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Buying second-hand 2019 16" MBP: risks of failure in 2025.

brdeveloper

brdeveloper

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Apr 21, 2010
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Brasil
Hello,

I'm planning buying a second-hand 2019 16" MBP for a fairly decent price. My early-2013 one got a dGPU failure and technicians just want to bypass the dGPU, which is not a decent solution to me. So getting a newer big screen Macbook (I'm getting older, and a 13" screen is not an option) is the obvious choice. My question is: what is known to fail on this model? Is its GPU as prone to fail as older Macbooks with a dGPU (like 2011-13 models)? Also, what about its keyboard, trackpad and battery? Are they fixable/replaceable? Older MBPs had replaceable trackpads. Batteries were usually glued (although not all of them, like the 2015 MBA), but they were user-replaceable with a bit of patience to remove the glue.

I need advice about issues I can face if I buy this Mac. Thanks in advance!
 
brdeveloper said:
Hello,

I'm planning buying a second-hand 2019 16" MBP for a fairly decent price. My early-2013 one got a dGPU failure and technicians just want to bypass the dGPU, which is not a decent solution to me. So getting a newer big screen Macbook (I'm getting older, and a 13" screen is not an option) is the obvious choice. My question is: what is known to fail on this model? Is its GPU as prone to fail as older Macbooks with a dGPU (like 2011-13 models)? Also, what about its keyboard, trackpad and battery? Are they fixable/replaceable? Older MBPs had replaceable trackpads. Batteries were usually glued (although not all of them, like the 2015 MBA), but they were user-replaceable with a bit of patience to remove the glue.

I need advice about issues I can face if I buy this Mac. Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Keyboard. 2019 has the butterfly keyboard. Essentially not replaceable as it's riveted in and replacing requires swapping the entire bottom case.

The late Intels are also awful with regards to cooling and tend to thermal throttle, even when in excellent condition.

I would stay away unless it's really cheap or you need Intel for some reason.

EDIT: I forgot the 2019 16" switched to scissor switches, so never mind on that.
 
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salamanderjuice said:
Keyboard. 2019 has the butterfly keyboard. Essentially not replaceable as it's riveted in and replacing requires swapping the entire bottom case.

The late Intels are also awful with regards to cooling and tend to thermal throttle, even when in excellent condition.

I would stay away unless it's really cheap or you need Intel for some reason.
Click to expand...
Thanks for answering. On my research, the 16" 2019 was the first one to get the scissor keyboard back. Also, I primarily need a bigger screen and it's being offered way cheaper than a brand new entry-level Apple Silicon MBA 13". It's an 1TB/32GB/i9 one... thermal throttling is not a big deal since I expect it will perform way better than my just retired 2013 one. The alternative would be getting an older 2015 15" MBP (iGPU-only). This model seems to last forever and I'm familiar with OpenCore Legacy Patcher for updating it.
 
Have to agree with Salamander above.

STAY AWAY from ALL MacBook Pros with the butterfly keyboard.
The 2019 DOES NOT have the scissors ("magic") keyboard -- still has butterfly.

These will soon be declared vintage (and then obsolete) by Apple.
That means no more repairs.
So... if the butterfly keyboard fails... there will be "no fixing it".
And even if you could fix it -- the repair will cost upwards of $800, because you can't replace "the keyboard" -- the entire top case must be replaced.

Consider yourself as having been duly warned by reading this post.
 
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Fishrrman said:
Have to agree with Salamander above.

STAY AWAY from ALL MacBook Pros with the butterfly keyboard.
The 2019 DOES NOT have the scissors ("magic") keyboard -- still has butterfly.

These will soon be declared vintage (and then obsolete) by Apple.
That means no more repairs.
So... if the butterfly keyboard fails... there will be "no fixing it".
And even if you could fix it -- the repair will cost upwards of $800, because you can't replace "the keyboard" -- the entire top case must be replaced.

Consider yourself as having been duly warned by reading this post.
Click to expand...
No, the 2019 16" MBP has scissor switches. I was wrong. It's the first MBP to switch back. The 2019 15" and 13" still have butterfly keyboards though.

