More Monitors = SLOWER MacBooks

Alex Ziskind
7 Mar 202417:34

Summary

TLDRIn this intriguing video, the creator conducts an extensive performance analysis of Apple's latest MacBook lineup, including the M3 Max, M2 Max, M3, M3 Pro, and a MacBook Air with an M2 chip. By connecting multiple external displays, ranging from 4K monitors to portable screens and iPads, they explore the impact on CPU, GPU, and memory performance. Through a series of benchmarks and tests, the video unravels the intricate interplay between display setups and hardware capabilities, shedding light on the trade-offs and potential limitations. With a touch of humor and practical insights, the creator provides a comprehensive evaluation that caters to developers, tech enthusiasts, and anyone curious about maximizing their MacBook's potential in a multi-display environment.

Takeaways

  • πŸ‘¨β€πŸ’» The video tests the performance impact of connecting multiple external displays to various M-series MacBook models (M2 Air, M2 Max, M3 Pro, M3 Max) using different display configurations.
  • πŸ“Ί Connecting more external displays generally leads to higher memory usage by the 'Windows Server' process on macOS and some performance degradation, especially for CPU-intensive tasks.
  • πŸ–₯️ The M2 Max and M3 Max MacBook Pros handled multiple external displays relatively well, with only minor performance hits.
  • πŸ’» The M3 Pro and non-Pro M3 MacBook models showed more significant performance drops when connected to several external displays, particularly for CPU-intensive workloads.
  • πŸ”₯ The M2 MacBook Air struggled the most with multiple external displays, experiencing substantial performance slowdowns due to lack of active cooling.
  • πŸ“‘ Using DisplayLink technology to connect additional displays beyond the Thunderbolt port limit further impacted performance across all models.
  • πŸ–₯️ Factors like display resolution, refresh rate, and video playback also influenced the performance impact of external displays.
  • πŸ“ˆ Memory usage and 'Windows Server' process resource consumption increased with more connected displays, reflecting macOS's dynamic resource management.
  • ⚠️ Performance trade-offs exist when using multiple external displays, potentially affecting CPU, GPU, and memory-intensive workloads.
  • πŸ€” Balancing screen real estate and performance requirements is crucial for individual workflows when using external displays with M-series MacBooks.

Q & A

  • What is the purpose of testing different MacBooks with multiple external displays?

    -The purpose is to test the limits of the latest MacBook lineup by assessing their performance when connected to various types and numbers of external displays, including 4K monitors, portable displays, and high refresh rate displays.

  • What types of tests were conducted to evaluate the performance of the MacBooks?

    -Three main tests were conducted: a CPU-intensive Mandelbrot fractal generation test, a GPU-heavy whisper audio transcription test, and a memory-intensive merge sort algorithm test. These tests targeted different aspects of the MacBook's hardware performance.

  • How did the external displays affect the performance of the MacBooks, particularly the memory usage?

    -Connecting external displays generally increased the memory usage, with the 'Windows Server' process (responsible for managing UI windows) consuming more RAM as more displays were added. The exact impact varied across different MacBook models and configurations.

  • What was the maximum number of displays connected to a single MacBook, and how did it impact performance?

    -The maximum number of displays connected to a single MacBook Pro was seven (including the internal display), achieved using Display Link technology. This setup caused noticeable slowdowns in CPU, GPU, and memory tests, indicating the limits of the hardware when driving multiple high-resolution displays simultaneously.

  • How did the performance of the M3 Max, M2 Max, M3 Pro, and M3 MacBook Pro models compare when connected to external displays?

    -The M3 Max and M2 Max models generally handled external displays better than the M3 Pro and M3 MacBook Pro, with the M3 Max showing the best overall performance. The M3 Pro and M3 MacBook Pro experienced more significant performance drops, particularly when driving multiple high-resolution displays.

  • What was the impact of external displays on the MacBook Air M2 model, which lacks active cooling?

