Apple Releases Retina MacBook Pro SMC Update to Address Gaming Frame Rates and Fan Issues

Apple today released MacBook Pro Retina SMC Update 1.1, addressing an issue with frame rates while playing graphics-heavy games and fixing several other bugs.

About MacBook Pro Retina SMC Update v1.1

This update resolves a rare issue where users may experience slow frame rates when playing graphics-intensive games on the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display. It also includes bug fixes for Power Nap, wake from sleep and fan control.

retina_macbook_pro_hand
Retina MacBook Pro owners will no doubt be testing the update to see whether the fan control bug fixes mentioned in the release notes address the widespread complaints with fan speed spikes under relatively low loads.

Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
Buyer's Guide: MacBook Pro (Buy Now)
Related Forum: MacBook Pro

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Rumored to Be Compatible With These iPhones

Sunday December 22, 2024 8:09 am PST by
iOS 19 will not drop support for any iPhone models, according to French website iPhoneSoft.fr. The report cites a source within Apple. The report said that iOS 19 will be compatible with any iPhone that is capable of running iOS 18, which would mean the following models: iPhone 16 iPhone 16 Plus iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 Pro Max iPhone 15 iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Pro ...
m3 macbook air blue

Apple Accidentally Leaked the Next MacBook Air

Sunday December 22, 2024 8:33 am PST by
Apple earlier this month released macOS 15.2, and in doing so it accidentally confirmed new MacBook Air models coming next year. Apple accidentally released macOS 15.2 restore files for unreleased "‌MacBook Air‌ (13-inch, M4, 2025)" and "‌MacBook Air‌ (15-inch, M4, 2025)" models. While it no surprise that the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models were going to be updated with the M4 ...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature Single Camera 2 Redux

Top 5 Apple Products to Look Forward to in 2025

Friday December 20, 2024 2:22 pm PST by
It's looking like 2025 is going to be an important year for Apple, with the company planning to revamp the iPhone, push further into smart home products, and improve Apple Intelligence. There are tons of new products rumored for 2025, including new iPhones, M4 Macs, a smart home command center, and much more. We've highlighted the top five Apple products that will have the biggest impact in...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Real Mock

iOS 18.2.1 Update Coming Soon for iPhone

Saturday December 21, 2024 4:45 pm PST by
Apple appears to be internally testing iOS 18.2.1 for the iPhone, based on evidence of the software update in our website's analytic logs this week. The logs have accurately revealed many iOS versions before they were released. iOS 18.2.1 should be a minor update that fixes bugs and/or addresses security vulnerabilities, but it is unclear which specific issues might be resolved. The update...
iPhone 16 Apple Store

iPhone Sizes Change Next Year: What to Know

Monday December 23, 2024 7:40 am PST by
This year, Apple tweaked iPhone 16 Pro screen sizes to make them bigger than 2023's iPhone 15 Pro models, and next year we are also expecting a change in the size of the displays in the iPhone 17 lineup. Here's what we know. Standard iPhone 17 Apple could introduce a new display size for the standard iPhone 17 model in 2025. The iPhone 17 could measure in at 6.3 inches, up from 6.1 inches,...
AirTag and Lavender iPhone

AirTag 2 Launching Next Year With These New Features

Tuesday December 24, 2024 8:35 am PST by
Apple is expected to release an AirTag 2 next year, and a few new features and changes have already been rumored for the item tracker. Below, we recap what to expect from the AirTag 2: The new AirTag is expected to be equipped with Apple's second-generation Ultra Wideband chip for longer range. The chip debuted last year in the iPhone 15 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2, and Apple said it...
iphone 16 pro design cameras

iPhone 18 Pro Rumored to Be More Like DSLR Camera With This Upgrade

Monday December 23, 2024 6:24 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are still nearly two years away from launching, a new feature has already been rumored for the devices. In a blog post today, Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reiterated that the main rear camera on both iPhone 18 Pro models will offer variable aperture, which would be a first for the iPhone. The main camera refers to the 48-megapixel...
Google Nest Hub 2

