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Grohowiak

macrumors 6502a
Nov 14, 2012
768
793
If somebody is ok going 13" quad then clearly doesn't need the 16" to begin with.
I think a lot of people waste money for no reason.
I am wondering why people don't just use it via AppleTV screen mirroring, which apparently won't trigger the AMD GPU and won't produce heat/fan noise?

Can I connect 2 external monitors to it and have smooth performance when working with photoshop or xcode for example?
 
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macbookfan21

macrumors member
Aug 31, 2020
57
9
If somebody is ok going 13" quad then clearly doesn't need the 16" to begin with.
I think a lot of people waste money for no reason.


Can I connect 2 external monitors to it and have smooth performance when working with photoshop or xcode for example?
People are saying that the 13” also has overheating issues so idk if that’s the best solution. Apple tv screen mirroring is prolly not optimal for your use case, but for me I just need to use my single widescreen monitor for work purposes and don’t want this overheat and fan issue which fried my last 16” to recur. Just trying to find a solution. I’m skeptical to try clamshell mode as I feel like this would just trap the heat inside and damage the internal display overtime
 

mbpistop

macrumors newbie
Aug 12, 2019
26
13
People are saying that the 13” also has overheating issues so idk if that’s the best solution. Apple tv screen mirroring is prolly not optimal for your use case, but for me I just need to use my single widescreen monitor for work purposes and don’t want this overheat and fan issue which fried my last 16” to recur. Just trying to find a solution. I’m skeptical to try clamshell mode as I feel like this would just trap the heat inside and damage the internal display overtime
You already had at 16" that got fried? Why didn't Apple replace it?
 

bill-p

macrumors 68030
Jul 23, 2011
2,929
1,589
I've been using 16" in clamshell mode forever now, and it's totally okay.

During the last heatwave that hit California, the fans did get a bit toasty, but nothing to fret about.

But see, for me, it's not the heat or fan noise that bothers me. It's the 15% loss in CPU performance that occurs when I need to stress the CPU fully. When he dGPU is consuming 20W constantly, that's 15W that could have gone into the CPU for more performance.

As an aside, I also have an eGPU and a 13" MacBook Pro. The 13" is indeed not any less noisy when it's used with an external monitor. I think it may be my monitor having a plenty high resolution (5120 x 2160), and the scaled resolution is a bit much for the 13" to handle. I can put the monitor into 2x scaling, but that makes some texts too big. The 16" actually works better with scaled resolution.
 
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mbpistop

macrumors newbie
Aug 12, 2019
26
13
As an aside, I also have an eGPU and a 13" MacBook Pro. The 13" is indeed not any less noisy when it's used with an external monitor. I think it may be my monitor having a plenty high resolution (5120 x 2160), and the scaled resolution is a bit much for the 13" to handle. I can put the monitor into 2x scaling, but that makes some texts too big. The 16" actually works better with scaled resolution.

The 2017 model 13" that I have is quiet as a mouse when connected to two external monitors. Can't say the same about my 15" that exploded, that used to be as loud as a 747.
 

macbookfan21

macrumors member
Aug 31, 2020
57
9
You already had at 16" that got fried? Why didn't Apple replace it?
They refunded it, see my earlier posts on this thread. Now I’m contemplating on whether I should just repurchase the 16 and tell myself it was just a defective piece or believe that the overheat and constant fan speeds from monitor fried the logic board and get the 13. Such a tough choice idk what to do
 

mbpistop

macrumors newbie
Aug 12, 2019
26
13
They refunded it, see my earlier posts on this thread. Now I’m contemplating on whether I should just repurchase the 16 and tell myself it was just a defective piece or believe that the overheat and constant fan speeds from monitor fried the logic board and get the 13. Such a tough choice idk what to do
Einstein defines insanity as doing the same thing repeatedly expecting different results.
 
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bill-p

macrumors 68030
Jul 23, 2011
2,929
1,589
The 2017 model 13" that I have is quiet as a mouse when connected to two external monitors. Can't say the same about my 15" that exploded, that used to be as loud as a 747.

Try a 4K monitor and run at scaled resolution like "look like 2560 x 1440", which is effectively 5120 x 2880. The 13" won't be so happy then. Mine is perfectly okay driving 2x 2560 x 1440 displays at native resolution (no scaling), but that's barely half the overall pixels of the scaled mode of the 4K display.

P.S.: for kicks, try 2x 4K displays with both at scaled 2560 x 1440 (5120 x 2880). The 13" will slow to a crawl with some full screen animations. The 16" will be fine, though.
 