    -The MacBook Air M2, lacking an active cooling fan, experienced substantial performance degradation when connected to multiple external displays, especially in CPU-intensive tasks. The lack of active cooling caused the CPU to throttle significantly, leading to much longer test completion times.

  • How did the author test the capability of using other devices as external displays for the MacBooks?

    -The author discovered options in macOS to use other devices like Apple TVs and other MacBooks as external displays for his test MacBook. He tested this functionality and found that while possible, there was significant lag when using another MacBook as an extended display.

  • What was the author's overall conclusion regarding the impact of external displays on MacBook performance?

    -The author concluded that while adding external displays provides more screen real estate for productivity, it can significantly impact performance, particularly for CPU-intensive tasks. Finding the right balance between screen real estate and performance is essential based on individual workflow needs.

  • How did the author's testing methodology help provide a comprehensive evaluation of the MacBooks' capabilities?

    -The author conducted multiple tests targeting different hardware components (CPU, GPU, and memory) while systematically increasing the number and types of external displays connected. This comprehensive approach allowed for a thorough evaluation of the MacBooks' performance under various display configurations.

  • What was the purpose of mentioning the channel members and offering them early access to the full video?

    -The author extended a thank you to the channel members who had early access to the full video and provided feedback. This suggests that the channel members are a supportive community that helps improve the content, and the author values their input.

Outlines

00:00

πŸ–₯️ Testing MacBook Performance with External Displays

The author details the setup for testing the performance of various MacBook models (M3 Max, M2 Max, M3, M3 Pro, and M2 Air) with multiple external displays, including 4K monitors, portable displays, and an iPad. The tests measure CPU, GPU, and memory performance while running intensive tasks like generating fractal patterns, audio transcription, and merge sort algorithms. Initial baseline tests without external displays are conducted to establish a reference point.

05:00

πŸ–₯️ Performance Impact of Adding External Displays

The author connects multiple external displays to the MacBook Pro M3 Max using Thunderbolt cables and DisplayLink technology. Performance tests are run with the added displays, including playing 8K videos. The results show minor slowdowns in CPU, GPU, and memory tests, demonstrating the trade-offs of a multi-monitor setup. Issues with monitor rotation settings and display recognition are also encountered.

10:01

πŸ–₯️ Testing MacBook Pro M3 and M3 Pro with External Displays

The author tests the performance impact of external displays on the M3 Pro and the regular M3 MacBook Pro models. The M3 Pro shows a noticeable performance drop with added displays, particularly in CPU and GPU tests. The non-Pro M3 MacBook Pro also exhibits slowdowns, but its performance remains decent overall, especially with just one external monitor connected.

15:01

πŸ–₯️ MacBook Air M2 Performance with External Displays

The author evaluates the performance of the MacBook Air M2 with external displays. While the machine initially performs well, adding multiple displays via DisplayLink and an iPad significantly strains the CPU, leading to substantial slowdowns in CPU, GPU, and memory tests. The lack of active cooling in the Air contributes to these performance impacts under heavy workloads.

Mindmap

Keywords

πŸ’‘Multim monitor setup

A multim monitor setup refers to the configuration of using multiple external displays connected to a single computer system. In the video, the speaker tests the performance impact of connecting various combinations of external monitors to different Mac devices. For example, they connect up to seven displays simultaneously to a MacBook Pro M3 Max using Thunderbolt and DisplayLink technology. The multim monitor setup allows for increased screen real estate and productivity but may impact system performance depending on the hardware capabilities.

πŸ’‘External displays

External displays are separate monitor screens that can be connected to a computer or laptop to extend or mirror the desktop environment. The video mentions using various external displays, including two LG 27-inch 4K monitors, a 34-inch 144Hz curved gaming monitor, two portable 120Hz displays, and a glossy 144Hz monitor. Connecting multiple external displays to a Mac device is a key aspect of the multim monitor setup being tested in the video.

