2017 MacBook Pro 13 non-TB Review

[project_2501]

Update 23 - 27/10/17

• During this entire painful lengthy saga Apple keep emailing me to say they tried to call me.
• But I never get a missed call. So they must be calling the wrong number.
• I keep telling them that, and confirming the number to call. But they seem to ignore it. I've done this over four times. They still ignore it.
• Thing is, the very very first time a call wasn't up with a Customer Support rep .. they did call me so they do have the correct number.

 

[project_2501]

.

 

[saytheenay]

After reading up to this point, I am really glad I got a 2015 13" MBP (16/i7/512) in the summer of 2016 (upgrading from a 2013 MBA) for grad school.

I also have a work-provided 2017 15" MBP (16/i7/1tb). Can't stand the touch bar, keyboard (too loud), or touchpad. The only redeeming quality is the screen. I find I make a lot more typos on the new one. i have also been "shushed" in work meetings just for typing.

I am going to look into a hackintosh or switching to Linux on my next laptop. Had enough of the donglebook pro with tard-bar. More money, lower quality, just to use macOS--there has to be another way.

 

[project_2501]

Update 24 - 28/10/2017 - Returned from Repair but NOT FIXED!

• I got the Macbook Pro back from Covern Garden Apple Store today from repairs.
• They replaced heatsink, motherboard, display enclosure, topcase (keyboard) with battery - that's almost the whole laptop, leaving only the bottom case as the original.
• They assured me they did stress test the laptop as they had previously agreed to do (see pic)

• Took it home, Watched BBC iPlayer (UK catchup TV), and no other apps running except the Macs Fan Control. Full screen on the external 4k display. Overheats and fans go crazy again at 7191 rpm !!!

​

 

[Nixir]

This is highly abnormal, have you tired running the same test on different machines? Could be an software problem (i.e the specific codec BBC uses may not be optimized for macOS, or worse, possibly in direct conflict with some underlying instruction sets, which lead to extreme low levels of efficiency).

Flashplayer had similar behavior on MBPs for ages.

 

[project_2501]

This is highly abnormal, have you tired running the same test on different machines? Could be an software problem (i.e the specific codec BBC uses may not be optimized for macOS, or worse, possibly in direct conflict with some underlying instruction sets, which lead to extreme low levels of efficiency).

Flashplayer had similar behavior on MBPs for ages.

Thanks but safari doesn't have flash. Nor does Firefox.

 

[vxh.viet]

Well if they did replace all those stuff but you still have over heating then maybe it's the bottom case that's the problem. I know it sound irony but maybe it's the cause. There's a thread here about a 2016 mb pro problem, iirc popping sound from the keyboard or something, that is only go away after replacing the screen. I know it's sound totally irrelevant but that's how they learn to fix that problem.

Anyway, I admire your effort after going through all these stuff man. If I were you, I would have either smashed the damn thing or ebay it for parts. I would rather be £1500 poorer than having to suffer all these frustration.

 

[Nixir]

I was merely pointing to the fact similar problems had been caused by flash, which is no longer in production. Your problem seem to arise from a very specific use case, namely running the BBC player, hence you can't rule out the possibly that there could be software compatibility issues on their end. Which is why I suggested you running the same set of tests on different machines to narrow down that it IS your machine that is faulty.

 

[vxh.viet]

After re reading it again, maybe driving 4k external screen is too much for the ntb model?
Have you tried using it unplugged and without the display for a day to see if the problem's still there?

 

[project_2501]

After re reading it again, maybe driving 4k external screen is too much for the ntb model?
Have you tried using it unplugged and without the display for a day to see if the problem's still there?

Apple have publicly said the macbook pro can drive a 4k display since 2015 models. My 2015 didn't overheat driving a 4k display.

My £500 old ThinkPad doesn't have a problem driving a 4k display.

The problem, as per thread, occurs not just with BBC iPlayer, but Netflix, YouTube, and other typical tasks ..

