According to separate threads on the Apple Support Communities forum, some 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro users are experiencing noticeable drops in graphics and processor performance after having updated their machines to the latest EFI (extensible firmware interface) version. These issues include drastically clipped frame rates when running graphics-intensive programs.
As of right now, it isn’t clear whether the firmware is to blame. Many owners feel the updated has been detrimental to how the system seems to respond to heavy workloads. The issue seems to be most pronounced when waking a computer from sleep, playing a graphic intensive game or operating Windows in boot camp. When under heavy load, the CPU, GPU or both seem to be underclocked as core temperatures reach or exceed supposedly conservative thresholds.
It is being speculated that the computer’s firmware may not correctly be communicating with the thermal sensors, with the threshold presets being conservatively low or with the presence of an error with the systems management. On its website, Intel notes that the Tjunction maximum, or highest operating temperature specification, of the processors used in the Retina MacBook Pro is 105 degrees Celsius, a threshold much higher than the number that users are seeing throttles at. The issue points toward the problem lying in how the thermal management system handles the data from the digital thermal sensors (DTS), which is an important part of calculating a processor’s Tjunction. One thing to note here is that Intel chips, like most modern CPUs, have built-in thermal shutdown capabilities to prevent permanent damage to the silicon.
The issue that continues to bug many Retina MacBook Pro owners is the fact that the hardware operated without any issues prior to EFI version 1.0. Some users have found that resetting the SMC or flashing the PRAM solves the problem temporarily however the fix is obviously not permanent and owners report reoccurrence after the computer wakes from sleep.
Have any of you experienced such issues on your 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro?
Source: Apple (Support Forum) via AppleInsider
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