16-Inch MacBook Pro Replaces Discontinued 15-Inch Model, Pricing Ranges Between $2,399 and $6,099

[Howyalikdemapls]

It’s nice that they’re offering lumped up specs for absurd prices. I wish they’d offer more ****ing ram in the **********ing iPhone though. I’d consider paying stupid amounts of money for an iPhone that could keep my apps open in the background and wouldn’t require crossing my fingers every time I switch between apps.

 

[TTOZ]

I did mean thermal I just worded it wrong... but now that you mention it, regardless of the brick it could be a power issue indeed where the computer can't keep the juice to the gfx and processor...when it's on battery there is no 230w power brick and performance for an hour is the same.
The 5500M is decent enough for good gaming at 1080P/60 average.. no issues at all.. that's absolutely fine and we don't all need 2070s and 2080's.

 

[lec0rsaire]

If I had a dollar (I prefer euro) for every time an Apple customer/potential customer, complained about Intel being the problem behind Apple computers, I would probably have enough money to actually buy a new Apple computer.

(don't take this personally or seriously)

Well that’s because it’s true. Apple waits for specific Intel chips unlike everyone else. For example for the 13” they only want CPUs with Iris. They also want 2-4 SKUs to offer base, mid and high-end options.

Intel was supposed to deliver 10 nm years ago and Apple was expecting them for the current thin chassis. This is not Apple’s fault and switching to ARM isn’t that simple. All of the important programs must be ready for ARM and macOS. While I’m sure Apple is working on it none of this was ready back in 2016 and it still isn’t.

Going with AMD simply wasn’t an option for premium computers. While AMD released great stuff for HEDT and mid-range desktops their notebook stuff wasn’t as good.

So yeah Intel is to blame. It took some strong competition from AMD for them to give us 50-100% more CPU cores across the board. Otherwise it’s very likely that MBPs would still be shipping with quad core i7s at the high end.
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Pretty good logic here. Probably mirrors Apple's design thinking. I'm happy with four TB3 / USB-C ports. It's all you need. And today, compact, trustworthy adapters for USB-A or anything else are readily available for a very low price.

Basically, I agree with you, and happy Macbook Pro is all-in on TB3 / USB-C.

They had to do it to force the industry to adopt it quicker. USB 4.0 adopts the TB3/USB-C 40 Gbps spec so eventually every single device out there will have this excellent I/O. Of course by that point we may have Thunderbolt 4 with 60-80 Gbps bandwidth lol!

I like USB-C. Reversible connectors rock! I do feel that lightning has a more snug and secure fit but that’s life.
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IT is just Sad that Apple users which always expected the latest and greatest in design and innovation, now they are suddenly ok with Baby steps? After waiting 4 years of bad design and revisions, you are ok with just baby steps?
It is Sad that Apple that used to be a leader, now not only is trailing, but seems that is ok to just fix past bad designs with not so much innovation. If you really look at the Macbook, the only thing they did is internal fixes.
We still have no mag-safe, still no user upgradable RAM and all soldered components, still old bad Touchbar.
It truly seems that Apple forgot how to innovate.

MagSafe is finished. You need USB-C for USB-PD fast charging. That’s why MagSafe is gone. If and when Apple engineers manage to develop a MagSafe connector compatible with USB-PD then it will come back.

Soldered components are quickly becoming the norm in the industry. The overwhelming majority of people want thinner devices. While you may want a unibody MBP with 2019 specs most people don’t. If you want a desktop replacement gaming notebook that lasts 1.5-2 hours max you can buy one.

Personally I would love upgradeability (who wouldn’t) but you’re beating a dead horse. This was discussed ad nauseam back in November 2016. Technically I’m sure you can upgrade the NVMe chips but you have to be really great at soldering.

 

[Trusteft]

It means both that you’d have enough euro’s to buy a MBP AND that Intel was a big ol’ problem for like 4-5 years now (Don’t take it seriously or personally, though.)

I can't take it personally as I don't think it makes sense, but ok, thanks for clarifying it.

 

[Marekul]

I googled it and found the benefits, but it’s not like you really want to know what they are anyway. And if you do, you can find them like I did. Apple does everything you say they do and they will STILL have soldered memory

No you googled it and you found some stuff you don't really understand and that's why YOU are afraid to debate me. Bring it on... what did you find? What is a good reason to solder RAM and SSD to the motherboard?