πŸ’‘Performance impact

Performance impact refers to the effect that a particular configuration or workload has on the overall system performance. In the context of the video, the speaker is testing the impact of connecting multiple external displays on the performance of different Mac devices. They run CPU, GPU, and memory-intensive tests to measure any changes in execution times or resource usage when external displays are connected. The goal is to understand the trade-offs between having a multim monitor setup and maintaining optimal system performance.

πŸ’‘CPU performance

CPU (Central Processing Unit) performance refers to the computational capabilities of the processor in handling intensive tasks. The video includes a CPU-intensive test that generates the Mandelbrot fractal sequence to measure any impact on CPU performance when external displays are connected. For example, on the M3 MacBook Air, the CPU test took 4 minutes and 28 seconds with multiple displays connected, compared to 58.6 seconds without external displays, indicating a significant performance impact on the CPU.

πŸ’‘GPU performance

GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) performance refers to the graphics rendering capabilities of the system, particularly important for tasks like video processing and gaming. The video tests GPU performance by running the Whisper project for audio transcription, which is a GPU-demanding task. For instance, on the M3 Max MacBook Pro, the GPU test took 3 minutes and 26 seconds with multiple displays connected, compared to 48.5 seconds without external displays, showing a substantial impact on GPU performance.

πŸ’‘Memory performance

Memory performance relates to the efficiency of the system's RAM (Random Access Memory) in handling memory-intensive tasks. The video includes a merge sort algorithm test to measure memory performance. On the M3 MacBook Air, the memory test took 1 minute and 30 seconds with multiple displays connected, compared to 34.4 seconds without external displays, indicating a significant impact on memory performance.

πŸ’‘Thunderbolt

Thunderbolt is a hardware interface developed by Intel and adopted by Apple for high-speed data transfer and display connectivity. In the video, the speaker connects external displays to Mac devices using Thunderbolt cables and ports. Thunderbolt allows for high-resolution displays and daisy-chaining multiple monitors, making it a popular choice for multim monitor setups.

πŸ’‘DisplayLink

DisplayLink is a technology that enables the use of additional displays beyond the physical display outputs of a computer. The video mentions using DisplayLink to connect more monitors to the Mac devices, particularly when the built-in Thunderbolt ports are insufficient. DisplayLink works by using software and hardware components to extend the display capabilities of the system, but it may introduce some performance overhead, as observed in the video.

πŸ’‘Windows Server

In the context of the video, 'Windows Server' refers to a process on macOS that manages the open UI windows and displays. As the speaker connects more external monitors, they observe an increase in the memory usage of the Windows Server process. This is because the process needs to handle the additional display management tasks, potentially affecting overall system performance.

πŸ’‘Dynamic Resource Management

Dynamic Resource Management is a feature of macOS that dynamically allocates system resources, such as RAM, based on the current workload and available resources. The video mentions that macOS tends to use more RAM than expected, even when running minimal tasks, due to this dynamic management approach. The speaker explains that this behavior should not be interpreted as a sign of overloading but rather a proactive allocation of resources by the operating system.

Highlights

Testing the latest MacBook lineup with multiple external displays to analyze their impact on performance.

Comprehensive setup includes two 4K displays, a curved gaming monitor, two portable displays, and a glossy 144Hz monitor.

Establishing baseline performance for CPU, GPU, and memory-intensive tasks without external displays.

Adding external displays initially showed minimal performance impact on the powerful M2 Max MacBook Pro.

Connecting all six external displays caused temperature increase, fan activation, and minor performance slowdowns.

M3 Max MacBook Pro showed better performance than M2 Max, with higher memory usage due to macOS dynamic resource management.

Ability to use other devices like Apple TVs and MacBooks as extended displays, although with noticeable lag.

M3 Pro MacBook Pro exhibited clear performance drops when adding external displays, especially with four or more.

Non-Pro M3 MacBook Pro performed decently with one external display but showed slowdowns with additional displays.

M2 MacBook Air (24GB RAM) handled tasks well initially but suffered significant CPU performance degradation with five displays due to lack of active cooling.

