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2016 macbook pro OS upgrade... should I?

Saijin

Saijin

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 25, 2023
18
7
Got a macbook pro 2016 model 13,3 - 16gb ram 1TB.
Currently running high sierra but to run some apps that I need I have to upgrade the OS.

I'm usually against upgrading OS on my Macs and iPhones because they usually bog the devices down.

Should I upgrade the Macbook or will it bog down?
 
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Which version are you planning to upgrade to? I'm running 10.14 on mine and it seems to perform well enough (10.15 and later are too buggy for my tastes, plus I want 32-bit support).
 
Nermal said:
Which version are you planning to upgrade to? I'm running 10.14 on mine and it seems to perform well enough (10.15 and later are too buggy for my tastes, plus I want 32-bit support).
Click to expand...
I agree. I’m running El Capitan on my 2015 MacBook Pro, but it’s a common sentiment here from those who have updated that Mojave is the limit as far as good performance goes.
 
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Nermal said:
Which version are you planning to upgrade to? I'm running 10.14 on mine and it seems to perform well enough (10.15 and later are too buggy for my tastes, plus I want 32-bit support).
Click to expand...
Looks like the app’s minimum req is 10.14 that’s Mojave correct?

Could you please tell me how to upgrade it to that?

I also prefer not to upgrade to the newest OS.
 
Oh btw even on my high sierra I get spinning rainbow cursor on chrome and Firefox with 40 tabs open total and I had to restart the MacBook more often now.

Should I bother upgrading to 32gb ram for that?
 
Saijin said:
Oh btw even on my high sierra I get spinning rainbow cursor on chrome and Firefox with 40 tabs open total and I had to restart the MacBook more often now.

Should I bother upgrading to 32gb ram for that?
Click to expand...
Well, 40 tabs on 16 GB of RAM on an Intel Mac... that'll slow it down! Unfortunately, you can't upgrade the RAM in MacBooks post-2012.
 
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Hmmm, that's strange. Are you connected to the internet as you're trying to install it? Maybe plug into Ethernet if you have an adapter...
 
rm5 said:
Hmmm, that's strange. Are you connected to the internet as you're trying to install it? Maybe plug into Ethernet if you have an adapter...
Click to expand...
Yes, wifi is strong. No adapter to USB-C ports here.
 
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2016 13" Pro here too. Don't know about yours but mine is the bog standard function key spec with the 2.0GHz dual core processor. 8/256GB.

I've just been updating to the latest OS a few months after they're released. Currently on Monterey 12.6.6. I've not really noticed a slowdown in performance. Could well be that each OS has gradually slowed it down a bit and I haven't realised this gradual decrease. However for what I do it still performs very well. Battery life on the other hand...
 
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Internet recovery may not work and you will get a cannot contact recovery server...

While running High Sierra, download Mojave from the App Store then create a bootable flash drive... Just search Apple website download macOS and it has the links...

I use Safari and Firefox for browsing and decided to only use Chrome on Windows...
 
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Saijin said:
Got a macbook pro 2016 model 13,3 - 16gb ram 1TB.
Currently running high sierra but to run some apps that I need I have to upgrade the OS.

I'm usually against upgrading OS on my Macs and iPhones because they usually bog the devices down.

Should I upgrade the Macbook or will it bog down?
Click to expand...
Monterey 12.6.6.works great on my 2016 MBP with 16 GB RAM, even though my workflow prefers much more RAM. That is the latest OS available for that box.
 
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Saijin said:
Looks like the app’s minimum req is 10.14 that’s Mojave correct?

Could you please tell me how to upgrade it to that?

I also prefer not to upgrade to the newest OS.
Click to expand...
You cannot upgrade to the newest OS. Monterey (12.6.6) is the latest OS for that box.
 
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Saijin said:
Oh btw even on my high sierra I get spinning rainbow cursor on chrome and Firefox with 40 tabs open total and I had to restart the MacBook more often now.

Should I bother upgrading to 32gb ram for that?
Click to expand...
The box you mention is limited to max 16 GB RAM.