 

[Trusteft]

Its not power constraint because the power brick of https://www.asus.com/Laptops/ROG-Zephyrus-S-GX502/ is 230watts enough to power the CPU and the GPU to its full capabilities.
Its thermal constraints.. even with its noisy fan when in turbo boost mode and more advance cooling system I can always hit 95c plus on both GPU and CPU in room temperature.

I guess one reason why Apple doesn't go for a much powerful GPU is power and thermal. Desktop grade GPU like RTX 2070 or 2080 (not maxQ) are power hungry and heats a lot. Power means less battery life and a huge power brick and also if I am not mistaken USB C power delivery is only limited to 100Watts which is not enough to power the whole system.

I guess Macbook will be stuck at low power GPU unless there is a change in its unibody design to help with thermal issues. But I dont think that will happen because Macbook are more of a form factor than raw power and most Macbook users will not be happy bringing with them a huge 200watts power brick since USB C power delivery is not up to the challenge yet.

When I got my last gaming laptop in 2014 (980M, i7 4710HQ, 32GB RAM) it was a beast of course, but also had some issues with temperatures. It would go over 80C and the fans would be on full speed. Some time later I decided to open it, clean it and most importantly perhaps, replace the thermal paste. I don't know what is going on with computer manufacturers, but I have yet to find one or hear about one who does a good job in applying thermal paste. Not only quality of the paste, but also actual appliance of it on the die. It's just terrible. Anyway, I replaced the thermal paste with a good one, and did a good job applying it too. The temps which at this point were beginning to reach the 90s when under load, dropped to the low 60s for the CPU and I don't remember how much for the GPU, at least 10C. That was with replacing the paste JUST on the CPU alone.
My point is, consider opening your beast laptop (if possible) and if you know how to do a good job, clean it and replace the thermal paste on the CPU and if possible on the GPU. Then check the temps. I have no doubt you will gain lower temps.

 

[Abazigal]

IT is just Sad that Apple users which always expected the latest and greatest in design and innovation, now they are suddenly ok with Baby steps? After waiting 4 years of bad design and revisions, you are ok with just baby steps?
It is Sad that Apple that used to be a leader, now not only is trailing, but seems that is ok to just fix past bad designs with not so much innovation. If you really look at the Macbook, the only thing they did is internal fixes.
We still have no mag-safe, still no user upgradable RAM and all soldered components, still old bad Touchbar.
It truly seems that Apple forgot how to innovate.

I half-agree with you that this MacBook upgrade represents a regression in terms of innovation when it comes to Apple, but disagree that innovation necessarily entails the points you mentioned.

The problem here is that Apple is supposed to be renowned for giving people what they didn’t know they want. This was probably what Apple was aiming for with the 2016 MBP, but it backfired spectacularly with pro users not liking Apple’s vision, plus their implementation being extremely problematic (faulty keyboard, display and inadequate cooling).

I also acknowledge the reason why the touchbar has been so poorly received is because these pros are reliant on the Mac for their workflows and can’t easily transition away from it. And it seems to me that Apple is willing to compromise on its design principles and capitulate to this user base, however niche, in order to retain them, if for nothing else than because they create content for the other 99% of the Apple user base.

Apple isn’t selling innovation here; they are selling familiarity. They are giving Mac users what they want, not what they will want. I would argue that Apple should continue to do the opposite - shake things up with the Mac. Get rid of familiarity and find a new role for a laptop / desktop in the era of mobile and wearables.

And my idea of what innovation entails doesn’t necessarily entail MagSafe or upgradeable parts. Knowing modern Apple they have a long term goal for the touch bar. This is only the first iteration. I would guess it is full touch keyboard/interface with haptic that changes depending what you are doing.

But if they continue to walk back on their original vision to placate existing users, who knows. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[definitive]

I'm usually the first to scream that the new mac's prices are unfair, but in the new 16"'s case, I think they're pretty good for what you get. I paid about $2200 for my 2012 cMBP 15" after upgrading it to 16GB of RAM and 250GB SSD, so $2400, and at some stores $2200, the new MBP seems like a good upgrade if you're in need of one. Plus it finally comes with a good keyboard (let's hope). New WiFi 6 would have been nice, but in my opinion it's not a deal breaker. You get plenty of hardware for the price.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

No you googled it and you found some stuff you don't really understand and that's why YOU are afraid to debate me. Bring it on... what did you find? What is a good reason to solder RAM and SSD to the motherboard?

