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Still a good idea to buy the 2020 Intel MBP 16"?

D

Daytona 360

macrumors regular
Original poster
Apr 29, 2010
129
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I still run a late 2011 MBP and it is getting long in the tooth. I know the Apple Silicon MBP is rumored to come out next week. But I still work in Windows and VMware stuff quite a bit so I was thinking about getting one of the last Intel MBP.

I read the forum about the 2019/2020 16" and I am quite...scared:
1. Screen ghosting issue (affects all configs)
2. Speaker cracking/popping issue (affects all configs)
3. High temperature and high energy usage when connected the external monitor (affects 5300/5500 GPU)
4. Overheats in high load situations unless you do the thermal pad mod (affects all configs)
5. Pre-mature battery degradations (affects all configs)

Should I even bother with the 2019/2020 16", or should I just get a refurbished 2018 15"?
 
I picked up a refurbished 16" 6-core base model from Microcenter a few weeks ago for $1,499. It is flawless and absolutely the best MacBook Pro since the 17"!
 
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maybe i am stupid but i think that these mbp with intel will keep their price as the machines will be necessary for ppls which need to run both systems and old applications, or some ppls who game occasionally beside work etc..
 
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Don't bother with the 16 inch it's a mess. Whoever claims that they don't have "cracking / popping" is simply not overloading it enough.
There's also sluggish performance issue when you run on intel iGPU which is still a thing until today.
 
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If you want an Intel-based machine, the 16” is excellent. But I would wait until the next week - it’s likely to get an upgrade.
 
I think it is a good time to get a 16-inch, especially as it sounds like you know what to expect in terms of both pros and cons. I would not personally buy a 15-inch due to the known issues. Here's my take on your points:
  1. I have a model built in September and never personally noticed an issue with response times--they aren't super fast, but also not problematic, at least to me. Other things like color accuracy, consistency, and brightness are notable though.
  2. Mine occasionally makes pops when pausing and resuming YT videos. It's not nearly as loud as users experienced at first prior to Apple releasing updates to mitigate it, and it is only infrequent. The sound quality is exceptional so I consider it a nonissue for me. You may sometimes think that your speakers are crackling when listening to audio but in fact it is a deficiency/static in the recording and the speakers are capable of accurately reproducing everything down to the distortion in the recorded track.
  3. Your usage case is very well-matched to the 5600M IMHO. I originally had a 5500M model and returned it for a 5600M, and I love this GPU. For your situation, if you are running Windows VMs and especially if running those VMs with external displays, this is an investment that will pay dividends for years. Windows 10 through Fusion Pro loves this GPU and makes great use of its power. Simultaneously, as the GPU is also very efficient, it isn't sucking up nearly as much energy or producing nearly as much heat, which benefits CPU performance. Win 10 feels completely 'native' even with more intensive applications.
  4. I'm not having issues with higher load situations. Obviously it's not going to be able to sustain performance like a gaming laptop, as this form factor still favors portability and the use of USB charging places a performance limit on the system, but performance is still good. I've found that the 5600M seems to help this a lot, at least with my own work.
  5. I don't have enough cycles or age to comment.
I like mine a lot. I have a lot of good things to say about it even though I do have some criticism as well (e.g., the stuttering on the iGPU is a bit annoying). I think the good greatly outweighs the bad though, and overall I really like the computer.
 
We have 2x 16” MBP 16 systems. One base and one mid. They both work great and we haven’t had any problems.
 
I picked up a 16" MBP about a month ago, Base I9 model, and haven't had any issues as mentioned in this thread. I still can return it given the 45 day return policy, but will only do so if Apple significantly updates more than just the intel processor (if that happens). I am not ready to dive into the silicone machines just yet...
 
Daytona 360 said:
1. Screen ghosting issue (affects all configs)
2. Speaker cracking/popping issue (affects all configs)
3. High temperature and high energy usage when connected the external monitor (affects 5300/5500 GPU)
4. Overheats in high load situations unless you do the thermal pad mod (affects all configs)
5. Pre-mature battery degradations (affects all configs)
Click to expand...

From time to time, I'm using MBP16 at work, so I can give my opinion.

1. Indeed, ghosting is real, and at least to me, easily noticeable
2. Never had this issue, but maybe I haven't used the speakers that much?
3. Biggest issue of all. If you plan on connecting your mbp16 to external monitors, it's best you purchase 5600M with significant apple tax on top of it.
4. Well, all thin and light Intel based laptops tend to do that. But it's way better than MBP15 from last few years
5. Indeed, laptop I tend to use has just 57 battery cycles, and it's down to 92%
 
I just got a base i7 16” and it works great for me. No problems to speak of. I use a Mac application that the developer has stopped developing for Mac (they still do windows), so I’m a little nervous of Apple silicon, because this app is a must-use for me.
 
