When you buy a new Mac, what you want is to get the most out of the purchase that has been made, which will not have been very cheap. In this way, Apple has integrated into selected models of its computers an energy mode that seeks to get the most out of it at all times. We tell you in this case how you will be able to activate the high consumption mode on your equipment.
What you should know about this special way
The high consumption mode is the solution that you will have when you want to get the most out of your processor on the Mac. In this case, it is defined as a mode that maximizes performance in intensive and continuous workloads. One of the clearest examples that requires a great deal of processing power and coding is 8K color grading . You should know that as soon as you receive your computer and configure it, Apple has it configured in an automatic mode. That is, it is going to make a balance to make optimal use of the battery and maintain the best possible performance. In this way you will have enough autonomy, but you will be able to squeeze the hardware that you have paid for. This for basic users is more than enough, but whoever buys a MacBook Pro, wants much more. In this case, you will have to choose to make use of the tools available.
Enabling high-performance mode will improve performance in graphically intensive workflows. As we’ve said before, this will allow for optimal performance in 8K ProRes 4444 color grading and 8K DNxHR video. Smoother playback and faster exports will also be experienced when editing videos and in 3D applications. That is why what will be stimulated in this case with a greater consumption of resources is the GPU that can be found on the chip itself.
What high power mode will do exactly is allow the fans to run at higher speeds. In this case, the additional cooling capacity can make the system deliver the most optimal performance under very intensive workloads. It should be noted that at this time it is a mode that will be able to be activated whether the Mac is connected to power or not. This means that you have a lot of freedom when using it.
Compatible Mac models
It should be noted that not all computers are compatible with this high-performance mode, since several requirements must be met in terms of the devices’ own hardware. The first thing is to have a compatible processor that offers great performance for the most “complicated” tasks that can be carried out. Added to this is the need for a state-of-the-art heat dissipation system, both active and passive. For this reason, the only computer from the Cupertino company that is compatible with this high-performance mode is the 16-inch MacBook Pro that has the M1 Max chip inside.
Consequences of having it active
Although at first it may seem like a wonderful way to give a performance bonus, it also has problems. In this case, Apple itself recalls that in order to offer higher performance, it is because the processor consumes many more resources to later offer them in the form of greater processing. In this case, what is going to consume extra is energy. The heat will increase the speed of the fans as we talked about in its definition, but the noise generated will also increase .
The fact of making a higher energy consumption will also cause the temperature to increase considerably as one of the negative points. And as in many other cases, the battery can also be affected. By managing much more energy, the battery will have a shorter life . This is not interesting when you don’t have the charger at hand and you want to work away from home. In this way, it is a mode of consumption that will only be indicated when you are in an office or at home to be constantly connected to the electrical network. This will solve this great inconvenience of squeezing much more out of your computer’s processor.
Safety precautions to keep in mind
As we have commented previously, the Mac is going to undergo different processes of relevance. In this you have to know how to manage them to avoid suffering some kind of accident. Temperature rise is one of the biggest risks you can face. That is why it is always recommended to have it in a room that is ventilated . The environment should not be too hot, nor should it be constantly exposed to sunlight. In this way, the temperature will not increase naturally, meaning that in no case can the temperature of the device be increased extra. You have to know that electronic components are not very friendly to these high temperatures, so they should be avoided.
This is something that also applies to the ventilation system. Although the Apple Silicon have a minimum generation of heat , it should be noted that the ventilation channels must be left free. In this case, the precautions that must be followed is not to use the computer on a blanket or on a white surface that could hide the internal air outlet. What is truly recommended is always to be placed on a firm wooden or glass table so that the legs can leave it raised, and make the hot air come out.
The way to activate it quickly
Once all the information that we have previously explained is taken into account, the activation will be able to be carried out. Obviously, you should know if it is going to be worth it in case you need this kind of extra performance. You have to take into account if you are going to be able to withstand the measures that we have commented on previously and the negative side that this energy mode has. The steps to follow to activate the compatible models are as follows:
- Go to System Preferences.
- In the menu that appears, you will need to choose Battery.
- In the sidebar, click Battery or Power Adapter.
- Tap Power mode.
- Choose High Power Mode from the drop-down menu.
The latter is really important. You’ll be able to set different power modes for when your Mac is running on battery power or connected to the power adapter. In this way, it may become recommended that this high consumption mode be activated when it is connected to the current, to prevent you from running out of battery in the case of making intense use of it.
Check if it is activated
There are different ways to know if you have this mode active or not. The first of them is obviously in the preferences panel that we have commented on just before, when we talked about the steps to carry out the activation. But you will also be able to consult information through the battery icon that is integrated into the upper toolbar. When clicking on the battery icon, the mode appears as active (whatever you have chosen).
This is something really important, since it is not recommended to keep it active as we will discuss below. In this way you will be sure that you will only have it active when you are going to do a high-performance job like the ones mentioned in previous sections.
Is it recommended to have it always active?
The negative points that are on the table and that we have previously commented on are many. The reduction in autonomy or the increase in temperature are some of them. This makes it necessary to have it active only when its use is required. This means that when editing images or videos that require a high consumption of GPU cores, you will need this mode. But when you are simply browsing the internet or answering emails, it is unnecessary to have a lot of graphical processing power.
In order not to have to “suffer” the computer, you have to be very careful. Obviously, Apple enabled this mode to give it the use it deserves, but always within the margins of responsibility of each of the users with the aim of managing the resources that are available in an appropriate way.