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New i9, back in the box and returning tomorrow.

D

drvelocity

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 20, 2008
119
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I've had all morning to play with a new i9 and while the keyboard seems to be an improvement over the first gen butterfly keyboard, overall this new system definitely not enough of an upgrade to warrant the $1000 I'd end up spending upgrading from my 2016 2.7Gz i7. I'm sure the thermals have a lot to do with that.

In all of my workflows (which admittedly aren't the kind that push all six cores to the max so thermal headroom isn't a huge issue) I found my old machine to be exactly as fast as the new machine. Inexplicably the old system was in some ways "snappier" with certain apps such as Garagesale where listings would pop up a split second faster on my old machine. I'll definitely be holding out for a future upgrade (and hopefully a complete redesign of this thing). There was also some very strange choppiness in the onboard video, not to mention weird grinding sound in the speaker.

So yeah, I'm sticking with the old. Apple damn well better start giving us membrane-protected keyboards after admitting that it's necessary for preventing debris ingress. Because my ****ing H key just stopped working while typing this lol.
 
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drvelocity said:
I've had all morning to play with a new i9 and while the keyboard seems to be an improvement over the first gen butterfly keyboard, it's definitely not enough to warrant the $1000 I'd end up spending upgrading from my 2016 2.7Gz i7. I'm sure the thermals have a lot to do with that.

In all of my workflows (which admittedly aren't the kind that push all six cores to the max so thermal headroom isn't a huge issue) I found my old machine to be exactly as fast as the new machine. Inexplicably the old system was in some ways "snappier" with certain apps such as Garagesale where listings would pop up a split second faster on my old machine. I'll definitely be holding out for a future upgrade (and hopefully a complete redesign of this thing). There was also some very strange choppiness in the onboard video, not to mention weird grinding sound in the speaker.

So yeah, I'm sticking with the old. Apple damn well better start giving us membrane-protected keyboards after admitting that it's necessary for preventing debris ingress. Because my ****ing H key just stopped working while typing this lol.
Click to expand...

Somebody said one reason they might not put the membrane on is because it simply isn’t compatible. It was just an opinion and no way saying it was a reason
 
Aea said:
You're typing on it wrong.

I'm returning my i9 for an i7, unfortunately the replacement won't ship for over a week according to the apple estimate.
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What delivery date are you seeing for this? And how hard was the return process? I have an i9 coming next week that I was going to test, but based on current results here I am thinking of returning for an i7. The problem is I need the machine by Sept 1st. So, I am a bit worried that if I return (say August 1st) that I won't get the replacement in time.
 
rsths12 said:
What delivery date are you seeing for this? And how hard was the return process? I have an i9 coming next week that I was going to test, but based on current results here I am thinking of returning for an i7. The problem is I need the machine by Sept 1st. So, I am a bit worried that if I return (say August 1st) that I won't get the replacement in time.
Click to expand...
that seem like an unreasonable long time for shipping, what ever I configure (including keyboard layouts) here in Denmark I only gets an estimated shipping time of a week
 
I've had the 2018 15" base model for 3 days and love it. Compared to my 2016 15" I don't see a big difference in speed while web surfing, but downloads are faster. True Tone is great and with or without True Tone, this computer has the best screen I've had on an Apple device in quite awhile with a nice white screen and no unevenness. The speakers are a little better and I haven't heard any crackling. The keyboard is quieter and seems easier to type on (that may be subjective). The base model was readily accessible in 3 stores in Pittsburgh and I just walked in and picked it up and this computer won't be going back.
 
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drvelocity said:
In all of my workflows (which admittedly aren't the kind that push all six cores to the max so thermal headroom isn't a huge issue) I found my old machine to be exactly as fast as the new machine. Inexplicably the old system was in some ways "snappier" with certain apps such as Garagesale where listings would pop up a split second faster on my old machine.
Click to expand...
As always, bear in mind that the new system is still performing optimizations and Spotlight indexing in the background, which may impact performance. But, yeah, if you were expecting a night-and-day difference, you were bound to be disappointed.
 
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bevsb2 said:
I've had the 2018 15" base model for 3 days and love it. Compared to my 2016 15" I don't see a big difference in speed while web surfing, but downloads are faster. True Tone is great and with or without True Tone, this computer has the best screen I've had on an Apple device in quite awhile with a nice white screen and no unevenness. The speakers are a little better and I haven't heard any crackling. The keyboard is quieter and seems easier to type on (that may be subjective). The base model was readily accessible in 3 stores in Pittsburgh and I just walked in and picked it up and this computer won't be going back.
Click to expand...

Glad you are happy with the device, do provide your feedback to others as well over time.
 
I have a MBP 2015 and the base 2.2 i7 2018 I did some comparable tests with blew mine out of the water. A 90sec 4K Project exported in FCPX came to 17s vs 57s. For some that's a big deal. For others it's not because of how rarely their week depends on an export like that. Just goes to show you depending on what you're needs/goals/etc. are... you can own a machine many years old and still feel just fine.

I feel like the big reason for me to upgrade at this point is the 32GB RAM. That's about all I've been hoping for and it's finally here.
 