Importance of finding the right balance between screen real estate and performance based on individual workflow needs.

Substantial performance impact observed on the M2 MacBook Air when using DisplayLink and an iPad as extended displays.

Demonstration of macOS dynamic memory management, where available RAM is utilized even when applications are not running.

Anomalies and issues encountered with monitor rotation settings and display recognition when using DisplayLink technology.

Appreciation for channel members who provided feedback and support for the content creation process.

Transcripts

play00:00

today I'm diving deep into the latest

play00:01

MacBook lineup testing their limits with

play00:04

external displays and their impact on

play00:08

performance I got MacBook Pros M3 Max M2

play00:11

Max M3 M3 Pro and a MacBook Air with an

play00:16

M2 Chip and all these have different

play00:17

external display support according to

play00:19

official Apple documentation I'm testing

play00:21

this out with two LG 27in 4K displays

play00:24

set up vertically next to me code reads

play00:26

beautifully when it's a vertical screen

play00:28

look how much code I can fit in a jlink

play00:30

34 in 144hz curved gaming monitor two

play00:34

portable displays by m Duo each with 120

play00:38

HZ refresh rate and a shiny glossy do

play00:41

monitor used to be called Eve now it's

play00:43

called do that one's 144 HZ as well

play00:46

suddenly it's really warm in here I

play00:48

don't know

play00:50

why beginning with the basics I'm

play00:52

unplugging two monitors to focus solely

play00:54

on the laptop's internal display for

play00:56

initial tests the built-in screen is

play00:58

much nicer looking by by the way I'm

play01:00

allowed to have opinions

play01:02

okay we don't sit around just with one

play01:05

test open one Benchmark or one IDE this

play01:08

is why we have multiple monitors in the

play01:10

first place I'm going to start out with

play01:12

15 tabs open with chrome couple of

play01:14

instances of Visual Studio code for

play01:16

those of you that are developers I'll

play01:17

make the code available those of you

play01:18

that are not developers suffice to say

play01:20

that one of these pieces of code is

play01:21

going to run an intensive test that

play01:24

generates the manle BR sequence that's

play01:26

the fractal patterns in numeric format

play01:28

and that's going to be a CPU heavy task

play01:30

another one is a GPU demanding whisper

play01:33

project for audio transcription and

play01:35

finally there's a memory heavy merge

play01:37

sort algorithm that one uses a lot of

play01:39

memory we'll see how all these get

play01:40

affected as the tests go on now running

play01:43

these the 64 GB MacBook Pro is using

play01:46

14.4 GB of RAM showing no swap or

play01:50

compression and the Windows server is

play01:52

consuming 370 megabytes Windows Server

play01:55

this is a Mac what the heck is Windows

play01:57

doing on it well despite the naming

play01:59

similarities Windows Server Windows

play02:01

server is a process on Macs that manages

play02:04

your open UI Windows makes sense right

play02:07

and when you add more monitors Windows

play02:09

Server should use more memory we're

play02:11

going to test that out I started by

play02:13

timing the CPU intensive mandal Brad

play02:15

Python program without external monitors

play02:17

this clocks in at 25.8 seconds next I

play02:20

ran whisper that's the GPU heavy task I

play02:22

might just interchange these terms going

play02:24

forward this one's processing a video

play02:26

file which is one of my videos and it

play02:27

took 51.6 seconds and finally I tried

