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> They are completely unsuited for multi-monitor workloads without an eGPU. I use an Intel MBP13 inch with two external monitors and it works pretty well. What

> They are completely unsuited for multi-monitor workloads without an eGPU. I use an Intel MBP13 inch with two external monitors and it works pretty well. What am I missing?

boardwaalk 6y ago
I have a few year old MBP 15 with discrete GPU and a more recent MBP 13 without and neither of them break a sweat with 2 4k monitors @ 60Hz. So whatever a “multi-monitor workload” is (video editing or something?) — it’s certainly not universal.
- hinkley 6y ago
  I have one 4k TB3 display, and my old Thunderbolt Display chained off of that one. The second monitor plus the laptop monitor add up to about the same number of pixels as the 4k. When I'm on a video call, the CPU fans are consistently on at what I believe is the lowest RPM. I would classify that as 'not breaking a sweat'. I suspect you might as well. I'm not sure if OP expects to be able to use all of GPU memory using only passive cooling, or if they have something else is going on.
spideymans 6y ago
Are they 4K? My 13 inch MBP sounds sometimes sounds like a jet engine when connected to a single 4K display, dropping frames like crazy, even when I’m doing nothing on the system.
- bluedino 6y ago
  I have a 2017 nTB 13" Pro, connected to a 4K LG (the USB-C one released with the USB-C Macs), and it runs just fine. It doesn't get warm (not quite, but pretty warm) until I fire up a Zoom meeting
  - spideymans 6y ago
    That's... fascinating. I'm using the exact same setup as you and the fans randomly spin up for extended periods of time, even through several reformats and OS reinstallations over the years. I haven't been able to pinpoint any logical reason for this behaviour.
real-dino 6y ago
It might be related to the connection used. I've heard that the issue doesn't present when using DisplayPort as opposed to HDMI, but I have tried different dongles. And it's not terribly bad, just that I pretty much draw the full 92W the power adaptor supplies and get the mentioned thermal throttling much sooner than without. Running a bunch of docker containers, slack, and general everyday workflow. Doing all the good stuff like ad-blocker and checking process monitor. Our solution isn't the most lightweight, but still the end result is that plugging in an external monitor (1080), my productivity goes down dramatically which is the opposite of how multiple monitor setups are supposed to work. :-)
- Teledhil 6y ago
  I have a MBP13 from late 2013 connected to 2 1080p-monitors. One using a thunderbolt-hdmi cable and the other a thunderbolt-dvi cable. No thermal throttling or any other issues at all.
gbjw 6y ago
The 13 inch MBPs don't have a dedicated GPU and the Intel integrated graphics draws significantly less power. Does anyone know why the 16 inch MBPs power on the AMD GPU for external screens?
- cjbconnor 6y ago
  The AMD GPU is wired directly to all the video outputs
dtech 6y ago
Same, I've worked with 2 4K displays on both with a 2018 MBP15 and 2020 MBP16 for the last year, I've never noticed any of these problems. 1 connected with DP, the other with HDMI.

> They are completely unsuited for multi-monitor workloads without an eGPU. I use an Intel MBP13 inch with two external monitors and it works pretty well. What am I missing?

boardwaalk 6y ago

I have a few year old MBP 15 with discrete GPU and a more recent MBP 13 without and neither of them break a sweat with 2 4k monitors @ 60Hz. So whatever a “multi-monitor workload” is (video editing or something?) — it’s certainly not universal.

hinkley 6y ago
I have one 4k TB3 display, and my old Thunderbolt Display chained off of that one. The second monitor plus the laptop monitor add up to about the same number of pixels as the 4k. When I'm on a video call, the CPU fans are consistently on at what I believe is the lowest RPM. I would classify that as 'not breaking a sweat'. I suspect you might as well. I'm not sure if OP expects to be able to use all of GPU memory using only passive cooling, or if they have something else is going on.

spideymans 6y ago

Are they 4K? My 13 inch MBP sounds sometimes sounds like a jet engine when connected to a single 4K display, dropping frames like crazy, even when I’m doing nothing on the system.

bluedino 6y ago
I have a 2017 nTB 13" Pro, connected to a 4K LG (the USB-C one released with the USB-C Macs), and it runs just fine. It doesn't get warm (not quite, but pretty warm) until I fire up a Zoom meeting
- spideymans 6y ago
  That's... fascinating. I'm using the exact same setup as you and the fans randomly spin up for extended periods of time, even through several reformats and OS reinstallations over the years. I haven't been able to pinpoint any logical reason for this behaviour.

real-dino 6y ago

It might be related to the connection used. I've heard that the issue doesn't present when using DisplayPort as opposed to HDMI, but I have tried different dongles. And it's not terribly bad, just that I pretty much draw the full 92W the power adaptor supplies and get the mentioned thermal throttling much sooner than without. Running a bunch of docker containers, slack, and general everyday workflow. Doing all the good stuff like ad-blocker and checking process monitor. Our solution isn't the most lightweight, but still the end result is that plugging in an external monitor (1080), my productivity goes down dramatically which is the opposite of how multiple monitor setups are supposed to work. :-)

Teledhil 6y ago
I have a MBP13 from late 2013 connected to 2 1080p-monitors. One using a thunderbolt-hdmi cable and the other a thunderbolt-dvi cable. No thermal throttling or any other issues at all.

gbjw 6y ago

The 13 inch MBPs don't have a dedicated GPU and the Intel integrated graphics draws significantly less power. Does anyone know why the 16 inch MBPs power on the AMD GPU for external screens?

cjbconnor 6y ago
The AMD GPU is wired directly to all the video outputs

dtech 6y ago

Same, I've worked with 2 4K displays on both with a 2018 MBP15 and 2020 MBP16 for the last year, I've never noticed any of these problems. 1 connected with DP, the other with HDMI.