I am not conversant with others' workflows, but when we are operating under the limitations of RAM I suggest:
A) Upgrade to Monterey, which worked well for me with that box.
B) Try to close less necessary browser tabs and apps not in current use.
C) If/when you get a new box buy plenty of RAM, planning for 2025+ not for 2023.
 
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FeliApple said:
I agree. I’m running El Capitan on my 2015 MacBook Pro, but it’s a common sentiment here from those who have updated that Mojave is the limit as far as good performance goes.
Click to expand...
I do not know where your "common sentiment" comes from, but my experience with Monterey (now 12.6.6) on the same 2016 box, same RAM as the OP is that it has been the best OS yet on that box. And I overworked the box and overdemanded on the RAM constantly. When I took the workflow to a new MBP fat with RAM it is typically using 30-40 GB.

Note that I tend to be reluctant to upgrade from an OS that is working well. Nevertheless moving up to Monterey worked out very well for me. Apps used include Photos, Affinity Photo, Photoshop, Mail, Notes, PDF Expert, Filemaker Pro, Safari, Maps, Pages...
 
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I have a 15" 2015 MacBook Pro 16GB RAM with 1TB storage... It does not have a discrete graphics card... I bought it pre-owned and it came with Monterey 12.3

Because of my experience with iOS 9 on iPhone 4s, I decided to downgrade it... Using internet recovery, I was able to install High Sierra on it... Pressing the combination keys for the latest supported version, I get Monterey...

I first decided to upgrade to Catalina for it is the last version designed for intel Macs... Big Sur and newer can be installed on intel Macs but they are primarily designed for Apple Silicon...

After testing and switching between High Sierra and Monterey [Catalina got broken and I did not create a bootable flash drive at the time], for some reason, internet recovery can no longer install High Sierra and I get recovery server could not be contacted...

As a last resort, and no bootable flash drive, I decided to go with Monterey... I initially decided not to go past Catalina because Monterey is 12GB download and the install time is way longer than Catalina and older versions...

Launching Monterey Disk Utility on internet recovery gives me the spinning wheel of death which seems to agree with my conclusion of not to use the newer/latest supported version... Monterey seems to boot a little slower than Catalina and High Sierra but after using Monterey for about a month now, it seems to perform okay although at the moment I just use it for AirDrop and web browsing...

As soon as I have the funds fo Final Cut Pro, I will purchase it but for now I will go with iMovie...
 
Allen_Wentz said:
I am not conversant with others' workflows, but when we are operating under the limitations of RAM I suggest:
A) Upgrade to Monterey, which worked well for me with that box.
B) Try to close less necessary browser tabs and apps not in current use.
C) If/when you get a new box buy plenty of RAM, planning for 2025+ not for 2023.
Click to expand...
YES!! @Saijin, Google Chrome has a "memory saver" feature where it effectively offloads tabs you aren't using and then when you click on them again, they'll reload, and it does save some memory—not a lot, but a good amount in my experience.

ALWAYS FUTURE-PROOF YOURSELF, especially when getting a Mac, since you can't upgrade anything afterwards!
 
FeliApple said:
I agree. I’m running El Capitan on my 2015 MacBook Pro, but it’s a common sentiment here from those who have updated that Mojave is the limit as far as good performance goes.
Click to expand...
How are you still using El Capitan in 2023? Nothing works on it anymore AFAIK. I respectfully disagree about Mojave being the "last usable OS" from a performance standpoint. Big Sur is very fast on almost any Mac. Monterey is a little slower, but Big Sur is perfectly fine on almost any Mac.
 
FeliApple said:
I agree. I’m running El Capitan on my 2015 MacBook Pro, but it’s a common sentiment here from those who have updated that Mojave is the limit as far as good performance goes.
Click to expand...
Nermal said:
Which version are you planning to upgrade to? I'm running 10.14 on mine and it seems to perform well enough (10.15 and later are too buggy for my tastes, plus I want 32-bit support).
Click to expand...

Catalina was a bit of a dud but Big Sur and Monterey surpassed Mojave in performance in my experience with Intel Macs. The only reason to use Mojave or earlier these days is for 32-bit support.
 
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