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Retina Display MacBook Pro Q&A
Update Published June 25, 2015
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Is there a "hack" to switch between graphics processors on the Retina Display MacBook Pro models manually?
By default, the majority of the 15-Inch Retina Display MacBook Pro models (A1398) automatically switch between two graphics processors depending on usage.
For example, systems with dual graphics processors are designed to automatically use the integrated graphics processor if you only are typing a document and surfing the web and switch to dedicated graphics if you plug in an external display or fire up a game and the extra performance is needed.
Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (Retina Display MacBook Pro -- 13" Left, 15" Right)
However, three "Late 2013" MacBook Pro models -- the MacBook Pro "Core i7" 2.0 15" (IG), "Core i7" 2.3 15" (IG), and "Core i7" 2.6 15" (IG) -- three "Mid-2014" MacBook Pro models -- the MacBook Pro "Core i7" 2.2 15" (IG), "Core i7" 2.5 15" (IG), and "Core i7" 2.8 15" (IG) -- and three "Mid-2015" MacBook Pro models -- the MacBook Pro "Core i7" 2.2 15" (IG), "Core i7" 2.5 15" (IG), and "Core i7" 2.8 15" (IG) -- only have a single graphics processor.
Specifically, these models -- which EveryMac.com notes as "IG" for "Integrated Graphics" -- only have a single "Iris Pro 5200" graphics processor, and cannot switch to another graphics processor as a result.
Additionally, all 13-Inch Retina Display MacBook Pro models (A1425, A1502) only have a single integrated graphics processor.
Third-Party Software for Manual Graphics Switching
Automatic switching is convenient, but there definitely are times when it would be desirable to be able to manually switch between the integrated and dedicated graphics processors on applicable 15-Inch models and Apple does not really provide such control.
It is possible to deselect "Automatic Graphics Switching" in the "System Preferences" application under "Energy Saver," but this only enables the dedicated graphics processor, rather than manually switching between them if desired.
The company likewise provides no way to tell which applications are causing the dedicated graphics processor to jump into action.
Knowing which applications are triggering the dedicated graphics processor can be particularly useful for conserving battery life and for general troubleshooting, too.
However, Cody Krieger's excellent gfxCardStatus menu bar application makes it possible to easily switch between graphics cards manually on these models and displays which applications are using the dedicated graphics in a convenient "dependencies" list, too.
If you find gfxCardStatus useful and would like to support its continued development, a donation is strongly encouraged.
What type of video processor is provided by the Retina Display MacBook Pro models? Is it "dedicated" or "integrated" memory? Is it upgradable?
All 13-Inch Retina Display MacBook Pro models have a single integrated graphics processor with memory shared with the system, but the type of graphics processor varies.
Likewise, some 15-Inch Retina Display MacBook Pro models have a single integrated graphics processor whereas others have dual graphics processors -- one integrated and one dedicated.
This is easiest to visualize as a chart:
MacBook Pro |
Subfamily |
Video Card |
VRAM |
Mid-2012 |
HD Graphics 4000 |
1 GB* |
|
Mid-2012 |
HD Graphics 4000 |
1 GB* |
|
Mid-2012 |
HD Graphics 4000 |
1 GB* |
|
Late 2012 |
HD Graphics 4000 |
768 MB† |
|
Late 2012 |
HD Graphics 4000 |
768 MB† |
|
Early 2013 |
HD Graphics 4000 |
768 MB† |
|
Early 2013 |
HD Graphics 4000 |
768 MB† |
|
Early 2013 |
HD Graphics 4000 |
1 GB* |
|
Early 2013 |
HD Graphics 4000 |
1 GB* |
|
Early 2013 |
HD Graphics 4000 |
1 GB* |
|
Late 2013 |
Iris 5100 |
1.5 GB† |
|
Late 2013 |
Iris 5100 |
1.5 GB† |
|
Late 2013 |
Iris 5100 |
1.5 GB† |
|
Late 2013 |
Iris Pro 5200 |
1.5 GB† |
|
Late 2013 |
Iris Pro 5200 |
1.5 GB† |
|
Late 2013 |
Iris Pro 5200 |
1.5 GB† |
|
Late 2013 |
Iris Pro 5200 |
2 GB* |
|
Late 2013 |
Iris Pro 5200 |
2 GB* |
|
Mid-2014 |
Iris 5100 |
1.5 GB† |
|
Mid-2014 |
Iris 5100 |
1.5 GB† |
|
Mid-2014 |
Iris 5100 |
1.5 GB† |
|
Mid-2014 |
Iris Pro 5200 |
1.5 GB† |
|
Mid-2014 |
Iris Pro 5200 |
1.5 GB† |
|
Mid-2014 |
Iris Pro 5200 |
1.5 GB† |
|
Mid-2014 |
Iris Pro 5200 |
2 GB* |
|
Mid-2014 |
Iris Pro 5200 |
2 GB* |
|
Early 2015 |
Iris 6100 |
1.5 GB† |
|
Early 2015 |
Iris 6100 |
1.5 GB† |
|
Mid-2015 |
Iris Pro 5200 |
1.5 GB† |
|
Mid-2015 |
Iris Pro 5200 |
1.5 GB† |
|
Mid-2015 |
Iris Pro 5200 |
1.5 GB† |
|
Mid-2015 |
Iris Pro 5200 |
2 GB* |
|
Mid-2015 |
Iris Pro 5200 |
2 GB* |
Notebooks with "*" have graphics with dedicated GDDR5 memory for video function whereas notebooks with "†" only have integrated graphics that share memory with the system.