See how Apple calls it the "Magic Keyboard"

MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019) - Technical Specifications - Apple Support (CA)

support.apple.com support.apple.com
 
brdeveloper said:
Hello,

I'm planning buying a second-hand 2019 16" MBP for a fairly decent price. My early-2013 one got a dGPU failure and technicians just want to bypass the dGPU, which is not a decent solution to me. So getting a newer big screen Macbook (I'm getting older, and a 13" screen is not an option) is the obvious choice. My question is: what is known to fail on this model? Is its GPU as prone to fail as older Macbooks with a dGPU (like 2011-13 models)? Also, what about its keyboard, trackpad and battery? Are they fixable/replaceable? Older MBPs had replaceable trackpads. Batteries were usually glued (although not all of them, like the 2015 MBA), but they were user-replaceable with a bit of patience to remove the glue.

I need advice about issues I can face if I buy this Mac. Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
Definitely *don't* purchase any Macbook Pro 16" 2019.

They have a know flaw in the design, and a common fault in one voltage regulator that powers the "hard drive" chips will kill all your data and the NAND's. Repair is expensive and difficult.

I’m noticing good deals on these machines everywhere, so I suspect that unscrupulous resellers are attempting to make a quick profit.

One video:

and many many more:
Screenshot 2025-05-08 at 14.45.48.png
 
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I'm going to say, I've heard a lot of complaints about this one, just when it comes to thermal management / noise / battery life. If there is *any way* you can swing getting a 16" 2021-or-later MBP instead (even the base M1 Pro), do that.
 
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diego.caraballo said:
Definitely *don't* purchase any Macbook Pro 16" 2019.

They have a know flaw in the design, and a common fault in one voltage regulator that powers the "hard drive" chips will kill all your data and the NAND's. Repair is expensive and difficult.

I’m noticing good deals on these machines everywhere, so I suspect that unscrupulous resellers are attempting to make a quick profit.

One video:

and many many more:
View attachment 2509168
Click to expand...
Rossman is a conspiracy theorist and a hack.


The reason to avoid the 2019 is simply because it may lose software support from Apple as soon as this year, and be reduced to security patches for 2 years after that.
 
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If your software stack you are going to use doesn't need Intel, then my advise is to go for a AS MacBook Pro. A 2015 Intel, like you were saying (I have a couple myself!), works really good too but doesn't have the latest macOS support and would be a more temporary solution in the long run. Also depends on your budget.

If you want something newer then a 2015 but can't afford any AS MacBook Pro, then a 2019 16-inch would work fine. It sure beats the butterfly keyboard issues. Just have a back up of your data. Backups are a must and I always recommend more than one. Data is more important than the Mac itself.
 
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MacHeritage said:
If your software stack you are going to use doesn't need Intel, then my advise is to go for a AS MacBook Pro. A 2015 Intel, like you were saying (I have a couple myself!), works really good too but doesn't have the latest macOS support and would be a more temporary solution in the long run. Also depends on your budget.

If you want something newer then a 2015 but can't afford any AS MacBook Pro, then a 2019 16-inch would work fine. It sure beats the butterfly keyboard issues. Just have a back up of your data. Backups are a must and I always recommend more than one. Data is more important than the Mac itself.
Click to expand...
Ended up ordering a base 2015 15" model. It doesn't have dGPU and hopefully will last forever. I'm already familiar with OpenCore, but maybe I will keep Monterey, since it still gets Google Chrome updates and other popular software. I have a spare Sintech adapter, so maybe I will install a Samsung EVO or Pro nvme on it and I'll get pretty decent I/O performance. Also sent my 2013 rMBP for bypassing the dGPU by a technician that promised me he will keep the brightness keys working (less expensive dGPU bypass service loses backlight adjustment control).
------
P.S.: I still prefer Intel because I have older peripherals, like thunderbolt audio interfaces (which are only partially compatible with AS or aren't fully tested on this architecture) and an external GPU. I could get an AS Macbook, though, but prices are still high on the second-hand Brazilian market. Perhaps I'll move to AS when Intel definitely become obsolete. I presume this will happen around 2028, since the next macOS probably will run on Intel Macs and security updates are usually provided for 3 years.
 