play02:30

using different numbers of integers to

play02:33

do the merge sort I tried 10 million uh

play02:36

that one uses 500 megabytes of RAM and

play02:38

that completed in 32 seconds these

play02:40

initial tests establish our Baseline for

play02:42

CPU GPU and memory performance and offer

play02:45

a clear comparison point for the impact

play02:47

of additional displays now let's plug

play02:50

the monitors back in I connected

play02:51

monitors using Thunderbolt cables to two

play02:53

Hobs linking two displays on each side

play02:56

the setup includes playing a few YouTube

play02:58

videos part of my usual Chrome Home tab

play03:00

collection and some coding workspaces

play03:02

I'd say for an average developer this is

play03:04

probably um on the lighter side of load

play03:06

now currently Windows Server RAM usage

play03:08

has risen to 1.17 GB with overall memory

play03:12

at 17.1 GB no swap or compression

play03:16

initial CPU and GPU tests showed slight

play03:18

variation within the margin of error

play03:20

suggesting minimal impact from the

play03:22

connected displays despite what I

play03:24

expected the GPU is operating around 80%

play03:27

utilization and it didn't suffer

play03:28

significantly from the multim monitor

play03:30

setup but this is a really powerful

play03:32

machine and we're still within the

play03:33

bounds of Apple's documentation so for

play03:35

now we're okay all right I've changed

play03:37

things around just a little bit here for

play03:38

the two side displays this one and this

play03:42

one I've actually set the resolution

play03:44

higher to the maximum possible that it

play03:46

can do I don't normally use my monitors

play03:48

at such high resolution because well

play03:50

getting old it's hard to see stuff and

play03:52

while I'm doing this I'm monitoring the

play03:54

memory usage by Windows Server the

play03:56

memory usage overall and the GPU history

play03:59

I am seeing a little bit of variance

play04:01

there but in general it's going down

play04:03

after that test we did also for these

play04:06

monitors up here I started playing 8K

play04:09

video uh for this one right here and

play04:12

this one right here I'm actually also

play04:14

scaling those to the highest possible

play04:16

resolution both of them and I'm not

play04:18

seeing a degradation in the GPU in the

play04:21

usability of the system or the amount of

play04:24

memory being used but I still think it's

play04:26

worth running all those tests again with

play04:27

these new settings just to make sure so

play04:29

it looks like everything took a little

play04:30

bit of a hit but that's just it it was

play04:32

only a little bit of a hit that's

play04:34

probably not even worth talking about

play04:36

but I'm going to share it anyway cuz

play04:37

that's why you're watching this video

play04:38

our GPU test is now down to 52.5 seconds

play04:42

our CPU test is down almost a full 2

play04:45

seconds to 30 seconds and our memory

play04:47

test is down to 35.3 seconds hm so

play04:51

something is happening before we move on

play04:53

to our next computer I just had to do it

play04:55

I hooked up all these monitors all six

play04:57

of them to one MacBook Pro Pro making a

play05:00

total of seven displays from this

play05:02

MacBook and the way I did it was of

play05:05

course using a technology called display

play05:07

link now this setup required some

play05:09

rearranging due to a peculiar issue with

play05:11

monitor rotation settings one of my LG

play05:14

monitors that was vertical couldn't

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rotate to 90Β° unlike the other of the

