Waiting for the 2019 MBP [Merged]

[Howard2k]

Seems unlikely they would update the current series and then launch a 16” so soon. I’d expect the 16” towards the end of the year.

 

[ScreenSavers]

I have a bto 2018 mbp 15" that I picked up on April 23, 2019 and I gave the online store a call and asked them if I could do a return and order a 2019 model instead. They agreed. I'm sending my mbp back for a 2019 model. Sweet. 8 cores in a laptop and a 4th gen keyboard which should be better than my 2018 3rd gen.

Nice!

 

[Zwhaler]

Do not expect a 16" MacBook Pro at WWDC this year. Mac Pro preview is much more likely. Rumors stated that the 16" MBP was delayed for a year or two. Another release two weeks after a spec bump... has anything like that ever happened?

 

[baypharm]

My four cents is to just purchase (take action now) and stop wondering about future events/products

 

[nameste]

Agreed! Overall this seems like a very worthwhile update, although I have one major complaint and a few fairly minor disappointments.

My biggest complaint is that the Vega GPUs are not offered with a six-core CPU. A six-core i7 is more than enough for me, but I want the Vega GPU. Having to upgrade to the 8-core in order to be able to then upgrade to Vega starts to put the price into uncomfortable territory for me. It also strikes me that the Vega GPU might get more thermal headroom with a six-core CPU, or vice-versa, but I'm awaiting comprehensive reviews to get an indication on whether this is true.

My minor complaints:

• I had hoped for a price/value increase, i.e. by increasing the amount of SSD storage for the same price, or making the low-end Vega GPU standard, or both.
• I had hoped the webcam would be upgraded. There's no reason why video calls on mid-range phones should look better than video calls on a $3k MacBook Pro.

No one knows. Last year AMD had announced they were working on a Vega mobile GPU in January, and hinted it would arrive in 2019. When Apple released the 2018 MBPs with the same old 555/560 GPUs, most people surmised that AMD had been late with Vega mobile and MacBook Pro fans would have to wait until 2019 to see Vega mobile in a MBP. It was a surprise when Apple released Vega GPUs as an option in the Fall.

The same thing might happen again this year. AMD Navi GPUs are supposedly going to be introduced next month. It's possible that AMD has a Navi mobile GPU which will be ready by the Fall, giving Apple another opportunity to perform a stealth update.

Or, if Apple introduces the rumored 16" redesign as an ultra-high-end option above the current 15" models in the Fall, perhaps they'll reserve any new Navi GPUs for that model. Again, no one knows for sure.

As i checked they introduce the navi gpus with gen 4 pcie which will be released on July .I think the current motherboard design wouldn’t allow to work with it right?

 

[spraycansoul]

Planning on purchasing the 13 inch model.

Any advice on choosing between the i5 and i7 processors?

Laptop will be mainly used for photo editing in Lightroom and Photoshop.

 

[Falhófnir]

Seems unlikely they would update the current series and then launch a 16” so soon. I’d expect the 16” towards the end of the year.

I wouldn't be surprised to see them Octoberish either; the basic fact with these machines is that if you were holding out on buying the 2017 or 2018, this update does little or nothing to address the problems that were likely causing you to hesitate.
[doublepost=1558964122][/doublepost]

Planning on purchasing the 13 inch model.

Any advice on choosing between the i5 and i7 processors?

Laptop will be mainly used for photo editing in Lightroom and Photoshop.

I would say:
a) don't bother with the i7, the i5 should be plenty for photo editing.
b) If possible, save yourself a bit of money and get a nearly identical refurbished 2018 (from Apple). The 2019 is only a small MHz bump on the 13" - still 8th gen chips, it'll be almost imperceptible.

 

[Ener Ji]

Just joined forum and am going to purchase the just announced MBP. However, I am wondering if it is possible that it will be announced at the WWDC that a 16-17" screen or is this defiantly off the table for current model release. Any ideas?

Don't think anyone knows for sure what will happen. I recommend waiting if possible.

You can purchase now and still return within your 2 week return window if something is announced at WWDC. I’d say anything actually materialising is unlikely though

Seems unlikely they would update the current series and then launch a 16” so soon. I’d expect the 16” towards the end of the year.

