Mid 2016 Pro 15" vs M1 13" - Need opinions from other 2019/2020 15" owners

[krishmk]

I have a mid 2016 MacBook pro 15", that always runs hot and had to replace battery twice (bulging issue).

Yesterday I bought M1, 13" and the damn thing is running nicely and has awesome keyboard/touchbar.

Most of all - its runs so cool with just 8Gb while my 2016 always run hot, even in winter.

Now the question I have for people who have 2020 MacBook Pro 15 or 16, does your laptop run hot?

I would like a bigger form factor and might return M1 and wait for M1 to be released in bigger size or snag a 16inch.

TIA

 

[jerryk]

15 and 16 MBPs have discrete graphics cards that generated heat and CPUs that generate heat. So yes, they run hot. Also, they are generations behind your M1 in efficient use of power, so more heat generated.

I also, want a larger display so dumped my 16" and 13" MBPs before the prices dropped further and went with a base M1 Air for now. I will add a 14" Mxxx/M2 based MBP next year.

 

[krishmk]

15 and 16 MBPs have discrete graphics cards that generated heat and CPUs that generate heat. So yes, they run hot. Also, they are generations behind your M1 in efficient use of power, so more heat generated.

I also, want a larger display so dumped my 16" and 13" MBPs before the prices dropped further and went with a base M1 Air for now. I will add a 14" Mxxx/M2 based MBP next year.

Your comment on discrete graphics makes sense..
Now if only a 2019 or 2020 mackbook pro owner comments, I can decide to keep M1 or buy a 2019/2020 15 or 16".

 

[mouthster]

Your comment on discrete graphics makes sense..
Now if only a 2019 or 2020 mackbook pro owner comments, I can decide to keep M1 or buy a 2019/2020 15 or 16".

I have a 2019 16" and I picked up a 2020 M1 Air to play with. I wouldn't buy ANYTHING with an Intel chip in it ever again.

 

[krishmk]

I have a 2019 16" and I picked up a 2020 M1 Air to play with. I wouldn't buy ANYTHING with an Intel chip in it ever again.

I have the same feeling.. i wish Apple would release 15/16 inch M1's soon.

 

[bill-p]

Now the question I have for people who have 2020 MacBook Pro 15 or 16, does your laptop run hot?

Yes. Very.

I have a 16" 2019 MacBook, and some of the tasks I do cause the fans to go full blast + heat gets pretty bad.

Actually, the same tasks will also cause M1 to heat up and the fans to get pretty audible, too. I also have M1 Pro.

But in the end, I'd keep the M1 Pro because when I'm not running those intensive tasks, the machine is nice and quiet.

I wouldn't want to buy a bigger MacBook with a more powerful chip than M1, because then that means it won't run as cool and as quiet as M1 anymore. And again, I can very easily get the fan to go loud with M1, so I know a more powerful chip will probably max its fans out like the 16" MacBook.

 

[jerryk]

Yes. Very.

I have a 16" 2019 MacBook, and some of the tasks I do cause the fans to go full blast + heat gets pretty bad.

Actually, the same tasks will also cause M1 to heat up and the fans to get pretty audible, too. I also have M1 Pro.

But in the end, I'd keep the M1 Pro because when I'm not running those intensive tasks, the machine is nice and quiet.

I wouldn't want to buy a bigger MacBook with a more powerful chip than M1, because then that means it won't run as cool and as quiet as M1 anymore. And again, I can very easily get the fan to go loud with M1, so I know a more powerful chip will probably max its fans out like the 16" MacBook.

I don't think anyone knows how much heat the next generation Mxx chips will generate and need to be dissipated. And
Intel processors are quite inefficient when compared to Apple Silicon.

The Intel Air was infamous for getting hot, being slow, and ramping up its fan in seconds. Now the M1 Air runs that same tasks many times faster (rivaling the i9 in the 16" MBP in many), doesn't need a fan, and runs cool (30C). Under the same load the Intel Air runs its fans full blast and still has to thermal throttle (i.e. slow down the processor clock) to keep the temps under 100C.

 

[krishmk]

I have run the same apps, same youtube video and same tabs on chrome, opera and compared both
2016 runs hot and can hear the fan speed across the room.
M1 MacBook Pro runs cooler and I am not even sure if the fan is running as may be is not ON 🙂

I just wish they come up with a 15" and I am all over it.

 

[bill-p]

I don't think anyone knows how much heat the next generation Mxx chips will generate and need to be dissipated. And
Intel processors are quite inefficient when compared to Apple Silicon.

The Intel Air was infamous for getting hot, being slow, and ramping up its fan in seconds. Now the M1 Air runs that same tasks many times faster (rivaling the i9 in the 16" MBP in many), doesn't need a fan, and runs cool (30C). Under the same load the Intel Air runs its fans full blast and still has to thermal throttle (i.e. slow down the processor clock) to keep the temps under 100C.

Well, the tasks that run faster are mostly video-related. And it makes sense because most if not all video tasks are now going through dedicated decoders/encoders rather than through the CPU. On the other hand, compile time and other tasks are similar, or if they have to go through Rosetta 2, then the Core i9 in the 16" is actually better by a good amount.

And of course, anything graphics related is still far better on the 16".

But that's my concern as well. That next Mx chip might need to match the graphics horsepower of the 16" MacBook, and... while I have no doubt that it'll run cooler than the 16" MacBook, it may not be as cool as M1, since we are talking about at least 3-4x more graphics horsepower here.

I don't want to make any premature prediction, but it's pretty logical to assume that a mythical chip that runs faster than M1 should theoretically also run hotter.

I have run the same apps, same youtube video and same tabs on chrome, opera and compared both
2016 runs hot and can hear the fan speed across the room.
M1 MacBook Pro runs cooler and I am not even sure if the fan is running as may be is not ON 🙂

I just wish they come up with a 15" and I am all over it.

Your usage can probably be described as "light". In that case, I don't think you'll see much of a point to a much more powerful machine.

For myself, I can very easily max out the CPU with compile tasks and/or doing graphics shaders. M1 has a very fast CPU, but the GPU is... well, just okay. I'd guess slightly better than Intel's best graphics options now (note that 11th gen Intel graphics is actually quite good), but still nothing compared to the 16" MacBook Pro to be honest.

 

[krishmk]

I used to run oracle DB and then run webserver/app server on 2016 and I would hear the fan scream at me all the time.

I had to build a windows PC with AMD for that activities and Mac is used mainly for browsing and other leisure activities that are not memory/process intensive.