2019 MBP 16" - which macOS to use? Monterey? Ventura? Sonoma?

[andrewv69]

Finally decided it's time to make the upgrade from Mojave to a newer macOS. My question is, which one runs the best on the 2019 Macbook Pro 16"? Should I just jump to Sonoma? Or go to Monterey (older, so in theory more stable)? Are there certain bugs that were fixed/introduced in certain versions to be aware of?

Specs in case it affects anything:
i9-9980HK 2.4 Ghz
AMD 5500M 8 GB
32 GB RAM
1 TB SSD

 

[Bigwaff]

Should I just jump to Sonoma?

I have 2019 16" i9 MBP and it's still on Ventura. For me, it's about third-party software support. So, if you've installed Sonoma compatible versions of all the applications you use, then by all means, update to Sonoma. I also have a 2019 15" i7 MBP on Sonoma. Sonoma runs just fine, although I choose not to use the dynamic wallpapers and screen savers include w/ Sonoma as the GPU was working harder than I prefer. Fans were running way more often than on Ventura. After switching to a still image wallpaper and screen saver, the i7 is back to expected fan behavior.

 

[Rich B22]

I have a 2017 iMac, not MBP, but doubt there is any difference in the behavior of macOS. Never have installed a new operating system, as I always wait for at least 2 full iterations of the new one, usually more.
Been running Ventura without any hiccups and that's where I'll stay since the 2017 has been denied further updates. In any case, most of the new OS's have just added fluff, with very little to change the way I use my iMac.
In other words, I can recommend you go to at least Ventura, which is stable and others can let you know their Sonoma experiences.
Good luck

 

[GMShadow]

Sonoma's been rocky on mine, though 17.2 seems to have finally fixed the worst of the issues. Since 17.3 will be out next week, it can't hurt to wait for that.

 

[Kikklades]

I have 2019 16" i9 MBP and it's still on Ventura. For me, it's about third-party software support. So, if you've installed Sonoma compatible versions of all the applications you use, then by all means, update to Sonoma. I also have a 2019 15" i7 MBP on Sonoma. Sonoma runs just fine, although I choose not to use the dynamic wallpapers and screen savers include w/ Sonoma as the GPU was working harder than I prefer. Fans were running way more often than on Ventura. After switching to a still image wallpaper and screen saver, the i7 is back to expected fan behavior.

Are you still on Ventura? I'm on Monterey, and read a lot of bad stuff about Ventura on these Macs. Fans going crazy, worse heat management, overall slowdown.

 

[StoneJack]

Ventura or Monterey