MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports) Owners: How do you like your MacBook Pro?

[Yebubbleman]

For those of you who bought the (still-sold) MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2020, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports):

- How do you like your MacBook Pro?
- Did you go for the 2.0GHz 10th Gen i5 or the 2.3GHz 10th Gen i7? What swayed you in either direction?
- How else did you configure it?
- Have you had any quirks or issues with it so far?

I ask as I'm definitely looking to buy one final Intel Mac and I keep going back and forth on getting this particular model (though it would seem to be the least performant of the still-sold Intel Macs [excluding the 2017 non-retina 21.5" iMac, that is]). I figure input from those that actually own this Mac would be useful.

 

[MacPeasant123]

1) I got that model you're talking about, the 13-inch 2020 MacBook Pro with Intel CPU at 2.0GHz, and I got it with the 16GB and 1TB SSD configuration, which is a stock option they had in the Apple Store I was in. I watched Max Tech videos to help me make my decision:

2020 MacBook Pro 10th-Gen CPU: Benchmarks & Thermals!

$1799 MacBook Pro 2020 Long-Term Review - We Were Wrong!

They said the 2.3GHz isn't going to make a difference for most people (though I don't know if they said it in these two videos), so I didn't bother with that upgrade.

They said this version has two fans, so it'll cool better than the cheaper models that only have one fan.

2) I also read about people with eye strain from using these new MBP, as these models use PWM (pulse width modulation). See:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Monitors/comments/inxrkq

So before I bought it, I used one at the Apple Store for an hour to see if it gave my eyes any problems. It didn't so then I felt comfortable enough buying it.


3) I like it a lot since it's been pretty solid for me. The only oddball quirk I've had is that for a while the keyboard sometimes won't work, and the screen will show a message saying there's no keyboard connected, and then to connect one via bluetooth. After maybe a minute the problem will go away. But that problem has disappeared since last fall so I think the recent macOS updates have fixed that bizarre problem. That has been the only problem I've had.

There's also the thing where if it is powered off, if I open the lid, it'll power on by itself; or if I push any key when the lid is open and it's turned off, it'll power on. I read there's a setting to turn off that auto-power on feature, but it hasn't really bothered me too much, so I left it as is.


4) I also got Parallels 16 so I can run Windows 10, now on Big Sur 11.4. It's all working fine right now

 

[playtech1]

So I owned the 2018 i7 13 inch Model, which is pretty much the same model...

Upsides: pretty snappy in use, great screen, excellent trackpad (maybe a tiny bit too big, but overall excellent)

Downsides: hot, shorter battery life than I expected, touch bar (YMMV)

Quirks: audio never as good as I hoped (fixed with Boom3d software), more fragile screen glass (smashed once with a 2ft fall onto carpet and replacement was lightly scratched from gentle cleaning), space grey anodising did get fairly quickly worn around USB-C sockets (better than competitors like Razer, but inherent I think to the anodised finish)

I configured the 16GB/1TB model and found the RAM and SSD adequate for enthusiast use - true creative Pros will have different needs.

Sorry it's not comments on a 2020, so I can't speak to CPU or graphics performance, but the rest I think the above would hold true.

I will say the M1 MacBook Air I replaced it with is noticeably quicker, quieter, cooler and overall a more pleasing product to use, so you would have to really really want that Intel CPU not to go M1.

 

[jakeuten]

I wish the battery life was a bit longer and it didn't get so warm, but I like mine. I opted for the i5 (10th gen) 512 GB and 16 GB of RAM. That was what seemed best for my use as a college student. I will upgrade once this machine can no longer serve me or it's no longer updated by Apple.

 

[hatchettjack]

look forward to using mine for the next ten years! I got the i7 32gb ram 1tb ssd version! nothing puts a strain on it, but sometimes using pixelmator pro machine learning resolution enhancer gets it a little warm! the fans have only come on once! windows works great through bootcamp, and I run 3 4k monitors with no issues

 

[capkapak]

I have the i5 1TB model, in late 202 before the M1's were launched. It works well for day to day office applications etc., plentiful reviews and benchmarks between the M1 and Intel on video editing processes where the M1 wins hands down. Similarly to the others, battery on the Intel is one of the major disappointments else its still a fast enough machine to work with day to day.

 

[Violet_Antelope]

I have one, 500GB/32GB. I like the keyboard and the high amount of RAM, regret going for the lower storage amount, but having bought this just before M1 and then had an opportunity to try an M1 Air, I do somewhat regret this purchase. It's not as fast, runs much much hotter, has shorter battery life, and generally seems a bit temperamental. It is currently refusing to download anything from iCloud, for example. Rather more concerning to me is that when I leave it on but close the lid, I have it set to require a password within a couple of minutes, yet I can come back even days later and it opens without any security at all. Fortunately I only use it at home, but if I were anywhere else I would be very worried by that.

 

[arthur486]

I have this model with i5, 16Gb RAM and 1Tb storage. It's been my main computer for over a year now, and has worked well for software development, general document work, Teams/Zoom and so on. I generally never turn it off, only close/open the lid and usually connect it to an external 4k display and mouse, keyboard and speakers. It never felt sluggish, ran out of RAM or anything of the sort, so my general impression is positive. However, what bothered me about it:

• I had an issue with the battery discharging/fans coming on when the laptop should have been sleeping; solved it with SMC + NVRAM reset, but it was worrisome as once it basically tried to kill itself in my backpack. Go figure.
• Had a few kernel panics, especially when it tried to update itself during off hours. Never while actively being used; actually, none of the problems showed up during active usage.
• The underside heats up a lot when under use; can't really use it on your lap for this reason, especially during the summer.
• Base unit started to discolor where I place my palm when using the trackpad (I have the space gray version). This really bothers me as I have not used it a lot without an external display/keyboard/mouse.
• Had an issue where sometimes when opening the lid it did not ask for a password, even though one was properly configured; this was really the worst for me, as it's a serious security breach. Fixed it with an NVRAM reset (@Violet_Antelope check if this solves your issue).

These are all YMMV things, and could of course happen on any other unit, or not at all

 

[kodabear]

My MacBook Pro (Refurb) 2.3 Ghz Quad Core I7 with 32GB Ram, 1 TB HD is hooked up to a external monitor most of the time but when it's not I find the battery life the only negative. No heat issues and I rarely hear the fan come on. I did have issues running Photoshop apps after installing Big Sur so reverted back to Catalina and all is good.

 

[posguy99]

I bought the 13" 2020 i7/2.3/32gb, it's been a great machine. In 2023/2024 timeframe, I'll maybe look at what Apple might have been able to do with Arm. I'm in no hurry.

 

[daveo228i]

I bought an M1 several months ago and and am completely satisfied. I ordered it with 16 megs of RAM and 512 gigs free.

 

[hatchettjack]

2020 MacBook Pro, i7 2.3 ghz 32gb ram 1tb storage! still handles everything it did when I bought it, and rather well at that! 2030 is my next scheduled update