Agree with the bottom two quotations above. Doesn't seem logical to introduce a competing product days after the MBP refresh because it will just result in more returns and more cost to Apple. But, even if they do decide to introduce the 16" at WWDC, you can just return your 13/15" for a full refund.

As i checked they introduce the navi gpus with gen 4 pcie which will be released on July .I think the current motherboard design wouldn’t allow to work with it right?

I'm not sure. I doubt Navi will absolutely require PCI 4.0, but some kind of motherboard layout change would definitely be needed. The Vega motherboards are definitely different than the non-Vega motherboards, but the differences were kept to a minimum.

 

[ScreenSavers]

Well I just got a deal on a 2018 15" model. Differences between the 2018 and 2019 model are very minor, but the 2018 just got a bunch cheaper on the used market. Should be here later this week I hope.

 

[Zdigital2015]

As i checked they introduce the navi gpus with gen 4 pcie which will be released on July .I think the current motherboard design wouldn’t allow to work with it right?

AMD is only talking about one GPU at this point, the Radeon RX5700, which is a desktop SKU, not a mobile part. The RX5700 will work with either PCIe 3.0 or 4.0, but until Intel supports PCIe 4.0, it’s a moot point.

 

[wallysb01]

Agree with the bottom two quotations above. Doesn't seem logical to introduce a competing product days after the MBP refresh because it will just result in more returns and more cost to Apple. But, even if they do decide to introduce the 16" at WWDC, you can just return your 13/15" for a full refund.

The only way they do it, I would guess anyway, would be if it’s like a $3000 computer that becomes a model somewhat like the iMac Pro relative to the iMac.

 

[Ener Ji]

The only way they do it, I would guess anyway, would be if it’s like a $3000 computer that becomes a model somewhat like the iMac Pro relative to the iMac.

Agreed, but even so I think the timing of the announcements wouldn't play out the same way (i.e. Apple would delay the 2019 refresh by a week or two.)

 

[Surf760]

I would say:
a) don't bother with the i7, the i5 should be plenty for photo editing.
b) If possible, save yourself a bit of money and get a nearly identical refurbished 2018 (from Apple). The 2019 is only a small MHz bump on the 13" - still 8th gen chips, it'll be almost imperceptible.

If you get the 13" as a refurb model, the 512 model is currently at my nearest Microcenter for 1499.

 

[MacRS4]

More in-depth run through here should you be interested.

 

[General Grievous]

Just ordered mine. 2019 Pro. I9, 16 GB RAM, 512 SSD, 560x GPU. Excited to say the least.

 

[x-evil-x]

Well I just got a deal on a 2018 15" model. Differences between the 2018 and 2019 model are very minor, but the 2018 just got a bunch cheaper on the used market. Should be here later this week I hope.

wonder how much apple referb's will be in the next month on the 2018's. I mean we are covered under the 4 year keyboard replacement so if the 2018 ever fails we get a new top case 2019 keyboard and new battery. Seems like the smart thing to do if you can save a grand.

 

[ScreenSavers]

wonder how much apple referb's will be in the next month on the 2018's. I mean we are covered under the 4 year keyboard replacement so if the 2018 ever fails we get a new top case 2019 keyboard and new battery. Seems like the smart thing to do if you can save a grand.

That’s why I did it. Hopefully the keyboard will be ok but if not it’s covered for a while still.

 

[Mitochondrion]

I have a random question about the 2019 15" MacBook Pro. It have 8-core. Why is the designation is i9? Should not it be i12? The 2018 MacBook Pro can have 6-core. It was an i9 too. I thought for every core bump, the i numbering bump up by two? I am not well versed in CPU stuffs. I was wondering about the i3, i5, i7, i9 etc. designations. There seems to be some sort of pattern.

 

[ScreenSavers]

I have a random question about the 2019 15" MacBook Pro. It have 8-core. Why is the designation is i9? Should not it be i12? The 2018 MacBook Pro can have 6-core. It was an i9 too. I thought for every core bump, the i numbering bump up by two? I am not well versed in CPU stuffs. I was wondering about the i3, i5, i7, i9 etc. designations. There seems to be some sort of pattern.

There are different core numbers for each of the “i” series. There are i3 CPUs, for example, with 2, 4, and six cores. Same with i5 and i7 chips.