Debate? For a yes/no question? Hardly. LOL! BUUT, if that’s what you consider debate worthy...

 

[Marekul]

Debate? For a yes/no question? Hardly. LOL! BUUT, if that’s what you consider debate worthy...

What is a good reason to solder ram or ssd to the motherboard? Yes or no?

 

[Unregistered 4U]

What is a good reason to solder ram or ssd to the motherboard? Yes or no?

1. Are there reasons? - Yes
2. Do you like them? - No
3. Will you ever accept them? - No
4. Does that matter to Apple? - No
5. Will Apple continue to ship products with soldered components? - Yes
And finally,
6. Will Apple have reasons to continue to ship products with soldered components? - Yes, see question one.

 

[Peperino]

What is a good reason to solder ram or ssd to the motherboard? Yes or no?

The good reason is that Apple makes more money ripping customers with ridiculously-obscene RAM and SSD price upgrades.

The good reason is that computers are more prone to failure being all components soldered to the Logic board. If something actually brakes you need to change the entire Logic board.

The good reason is that if something brakes Apple makes more money on repairs.

There are no good reason to soldered RAM and SSD on a $2,700 laptop so called "PRO"
except for Apple to milk more money out of its users.

 

[Ishayu]

"Awesome" seems like a bit of a stretch for those GPUs, though as far as I'm aware this is the first time we've seen RDNA outside of the desktop 5700s so who knows?

That statement includes a lot of assumptions, such as the fact that they are RDNA and not Vega, based on the numbering and the fact that they stopped slapping Vega all over the purchase page, and also that 5300 and 5500 indicate that are lower-tier versions of that microarchitecture, meaning lesser performance than the 5700.

But all things considered we might be able to see similar GPU horses to laptops fitted with, say, GTX 1660 ti's, which while as I said I wouldn't call that awesome, is a decent upgrade.

They are definitely RDNA.

And sure, it's not the best GPU in the world, but it's a lot faster than what they had, and it's perfectly decent in a laptop using that amount of power. No, it's not a Razer Blade, but it also doesn't come with a 230W power brick, which many would consider to be an advantage.

 

[GeneralChang]

They are definitely RDNA.

And sure, it's not the best GPU in the world, but it's a lot faster than what they had, and it's perfectly decent in a laptop using that amount of power. No, it's not a Razer Blade, but it also doesn't come with a 230W power brick, which many would consider to be an advantage.

Mostly I'm just wondering how it compares to the mobile 1660's, because those ship in laptops with fairly reasonable power specs that vastly out-strip the previous vega graphics options. Has somebody done some benchmarking on that front yet?

 

[Ishayu]

Mostly I'm just wondering how it compares to the mobile 1660's, because those ship in laptops with fairly reasonable power specs that vastly out-strip the previous vega graphics options. Has somebody done some benchmarking on that front yet?

1660M Ti and 5500M are evenly matched.

 

[GeneralChang]

1660M Ti and 5500M are evenly matched.

Well, that's good. Since the MBP is basically a thin-n-light notebook that's probably about the best GPU performance we can hope for.

 

[Glenny2lappies]

Received my shiny new 16" MBP today. Lovely. Keys are a massive improvement, almost as nice to type on as my outgoing Mid 2015 MBP -- it's only when I used my wife's 2018 MBP that I realise how awful that keyboard is.

64Gb RAM is such an improvement and makes my VMs fly! Can dedicate 16Gb and 4 cores just to WinDos.

The 4Tb SSD gives me plenty of space for VMs, prog rock and video files.

Well chuffed. Only issue is configuring the thing.

It's my 5th? MBP and want to do a new build to clear out of the old cruft -- all the defunct Adobe applications et al -- but it's a royal pain reconfiguring all the myriad personalisation tweaks. Seriously think I'll re-install it and run the Migration Assistant and try to manually clear the old rubbish out. At least I have a weekend to do it!