play05:18

same exact model also one monitor

play05:21

previously recognized as an LG monitor

play05:23

is now identified as an Apple xdr

play05:25

display these anomalies suggest possible

play05:28

display Link in your with monitor

play05:30

management which adds an unexpected

play05:32

layer of configuring a multim monitor

play05:34

setup hopefully only a onetime thing for

play05:36

each machine under normal circumstances

play05:38

I don't have this problem at all when I

play05:39

only have one external monitor hook toop

play05:41

or two I wanted to add an iPad to bring

play05:44

my display count to eight from the

play05:46

comments I've seen some of you use iPads

play05:48

in side card mode and this actually

play05:49

raised the temperature to 70Β° from the

play05:52

usual 40Β° now I do have all these other

play05:54

monitors spinning all the same time so

play05:56

it's not just Scar the fans which were

play05:59

previously off are now steady at around

play06:01

14400 RPM due to the added heat from

play06:04

driving all the monitors and the chassis

play06:06

warms to

play06:07

36Β° it's manageable for most tasks

play06:10

though but this might pose some

play06:12

challenges for intensive activities like

play06:14

game development I recently did an

play06:15

intense video with unity which I'll link

play06:17

down below too with all displays active

play06:20

Windows server memory usage slightly

play06:22

increased and overall memory consumption

play06:24

Rose to 23/2 GB performance tests showed

play06:27

minor slowdowns with the CPU and GPU

play06:30

test slightly impacted this starts to

play06:32

reveal some of the trade-offs of a

play06:33

multim monitor setup all right now I'm

play06:35

resetting everything to Baseline by

play06:37

disconnecting everything now it just

play06:38

looks crazy in here cuz there's only one

play06:40

monitor active next machine this is the

play06:42

M3 Max magma Pro I'm only expecting

play06:45

better things at this point I ran

play06:47

whisper in 52.2 seconds and mandal BR

play06:50

showed a significant Improvement at 17.6

play06:53

seconds the memory test completed in

play06:55

29.9 seconds so without monitors

play06:57

connected Windows server is already at 2

play06:59

GB of RAM the system's total memory

play07:02

usage is higher than on the M2 Max

play07:04

starting at 24 GB including some swap

play07:07

usage and I wouldn't put too much weight

play07:09

on how much memory is being used on the

play07:11

system this increased memory footprint

play07:13

even before connecting any monitors kind

play07:15

of shows Mac os's Dynamic Resource

play07:17

Management so you'll see different

play07:19

numbers and different levels of memory

play07:21

and you'll be scratching your head

play07:22

wondering what's going on here why is my

play07:25

16 GB machine using 15 gbt of RAM and

play07:28

I'm not even running anything well it's

play07:30

Mac OS you'll see this time and time

play07:32

again and it's nothing to be afraid of

play07:33

not everything came back on to life uh

play07:36

those two are not working I got to

play07:37

figure out why I swear I'm losing it

play07:40

this is a new machine I did not install

play07:42

display link on this and therefore we

play07:44

don't get all those monitors we only get

play07:47

four now while messing around with this

play07:48

I found something interesting here in

play07:50

this drop- down menu for adding my iPad

play07:52

as an external display I noticed options

play07:54

for other devices including two Apple

play07:57

TVs and several MacBooks that I'm

play07:59

testing testing that are in this office

play08:00

too can I use these as additional

play08:02

monitors this MacBook Air

play08:05

here matters all that

play08:08

but all the sound from all the videos

play08:10

are coming to here I guess I always knew

play08:12

you can mirror to an Apple TV but I had

play08:14

no idea you can mirror or extend your

play08:16

screen to another laptop this MacBook

play08:19

Air is now an extension of the set of

play08:21

screens for the MacBook Pro I mean there

play08:24

is a significant lag here don't get me

play08:26

wrong but if you really needed to do

play08:29

this

play08:29

I guess you could that lag is just nasty

play08:32

that was interesting for the M3 Max The

play08:35

Whisper test completed in 51.7 seconds

play08:38

3500 RPM for the fan right

play08:41

now it's the loudest MacBook I've ever

play08:44

owned and it's proud of

play08:46

it memory test took longer at 31.7

play08:49

seconds and the cpu's manle BR test

play08:52

slowed down to 22.4 seconds surprisingly

play08:55

Windows server memory usage remains

play08:57

stable not what I expected the main

play08:59

resource consumers here were Google

play09:01

Chrome Helper processes and this might

play09:03

have something to do with running 2 8K

play09:05

videos simultaneously I got to get these

play09:07

other monitors on here I'm using display

play09:09

link for extra monitors again I didn't

play09:11

have it installed in this one so I need

play09:13

to install the drivers and give display

play09:15

link all the permissions and sign my

play09:17

life away and after installation I wait

play09:18

to see if the displays just light up

play09:21

boom look at that they just pop on after

play09:23

connecting the new monitors the screen

play09:25

layout automatically changes which is

play09:27

annoying and it requires me to

play09:29

reorganize the setup to my original

