Jesper van HaarenDec 6, 2024
Christian Selig
This thing is such an advertisement for Apple Silicon though, not an apples to apples comparison but my M1 Mac mini idles at 5W, this Mac Pro idles at 150W 💀
https://mastodon.social/@christianselig/113596540228146555
Dec 5, 2024 at 6:45pmIvory for Mac
Show threadÓscar Morales VivóDec 5, 2024
@christianselig pretty sad they abandoned the form factor. Got nothing against the Mac Studio but it’s just another rounded corner box.
Show threadTomDec 5, 2024
@christianselig at one of my old jobs, we had one of these. It was very cool to look at, I thought. And at the time it felt like an absolute power house. Funny now how modern Macs run rings around it with far less energy.
Show threadDaniel KennettDec 5, 2024
@christianselig To be _fair_, it's an advertisement for not using Xeon. Those things are server/workstation chips — power draw was literally at the bottom of the list of priorities.
Show threadChristian SeligDec 5, 2024
@ikenndac Yeah that's why I said not apples to apples, a better comparison would be the chip in the current Apple Silicon Mac Pro
Show threadDaniel KennettDec 5, 2024
@christianselig (And a decade of advancement in technology)
Show threadChristian SeligDec 5, 2024
@ikenndac I might be wrong but I don't think modern Intel chips that would be destined for the Mac Pro put the same emphasis on power efficiencies that Apple's own chips do
Show threadDaniel KennettDec 5, 2024

@christianselig Well, no - Apple’s chips came up through the iPhone, where power efficiency > everything else.

That said, the Apple Silicon Mac Pro is one of the worst computers Apple has ever shipped - I don’t know why they bothered putting an Apple Silicon chip in that form factor. It’s missing a ton of workstation features that the form factor is designed for.

Show threadChristian SeligDec 5, 2024
@ikenndac That I can't speak to haha, I'm just impressed by the power efficiency improvements
Show threadGregory SmithDec 5, 2024
@ikenndac @christianselig I think it is the GPUs. I have another Ivy Bridge Xeon and it uses way less than my trash can at idle.
Show threadPaul Haddad Dec 5, 2024
@christianselig I think it’s more like 80W, no way it’s actually idle at 150.
Show threadChristian SeligDec 5, 2024
@paul I hit sleep and 5 minutes later my kill a watt is fluctuating between 120 and 180W. Maybe it just takes awhile to fully calm down versus the Mac mini over the same period
Show threadPaul Haddad Dec 5, 2024
@christianselig are you running a supported OS or using that Legacy Patcher thing? I think the patcher nukes all the power saving stuff.
Show threadChristian SeligDec 5, 2024
@paul It's just on stock Monterey
Show threadPaul Haddad Dec 5, 2024
@christianselig weird, it for sure should be lower than that and actual sleep should be < 5W.
Show threadChristian SeligDec 5, 2024
@paul I guess it depends how we’re defining idle. It’s seemingly gone into a deep sleep mode where it’s taking about 3W now finally but it seems like anything remotely preventing that makes it consume a ton more, presumably like an idle Plex server
Show threadPaul Haddad Dec 5, 2024
@christianselig yeah for sure it'll do that, I remember just watching a YouTube video would have it shoot up > 100W.
Show threadp4blockDec 5, 2024
@christianselig those devices are not accurate when measuring PSUs at idle due to the bad power factor
Show threadChristian SeligDec 5, 2024
@p4block Are you talking like AC to DC conversion loss? That should be like 10% not multiples
Show threadp4blockDec 6, 2024
@christianselig no, killawatts literally cannot measure a PSU that is drawing single digit w specially a desktop one, they go haywire. There was a reddit thread about this not long ago but I can't find it again
Show threadChristian SeligDec 6, 2024
@p4block oh interesting, I’ll keep that in mind then thank ya! It does seem to be handling the Mac mini fine though
Show threadJohn ClearyDec 7, 2024
@christianselig @paul My 12-core w/ 64GB idles ~75 on Windows 11. Got a few Linux VMs running on there.
Show threadChristian SeligDec 8, 2024
@john @paul Yeah looks like mine works its way down to about 80-100W eventually
Show threadNic GoodmanDec 5, 2024
@christianselig I would LOVE a M1 version of this machine, it’s so beautiful
Show threadDarkpawDec 5, 2024
@christianselig That's because it's 30 times more beautiful.
Show threadPeter van BroekhovenDec 5, 2024
@christianselig Has anyone shoved an M-series chip into one of these things? They're putting them in the iMac G4 "lamp" so surely this is also a thing?
Show threadChristian SeligDec 5, 2024
@pvanb Yeah! https://social.hetzel.net/@timo/113523851581845137
Timo Hetzel (@[email protected])

Attached: 2 images @[email protected] it fits!

Mastodon
Show threadPeter van BroekhovenDec 5, 2024
@christianselig @timo LOL! Not what I had in mind, but technically what I was asking for 🤣
Show threadTimo HetzelDec 5, 2024
@pvanb @christianselig you could stack a bunch of them in there. Or print a vertical stand to place it in the cutout I guess.
Show threadPeter van BroekhovenDec 5, 2024
@christianselig It would be wild if Apple revisited some of their classic form factors but with Apple Silicon... iMac G4, Cube, Trashcan…
Show threadyertleDec 5, 2024
@christianselig so they can unpaint themselves from their thermal corner and just reuse the case?
Show threadSörenDec 5, 2024

@yertle @christianselig how much of them choosing not to use that case is

• it was never a good thermal design

vs.

• it was, but the product was so poorly received they don’t want to risk the association

Show threadJohn ClearyDec 7, 2024
@christianselig I really do also believe that this was designed, (as were the > 2016 MacBooks) on the back of promises from Intel about die shrinks and power savings. I also still strongly believe that had they been paired with a tower they would have been far more acceptable. (Cf G4 Cube & G4 tower; Mac Studio & Mac Pro tower)
Show threadChristian SeligDec 8, 2024
@john Great point, would love to have seen that alternate universe