I appreciate your help .. but I'm upset with apple. This is a £1800 pro machine from 2017. Not a cheap ThinkPad from 3 years ago.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP wrote:
"I appreciate your help .. but I'm upset with apple. This is a £1800 pro machine from 2017."

You're "upset" with Apple?
After they went so far as to replace the "heatsink, motherboard, display enclosure, topcase (keyboard) with battery - that's almost the whole laptop, leaving only the bottom case as the original."
Free of charge?

Sorry -- Apple has gone the extra mile for you.
If you're still dissatisfied, perhaps it's time to look at other computing platforms...

 

[project_2501]

OP wrote:
"I appreciate your help .. but I'm upset with apple. This is a £1800 pro machine from 2017."

You're "upset" with Apple?
After they went so far as to replace the "heatsink, motherboard, display enclosure, topcase (keyboard) with battery - that's almost the whole laptop, leaving only the bottom case as the original."
Free of charge?

Sorry -- Apple has gone the extra mile for you.
If you're still dissatisfied, perhaps it's time to look at other computing platforms...

Yes because I told them teh fault was not something a repair would fix. I didn't want them to waste time and money doing this. It's also my main laptop which I need to make a living.

I just wanted a refund so I could get a 2015 model again.

I fought then hard not to do this replacement parts exercise but they insisted.

The design of the laptop is faulty. Replacing parts won't fix that.

It is well commented that the fans are cheaper in the new macbook and also in the nTB there is only one fan.

In the interests of thinness they made the wrong decision around thermal deign. Who else heard of the screen glue melting from overheating in clamshell mode. In a pro laptop designed to be used professionally.

 

[project_2501]

someone else struggling with a nTB MacBook Pro struggling to do basic tasks without overheating..

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/mbp-2017-ntb-fan-turning-on.2081738/

 

[Nixir]

Yes because I told them teh fault was not something a repair would fix. I didn't want them to waste time and money doing this. It's also my main laptop which I need to make a living.

The design of the laptop is faulty. Replacing parts won't fix that.

It is well commented that the fans are cheaper in the new macbook and also in the nTB there is only one fan.

Well if this is case, hope they will allow you to return it for a refund. One other forum member here had success in doing so due to ongoing keyboard issues, perhaps you can msg him and see what channels did he go through.

On the new designs, on top of a lower quality fan, the wifi modem is also of lower quality than previous models, and Apple took away the audio optical out port from the audio jack (doesn't affect most people I suppose, but one of my best friends is an audio engineer and he makes use of this capability extensively), all these were documented quite well by fans of previous generation mbps. Myself included. My son started uni for com sci in 2016, and I was going to get him a mbp, but now he's happily running a Dell XPS 13. Perhaps you can look into that as well after this is sorted out. Good luck.

 

[project_2501]

Well if this is case, hope they will allow you to return it for a refund. One other forum member here had success in doing so due to ongoing keyboard issues, perhaps you can msg him and see what channels did he go through.

On the new designs, on top of a lower quality fan, the wifi modem is also of lower quality than previous models, and Apple took away the audio optical out port from the audio jack (doesn't affect most people I suppose, but one of my best friends is an audio engineer and he makes use of this capability extensively), all these were documented quite well by fans of previous generation mbps. Myself included. My son started uni for com sci in 2016, and I was going to get him a mbp, but now he's happily running a Dell XPS 13. Perhaps you can look into that as well after this is sorted out. Good luck.

Thanks.
From day 1 I asked apple for a refund.
This whole saga is because they resist it.

I will get a 2015 MBP .. my last one was almost perfect.

 

[Nixir]

Thanks.
From day 1 I asked apple for a refund.
This whole saga is because they resist it.

I will get a 2015 MBP .. my last one was almost perfect.

I've always recommended the 2015 mbps to anyone who asked up to a couple of months ago. But now that Intel's 8th gen processors are out, unless you can get a 2015 or older model at a significant discount, I'd recommend waiting and get a machine with the new processors. It's a pretty massive jump in performance.

 

[alias99]

Thanks.
From day 1 I asked apple for a refund.
This whole saga is because they resist it.

