I was about to buy a MB Pro 16” and then checked this forum. Should I be worried?

[GlambOne]

After reading and watching many reviews of the new MB 16” I was under the impression this was Apple back on form and I was ready to submit my order.

However my final research spot was right here on MacRumors and now I’m slightly worried.

I’m seeing quite a few scary threads focused on cooling, external monitors (that I don’t plan on using), audio popping, and other things.

Is this laptop really plagued with issues? Are there any owners here happy with their purchase / with no major issues?

For reference I am looking at the base model with 5500M and 1TB SSD upgrades. Usage mainly focused on photo and video editing.

 

[0128672]

Maybe start with the idea that no electronic device is perfect in every way all the time. What you read on MacRumors may be slanted toward more of the problem-side of devices because people come here to get help. But there's millions of users* out there who don't post here that are happy with their Apple products. Sure, for some users in some scenarios, there are things that can be improved, or there's a product that needs a warranty replacement.

And you've got 14 days to try it out during the return period, and three years of Applecare if you choose that option.

Because there's enough great things about the 16" MBP, maybe it's worth your time and money to try it out.

* I made that up; I have no actual data.

 

[The Clark]

My brother loves his, and he didn't come here prior to purchasing. Maybe that's why?

Buy one, try it out and see how you like it. You can always return it if there' s any issues, but I reckon most people are happy with their purchase.

 

[Human-NotPC]

Without meaning to contradict any pundits - i bought a bruiser 16” Pro with 64GB and 4TB and am loving life. Have had it since they first came out.

I’m not too mobile with it: ‘Use it for programming, DAW (music), multiple concurrent VMs and Docker containers and even Fusion Windows from time to time - so I run Fruit Juice app to keep the battery healthy - but don’t push battery-life limits much as it’s very often plugged-in.

‘Have had thoughts re the all-Apple processors coming.... but for me, the Windows more-“native” capabilities of the Intel arch will hold value for a year or two:

Life’s good!

 

[David58117]

I have the i9 5500M 1TB and love it.

 

[puggles]

I have the base i9 and absolutely love it!

 

[iGobbleoff]

I've had mine for a week now and zero problems. Up-specced' 5600M

 

[baypharm]

Would it help you if I say that mine was purchased at launch in 2019 (maxed out version) and to this day I’ve had zero issues?

 

[PharmlyDoc]

After reading and watching many reviews of the new MB 16” I was under the impression this was Apple back on form and I was ready to submit my order.

However my final research spot was right here on MacRumors and now I’m slightly worried.

I’m seeing quite a few scary threads focused on cooling, external monitors (that I don’t plan on using), audio popping, and other things.

Is this laptop really plagued with issues? Are there any owners here happy with their purchase / with no major issues?

For reference I am looking at the base model with 5500M and 1TB SSD upgrades. Usage mainly focused on photo and video editing.

You need to wait until this fall to purchase a MBP 16-inch. The next release (September or October) will have an Intel 11th gen tiger lake CPU with built-in WiFi-6 and Thunderbolt 4 support, as well as improved artificial intelligence capabilities.
Acer recently announced their Swift 5 notebook will be released this October and it will have the Intel Core i7 11th gen tiger lake CPU. Question is, will MBP 16-inch have an Intel Core i9 11th gen CPU?

Acer’s New Swift 5 Fuses Style, Portability and Performance

Editor’s Summary

news.acer.com

Swift 5

The all-new lightweight Acer Swift 5 touch screen laptop with Wi-Fi 6E is performance-tuned for photo and video editing. Perfect for mobile professionals and executives.

www.acer.com

 

[DaveOZ]

I had the 5500 top spec one and returned it because it was unable to run specific ArchVis software I was using. Twinmotion was so slow it unusable. Then I took a punt when they released the 5600M because I read the GPU was much faster. This new one is significantly better. I can use it for my work and it runs mostly silent.

I really depends what you're doing with it.

 

[DanMan619]

Maybe start with the idea that no electronic device is perfect in every way all the time. What you read on MacRumors may be slanted toward more of the problem-side of devices because people come here to get help. But there's millions of users* out there who don't post here that are happy with their Apple products. Sure, for some users in some scenarios, there are things that can be improved, or there's a product that needs a warranty replacement.

And you've got 14 days to try it out during the return period, and three years of Applecare if you choose that option.

Because there's enough great things about the 16" MBP, maybe it's worth your time and money to try it out.

* I made that up; I have no actual data.

You're not wrong about the millions of users thing. Apple sold 5.3 million Macs in 2018 (that was the last year they reported units sold). I personally think some of those threads OP saw are a little overblown. It's a couple hundred people out of 5ish million commenting on threads for pages and pages about issues that the vast majority of people either don't care about or don't notice (which is why seeing it here is the first time you're hearing of it). Not to excuse the issues, but some people are far more sensitive to them than others. Some of the issues are things normal people do not notice in day to day use, only when you're constantly testing for it or actively looking for an issue. See for yourself if it's an issue for you and if it is, return it. If not, enjoy your amazing new 16" MBP.

