I LOVE LOVE LOVE my MacBook Pro 16

[XNorth]

Oh nice - looking for something like this as well - not really happy about the 27 5K for the price. Are you running yours in clamshell mode?

Yes. Gorgeous display IMO, but using only DP 1.2 at the moment to get full 5120x2160, which means can’t use Catalina’s HDR mode. 10.15.5 is not yet optimized for HDR and DP1.4 on external display, as attest to by many users on forums.

BTW, I also have the 27" 5K UltraFine for Mac and I don‘t have any fan issues.

 

[Camarillo Brillo]

I’m sure you’ve already been asked this... but have you monitored Radeon power draw with an app like istat menus while plugged into your external?

Not because you should try to look for a problem that isn’t there, but because I’d really like to know if you’re having zero fan noise issues because your Radeon isn’t drawing 22 watts like the rest of us, and if it’s not, what is it about your configuration that doesn’t cause the massive power draw the rest of us are seeing? And if it IS drawing 22 watts and you have zero fan noise issues, what is it about my configuration that causes all of the extra heat and noise?

 

[MrGimper]

I’m sure you’ve already been asked this... but have you monitored Radeon power draw with an app like istat menus while plugged into your external?

Not because you should try to look for a problem that isn’t there, but because I’d really like to know if you’re having zero fan noise issues because your Radeon isn’t drawing 22 watts like the rest of us, and if it’s not, what is it about your configuration that doesn’t cause the massive power draw the rest of us are seeing? And if it IS drawing 22 watts and you have zero fan noise issues, what is it about my configuration that causes all of the extra heat and noise?

What connectors/cables/dongles are you each using?

 

[esphil]

Do you guys think it could be related to usb-c consoles as opposed to a directly connected usb-c-> hdmi or display port? This may have already been covered in this thread, but I'm getting up to speed as I have my 16" mbp arriving Monday. I'm returning my 2020 Air, however on that laptop I noticed a pretty big difference in temps connected to a screen at least 10c+ even in clameshell mode. That was with using a usb-c dongle.

 

[XNorth]

What connectors/cables/dongles are you each using?

A single Thunderbolt 3 cable that provides data and charging for the MBP. No dongles.

I’d really like to know if you’re having zero fan noise issues because your Radeon isn’t drawing 22 watts like the rest of us, and if it’s not, what is it about your configuration that doesn’t cause the massive power draw the rest of us are seeing? And if it IS drawing 22 watts and you have zero fan noise issues, what is it about my configuration that causes all of the extra heat and noise?

Check the attached screenshot. At 10:00, 30%-50% GPU utilization (idle), the 5500M GPU draws on average under 7 watts.

At 9:35 and 10:20, playing a 1080P YouTube video (seen in the screenshot background), utilization at 97%, the GPU draws about 10 watts.

The GPU hits 20-25 watts at 10:15 only when three apps were opened: Safari with 3 tabs, Preview, and FCPX. The fan noise starts blowing when the FCPX timeline starts playing 4K video.

Under normal use connected to a LG 34" 5K, my MBP GPU consistently draws about 10 watts and the fan can't be heard at all.

 

[Camarillo Brillo]

Very nice thanks for the info.

You don’t happen to have Logic Pro do you? I’d be very interested to see what Radeon power draw you get with logic running on your monitor.

Very helpful thanks again. Looks like you found a setup that works

 

[MrGimper]

Thanks @XNorth and just to confirm, you’re NOT experiencing the “issues” with that setup?

 

[mcaswell]

I've had my refurb base i9 model for a couple of weeks now, and am absolutely 100% happy with it (though I have not updated from 10.15.3 yet). This is a replacement for a MBP 13 and a desktop machine (hardly ever used the desktop, so I decided to "meet in the middle" with a more capable laptop).

I'm really enjoying how, with the addition of a dock, I can have everything (power, a couple of external SSDs, a few hard drives, a 4-bay SD card reader, and a few other things) all connected through a single neat and clean cable to the MBP.

 

[XNorth]

Thanks @XNorth and just to confirm, you’re NOT experiencing the “issues” with that setup?

I'm not experiencing noisy fan with my set up. The fan only gets loud when I have multiple layers and rendering in FCPX. See my post in another thread about these issues.

You don’t happen to have Logic Pro do you? I’d be very interested to see what Radeon power draw you get with logic running on your monitor.

I have Logic Pro but rarely use it. Here are numbers and graphs for you...