I will get a 2015 MBP .. my last one was almost perfect.

Seems like you're always using chrome. When i stream with chrome my MBP always runs hotter.

Try all your streaming sites in safari and see if that makes a difference. Also doesn't player have an app now? That might also be the solution to your overheating.

 

[parajba]

So I am about to pull the trigger on a 2017 MBP nTB 13 (16GB/512GB/i5).

I do not use Chrome as I detest it. Only Safari. I use Skype once a week.

Is there or not an issue with this laptop struggling to keep the fan down or are these just 2 isolated cases? Owner of the nT models please chip in as I really like this laptop.

My use: internet, social media, photography, Office, Skype.

 

[Acronyc]

So I am about to pull the trigger on a 2017 MBP nTB 13 (16GB/512GB/i5).

I do not use Chrome as I detest it. Only Safari. I use Skype once a week.

Is there or not an issue with this laptop struggling to keep the fan down or are these just 2 isolated cases? Owner of the nT models please chip in as I really like this laptop.

My use: internet, social media, photography, Office, Skype.

I have a 2016 nTB MBP in the same config you are looking at. As I mentioned previously in this thread, I have had zero problems with it. No overheating, no loud fan, no melting glue. I use an external display frequently but not a 4K display (I still use my Apple Thunderbolt Display). Not sure if that makes a difference.

 

[Mathias Denichi]

So I am about to pull the trigger on a 2017 MBP nTB 13 (16GB/512GB/i5).

I do not use Chrome as I detest it. Only Safari. I use Skype once a week.

Is there or not an issue with this laptop struggling to keep the fan down or are these just 2 isolated cases? Owner of the nT models please chip in as I really like this laptop.

My use: internet, social media, photography, Office, Skype.

You might as well go for the touch bar 15” by this point with that config. Way better cooling, and it won’t overheat on 1 4k monitor.

If it’s the size, I’d still go for the 13” touch bar for better cooling and iris 650 vs 640.

 

[project_2501]

Update 25 - 30/11/2017

• Spoke with the assigned Apple Customer Support person. (took 3 tries to get through by phone).
• She said that someone from Engineering had emailed me a while back. This is categorically false.
• This folks, is the Apple customer experience.
• I again stated that what I wanted is a full refund, and to stop wasting their and my time (3 expensive trips, 10 days without laptop, almost entire laptop replaced at huge cost to them). They suggested I help Engineering find the issue. I don't want to be an unpaid Apple Engineer doing their job for them.
• I asked her to promise me she would pursue the refund route, not just the repair route. She only promised to "discuss" it.

 

[eddjedi]

Looking at your screenshot, the CPU and GPU are both running at ~65°. That is not over-heating, these processors will happily work beyond 90°. I understand the fan noise is frustrating you, but it is just doing its job keeping the processors cool.

 

[project_2501]

Looking at your screenshot, the CPU and GPU are both running at ~65°. That is not over-heating, these processors will happily work beyond 90°. I understand the fan noise is frustrating you, but it is just doing its job keeping the processors cool.

I stopped before they got to 90 degrees C.
Also the heat is uncomfortable on the surface.
More the point - in clamshell mode it damages the display and the adhesive around the panel fails - which apple acknowledged and replaced. My worry is it will fail again. So i'm pressing hard for a refund.
The 2015 had none of these issues, nor does my cheap 3yr old Thinkpad at 1/3 of the price.

 

[eddjedi]

I also often use my MBP in clamshell mode, but not if I'm doing something intensive. I always open it if the fans come on to avoid overheating, that is just common sense.

Anyway you seem hell-bent on getting rid of it, so good luck on your refund. I hope whatever you buy next doesn't dare turn its fans on when it needs to.

 

[project_2501]

I also often use my MBP in clamshell mode, but not if I'm doing something intensive. I always open it if the fans come on to avoid overheating, that is just common sense.

I appreciate your suggestions and trying to help.
For me I expect more from a professional £1800 laptop.
From "you're not holding it right" to "you've got to unclamshell it if the fans come on" ...