play09:31

configuration this is not so bad with

play09:32

two or three monitors but it's pretty

play09:35

bad now surprisingly the GPU test

play09:37

finished in 48.5 seconds faster than

play09:40

before however the memory test slowed

play09:42

down to 32 seconds and the CPU slightly

play09:44

slowed down to 23 seconds presenting a

play09:47

mixed effect on performance which is

play09:50

unusual onto our next machine this is

play09:52

the M3 Pro and it's supposed to handle

play09:55

less screens than the big boys that we

play09:57

just tested so let's see what Happ

play09:59

happens when I plug him in whisper at

play10:00

55.3 seconds mandle broad at 35 seconds

play10:04

and memory test at 36.9 seconds

play10:07

definitely a clear performance drop here

play10:09

looking at the Windows Server process we

play10:10

got 571 mbes of Ram with a total usage

play10:14

at 9.8 GB out of the 18 available

play10:16

significantly lower than the usage of

play10:18

other devices and I've said this before

play10:20

that's how Mac OS manages memory it's

play10:23

not like all of a sudden Google Chrome

play10:24

decides to use more memory because it

play10:26

knows it's on M3 Max machine with more

play10:28

memory available able no it's Mac OS and

play10:31

it's actually perfectly normal all right

play10:33

let's plug in this side first this is a

play10:35

thunderbolt dock that has these two

play10:37

monitors connected to it and I should

play10:38

see them both pop up indeed they did

play10:40

let's do one more just attempt some fate

play10:43

this is the HDMI output to this monitor

play10:46

over here nothing happens over there so

play10:49

I guess we're done connecting the

play10:51

monitors immediately increase memory

play10:53

usage to 11 GB with Windows Server

play10:55

consuming 757 MB this demonstrates an

play10:58

immediate memory impact by adding

play11:00

displays the temperature is a little bit

play11:01

higher now but that's to be expected

play11:03

after doing the CPU test which has

play11:05

slowed down quite a lot here we've got a

play11:07

big drop in performance down to 41.1

play11:10

seconds just from standard two display

play11:13

setup nothing crazy now while the

play11:15

machine remained responsive which is

play11:17

good the GPU slowed down to 1 minute and

play11:19

the memory test slowed down to 40

play11:21

seconds pretty typical usage conditions

play11:23

but we do have a performance dip here

play11:25

after switching to a display link Hub

play11:28

two additional monitor instantly popped

play11:30

on and this raised the memory to 13.8 GB

play11:33

and Windows server to 1.24 GB this setup

play11:37

tacks the GPU and I anticipated this

play11:40

that 8K duck is so beautiful I can see

play11:43

every feather and performance test then

play11:45

showed a dip memory test took 41 1/2

play11:47

seconds GPU test 1 minute and 6 seconds

play11:50

and the CPU test was the most impacted

play11:53

slowed down to 46.7 seconds this was our

play11:56

GPU test right here sound effects they

play11:59

make everything great all right who's

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next the nonpr magbook pro it doesn't

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even have a thunderbolt hole on this

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side testing the M3 Macbook Pro not the

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pro or the max just the M3 this one

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reveals some slowdowns however its

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performance was decent the memory test

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completed in 30 seconds Manel BR in 44.4

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seconds and Whisper GPU test in 1 minute

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and 8 seconds starting from a slight

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disadvantage of having just 8 GB of RAM

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the outcome kind of aligns with

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expectations for this Hardware

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configuration since I can't plug this on

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this side there's no holes let's bring

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this on this side there we go that's not

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true there is an HDMI output there I

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could have used that but let's see how

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Thunderbolt does one and that's it so

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how we get one I tell you what though

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this machine is pretty spiffy with just

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one monitor plugged into it let's get an

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8K video going maxing out the native

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displays on this non-pro MacBook Pro

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slightly extended memory test times to

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30.9 seconds with a whisper GPU test at

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1 minute and 10 seconds and the CPU at

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47 seconds I'd say not bad despite being

