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MacBook Neo With Liquid Cooling Mod Sees Massive Temp Drop And Huge FPS Boost

AI-generated analysis

🔧 Modder ETA PRIME tested Apple's MacBook Neo by replacing its graphene thermal pad with copper to evaluate cooling limitations.

📉 The original device utilized a minimal sheet of graphene on the SoC, causing it to thermally throttle during intensive workloads.

🌡️ Upgrading to copper improved performance by approximately 10% to 15% while keeping the laptop chassis fully closed with no visible modifications.

❄️ A more extreme mod combining a Peltier element with a magnetically attached liquid cooler reduced maximum temperatures from over 100°C to roughly 74°C during gaming.

🎮 In the game No Man's Sky, single-player performance jumped from about 33 FPS at stock levels to approximately 59 FPS with the active liquid cooling mod.

📊 Geekbench 6 benchmarks indicate a significant boost in compute power, showing a 17.52% increase in single-core and an 18.6% increase in multi-core performance.

🎬 Cinebench results further highlight the chip's potential, revealing a 23.5% gain in single-core and a 19.08% uplift in multi-core performance when properly cooled.

💡 A simple copper swap offers a modest but accessible performance gain without requiring extra equipment or chassis modifications.

🧠 The testing confirms that Apple's A18 Pro silicon is being underutilized due to its anemic passive cooling solution rather than hardware limitations.

💰 The MacBook Neo is noted for coupling a budget price tag with impressive single-core performance that rivals many x86 processors.

🔄 All modifications tested fit neatly within the existing chassis without leaving visible signs of alteration when closed.

⚠️ The article notes that Apple only uses a paltry sheet of graphene on the mainboard, explaining the thermal throttling observed during challenging tasks.

🔍 The experiment demonstrates how much additional value users can squeeze from an already value-packed machine through external modifications.

Bullish Signals
  • The MacBook Neo powered by the A18 Pro delivers superior single-core performance compared to most x86 processors out of the box.
  • Performance benchmarks show the machine offers a decent gaming experience even without modifications, with significant room for improvement.
  • A simple copper upgrade to replace the graphene cooling pad increases performance by approximately 10% - 15% without requiring chassis modifications.
  • The A18 Pro chip can sustain temperatures as low as 74°C during intense workloads like No Man's Sky when equipped with an active liquid cooling mod, down from over 100°C.
  • Framerates for No Man's Sky increased significantly from 33 FPS at stock to 59 FPS with the advanced liquid cooling solution.
  • Geekbench 6 benchmarks indicate a substantial 17.52% increase in single-core performance and an 18.6% boost to multi-core performance with proper thermal management.
  • Cinebench results highlight a massive 23.5% bump to single-core performance and a 19.08% uplift in multi-core performance under optimal cooling conditions.
Risk Factors
  • The MacBook Neo's stock cooling solution is described as 'anemic' and insufficient, causing the A18 Pro chip to thermally throttle during challenging workloads.
  • At standard temperatures (stock), the A18 Pro reaches critical heat levels of over 100°C during gaming sessions like No Man's Sky, leading to significant performance degradation.
  • Without a liquid cooling mod, single-core performance is artificially capped, with benchmarks showing the stock configuration only achieves about 33 FPS in demanding games instead of the chip's potential capabilities.
  • Users are forced to rely on third-party 'mods' using copper sheets or complex Peltier/liquid cooling systems that magnetically attach to the chassis to unlock even basic performance gains of up to 17% in Geekbench scores.
  • The need for active liquid cooling or copper replacements suggests Apple has left significant performance on the table due to poor thermal design, potentially limiting the device's long-term value and lifespan.
Full Analysis
YouTuber ETA PRIME conducted performance testing on Apple's newly released MacBook Neo, which is powered by the A18 Pro chip. Initial benchmarks indicated that the device's stock thermal solution, consisting only of a graphene sheet on the SoC, caused significant thermals throttling during heavy workloads. To address this, ETA PRIME modified the cooling system by replacing the internal graphene pad with copper adhered to the chip using thermal paste and added a thermal pad to improve contact with the chassis. This passive upgrade resulted in approximately a 10% to 15% performance increase without altering the exterior of the device or requiring additional equipment. ETA PRIME further tested the device by installing an active liquid cooling solution featuring a Peltier cooler magnetically attached to the bottom of the chassis. With this enhanced setup, thermal management improved drastically; while the stock A18 Pro exceeded 100°C during a session of No Man's Sky, the modified system kept temperatures down to roughly 74°C under the same load. This reduction in heat allowed for substantial gains in frame rates, with No Man's Sky jumping from approximately 33 FPS at stock levels to around 59 FPS with the active cooling mod. Beyond gaming performance, synthetic benchmarks highlighted the magnitude of the improvements unlocked by better cooling. Geekbench 6 showed a 17.52% increase in single-core performance and an 18.6% boost to multi-core performance when comparing stock cooling to the active liquid solution. Cinebench results were even more pronounced, recording a 23.5% jump in single-core performance and a 19.08% uplift in multi-core scores. The article concludes that while the passive copper mod offers a modest but convenient way to squeeze out extra value without modifying the chassis, the active cooling reveals that the A18 Pro has significant headroom when thermally constrained issues are resolved.