Two tracks playback -- the fan noise can be heard after a minute of playback. It's not at full blast but can hear it from 4 feet away. You can see the temp at 76°C, fan speed at 4057 rpm, and Radeon power draw at 18.77 watts.

4 Tracks -- not much different here:

 

[bill-p]

Yes. Gorgeous display IMO, but using only DP 1.2 at the moment to get full 5120x2160, which means can’t use Catalina’s HDR mode. 10.15.5 is not yet optimized for HDR and DP1.4 on external display, as attest to by many users on forums.

Just to chime in on this. DP1.4 with this monitor works under Bootcamp but is very buggy. It is most likely a driver issue.

Until AMD comes around to address this, I don't think we'll see any improvement at all.

And knowing AMD history with drivers under Mac OS, this is practically a "never".

 

[Camarillo Brillo]

I'm not experiencing noisy fan with my set up. The fan only gets loud when I have multiple layers and rendering in FCPX. See my post in another thread about these issues.



I have Logic Pro but rarely use it. Here are numbers and graphs for you...

Two tracks playback -- the fan noise can be heard after a minute of playback. It's not at full blast but can hear it from 4 feet away. You can see the temp at 76°C, fan speed at 4057 rpm, and Radeon power draw at 18.77 watts.

View attachment 911844

4 Tracks -- not much different here:

View attachment 911845

Wow thanks again for your data!

So it looks like you have the same issue I do with Logic

I did a little testing this morning and tried running logic in clamshell on a 1080 monitor with an hdmi-usbc adapter. What is interesting is that I can actually get Radeon to pull only around 7 watts on this particular monitor when in clamshell. The fans got up to around 3k rpm after about 10 minutes of playback. Still not satisfactory for me when I can playback for hours on the built in monitor with integrated graphics and they never break 2k rpm.

if I try to run both monitors, it’s 18-25 watts. If I try to run the built in monitor with the Radeon active, same - 18-25 watts.

So for me the solution must be either disabled Radeon with no external, or 1080 external in clamshell.

It’s annoying but it’s workable.

One cool thing is that when you run the terminal script to disable the Radeon, the checkbox in energy saver preferences becomes an on/off switch. If it’s checked, it’s on the integrated graphics, if it’s unchecked, it’s on the dGPU. No more letting the computer decide when to switch.

 

[Chompineer]

I get it! I miss my 17" MBP. As a graphic designer it was the only size that I could use for extended periods of time without itching for an external monitor. It just felt so "luxurious" to have the big screen and that wide flat platform around the keyboard, yet you could still drop it into a bag and take it with you. I so wish Apple would produce a new 18" screen in the 17" form factor!View attachment 893113

I had a 17” when I started university. **** I loved it so much. It was a bit heavy to lug around but I didn’t really care. It was such a luxurious ass laptop back at that time too. Other high end stuff was still so plastic and fake.

 

[XNorth]

I really have no complaints about the MPB 16"— overall it has been working great — but the efficiency issues indicate Apple and AMD have not fully optimized macOS driver support for the new Navi GPUs. With the release of the W5700X and reports of issues on the Mac Pro, hopefully Apple will soon give us a Catalina update to fix these minor annoyances.

 

[emraha06]

I do not understand the people who defends this terrible display of mbp 16. Why do they ignore that this display is one of the worst displays about pixel response time and refresh rate. If i pay so much money to a device and if it is labeled as pro, so i do not want to NOTICE THE TERIBBLE TEXT SMEARING AND IMAGE GHOSTING ON A VERY SIMPLE SCROLL ACTION!!! This is my right to expect a quality display about dynamic view.

Everyone who defends this display talks about color accuracy but THIS IS NOT A PRINTER, this is a monitor which has to view dynamic changing images. Everyone knows that this is not a gaming laptop but please God sake if a pro premium device can not produce stable scrolling experience, if pixels get crazy on a basic web page scroll THERE MUST BE A PROBLEM ABOUT THIS AND PEOPLE HAVE RIGHT TO COMPLAIN.

END-USER EXPERIENCE and FEEDBACK is holly and if people did not complain about butterfly keyboard or physical escape key, today we would still using them.

But there is another truth... people buy these devices with their earnings. It is not easy to buy a new product every single year. I think there must be a law in silicon walley: if the a new Version product has worse options in any category than the previous one, it should not be allowed to manufacture and sell to people.