New 'HomePod' With 7-Inch Display, A18 Chip, and More Reportedly Launching Next Year

Saturday December 21, 2024 2:03 pm PST by
Apple plans to release a new "HomePod" with a 7-inch LCD display, an A18 chip, and Apple Intelligence support in 2025, according to DigiTimes. Google's Nest Hub It is unclear how much the screen-equipped HomePod would cost, but Apple is seemingly aiming for a reasonable price. In a paywalled report this week, the supply chain publication said Apple has selected China-based manufacturer Tianma ...

Top Rated Comments

Josheh Avatar
154 months ago
Nah, this machine has been laggy/underpowered for the screen. It needs a 2GB GPU in it to be a 'Pro' machine and able to power that screen correctly. I won't even touch it for video/graphic work. It's just not up to par yet.

exactly, this is why I avoid 1st gen hardware from apple


retina 15" = weak GPU, weak CPU, riddled with bugs


gen 2 retina 15" will be glorious

You know, I read up a lot and saw a lot of people complaining about various problems. I dove in anyway and haven't had near the issues that others have had. Actually, I haven't had any issues really. I'm not sure where you guys are getting your opinions, if they're based on people complaining, or if they're first hand experiences. Let me share mine with you though, my first hand experience.

I purchased the Retina model because I thought it'd be great for photography. I do photography, web design, photoshop, and 3d work on this computer. It's amazing and has worked great in all of those capacities. I use it while mobile, and I also connect it into a couple of monitors and use it as a work station. It has performed well, about as well as a highend laptop might. It may not perform as well as my workstation at work, but well, that's a workstation. It's beefy, it's got the room to be beefy, it's not trying to compact itself into a portable fashion.

I'm sorry that you feel the Macbook Retina is so crappy of a product, but some of us have found it to be successful. I enjoy this computer and have no regrets. I've had no issues that made me think this product is beta, or whatever.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Hungry&Foolish Avatar
154 months ago
exactly, this is why I avoid 1st gen hardware from apple


retina 15" = weak GPU, weak CPU, riddled with bugs


gen 2 retina 15" will be glorious

that's a myth.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
york2600 Avatar
154 months ago
My Retina has been flawless, but here goes nothing
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
schmidp Avatar
154 months ago
I just downloaded it. Everything went flawless, except for one thing. Restarting. The fans blasted as the computer started up again, lasted a second or two but other than that, it was fine.

This is the expected behaviour. The fans run on full power to protect your components during the update.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nilk Avatar
154 months ago
exactly, this is why I avoid 1st gen hardware from apple

retina 15" = weak GPU, weak CPU, riddled with bugs

gen 2 retina 15" will be glorious
1st gen Retina 15" is already glorious. I run 3 displays (one is a Apple TB display) off of that "weak GPU" and don't have any noticeable performance issues.

As for CPU, the rMBP I have Geekbenches 10788, and the 2013 model does 12547. How is that weak? A top end 27" iMac does slightly better (12878), and other than that it's only 6+ core Mac Pros that do better -- so only desktop machines do better.

That said, I say it's better to wait for future revisions unless you are forced to buy something now, but that's more because there is still a good amount of software that isn't Retina-ready and less about the hardware.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
maxosx Avatar
154 months ago
Kudos To Apple

I have one of the affected late 2012 (Jan 2013) 15" MBP retina SanDisk SSD equipped models.

This was for some of us, a very frequent daily issue. Mine spun up the fans on & off hourly.

Kudos to Apple for taking this seriously and doing an excellent job of fixing it.

I've been testing mine over & over for an hour. I am now 100% certain it's fixed, as the iTunes "song" that we identified as one of many triggers to cause the fans to roar, no longer does it.

Now _this_ is a stellar example of Apple showing us they can still operate as efficiently as Apple Computer Inc. did when at its peak.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)