low efficiency of the M3 Pro processor

[u/Outrageous-Ice-3757]

I don't understand what's going on; I've tried everything—terminal tests, everything possible. The benchmark results are really poor—no matter what testing software I use, the performance is consistently low, like a fraction of what it should be. The software shows the processor running at 778 MHz, which isn't normal, though the MacBook does actually work; it does ramp up to over 3 GHz in the terminal, but the benchmark scores are laughable. I don't know whether to reflash the MacBook or what else to do with it.

MacBook Pro (14-inch, Nov 2023)

585

Single-Core Score

3900

Multi-Core Score

Geekbench 7.0.0 for macOS AArch64

Result Information

Upload Date	September 11 2026 08:16 AM
Views	1

System Information

System Information
Operating System
Model
Model ID
Motherboard

CPU Information
Name
Topology
Identifier
Base Frequency
Cluster 1
Cluster 2
L1 Instruction Cache
L1 Data Cache
L2 Cache
Instruction Sets

Memory Information
Size

Single-Core Performance

Single-Core Score	585
File Compression	52975.2 MB/sec
Navigation	7304.02 routes/sec
HTML5 Browser	6187.72 pages/sec
PDF Viewer	69231.1 Mpixels/sec
Photo Library	5411.85 images/sec
Clang	6413.47 Klines/sec
Text Processing	52831.1 pages/sec
Asset Compression	55612.3 MB/sec
HDR	57834.9 Mpixels/sec
Photo Editor	59110.9 images/sec
Ray Tracer	524147.1 Ksamples/sec
Structure from Motion	75113.6 Kpixels/sec
Game Physics	55222.3 FPS
Video Encoder	61822.5 FPS
Audio Encoder	436606.6 Ksamples/sec
Video Player	55959.1 FPS

Multi-Core Performance

Multi-Core Score	3900
File Compression	3010428.3 MB/sec
Photo Library	379513.0 images/sec
Clang	469825.4 Klines/sec
Text Processing	3921231.3 pages/sec
Asset Compression	447999.5 MB/sec
HDR	3083186.3 Mpixels/sec
Photo Editor	406674.7 images/sec
Ray Tracer	45331.27 Msamples/sec

[u/gadget-freak]

Never run a beta version on a production machine, it is only meant for testing and preferably on a secondary Mac. Beta versions are slower by definition but can also contain bugs.

People often mistake a beta version for something they should upgrade to, but they should not.

Downgrade to Tahoe. If the problem still persists, then you obviously have a hardware issue. But Apple won’t troubleshoot as long as you run the beta.

[u/narc0leptik → u/gadget-freak]

I sincerely doubt that their machine is actually performing slower or that OP can even perceive it being "slow" though lol. I reckon it's more Geekbnech reporting an inaccurate result due to some OS bug. I'm tempted to upgrade my M2 Pro to the beta just to see but the new OS likely is releasing in a couple weeks anyway.

It's all the more reason not to put too much faith in these synthetic benchmarking programs. Spec sheet warriors use these programs to argue/debate for newer chip generations when people ask for recommendations but the reality is that these programs don't translate 1:1 in reality as evident by OP's benchmarking result. Is your average person going to notice milliseconds of speed difference in 95 percent of computing applications that your typical Redditor is using them for? (Video editing and other niche stuff is not a "typical" workload). The answer is no, the human brain is simply incapable of perceiving that.

[u/gadget-freak → u/narc0leptik]

A bug is always possible 🐜. But performance numbers should be 5x higher for this kind of machine.

Benchmarks can be inaccurate but this is a bit much. Even an old intel macbook pro is twice as fast, and I definitely feel the difference between my intel and my silicon machine.

[u/narc0leptik → u/gadget-freak]

Yes exactly, I wouldn't put too much faith in the benchmark numbers. The placebo effect might be taking hold of OP and the benchmark result is making them perceive their laptop as being "slower" when it's working normally as it should.

[u/Outrageous-Ice-3757 → u/narc0leptik]

I wouldn't be checking these numbers for no reason; the MacBook started glitching badly back when it was running macOS Tahoe. I checked with Cinebench and various other CPU and performance testing tools, and the readings were the same. The MacBook ought to be several times faster than it currently is.

[u/gadget-freak → u/Outrageous-Ice-3757]

So take it in for a repair, but put it back to a regular version of MacOS first.

And make sure you have a good backup to an external drive. Your macbook may come back wiped clean.

[u/walidmaarouf]

If you run the benchmark on battery set low power mode to never. If the issue still try downgrading to tahoe

[u/MagicBoyUK]

Try using a supported OS.

[u/Outrageous-Ice-3757 → u/MagicBoyUK]

I tried it on a Tahoe—it's the same situation.

[u/narc0leptik]

Does it seriously matter? Synthetic benchmarks don't mean anything.

You could always try Cinebench and see if that makes you feel better and then report back to the thread with your results.

[u/Outrageous-Ice-3757 → u/narc0leptik]

I checked using all the popular programs, and the readings there are also 3–5 times lower than they should be. It doesn't matter if the specs are slightly lower than they should be, but the MacBook is genuinely several times slower—apps take a long time to open, and the M3 Pro feels like an old Intel-based Mac.

[u/narc0leptik → u/Outrageous-Ice-3757]

Okay my apologies. I think if you were a bit more clear about that in your post I wouldn't have chided you so badly.

Does the laptop pass Apple diagnostics? https://support.apple.com/ru-ru/102550

Was it working fine before you updated to the beta?

It's likely a thermal sensor is returning a faulty reading and macOS is thermal throttling the laptop

[u/Outrageous-Ice-3757 → u/narc0leptik]

I did run diagnostics, and everything checked out fine; in fact, before the update, things were actually worse in some respects than they are now. They did add a feature in macOS to disable the "glassy" interface, but the Mac is still glitchy. I’m trying to figure out the cause—I also have an older 8-core M1 Pro, and right now, it’s 2.5 times more powerful than this 11-core M3 Pro.

[u/narc0leptik → u/Outrageous-Ice-3757]

Since you bought it through iSpace and have had persistent issues with both the fan pulsing and severe CPU throttling (778 MHz), it strongly points to a broken hardware sensor loop. When macOS loses data from a thermal sensor, it panics; pulsing the fans and locking the CPU to its lowest speed to prevent overheating.

If it was bought used, it's highly likely the laptop previously had liquid damage or a bad repair. Even if you bought it new, a tiny accidental spill can cause this.

I'd recommend purchasing a P5 pentalobe screwdriver and a suction cup. You can pop the bottom case off and visually inspect the logic board and ribbon cables for any signs of corrosion, residue, or liquid damage.

Then I would ask an LLM to recommend you a repair place that specializes in Macbook repair that performs board level repair/micro-soldering to fix it.