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rsths12 said:
What delivery date are you seeing for this? And how hard was the return process? I have an i9 coming next week that I was going to test, but based on current results here I am thinking of returning for an i7. The problem is I need the machine by Sept 1st. So, I am a bit worried that if I return (say August 1st) that I won't get the replacement in time.
Click to expand...

The i7 (2.6, 32 GB, 1TB SSD) configuration is showing as "Delivers: Jul 27 - Jul 31 by 2-3 Business Days" but I haven't seen the actual charge come through.

Granted I had the i9 less than 24 hours after ordering despite it showing a week for delivery, so who knows.

I called and talked to Apple Support and they said they'd extend my return period if I don't get my replacement within the 14 day return window. They were quite helpful and I suspect they're getting quite a few people in my situation.
 
Aea said:
The i7 (2.6, 32 GB, 1TB SSD) configuration is showing as "Delivers: Jul 27 - Jul 31 by 2-3 Business Days" but I haven't seen the actual charge come through.

Granted I had the i9 less than 24 hours after ordering despite it showing a week for delivery, so who knows.

I called and talked to Apple Support and they said they'd extend my return period if I don't get my replacement within the 14 day return window. They were quite helpful and I suspect they're getting quite a few people in my situation.
Click to expand...

So, they went ahead and ordered your replacement i7 and then you send the i9 back? I have never returned anything to Apple and I am also in Montana, so I can't return via Apple Store. I was just concerned about getting stuck waiting for my i9 to get back to Apple then they ship the i7 (which has a wait). But it sounds like they don't process returns that way. Thanks!
 
Returned my i9 as well. A simple restore of macOS and the entire laptop base was extremely warm and the fan went into overdrive. Ordering a i7 as of now.
 
if apple does indeed push out a software bandaid (fan curve improvement and possibly something else) i have a hunch the base processor will shine and get the best scores, the least amount of throttling all while giving less heat and best battery life. Food for thought.
 
Texh49 said:
Returned my i9 as well. A simple restore of macOS and the entire laptop base was extremely warm and the fan went into overdrive. Ordering a i7 as of now.
Click to expand...

I think you are being a bit excessive here. This has always been the case. If you push the machine, it’s going to get loud and hot. No matter which Mac we talk about.
 
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Returned my i9 / 32 / 512 / 560x as well for...

i7 2.2 / 16 / 512 / 560x

my usage is usually around 10GB max, 32 gb is way over kill, and the i9 is a disaster
 
Texh49 said:
Returned my i9 as well. A simple restore of macOS and the entire laptop base was extremely warm and the fan went into overdrive. Ordering a i7 as of now.
Click to expand...

See below.

leman said:
I think you are being a bit excessive here. This has always been the case. If you push the machine, it’s going to get loud and hot. No matter which Mac we talk about.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Unfortunately a lot of uninformed nonsense going around. Expect that indexing and other factors are going to push a machine and cause background work to slow it down during the initial hours after setup. Not to mention many don't know how to effectively discuss the i9.

zshane1125 said:
Returned my i9 / 32 / 512 / 560x as well for...

i7 2.2 / 16 / 512 / 560x

my usage is usually around 10GB max, 32 gb is way over kill, and the i9 is a disaster
Click to expand...

It's the end of the world as we know it??? No. Not only is it not a disaster, but maybe you should have better informed information. Don't believe all the GooeyTubers.
 
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leman said:
I think you are being a bit excessive here. This has always been the case. If you push the machine, it’s going to get loud and hot. No matter which Mac we talk about.
Click to expand...
I've had so many MacBook pros. THIS was excessive, additionally, I was unhappy with all the throttling cases. SO to be safe and not get screwed, I returned it.
 
Texh49 said:
I've had so many MacBook pros. THIS was excessive, additionally, I was unhappy with all the throttling cases. SO to be safe and not get screwed, I returned it.
Click to expand...

Did you observe any throttling yourself?
 
leman said:
Did you observe any throttling yourself?
Click to expand...

I will admit I did not, I did not have the time to test since I travel for work. However, I really do want the i9 so I will wait a bit. I canceled my i7 order as of now. Yes, I may have jumped the gun, but with travel I would lapse the 2 week return period.
 
Texh49 said:
I will admit I did not, I did not have the time to test since I travel for work. However, I really do want the i9 so I will wait a bit. I canceled my i7 order as of now. Yes, I may have jumped the gun, but with travel I would lapse the 2 week return period.
Click to expand...

I was in that situation once myself, so I called Apple and they have extended my return period to two months. I actually ended up returning the laptop since my employer has agreed to buy me an identical model for work. It was a few years ago. They can be flexible when you talk to them :)

Anyway, my i9 should be arriving next week and I will take it though a bunch of CPU tests. Will report what I find.
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Wreckus said:
I think it's time that Apple has to design a new macbook pro case as it seems the i9 processor is generating too much heat in the 15 inch aluminum body.
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Yeah, it would have made more sense if Intel would release a high-end i7 like they used to, instead of making this ridiculous jump to i9 which rivals desktop CPUs in power consumption ;)
 
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