 

[davidbend]

Don't do it! especially if you're going to use it with external monitors.

Only the version with 5600M has no issues with an external monitor, so consider buying this version if you can't wait for a more reliable version. Right now Apple ignores all the 5300, 5500 versions, and they don't do anything in order to solve our problem.

 

[magbarn]

You need to wait until this fall to purchase a MBP 16-inch. The next release (September or October) will have an Intel 11th gen tiger lake CPU with built-in WiFi-6 and Thunderbolt 4 support, as well as improved artificial intelligence capabilities.
Acer recently announced their Swift 5 notebook will be released this October and it will have the Intel Core i7 11th gen tiger lake CPU. Question is, will MBP 16-inch have an Intel Core i9 11th gen CPU?

Acer’s New Swift 5 Fuses Style, Portability and Performance

Editor’s Summary

news.acer.com

Swift 5

The all-new lightweight Acer Swift 5 touch screen laptop with Wi-Fi 6E is performance-tuned for photo and video editing. Perfect for mobile professionals and executives.

www.acer.com

Again, the only 11th gen models being leaked or introduced are all 4 core models only. No one has yet seen a tiger lake h , which is a 6/8 core version that the mbp 16, would use in the wild yet. We also don’t know if Apple will even bother considering Arm transition

OP, I like my mbp 16, but since I connect mine to an external monitor frequently, I’d either go for the 5600m version (wasn’t available last year) or I’d wait to see if Apple ever fixes the high idle consumption bug on the 5500/5300 that turns up when you connect an external monitor and try to use both the built in screen and monitor. Not only does it make the machine run loud and hot, it also robs performance from the cpu due to power/heat limitation.

 

[leman]

You need to wait until this fall to purchase a MBP 16-inch. The next release (September or October) will have an Intel 11th gen tiger lake CPU with built-in WiFi-6 and Thunderbolt 4 support, as well as improved artificial intelligence capabilities.
Acer recently announced their Swift 5 notebook will be released this October and it will have the Intel Core i7 11th gen tiger lake CPU. Question is, will MBP 16-inch have an Intel Core i9 11th gen CPU?

No it won’t since Tiger Lake is quad-core models only. It’s a 13” CPU. Of course, the 13” will probably get Apple Silicon treatment that should outperform Tiger Lake.
[automerge]1595674118[/automerge]

OP, I like my mbp 16, but since I connect mine to an external monitor frequently, I’d either go for the 5600m version (wasn’t available last year) or I’d wait to see if Apple ever fixes the high idle consumption bug on the 5500/5300 that turns up when you connect an external monitor and try to use both the built in screen and monitor. Not only does it make the machine run loud and hot, it also robs performance from the cpu due to power/heat limitation.

Why do you think it’s a bug? External monitors run off the dGPU, and Navi will consume certain amount of power when activated. I don’t really see how 5600M should help with it.

 

[CheesePuff]

After reading and watching many reviews of the new MB 16” I was under the impression this was Apple back on form and I was ready to submit my order.

However my final research spot was right here on MacRumors and now I’m slightly worried.

I’m seeing quite a few scary threads focused on cooling, external monitors (that I don’t plan on using), audio popping, and other things.

Is this laptop really plagued with issues? Are there any owners here happy with their purchase / with no major issues?

For reference I am looking at the base model with 5500M and 1TB SSD upgrades. Usage mainly focused on photo and video editing.

The only real issue that exists is if running external 4K or higher displays with the MBP open. It can be solved with either running it in clamshell mode, or paying for the 5600M GPU upgrade. If you don't use an external monitor, or one that is under 4K resolution, or run it in clamshell mode with an external monitor, then its fine.

No issues with cooling, and audio popping occurred in some units which you could easily diagnose when you purchase it and exchange it if that's the case.

 

[magbarn]

No it won’t since Tiger Lake is quad-core models only. It’s a 13” CPU. Of course, the 13” will probably get Apple Silicon treatment that should outperform Tiger Lake.
[automerge]1595674118[/automerge]


Why do you think it’s a bug? External monitors run off the dGPU, and Navi will consume certain amount of power when activated. I don’t really see how 5600M should help with it.

Then you haven't followed the 122+ page thread here. Opening lid while connected to external monitor takes GPU consumption from 6-7 watts up to 18-22 watts while IDLE. It may not seem like much but it's enough to make fans from inaudible to persistently audible. Closing the lid, drops it back down again.
The 5600M does not experience this same power jump when using the built in screen and external GPU vs lid closed.