@Philllllip @XNorth

 

[Invisible Elf]

I think the display is fine to be honest, even for gaming

 

[MacGizmo]

I do not understand the people who defends this terrible display of mbp 16.

Perhaps because you're one of the very few people who actually believe that.

 

[emraha06]

Perhaps because you're one of the very few people who actually believe that.

Do you really feel comfortable with terrible smearing while scrolling in a web page, PDF or document...

 

[mcaswell]

Do you really feel comfortable with terrible smearing while scrolling in a web page, PDF or document...

Expectations and sensitivities vary among different people. I literally see absolutely nothing wrong with the MBP16's display... even if I try to find fault in it, it simply looks "normal" to me. But just like someone might put on a pair of headphones and say, "yep, sounds great to me", but an audiophile trying them would recoil in horror at how bad they sound, you clearly have very high requirements for a display. And that's fine, but it doesn't mean those of us who have no problem with it are somehow wrong.

 

[GlenK]

Agree 100%. I got mine on launch day and have loved it more and more everyday!! Came from a 2015 15" and have not looked back. I kept the 15" thinking I'd use both but hardly touch it anymore!

 

[malkovich87]

Does anyone not have kernel panics on their 16“ when power nap is enabled?

I still don’t know if this is a hardware issue or not. It’s def not fixed with 10.15.5. I’m still within the return window.

 

[Fuchal]

I love mine as well. It's a lot quieter than my old 2015 15" was and so much faster and more responsive.

 

[abbstrack]

Since we're reminiscing, I kept using my beloved 2010 17" Macbook Pro until 2018, when I accidentally spilled wine all over it and destroyed it. During the day I'd use my newer 15" MBP, but every night when I opened up that huge 17" screen, the difference just took my breath away. And the 2010 was only a little sluggish compared to my new Macbook Pros, and was my first Mac to get a 2TB SSD. That thing was a tank - had I not wrecked it, it might have gone into my museum of best tech gadgets of all time. At which point I'd probably install Snow Leopard on it.

Funny, I'm typing this reply on my mid-2009 15" MBP which is sitting next to my newly purchased 16" refurbished model. Definitely love the 16". I also had a 2017 15" which wasn't "Pro" enough for my needs, so I've given it to my wife (she's now in love).

Back to the 16" - Early returns for me are definitely feels like a big upgrade from the 2017 model. I like and appreciate the extra heft, and the spec super bump, speakers, and add Hard drive space are amazing. Definitely see myself loving it's benefits for years to come, despite what I know will be major update in the next 2 years or so.

And when I get nostalgic I've always got the 2009 tank which I've put a new battery and a 1TB drive in for ol' times sake. It was my first ever laptop purchase, so it'll be a museum of sorts.

 

[mjturner]

Does anyone not have kernel panics on their 16“ when power nap is enabled?

I've not had a kernel panic with my 16" with Power Nap enabled (current uptime just over 11 days). I am still on 10.15.3 though...

 

[prospervic]

I do not understand the people who defends this terrible display of mbp 16. Why do they ignore that this display is one of the worst displays about pixel response time and refresh rate. If i pay so much money to a device and if it is labeled as pro, so i do not want to NOTICE THE TERIBBLE TEXT SMEARING AND IMAGE GHOSTING ON A VERY SIMPLE SCROLL ACTION!!! This is my right to expect a quality display about dynamic view.

Everyone who defends this display talks about color accuracy but THIS IS NOT A PRINTER, this is a monitor which has to view dynamic changing images. Everyone knows that this is not a gaming laptop but please God sake if a pro premium device can not produce stable scrolling experience, if pixels get crazy on a basic web page scroll THERE MUST BE A PROBLEM ABOUT THIS AND PEOPLE HAVE RIGHT TO COMPLAIN.

END-USER EXPERIENCE and FEEDBACK is holly and if people did not complain about butterfly keyboard or physical escape key, today we would still using them.

But there is another truth... people buy these devices with their earnings. It is not easy to buy a new product every single year. I think there must be a law in silicon walley: if the a new Version product has worse options in any category than the previous one, it should not be allowed to manufacture and sell to people.

@Philllllip @XNorth

Interesting comments. So which 16 inch MacBook Pro do you own? The i9 or the i7 base model?

 

[Miles Fu]

Mine is good too, only issue with external monitor was resolved today. so it looks almost perfect to me now

BTW, my 2015 13' MBP still works great today.