Have any Mac users tried this utility, Turbo Boost Switcher Pro?
From the website: “Install it and your Mac battery will last up to a 25% more* and lower down your CPU temp up to 25ºC depending on use, including lower fan speeds due to heat reduction.”
I’m thinking of trying it - thanks for any advice!
Hi,
I use it all the time and it’s great! The pro version is nice as I can be in better control of when I want to sacrifice some computer power for either lower thermal temps or better battery life, as well as setting specific rules for different applications to enable/disable turbo boost.
There is a small risk that eventually the app would not work with a future Mac OS version, but the developer confirmed with Apple that they would only be blocking kernel extensions using the old APIs when the new userspace APIs are available to do the same thing. So even though you will get a warning that it’s a legacy extension it seems like it should keep working except for maybe a brief period when the developer needs to change out the API calls to work the new way. And of course that is when 10.16 comes out, which based on the catalina track record I will be weary of upgrading for a while (I’m one of the nuts that keeps everything up to date in an OCD like fashion, but catalina has been a bumpy road for me).
Hope that helps
EDIT: I’m also on a 2019 16" MBP with the i9 proc
I would strongly advise against ALL third-party attempts to ‘manage’ aspects of your computer that the OS already handles. The guys and gals at Cupertino spend a lot of time designing the hardware and software together to work optimally.
At best, this software reduces the maximum CPU power that you paid for. (With the emphasis on maximum - if Turbo Boost isn’t kicking in, then it’s not actually doing anything.) At worst, it could potentially damage your hardware. (You may want to read the warranty about installing such things.)
If you do install it, you certainly lose the right to complain about performance in Dorico!
I think it all depends on what your objectives are. If you have a MBP and are out and about and want to conserve battery life it can be great. But if you’re doing a CPU intensive task with it disabled it will take longer and still drain down the battery as you’re working slower for longer vs a boost and quick completion.
When I’m exporting video I want all the power I can get and the i9 + boost is great, but when I’m on a video call and my fans are going crazy because of a crummy video client making my cpu crazy, disabling turbo boost is wonderful.
I’m not sure how there is any risk to damaging the hardware with it disabled as it uses feature provided in the hardware to disable. Just as the curpertino folks design the thermals to run at max speed and have the fans keep the temps safe, I would imagine they also test running constant tasks at the non-boosted speeds for long periods of time.
In the end we each have to make our own choices for how we want to manage our hardware/devices and try to get the most out of them in what works for our specific use case.
By comparison with the single 5-year-old data point in the linked blog (4.02 hours with TB, 5.10 hours without), I get well over 5 hours running Dorico on the same Mac (2014 15" MacBook Pro). That may in part be due to efficiencies in the newer OS.
Thanks very much both of you! I have not tried running Dorico on this new machine until I get a low battery warning. I will try that, and if I find anything interesting I’ll post it here.
Quick update for anyone interested. I did purchase Turbo Boost Switcher Pro, because I was bothered by how often my laptop fan went on when connected to an external monitor (especially for Zoom calls, and sometimes Dorico as well). Since installing it my fan turns on MUCH less often. It has really made working more enjoyable!