 

[Aquamite]

I have a random question about the 2019 15" MacBook Pro. It have 8-core. Why is the designation is i9? Should not it be i12? The 2018 MacBook Pro can have 6-core. It was an i9 too. I thought for every core bump, the i numbering bump up by two? I am not well versed in CPU stuffs. I was wondering about the i3, i5, i7, i9 etc. designations. There seems to be some sort of pattern.

It’s just marketing. What they used to name i3 i5 and i7 was split in four with the introduction of the i9. It’s just some stupid naming patter to make it look cool.

 

[Zdigital2015]

I have a random question about the 2019 15" MacBook Pro. It have 8-core. Why is the designation is i9? Should not it be i12? The 2018 MacBook Pro can have 6-core. It was an i9 too. I thought for every core bump, the i numbering bump up by two? I am not well versed in CPU stuffs. I was wondering about the i3, i5, i7, i9 etc. designations. There seems to be some sort of pattern.

Intel makes up these marketing names, not Apple...so you may want to ask them about it. Basically, the higher the number, the better the processor in terms of the number of cores , turbo boost and/or hyper threading. To a lesser extent, clock speed of the CPU. However, once Intel opened the Core i9 floodgates, it's just a complete mess.

Basically, for desktop 9th Generation CPUs

Core i3 - 4 cores, no Turbo Boost, no Hyper-Threading
Core i5 - 6 cores, Turbo Boost, no Hyper-Threading
Core i7 - 8 cores, Turbo Boost, no Hyper-Threading
Core i9 - 8 cores, Turbo Boost, Hyper-Threading

Unless you mean mobile and then i3 has 2 cores, i5 has 4 cores, i7 has 6 cores and i9 has 8 cores. Also, that's not necessarily true anymore, because I think the new Ice Lake CPUs just threw that out the window.

Your best bet os to bookmark https://ark.intel.com and use it as a reference to find information about a specific CPU.

 

[General Grievous]

Holy heck so much hate from all these so called tech youtubers... most of them dont even have one in hands they just use pictures of internet pages for their "review" then there is a massive majority telling to go buy a windows machine because for less the price you can game on it too!

I think its not apple but average joe having a mis conception about what the Pro models stand for... they are work devices... I bought the 2019 model yesterday because i need/want to work with Final Cut Pro X instead meddling further with Adobe premiere on windows.

I am a windows IT engineer for 16 years, i am gratefull for the hand that feeds me. But i am personally not happy with adobe premiere (I know i am a minority)

So i bought this 2019 15 inch macbook for Final Cut Pro X to edit videos. Its too expensive, yes it is! much more then i wanted to pay. But in return i get a Mac OS based machine with final cut pro to work on. Not having to deal with software made for windows is a blessing, so much badly written programms for windows. I dont even blame windows, its often ****** un-optimised software with bugs in them causing issues more then windows itself but that is from my personal experience and opinion.

I dont want a much better video card that only will melt your lap or hand next to a blazing hot fan spitting out air of 80 degree or more, i love windows but honestly i am happy to get peace of mind after a workday in a windows environment.

Plus i am going to safe myself lots of money on Licensing, monthly Adobe cloud costs vs a 1 time FCPX license fee... one of the true hidden costs often in IT are License fees.

I am not going to defend my purchase, i will work on a mac OS with FCPX to make my video content.

 

[MacRS4]

Erm...? I liked it so much I bought one

Adobe premier sucks.

 

[MrGunnyPT]

Just ordered mine. 2019 Pro. I9, 16 GB RAM, 512 SSD, 560x GPU. Excited to say the least.

Do you give any use to the GPU at all? Just asking because me and my friendship are waiting on Navi on the GPU Side

 

[RobbieTT]

I wouldn't be surprised to see them Octoberish either; the basic fact with these machines is that if you were holding out on buying the 2017 or 2018, this update does little or nothing to address the problems that were likely causing you to hesitate.
[doublepost=1558964122][/doublepost]
I would say:
a) don't bother with the i7, the i5 should be plenty for photo editing.
b) If possible, save yourself a bit of money and get a nearly identical refurbished 2018 (from Apple). The 2019 is only a small MHz bump on the 13" - still 8th gen chips, it'll be almost imperceptible.

As above - expect the 2020 13" MBP to be a more worthy upgrade with the new 4-core 25W Icy Lake CPU with massively improved integrated graphics and probably the first wifi-6 offering from Apple.