MacBook Air M1/M2 - do they throttle on SecondLife?

[filz Camino]

To owners of the MacBook Air M1 or M2 - does your computer get hot or throttle when playing SecondLife?

(Or if you have a MacBook Pro M1 or M2, does the fan come on?)

I'm interested in getting a new M2 MacBook Air, but would like to know how the fanless design handles SecondLife before I make my decision!

Edited September 13, 2022 by filz Camino
speling error

[Rowan Amore]

 

[filz Camino]

36 minutes ago, Rowan Amore said:

 

Thanks for this although i'm looking for more detailed information than given above.

I'm aware the Air does actually manage to run SL, but I'm trying to find out if it gets hot and throttles the processor when doing so (If it does, a MacBook Pro which has a fan might be a better choice).

Although if it doesn't get hot enough to throttle, then I'd prefer the Air over the MacBook Pro.

Edited September 13, 2022 by filz Camino

[Lyssa Greymoon]

6 hours ago, filz Camino said:

(Or if you have a MacBook Pro M1 or M2, does the fan come on?)

I have an original M1 MacBook Pro, I don’t think it gets hot enough to throttle anything, the only times I’ve noticed the fan coming on is when I’ve been exporting video in DaVinci Resolve. I haven’t run SL on an M2 yet. 

[Jenna Huntsman]

If the device is actively cooled, then you're likely okay. If it's passively cooled, then.. I wouldn't buy it if SL factors in your decision.

[filz Camino]

On 9/13/2022 at 10:54 PM, Jenna Huntsman said:

If the device is actively cooled, then you're likely okay. If it's passively cooled, then.. I wouldn't buy it if SL factors in your decision.

Thanks for sharing your opinions, although I'm really looking for facts (e.g. actual user experiences using the computer in question).

Secondlife makes such poor use of the resources on a modern multi-core computer that I would actually be surprised if a passively cooled 8 core Macbook Air would get hot and need to throttle. I'd like to hear people's actual experiences before making a purchase though.

[Katherine Heartsong]

I think it's unlikely it would throttle anything. While I run all my PC games on a PC gaming rig, I've been otherwise using Apple products exclusively since the days of my Apple II. I have a Mac mini on my desk powerful enough to do all my digital art stuff, with the M1 chip. I can't say for sure it doesn't throttle, but I can assure you that I far prefer the SL experience on my PC over the Mac, far and away, and I'm one of the biggest Apple fans you'll meet. The M1 chip runs it okay, but it feels noticeably sluggish compared to the PC. YMMV, especially with the M2 chips.

[Love Zhaoying]

I know that @Madelaine McMastersdeals in facts, and is a "Mac fan" (not that kind) - not sure which Mac she has - Maddie, are you able to answer the OP's question?

[Jenna Huntsman]

1 hour ago, filz Camino said:

Secondlife makes such poor use of the resources on a modern multi-core computer that I would actually be surprised if a passively cooled 8 core Macbook Air would get hot and need to throttle.

This is no longer true of recent viewer releases - there's been plenty of JIRAs filed against 6.6.3 < viewers where users' computers were overheating; due to increased usage of resources.

[Madelaine McMasters]

I have an M1 Pro 16" MacBook Pro. It will wind up the fans when running SL. I would not extrapolate from this to the M1/M2 models, as those chips have a much lower thermal design power. Still, they put a fan in the M1/M2 MacBook pro for a reason. Improvements in SL Viewer design would be expected to wring more performance out the computer, so this isn't a concern that will go away over time.

[Anicha Heartsong]

I have a Mac Mini which throttles, even though it has a fan. This typically happens in clubs and stores, and anywhere there are lots of avis - even if I have them all effectively derendered. (I do this by turning the max complexity down to 20,000 which turns everyone to grey).

When throttling, the Mac instigates a Kernel_task which grabs all the CPU resources, shutting the SL viewer out, and making it unusable, until the machine has cooled down. This rarely works well, and it's best just to quit the app.

The solution for me is to increase the speed (and volume) of the fan while in SL to prevent the kernel task jumping in to take control.

I do this using an app called 'TG Pro' (https://www.tunabellysoftware.com/support/tgpro_tutorial/) It costs around $12 if I remember right. There are other options around, such as MacFans.

Personally, if I was intending to run SL on a Macbook, I would want one with fans.

[filz Camino]

19 hours ago, Anicha Heartsong said:

I have a Mac Mini which throttles, even though it has a fan. This typically happens in clubs and stores, and anywhere there are lots of avis - even if I have them all effectively derendered. (I do this by turning the max complexity down to 20,000 which turns everyone to grey).

When throttling, the Mac instigates a Kernel_task which grabs all the CPU resources, shutting the SL viewer out, and making it unusable, until the machine has cooled down. This rarely works well, and it's best just to quit the app.

The solution for me is to increase the speed (and volume) of the fan while in SL to prevent the kernel task jumping in to take control.

I do this using an app called 'TG Pro' (https://www.tunabellysoftware.com/support/tgpro_tutorial/) It costs around $12 if I remember right. There are other options around, such as MacFans.

Personally, if I was intending to run SL on a Macbook, I would want one with fans.

Point taken on the fans, although as an aside, you might find SL more useable with different graphics settings.

My current laptop is a (very underpowered) passively cooled 2017 MacBook 12", and is actually surprisingly useable even in an extremely busy sim with the following settings:

* graphics slider set to Medium

* draw distance set to 64m

* "Max # of non-imposter avatars" set to 3 (I think most people have this set far too high, reducing it gives a good compromise between decent frame rate and quality of experience)

[Anicha Heartsong]

On 9/21/2022 at 9:03 AM, filz Camino said:

draw distance set to 64m

I rarely go to the extremes of 64m. My max is 32m, and often more like 16m or even 8m (in Firestorm, where such things are possible).