MacBook Pro 2019 Worth buying?

[OLDTMR]

I need a decent laptop as a backup to my iMac Retina 27" just for general use, not concerned about bigger size of a 16", actually prefer it as my Mac will go in storage during an extended move for 3-4 months. Been looking at 2019 models, have found a few i9 64GB memory with 512G SSD, 8GB video, and retina screen in the $500 +/- $50 range (my budget for this need). Just wondering what the lifespan of that MBP would be and support for it. Have an older MBP I think its 2012 and I can't get newer versions of Safari, Firefox or Chrome to run on it... plus its a 13" and my eyes aren't what they once were (octogenarian here LOL).

 

[Bigwaff]

Just wondering what the lifespan of that MBP would be and support for it.

Support... as in ...? Hardware? Software? I would imagine a 2019 16" i9 64GB RAM would be useful for years to come, especially if macOS 26 Tahoe receives the typical 3 years of security updates.

 

[Fishrrman]

I wouldn't buy a 2019 MBP 16". Particularly because of the butterfly keyboard that's prone to failure (Apple no longer fixes these "for free" and a replacement top case will run around $800. And soon they may stop repairing them at all).

Get an m-series MacBook Pro. New, used, or Apple-refurbished.

If your budget is tight, consider an Apple-refurbished Mini. M4 or even m2 (or m2pro).

 

[Snørrbjørg]

I wouldn't buy a 2019 MBP 16". Particularly because of the butterfly keyboard that's prone to failure

From 2019 16” they do not have butterfly keyboard. No problem buying this one, except for it is old and slow. I have one of these and use daily for work.

 

[Nada Ting]

Mine is humming along nicely. When I upgrade it will become a backup machine and external storage. Keyboard is not an issue.

 

[haralds]

Get an M1 at least. From my experience, it represents a huge difference to Intel.

 

[dinobear]

I went from 2019 MBP with the upgraded 5600m GPU and the 64GB ram to the M4 Pro. The 2019 MBP served me well for 4 years until I upgraded. Was a brilliant machine and I had no issues with fan noise or anything. I think I could have squeezed another year or two out of it.

With that said, the upgrade to the M4 Pro (48gb ram) is night and day. The things I noticed most:

Machine is just overall smoother for little things like switching windows opening apps etc. Sounds small but makes an impact on quality of life when you are working 8hrs a day on it.

Battery life is insane. I used to carry my charger around when I worked from cafe or needed to do presentation somewhere. Now i get nearly all day battery life and never carry charger. This is kind of a game changer.

I love the built in HDMI and SD card slot. I use these a lot.

I love the matte screen.

There is some software that's only made for M chips now and this will increase with time.

Get the M1 at least. I'm sure you can find some great sales.

 

[Hicksmat1976]

M1 and above would make sense and likely to be supported for a while yet.

I have an intel 2020 model which is still going to get the new MacOS, but thats probably the last update going to be released for any kind of intel device.

I'll hold off updating for a year or so.

 

[MBAir2010]

Well, hopefully the M1 and any M series will always get updates since "that was the plan, stan"!
 wants their products to last long and remain out of the recycle heap
but if the CEOs think they can profit by stopping support on their architecture, we lose.

I guess we will find out soon enough.

 

[chrono1081]

I need a decent laptop as a backup to my iMac Retina 27" just for general use, not concerned about bigger size of a 16", actually prefer it as my Mac will go in storage during an extended move for 3-4 months. Been looking at 2019 models, have found a few i9 64GB memory with 512G SSD, 8GB video, and retina screen in the $500 +/- $50 range (my budget for this need). Just wondering what the lifespan of that MBP would be and support for it. Have an older MBP I think its 2012 and I can't get newer versions of Safari, Firefox or Chrome to run on it... plus its a 13" and my eyes aren't what they once were (octogenarian here LOL).

No. I had this machine. Not only does it throttle due to the intel chip but my M2 MacBook Air blew it completely out of the water. Also Intel Macs are not going to be supported in the next OS so if you're after longevity I wouldn't get it. I would say look for at bare minimum an M1, they're still running great.

 

[windows4ever]

I still use mine as a travel laptop. Since I only use it sporadically, I don't care much that it isn't a silicon model.

I recommend the i7 version over the i9 as it runs cooler.

Also, do you really need 64GB? Prices on i7 16GB or 32GB models are cheap - around $300.

 

[psingh01]

I have one of these. It’s my main machine and I think it’s still a very good laptop. Especially for bootcamp and use with a eGPU. But I don’t think I would spend $500 on it today.

Do you need that much ram on a backup machine? If you don’t get less to lower the price of an intel or switch to a newer arm mac.

If you do need that much ram, then intel is probably the only affordable way to get it.

 

[whoknows87]

I wouldn't buy a 2019 MBP 16". Particularly because of the butterfly keyboard that's prone to failure (Apple no longer fixes these "for free" and a replacement top case will run around $800. And soon they may stop repairing them at all).

