Summary of More Monitors = SLOWER MacBooks

00:00:00 - 00:15:00

In the YouTube video "More Monitors = SLOWER MacBooks," the creator explores the impact of external displays on MacBook performance using various MacBook models and external monitors, including 4K displays, portable monitors, and 8K videos. The tests reveal minimal performance impact with slight variations, but increased GPU utilization and memory usage by Windows Server. The speaker also shares his experience setting up seven displays using DisplayLink technology, encountering issues with monitor rotation and unexpected display identification. The added monitors caused fans to spin at higher RPMs, raising temperature and causing minor slowdowns. The presenter tests a MacBook Pro with an M1 Max chip and observes a noticeable drop in performance with memory-intensive tasks due to increased memory usage and slower performance with additional displays. The video concludes with a reminder that everyone's workflow is different and encourages viewers to find a balance between screen real estate and performance.

• 00:00:00 In this section of the YouTube video titled "More Monitors = SLOWER MacBooks," the creator tests the impact of external displays on MacBook performance using various MacBook models and external monitors. He starts by testing the built-in display for baseline performance and then adds multiple monitors, including 4K displays, portable monitors, and even 8K videos. The tests include CPU-intensive tasks, GPU-demanding tasks, and memory-heavy tasks. The results show minimal impact on performance, with slight variations within the margin of error. However, the GPU utilization is around 80%, and the memory usage by Windows Server increases when additional monitors are connected. The creator concludes that the impact on performance is only a little bit, but he plans to run the tests again with the new settings to ensure accuracy.
• 00:05:00 In this section of the YouTube video titled "More Monitors = SLOWER MacBooks," the speaker discusses his experience setting up a total of seven displays on a MacBook using DisplayLink technology. He encountered issues with monitor rotation settings and unexpected display identification, suggesting potential complications with DisplayLink's monitor management. The added monitors caused the fans to spin at higher RPMs, raising the temperature and causing minor slowdowns in CPU and GPU performance tests. The speaker also discovered that other devices, such as Apple TVs and MacBooks, could be used as additional monitors. However, the setup required reorganization and caused mixed effects on performance.
• 00:10:00 In this section of the YouTube video titled "More Monitors = SLOWER MacBooks," the presenter tests the performance impact of connecting multiple monitors to a MacBook Pro with an M1 Max chip. The tests reveal an immediate memory usage increase and a noticeable drop in performance when adding displays, particularly with memory-intensive tasks. The Mac OS's memory management is discussed, and it's explained that the operating system uses available resources, which can result in higher memory usage and slower performance with additional displays. Despite the performance dip, the machine remains responsive. The presenter also tests a MacBook Pro with an M3 chip, an M1 Air, and a MacBook Air M2, observing similar trends in memory usage and performance drops when adding displays.
• 00:15:00 In this section of the YouTube video titled "More Monitors = SLOWER MacBooks," the creator tests the performance of a MacBook Air connected to five displays, including the internal one. The results show that the CPU timing increased significantly, taking 4 minutes and 28 seconds, while the GPU test took 3 minutes and 26 seconds, the slowest result yet. The creator notes that the lack of active cooling in the machine is a major factor in the performance decline. The memory test also took almost three times longer than before, at 1 minute and 30 seconds. The creator emphasizes that everyone's workflow is different and encourages viewers to find a balance between having enough screen real estate and maintaining performance. The video also includes a call to action for viewers to join the channel for access to members-only content.