High Power Mode Expands to 14-Inch MacBook Pro With M3 Max Chip

Apple has expanded High Power Mode to the new 14-inch MacBook Pro with the M3 Max chip, according to Six Colors editor-in-chief Jason Snell. The feature was previously only available on the 16-inch MacBook Pro with the M1 Max and M2 Max.

High Power Mode Feature 2
"For some tests, I switched the MacBook Pro into High Power Mode, which is now available on both 14- and 16-inch models in the M3 Max configuration," wrote Snell, in his review of the new MacBook Pros. "I didn't actually find it made much of a difference in the tests I was running, but it sure did make the fans kick in at a very loud volume."

In a support document, Apple says High Power Mode allows a MacBook Pro's fans to run at higher speeds, and this additional cooling may allow the system to deliver higher performance for "intensive sustained workloads," such as 8K video color grading.

On macOS Ventura and later, High Power Mode can be enabled in the System Settings app under Battery by clicking on the dropdown menus next to "On battery" or "On power adapter" and selecting the "High Power" option.

9to5Mac was first to report this news.

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

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

iPhone SE 4 With Apple's Own 5G Modem 'Confirmed' to Launch in March

Tuesday November 19, 2024 12:12 pm PST by
Barclays analyst Tom O'Malley and his colleagues recently traveled to Asia to meet with various electronics manufacturers and suppliers. In a research note this week, outlining key takeaways from the trip, the analysts said they have "confirmed" that a fourth-generation iPhone SE with an Apple-designed 5G modem is slated to launch towards the end of the first quarter next year. In line with previo...
airtag purple

AirTag 2 Rumored to Launch Next Year With These New Features

Sunday November 17, 2024 5:18 am PST by
Apple released the AirTag in April 2021, so it is now three over and a half years old. While the AirTag has not received any hardware updates since then, a new version of the item tracking accessory is rumored to be in development. Below, we recap rumors about a second-generation AirTag. Timing Apple is aiming to release a new AirTag in mid-2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman....
Magic Mouse Next to Keyboard

No, Apple CEO Tim Cook Didn't Say He Prefers Logitech's MX Master 3 Over the Magic Mouse

Sunday November 17, 2024 3:03 pm PST by
While the Logitech MX Master 3 is a terrific mouse for the Mac, reports claiming that Apple CEO Tim Cook prefers that mouse over the Magic Mouse are false. The Wall Street Journal last month published an interview with Cook, in which he said he uses every Apple product every day. Soon after, The Verge's Wes Davis attempted to replicate using every Apple product in a single day. During that...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Real Mock

Apple Releases iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 With Security Fixes

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1, minor updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that debuted earlier in September. iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 come three weeks after the launch of iOS 18.1. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Apple has also released iOS 17.7.2 for...
at t turbo indicator iphone 16 pro max v0 8hrh7w5f3w1e1

AT&T Turbo Indicator Showing Up in iPhone Status Bar for Subscribers

Wednesday November 20, 2024 3:42 am PST by
AT&T has begun displaying "Turbo" in the iPhone carrier label for customers subscribed to its premium network prioritization service, according to reports on Reddit. The new indicator seems to have started appearing after users updated to iOS 18.1.1, but that could be just coincidence. Image credit: Reddit user No_Highlight7476 The Turbo feature provides enhanced network performance through ...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature Single Camera 1 Redux

'iPhone 17 Air' Rumored to Surpass iPhone 6 as Thinnest iPhone Ever

Monday November 18, 2024 1:07 pm PST by
In a research note with Hong Kong-based investment bank Haitong today, obtained by MacRumors, Apple analyst Jeff Pu said he agrees with a recent rumor claiming that the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" will be around 6mm thick. "We agreed with the recent chatter of an 6mm thickness ultra-slim design of the iPhone 17 Slim model," he wrote. If that measurement proves to be accurate, there would be ...
bug security vulnerability issue fix larry

Make Sure to Update: iOS 18.1.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 Fix Actively Exploited Vulnerabilities

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:52 am PST by
The iOS 18.1.1, iPadOS 18.1.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 updates that Apple released today address JavaScriptCore and WebKit vulnerabilities that Apple says have been actively exploited on some devices. With the JavaScriptCore vulnerability, processing maliciously crafted web content could lead to arbitrary code execution. The WebKit vulnerability had the same issue with maliciously crafted...

Top Rated Comments

eropko Avatar
14 months ago

So the key word is it "may" allow the system to deliver higher performance, not that it "will" allow the system to deliver higher performance.
I think you've overlooked the word 'sustained'. It's not about delivering performance it's about trying to keep that performance up for long(er).
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bradman83 Avatar
14 months ago

So guess thermal pressure of M3Max is higher than it was on M1/M2, at least in 14 inch body.

Back on M1Max this mode did nothing.
I would think the opposite - Apple felt the 14" didn't have the thermal management capacity to enable high performance mode on the M1 and M2 generations but does with the M3. Either the M3 Max runs a bit cooler at peak load than its predecessors or Apple improved the internal cooling capacity of the 14". I'm sure once iFixit does a teardown we'll know more.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
eropko Avatar
14 months ago
So guess thermal pressure of M3Max is higher than it was on M1/M2, at least in 14 inch body.

Back on M1Max this mode did nothing.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Fuzzball84 Avatar
14 months ago
Imagine enabling an ultra low power mode and getting 30 plus hours on a single charge.

I think more people would find that useful than this high power mode.

Especially if you’re not doing anything demanding.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sw1tcher Avatar
14 months ago

"For some tests, I switched the MacBook Pro into High Power Mode, which is now available on both 14- and 16-inch models in the M3 Max configuration," wrote Snell, in his review of the new MacBook Pros. "I didn't actually find it made much of a difference in the tests I was running, but it sure did make the fans kick in at a very loud volume."

In a support document, Apple says High Power Mode allows a MacBook Pro's fans to run at higher speeds, and this additional cooling may allow the system to deliver higher performance for "intensive sustained workloads," such as 8K video color grading.
So the key word is it "may" allow the system to deliver higher performance, not that it "will" allow the system to deliver higher performance.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HobeSoundDarryl Avatar
14 months ago
Software gimmick vs. [S]reducing the performance cores &[/S] cutting memory bandwidth??? [S]Or does high power mode apply to efficiency cores?[/S]

Edit: misread title to think this mode was added for MBpro with M3 PRO... but it's only about M3 MAX which didn't get the amazing cores downgrade.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)