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I believe the 15'' 2019 MacBook Pro used the butterfly mechanism keyboards, but the 16'' did not.

I have two of 2019 16'' MacBook Pros--an i7 from work that is a few weeks from being replaced and an i9 I bought for myself--I actually love this model, and I think it may be the best Mac I've owned all told, but the throttling issue is real. You can turn off turbo boost and things like that, but I'm not even sure that fully addresses the issue (although the fans are far less active and whacky with turbo boost off).

We also have a 2015 15'' without a dGPU. I'm not sure I would bet money on it "lasting forever." The battery gave a service message after a few years of very light use.
 
brdeveloper said:
Ended up ordering a base 2015 15" model.
Click to expand...

Cool. Lots of respect for people keeping older machines alive. If you're able to run the software you want on the machines and you know how to do it without opening up undue risks, more power to you. I really love my vintage and retro computers, but just as a hobby. I can't get by in my work on them or I would.
 
wjdavis said:
I believe the 15'' 2019 MacBook Pro used the butterfly mechanism keyboards, but the 16'' did not.

I have two of 2019 16'' MacBook Pros--an i7 from work that is a few weeks from being replaced and an i9 I bought for myself--I actually love this model, and I think it may be the best Mac I've owned all told, but the throttling issue is real. You can turn off turbo boost and things like that, but I'm not even sure that fully addresses the issue (although the fans are far less active and whacky with turbo boost off).

We also have a 2015 15'' without a dGPU. I'm not sure I would bet money on it "lasting forever." The battery gave a service message after a few years of very light use.
Click to expand...
I've already replaced the battery on my 2013 one... not an easy task, but fixable with a bit of patience.
 
smirking said:
Cool. Lots of respect for people keeping older machines alive. If you're able to run the software you want on the machines and you know how to do it without opening up undue risks, more power to you. I really love my vintage and retro computers, but just as a hobby. I can't get by in my work on them or I would.
Click to expand...
Well, it runs Monterey, which is pretty updated. I'm already familiar with OpenCore... I don't know if I should trust those hackers, but they haven't stolen anything from me after a year of use 😂
 
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GMShadow said:
Rossman is a conspiracy theorist and a hack.


The reason to avoid the 2019 is simply because it may lose software support from Apple as soon as this year, and be reduced to security patches for 2 years after that.
Click to expand...

Yes he is.

The most important reason to avoid the 2019 is actually that it's a terrible machine. Runs hotter than the surface of the sun, noisy as hell, awful keyboard and the immediate line after it is an order of magnitude better in every respect.
 
cjsuk said:
Yes he is.

The most important reason to avoid the 2019 is actually that it's a terrible machine. Runs hotter than the surface of the sun, noisy as hell, awful keyboard and the immediate line after it is an order of magnitude better in every respect.
Click to expand...

I actually didn't have any major issues with mine for the 3 years it was my primary (mid 2021-mid 2024, bought near mint used), but I only had the i7/5300M model. It seems like the i9s or higher GPUs are a lot more persnickety.

That said, in the last eight months it was my active Mac I found I kept having to reset the SMC every couple months or I'd be getting poorer battery life than was reasonable. Now it just stays plugged in for network TM duties (since I retired my AirPort Extremes) and as a cache/media server.
 
GMShadow said:
I actually didn't have any major issues with mine for the 3 years it was my primary (mid 2021-mid 2024, bought near mint used), but I only had the i7/5300M model. It seems like the i9s or higher GPUs are a lot more persnickety.

That said, in the last eight months it was my active Mac I found I kept having to reset the SMC every couple months or I'd be getting poorer battery life than was reasonable. Now it just stays plugged in for network TM duties (since I retired my AirPort Extremes) and as a cache/media server.
Click to expand...

I had an i9. I expect the i7 was less terrible yes. I swapped it for an M1 air in the end and it was faster!
 
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