On the Windows side, problem doesn't exist in bootcamp. Also AMD had this problem with early NAVI drivers in windows machines when using more than 1 monitor and they fixed it in a subsequent driver update

 

[poorcody]

I've had a 16" since launch and love it. No problems. Great laptop. Definitely recommend it, even if it is somewhat expensive.

I use it with two different external monitors (at different times), one 5K and one 4K, while using the internal screen, with no problems. Energy use goes up when the dGPU kicks in, but I only hear fans run if I'm doing something CPU-intensive. (Have the 5500M / 8GB.)

 

[jerryk]

No problem with mine. (5500M/8gb), 32GB, 1 TB

 

[leman]

Then you haven't followed the 122+ page thread here. Opening lid while connected to external monitor takes GPU consumption from 6-7 watts up to 18-22 watts while IDLE. It may not seem like much but it's enough to make fans from inaudible to persistently audible. Closing the lid, drops it back down again.
The 5600M does not experience this same power jump when using the built in screen and external GPU vs lid closed.

Thanks for pointing this out! I was indeed not aware. In the office I usually use the display with lid close, but this also has been a while since COVID...

 

[macfrik]

I have mine since January and has become my daily machine until now. Mine is the top spec i9 with 64GB RAM and upgraded graphics. I had problem with the I think the Catalina.4 upgrade, but temporary fix by disabling the Power Nap feature in System Preferences.

Then the latest Catalina update fixes everything. Now it becomes perfect machine for me. I use mainly for editing photos, ocassionally gaming, and connecting to Apple Cinema Display at home. No issues at all.

I agree with the top post here, no electronics are perfect, but so far the 16” has been exceeding my expectation. I say buy it if you need a portable powerhouse.

Cheers

 

[Keydien]

I purchased a MBP 16 i9 5600M about a week ago and will be returning it due to cooling issues.

I use it lid open with a 4k external monitor. It's fine browsing, emails and doing light tasks. But even the slightest bit of actual decent load makes the fans turn into vacuum cleaners. It's especially difficult at the moment due to working from home, as video conferencing (MS Teams, Zoom, WebEx) makes the fans spin so loudly that it interferes with the video calls. It's ridiculous. Additionally, even a hint of a video game (even simple ones like Kerbal Space Program, Overwatch etc) that don't require much GPU power, make the fans unacceptably loud.

To add insult to injury, i have an older 12" Macbook that cost 1/5 of this MBP16 that will happily run all video conferences software output to my 4k monitor in silence.

 

[dooyou]

Let's face it, if you buy equipment according to forum posts, the living room would be pretty empty. And probably also the garage (see forum posts about Tesla). Apple sells millions of devices per year, and you don't hear anything from the many satisfied users.

 

[Appledoesnotlisten]

I purchased a MBP 16 i9 5600M about a week ago and will be returning it due to cooling issues.

I use it lid open with a 4k external monitor. It's fine browsing, emails and doing light tasks. But even the slightest bit of actual decent load makes the fans turn into vacuum cleaners. It's especially difficult at the moment due to working from home, as video conferencing (MS Teams, Zoom, WebEx) makes the fans spin so loudly that it interferes with the video calls. It's ridiculous. Additionally, even a hint of a video game (even simple ones like Kerbal Space Program, Overwatch etc) that don't require much GPU power, make the fans unacceptably loud.

To add insult to injury, i have an older 12" Macbook that cost 1/5 of this MBP16 that will happily run all video conferences software output to my 4k monitor in silence.

Is it because of i9? Or maybe your unit is defective?

 

[Keydien]

Is it because of i9? Or maybe your unit is defective?

Based on the posts here and the Apple Support forum (there's a 200+ page thread about it there), it's a widespread issue with the MBP16.

People are 'fixing' it by disabling their CPU turbo boost and running only in clamshell mode with external keyboard and mouse.

That's unacceptable to me. When i pay $4,500 for a laptop, i expect it to work well, especially with modest, everyday kind of tasks like video conferencing. I want to have use the internal screen and an external monitor at the same time. I want to be able to use the keyboard, trackpad and speakers i paid for - not be forced to slow down my computer and purchase external peripherals to make it work.

 

[Grohowiak]

Based on the posts here and the Apple Support forum (there's a 200+ page thread about it there), it's a widespread issue with the MBP16.

People are 'fixing' it by disabling their CPU turbo boost and running only in clamshell mode with external keyboard and mouse.

That's unacceptable to me. When i pay $4,500 for a laptop, i expect it to work well, especially with modest, everyday kind of tasks like video conferencing. I want to have use the internal screen and an external monitor at the same time. I want to be able to use the keyboard, trackpad and speakers i paid for - not be forced to slow down my computer and purchase external peripherals to make it work.

Most if not all the issues on that thread disappear with the 5600 FYI...