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arm or bust imo...so many improvements from arm assuming you don’t need Windows and the absolute max performance. I prefer just to have a separate Windows laptop anyway. Aside from the OS, using an ipad and going back to Macbook feels like going back in time for sure (especially with all the improvements to ipados)
 
Exactly. We have no idea if the battery wears at an even rate, or what the final longevity will be.
 
It depends.


Do you NEED the machine?
-> If you need it, then it is the right time to buy.

Do you NEED an x86 CPU?
-> If you need that, then buy before they transition to AppleSilicon CPUs

If you don't NEED it now: then wait, the newer machine is always better than the older one (not talking about any specific model, it goes for every computer out there).

Your concerns:
- Do not think that all machines have serious defects: there are compromises done in any product, but Apple is REALLY good at making amends if and when they do get it wrong. There's very vocal people complaining in forums, but compared to the number of machines sold, they are a tiny minority [who'll now flock that they are not alone - yes they are not - still compared to the number of machines sold they remain a tiny minority no matter what].
- Yes all Apple laptops run hot, that's normal they use the Al box as a heatsink.
Yes, they are all thermally throttled but that throttling is what prevents them from actually overheating and damaging themselves. It's the Intel CPU and/or GPUs that generates way too much heat under load.
Do NOT mod them: you'll void the warranty you get through AppleCare as well as any recall style type of repair long after the warranty expires, and that means any and all repairs will have to be done fully on your dime.
- Battery: it's going to wear out, accept it up front that it will. It will wear out in any device using batteries. Don't worry it takes a lot of time before it really hurts you and then, in total the replacement is not THAT expensive compared to the cost of the machine if you want to continue using the machine.

About the need to have an intel CPU: it's highly overrated IMHO. Too many people don't like the risk associated with change.
 
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s66 said:
It depends.


Do you NEED the machine?
-> If you need it, then it is the right time to buy.

Do you NEED an x86 CPU?
-> If you need that, then buy before they transition to AppleSilicon CPUs

If you don't NEED it now: then wait, the newer machine is always better than the older one (not talking about any specific model, it goes for every computer out there).

Your concerns:
- Do not think that all machines have serious defects: there are compromises done in any product, but Apple is REALLY good at making amends if and when they do get it wrong. There's very vocal people complaining in forums, but compared to the number of machines sold, they are a tiny minority [who'll now flock that they are not alone - yes they are not - still compared to the number of machines sold they remain a tiny minority no matter what].
- Yes all Apple laptops run hot, that's normal they use the Al box as a heatsink.
Yes, they are all thermally throttled but that throttling is what prevents them from actually overheating and damaging themselves. It's the Intel CPU and/or GPUs that generates way too much heat under load.
Do NOT mod them: you'll void the warranty you get through AppleCare as well as any recall style type of repair long after the warranty expires, and that means any and all repairs will have to be done fully on your dime.
- Battery: it's going to wear out, accept it up front that it will. It will wear out in any device using batteries. Don't worry it takes a lot of time before it really hurts you and then, in total the replacement is not THAT expensive compared to the cost of the machine if you want to continue using the machine.

About the need to have an intel CPU: it's highly overrated IMHO. Too many people don't like the risk associated with change.
Click to expand...
If Apple absolutely said Windows was being rewritten to support the new processors I'd be fine. Bootcamp is a requirement for me so I got this 16" MBP and eGPU. Works great.
 
Tarek S. Abdelhamed said:
Don't bother with the 16 inch it's a mess. Whoever claims that they don't have "cracking / popping" is simply not overloading it enough.
There's also sluggish performance issue when you run on intel iGPU which is still a thing until today.
Click to expand...
I've checked for the cracking/popping, screen ghosting. Got none of that and I'm very OCD about these things. I once back in 2006 exchanged my 15" intel MacBook core duo model 8 times for a slight yellow tint in my display. Maybe I got luck? I don't know but I've looked for dead/stuck pixels and tested for all these issues the 16" supposedly has and its flawless! It's also very fast. I sold my i7 9750 6-core HP Omen with an Nvidia 1060 6GB model and this Mac is just as fast if not faster running MacOS.

I do have a tinge of backlight bleed on the top right corner but its very faint and small on an entire black screen. Can't win em all.
 
I have also seen some people mention that the battery health management can mess with reported capacity.
 
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