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8 GB model it used 6.7 GB of RAM and

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just over 3 GB of swap here we see Mac

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os's Dynamic RAM management based on

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availability dipping into that swap a

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lot of people are complaining about that

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but in reality you probably won't even

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notice it you'll probably get rid of

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that machine or sell it before you even

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experience any problems with that SSD

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another story for another time with

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display link memory pressure appeared in

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influencing performance the memory test

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is at 31 seconds GPU at 1 minute and 12

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seconds and CPU at 48 1/2 seconds so

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we're pushing this machine much harder

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now and it's starting to show but not

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terrible there's one more machine left

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and I'm expecting the same results as

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this one this is the MacBook Air M2

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kicking off the MacBook Air this being a

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24 GB Ram version and straight off the

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bat it's gobbling up 16 GB again don't

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jump to conclusions if you skip to this

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section Mac OS loves to sprawl out when

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it's got room this isn't a sign that

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it's overloaded just Mac OS being Mac OS

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making sure that it's using what's

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available remember folks 8 GB of RAM on

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a Mac is like 16 GB on

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Windows leave your comments down below

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all right kidding kidding okay but if

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you want me to do a breakdown on how

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memory works and how it's different on a

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Mac or Windows let me know in the

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comments down below too here Windows

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service chilling at 689 mbes diving into

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the test and you'll see 35 seconds from

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memory and mandle BR CPU test outpacing

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the M3 MacBook Pro at just 53 seconds

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and the GPU is starting pretty strong at

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a minute and 6 seconds it goes to show

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you again that the air is not just about

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light work it can do some serious damage

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I'm running the CPU test and it's really

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quiet in here and I'm wondering is this

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test even running I had to do a double

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take the temperatures are at 108Β° but

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there's no noise cuz there's no fan so

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I'm expecting this test to take a little

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bit longer and of course the CPU test

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suffered the most because of those

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temperatures if I ran this more than

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once in a row it would really

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drastically slow down but the CPU is at

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58.6 seconds here not horribly worse but

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a little worse the GPU is actually about

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the same 1 minute and 7 seconds and the

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memory test is faster faster 34.4

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seconds total now that the M3 MacBook

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airs were announced those chips are

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supposed to be hotter so we'll see how

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that affects performance stay tuned for

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that on this channel Channel I've got a

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surprise for you this MacBook Air is now

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connected to 1 2 3 4 displays so that's

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a total of five including the internal

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One display link helped out here let's

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take a look at Windows Server 880 megab

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of ram 15.3 GB of memory used so we're

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not really doing much here the machine

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is still perfectly usable like it was

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before now it's important to realize

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that fan can really do wonders

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especially when dealing with some really

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heavy workloads like I've been throwing

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a this thing and uh the result kind of

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shows let me show you now we're waiting

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for the GPU results but the CPU timing

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shocked me 4 minutes and 28 seconds ouch

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it seems like this collection of

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monitors display link and iPad

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significantly strains the CPU that's a

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shocker but because there is no active

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Cooling in this machine this is what

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happens the memory test also extended to

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1 minute and 30 seconds wow almost three

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times longer than before this is a

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substantial impact on performance

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clearly Having side cut open having

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display link playing is having a really

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huge adverse effect our GPU test just

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finished and we're at 3 minutes and 26

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seconds for the GPU result the slowest

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I've seen so far addore screens turned

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out to be more than just getting more

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surface area to do my work it was a real

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test of what these machines can handle

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under the hood everyone's workflow is a

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little different so hopefully you can

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find a good balance between having

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enough real estate and performance for

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your own needs I want to extend my thank

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you to the channel members who got to

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see the full version of this video early

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and gave me some feedback on it thank

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you so much and if you want to join to

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help support the channel and get access

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to members only videos there's a join

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button right down below knowing what you

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know now about performance check this

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video out to see how to get M2 and M3

play17:18

based machines to display more than one

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external screen thanks for watching I'll

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see you in the next

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one

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