It is not possible to upgrade the video processor in any MacBook Pro models, Retina Display or otherwise.
How many external displays can the Retina Display MacBook Pro models support? What is the maximum supported resolution of each? Are adapters required?
Officially, Apple reports that the Retina Display MacBook Pro models released prior to the "Early 2015" line can support two external displays up to a 2560x1600 resolution via the Thunderbolt or Thunderbolt 2 ports or one display with a maximum resolution of 2560x1600 via Thunderbolt and one display up to a maximum resolution of 1920x1200 (1080p) via HDMI.
Apple reports that the "Early 2015" MacBook Pro models (MacBookPro12,1) as well as the "Mid-2015" MacBook Pro models with integrated graphics (MacBookPro11,4) support a simultaneous maximum resolution up to 3840x2160 on two external displays via Thunderbolt 2. Alternately, these models can support a single display up to 3840x2160 via Thunderbolt 2 and a single 1080p display at up to 60 Hz.
The "Mid-2015" MacBook Pro models that have dedicated graphics (MacBookPro11,5) -- the MacBook Pro "Core i7" 2.5 15" (DG) and "Core i7" 2.8 15" (DG) -- support a single external display up to 5120x2160 at 60 Hz via Thunderbolt 2. Via HDMI video output, it also can support a single 1080p display at up to 60 Hz or 3840x2160 at 30 Hz or 4096x2160 at 24 Hz.
Third External Display Experiments
On an "Mid-2012" 15-Inch Retina Display MacBook Pro, site sponsor OWC briefly tested three external displays -- two iMacs used as displays at 2560x1440 via Thunderbolt and Thunderbolt/DisplayPort and an LG monitor at 1920x1200 via HDMI -- and shared that "moving images and media didn't create any lag and we were able to play video on all four displays simultaneously."
However, in more detailed evaluation, a helpful EveryMac.com reader reported:
I have a "Mid-2012" Retina Display MacBook Pro with two 27" Thunderbolt Displays daisy chained in clamshell mode. I tried adding a third 1920x1200 Dell monitor via the HDMI port, and it actually does work. But here is the catch: with no external displays, the system fans hover around 2600 RPM. With two 27" Thunderbolt Displays, regardless of what I do, the fans hover around 2800-3200 RPM. The GPU diode temp reads 69°C (156°F). If I force it via a fan control program to run at 2500 RPM, the GPU heats up. I was afraid of damaging my computer so I turned the fans back to auto-mode.
Now the kicker. I tried with the three monitors and the fans go up to 4800 RPM. That's without doing anything. If I start running a YouTube clip, or do anything remotely CPU or graphics intensive, the fans max out at 5900 RPM (which is the max the machine will do). I exceeded that by having a few videos running at the same time, fired up 3 virtual machines, and had it compile some code. The whole system became choppy and it began stuttering.
Since then, I've never used three monitors, just the two Apple Thunderbolt Displays. Apple probably doesn't officially recommend using three displays because it gets too hot.
The same helpful reader more recently followed up with:
I've recently replaced the two 27" Thunderbolt Displays with an LG 34UC97 Cineview Display, which has a 3440x1440 resolution. I tried this LG display with the "Mid-2012" 15-Inch Retina Display MacBook Pro and it works, but if I keep the MacBook Pro display open, the fans spin to 3500 RPM or so. When I power just the external display, it hovers around 2300 RPM.
I replaced the "Mid-2012" 15-Inch Retina Display MacBook Pro with a "Mid-2014" 13-Inch MacBook Pro -- specifically the MacBook Pro "Core i7" 2.8 13" -- and this model has no problems, thermal or otherwise, running both the external 3440x1440 display and the internal display at the same time, even though the external display is higher resolution than Apple officially supports for either of the two external displays.
It seems like the Iris 6100 graphics processor can handle a much higher resolution monitor, but the performance in 3D games and such is no match for the NVIDIA 650M in the "Mid-2012" Retina Display MacBook Pro.
Ultimately, although the Retina Display MacBook Pro models are technically capable of running three external displays as well as the internal one, the above reader is highly likely to be correct that the notebook can overheat with three connected.
Consequently, EveryMac.com does not recommend running more than two external displays on the Retina Display MacBook Pro models. However, it also is clear that some models can run a single external display that is a higher resolution than Apple officially supports for either of two external ones.
Tried larger displays than are officially supported on your MacBook Pro? Please share the results of your experiment.
Also see: Are there any adapters or "hacks" that make it possible to connect a second external display to a MacBook, MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro model?
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