It’s also similar to how many gaming desktops and laptops have aggressive fan curves that ramps up the fan speeds to compensate the amount of heat being put out by the CPU and GPU. And when you consider that the M1 Max is apparently up to four times more powerful than the original M1, allowing users to cool it more and unlock more performance might be a wise move.
However, it seems as though Apple has decided that only the 16-inch MacBook Pro with M1 Max will require the additional cooling. We’re not sure just yet if High Performance Mode will come to the 14-inch MacBook Pro with M1 Max as well though, while any laptops powered by the M1 Pro or original M1 likely won’t get it even if they’re updated to MacOS Monterey. For reference, the 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 Max processor starts at RM13,199.
MacOS Monterey drops later this month, while so far the Apple Malaysia website states that you’ll have to check back later for availability of the new MacBook Pro laptops. In the meantime, if you can’t wait to try out the latest and greatest laptops from Apple, you can check out the 10 new things you need to know about their new MacBook Pro machines here.
