Overbridge overheat my MacBook Pro 16

Elektron Software
#1

hi everyone !

I recently bought a MacBook Pro 16 (i9, 32gb) to make music, but I’m experiencing some problems while trying to use Overbridge 2.0 on it…
My A4 and/or AR are well recognized in the overbridge control panel and on Ableton 10, everything works as intended.
the problem is that as soon as I plug in one or both groove box and start working, even on a very light project (only 1 or 2 A4 track with light process for example), the MacBook Pro starts to heat up considerably, the fans kick in and their noise are loud enough to be really annoying, especially when using monitors…

I’tried to put the buffer at its maximum (512) but it had no effect, and now I’ve no idea how to fix this problem.
Has someone here already had a similar case ?

however, any help is welcome ! :slight_smile:

Musically

EDIT :
here are some informations on my configuration :

  • I’m running macOS Catalina 10.15.4, the problem was already here on 10.15.2
  • I’m not using an external monitor
  • the elektron boxes are connected to computer with a cheap usb c hub (those at 25/20 € on Amazon) or a single usb c to usb A adapter
  • I’m running the last version of overbridge
1 Like
#2

I came across this video while researching the current mac line. (I’m going to have to replace my old 2011 MBP in the next year or so!)

Some good advice about monitoring and controlling fans and heat in the 16".

2 Likes
#3

Thanks for reply !
I will look into these tweaks tonight, it may also improve the behavior of the computer in general.

However I don’t think the overheating I get is just a “normal thing for this kind of laptop due to thermals” because the cpu isn’t pushed hard, the dGPU has no reason to be used (I’ll double check if it is, but I doubt) and the MacBook Pro’s thermals, apart from this use of overbrige and elektron’s gear, looks perfectly normal for me (even if I’m going to improve it further thanks to your video :wink: )

1 Like
#4

It’ would be interesting to know how you get on (for possible future reference).
I know Ableton 9 and Logic both switch to discrete graphics when available. I have used gfxcardstatus on my old macbook pro to lock it to discrete graphics. It certainly ran a lot cooler, but there were major issues with the GPUs in my model.
You really shouldn’t have to do that on a brand new machine.
I have tried Overbridge on my old machine and it ran pretty well. It did generate a lot of heat from the CPU though so I have stopped using it.
Hope you find a solution.

#5

hi !
after some try last night and today using both turbo boost switcher and YG Pro (apps from the video above) i come here share my results :

It looks like disabling the turbo boost with turbo boost switcher Pro do the trick !
The CPU usage in both Turbo Boost enabled/disabled is similar (a few percents with only A4 tracks) but, and can’t figure it out, when enabled it’s temperature get hot really fast (80 degrees and above…) with no apparent reasons.
At the moment the lack of performance without TB doesn’t hit me at all, I will see over time if it’s disturbing for me.
I also tested the YG pro software following the settings as shown in the video, but I haven’t had any results that significantly improved the thing in addition to TB switcher. Moreover I don’t really like the idea of customising the fan curve on a laptop… on desktop that’s another thing but here since the device is thin it’s better IMHO not to risk under-ventilate the components.

Note that it’s possible to use if desired TB switcher into Auto-mode and select the elektrons softs so that the turbo is disabled only when Overbridge Engine is used :wink:

1 Like
#6

Yea. Can confirm.
I’ve also found that Turbo Boost definitely gets the temps (and fan noise) up.

Toggling TB Switcher on my 16", to find the comparative differences… with a rather complex project (4 U-he repro5, several drum racks and other fx VST plug-ins, ozone 9), way more complex than I would ever work in normal circumstances…

  • TurboBoost Disabled: CPU Temp 69C, Ableton CPU Meter 62%.
    No audible fan.
  • TurboBoost Enabled: CPU Temp 97C, Ableton CPU Meter 48%.
    Fans ramping up to 5600 rpm, very audible, and bringing temp down to 85-88C over time

A more realistic test of an existing 10 track project with a drum rack, Repro-5, Repro-1, and a couple Reaktor FX ensembles, some mastering plug-ins…

  • TurboBoost Disabled: CPU Temp 67C, Ableton CPU Meter 44%.
    No audible fan.
  • TurboBoost Enabled: CPU Temp 83C, Ableton CPU Meter 36%.
    Fans at a very low hum (2700rpm) keeping temp at 83C

So, TLDR.… in my case is if I only engage Turbo Boost on the i9 if I have a very heavy project where I need the CPU meter to go down. Otherwise, fans stay very quiet.

Interestingly enough, I’ve had TB Switcher installed on my Mac since buying it last year. I had it on my old 2016 15" to save battery life. I was using the configurable “auto-mode” and had it set to keep TB on when Ableton Live was loaded. I won’t be using that setting anymore :slight_smile:

Yes using TB Switcher means you’re effectively throttling your CPU manually, and Apple was criticized for throttling the first i9 MBPs.
But why use the heat, the power, the battery when you don’t actually need it? My projects aren’t glitching when they’re running at 44% instead of 36%, and the fan is nice and quiet.
I see it as a means of taking control.
If and when I need the boost, I can engage it and deal with the noise then.

It’s still plenty fast with 8 cores at 2.4ghz, DDR4 at 2.4ghz and an SSD that reads and writes at 2.7GB/sec

1 Like
Macbook Pro 16 quality/reliability?
#7

Thanks for sharing your results with this method ! It seems very encouraging to me !
Indeed, if the i9 once lowered is roughly equivalent to the i7 model as the youtuber said (from what you tell me it seems to be the case) the macbook will stay pretty quick and usuable.

now that this problem is solved, I’ll try to find a way to reduce the heat when plugged to external monitor, here TB Switcher also helps, even if the main problem is the use of AMD GPU instead of the intel one.

Other than all that, I like my macbook…or at least I try :stuck_out_tongue:

Thanks to you anyway, the main problem is solved !

1 Like
#8

Yea. Unfortunately the Overbridge plug-ins and applications force the dedicated GPU into action, anyway.

I wish there was a simple way to disable this as well.
I’ve tried gfxcardstatus but apparently it has issues forcing the integrated graphics on Retina display Macs. You get dynamic switching, or dedicated GPU only. Which makes it kinda of pointless since I can already choose between those options in System Preferences / Energy Saver.

Ah well, we can’t have it all!