Apple MacBook Pro & Mac mini M4 Pro: Performance mode is available, that’s what changes!

With each new product, Apple keeps a few little surprises up its sleeve. For the new MacBook Pros And Mac minithe first tests revealed the introduction of a very practical functionality for heavy users: Performance mode.

The good news is more precisely the extension of this energy mode on Pro chips. Indeed, the M4 Pro are the first to be entitled to it. Before this generation, only the Max and Ultra versions could benefit from it.

But what exactly is this Performance mode? Activable from the battery settings in the System Settings application, this option improves the graphics performance of Apple computers by pushing the ventilation system to its maximum.

“The additional cooling capacity allows the system to deliver superior performance under very intensive workloads”specifies Apple on its support page.

This functionality is ideal for creators using video and 3D editing software. The Apple company explains, however, that the fans run at full speed, thus producing more noise.

For Ars Technicawho discovered the availability of the option during his test of the Mac mini M4 Pro, Performance mode is not really useful. Journalist Andrew Cunningham indeed mentions “a very small increase in some GPU tests”, which is clearly not worth it for the noise generated.

A conclusion to be taken with a grain of salt, given that the media was content to carry out short-term tests, while Performance mode is designed to respond to intensive tasks during long sessions. The objective is to continually limit the heating of the chip thanks to the ventilation system, and thus avoid any overheating problems.