Get an m-series MacBook Pro. New, used, or Apple-refurbished.

If your budget is tight, consider an Apple-refurbished Mini. M4 or even m2 (or m2pro).

This.

I wouldn't buy one, no repairs are being done on these at apple stores- I was told no longer supported and they do have keyboard issues I can confirm ( owned one up until a month ago).

Go for an M1 at least

 

[orsev]

I still use mine as a travel laptop. Since I only use it sporadically, I don't care much that it isn't a silicon model.

I recommend the i7 version over the i9 as it runs cooler.

Also, do you really need 64GB? Prices on i7 16GB or 32GB models are cheap - around $300.

Jumping in here to recommend the i7 as the i9 gets very hot. I use mine as a linux slave and it cooks. I'm not sure how easy it is to repaste the heatsink....

 

[Aoligei]

Whether or not worth buying is completely depends on your usage. If you want bigger display, large RAM and storage and you don't do much intensive tasks, then it might be worth it for you.

To people who are suggesting M1 or M2 Air, the OP clearly said 13" is not an option and the OP prefers larger screen. If OP can find a 16" M1 Pro MacBook Pro for similar price or bit higher, then it makes sense to go M1 Pro. But if the price is out of range, then Intel Mac might worth it.

Just wondering what the lifespan of that MBP would be and support for it.

The 2019 16" MacBook Pro gets macOS Tahoe and it is the final macOS release for this machine. So you won't get macOS 27 with Intel, if this is a dealbreaker for you, then you have your answer. Apple has stated that Intel Mac which supports macOS Tahoe will get three more years of security updates, so you will get security updates until 2028ish.

However, if you experiencing issue or have hardware problems, you might not able to get help from Apple down the road. Apple typically stops hardware services 7 years after it stop selling, so you will not get any services from Apple starting 2028.

 

[Aoligei]

I went from 2019 MBP with the upgraded 5600m GPU and the 64GB ram to the M4 Pro. The 2019 MBP served me well for 4 years until I upgraded. Was a brilliant machine and I had no issues with fan noise or anything. I think I could have squeezed another year or two out of it.

I purchase a used 2019 16" MBP purely because of screen size and any 16" MBP with Apple silicon cost double. Core i7 MBP can easily do what I do on MBP, mainly I don't do intensive tasks.

With that said, the upgrade to the M4 Pro (48gb ram) is night and day. The things I noticed most:

Machine is just overall smoother for little things like switching windows opening apps etc. Sounds small but makes an impact on quality of life when you are working 8hrs a day on it.

You bet it will be night and day. 2019 MBP is 6 years old computer now. But I don't notice too much of sluggish on my Intel machine, but Apple Silicon Macs do feel faster.

Get the M1 at least. I'm sure you can find some great sales.

TBH, I don't trust eBay or any online seller, so I usually buy used devices off FB Marketplace or local pawn stores. I am sure you can find great deals off eBay, but I don't want gamble with $1000+ devices.

Anyway, I my area, M1 Pro devices still cost arm and lag. I could not find any M1 Pro MacBook Pro under $1000CAD. This is reason I went with 2019 16" MacBook Pro.

I took this machine with me during my three weeks trips to China. It severed me well during my flight, watching videos on it (watched the military parade with 16" screen and it is beautiful), typing out some documents, filling out forms etc.

 

[duncandb]

If you're getting a 2019 MacBook Pro, note that this is one of the small handful of around 4 Intel Mac models that are still supported for Tahoe, and even then, only some 2019 are and others are not, so your exact model choice could make a difference. For future proofing however, unless you have a need that is specifically satisfied by Intel, I would use a 2020 Apple Silicon as a baseline for purchase.

 

[KhalidJP]

I need a decent laptop as a backup to my iMac Retina 27" just for general use, not concerned about bigger size of a 16", actually prefer it as my Mac will go in storage during an extended move for 3-4 months. Been looking at 2019 models, have found a few i9 64GB memory with 512G SSD, 8GB video, and retina screen in the $500 +/- $50 range (my budget for this need). Just wondering what the lifespan of that MBP would be and support for it. Have an older MBP I think its 2012 and I can't get newer versions of Safari, Firefox or Chrome to run on it... plus its a 13" and my eyes aren't what they once were (octogenarian here LOL).

I wouldn't buy a 2019 MBPro. Any M. series MacBook with 16-32 Gb will outperform the 2019 MBP and for years to come supported.

 

[Aoligei]

I wouldn't buy a 2019 MBPro. Any M. series MacBook with 16-32 Gb will outperform the 2019 MBP and for years to come supported.

You probably can't find any decent 16" Apple Silicon MacBook Pros within that price range.. especially with 16-32GB RAM..

 

[KhalidJP]

You probably can't find any decent 16" Apple Silicon MacBook Pros within that price range.. especially with 16-32GB RAM..

you absolutely right, my bad that I didn't see the budget.