Artemis777

macrumors newbie
Dec 26, 2019
28
19
They refunded it, see my earlier posts on this thread. Now I’m contemplating on whether I should just repurchase the 16 and tell myself it was just a defective piece or believe that the overheat and constant fan speeds from monitor fried the logic board and get the 13. Such a tough choice idk what to do
I'd wait for apple silicon at this point, so much better performance and temperatures, let's just hope rosetta 2 will be good for the transition time.
 
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pugxiwawa

macrumors 6502a
Nov 10, 2009
536
1,244
Just got the base model and Radeon High Side is pulling between 18-20W when connected to LG 4K 27UK850 with lid open. With lid closed it pulls only 5-7W. Thinking of upgrading to the i9/1TB/AMD 5500 model, do you guys think it will pull less power compared to 5300?
 

adgoodma

macrumors member
Apr 29, 2015
95
27
Boulder
Advice: I currently run my 2015 mpb ''15 open with a second 4k monitor. It works well but is starting to lag under heavy graphics load. I plan on running a 2020 16'' in clamshell with a 4k and a 5k monitor. Has anyone seen significant fan differences between the 5500 and the 5600 in this situation?

Thanks!
 

Artemis777

macrumors newbie
Dec 26, 2019
28
19
SO excited that people are already using the new platform and provide all the benchmarks and insights about how it operates on a daily basis with all the different scenarios in mind. Knowing the temperatures and performance in different setups / applications at this point is gold... :rolleyes:
yeah it looks to be huge and not a too painful transition, I just hope to get a decent amount of money back when I will sell my hot overpriced bugged 16" for an apple silicon macbook
 

decipherkl

macrumors member
Feb 17, 2020
66
33
Wonder why such faith in Apple silicon given that we've yet seen it's real performance. Given the way they've behaved it'll be a good idea to wait for gen2 or even gen3 of their new products. Otherwise it's just asking for a lot of pain during the transition. Likely all the software updates will be additional costs.
 
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DaveXX

macrumors regular
Jul 17, 2020
222
199
Given the way they've behaved it'll be a good idea to wait for gen2 or even gen3 of their new products.
New products? Apple Silicon is not new and is used since years in many apple products. The only new thing is that MacOS is now compatible...
And even in MacOS there is already a part of Silicon used since a few years. And most of the problems of MacOS in the last years where caused by using and x86 and ARM chip in the same computer aka T2. This is why MacOS is currently using a BridgeOS under the hood to make it possible to use 2 different architectures.
Using just arm will probably solve a lot of headaches and make MacOS much more stable on devices with T2.
 
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Minga089

macrumors regular
Jun 26, 2020
122
99
München, Bayern
Wow, I am really glad that I didn't read this thread when I had to decide whether to pick up a Base MBP 16" or a the MPB 13" 2020 (1,800$ model) because I surely would've picked the the 13" afterwards.o_O
 

dooyou

macrumors 6502
Jun 5, 2007
374
277
Munich
Wow, I am really glad that I didn't read this thread when I had to decide whether to pick up a Base MBP 16" or a the MPB 13" 2020 (1,800$ model) because I surely would've picked the the 13" afterwards.o_O

I will never understand such an argumentation. Either you need the computing power (and dGPU) of the 16" or/and the display size or not. The 13" is no alternative.
 

Minga089

macrumors regular
Jun 26, 2020
122
99
München, Bayern
I will never understand such an argumentation. Either you need the computing power (and dGPU) of the 16" or/and the display size or not. The 13" is no alternative.
When you get the 13" for 1.800 EUR and the Base 16" for 2.000 EUR you would be stupid to not go with the 16" with the bigger Display, Better Performance, thinner Bezels etc. That is more value for literally the same money since the 16" offers so much more.
 
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petterihiisila

macrumors 6502
Nov 7, 2010
404
304
Finland
Update to those who might take the Razer Core X (Chroma) route: I switched the 120 mm fan with a Noctua NF‑A12x25‑FLX and it was an easy drop-in. Ten minutes, one small X-shape screw driver. The noise level was very much OK even without it, but I changed it anyway, because ... I could ... and there was a YouTube video that showed it has an effect.

It did. Now the eGPU sound is just a whisper, with an under-the-desk mount. This particular Noctua model spins just like the old one, except that I can't hear it at all. The PSU sound is still there, but it doesn't penetrate the desk in any meaningful way. I'll leave the fan situation like it is now.

The Ethernet port on Chroma still doesn't work, no one should use that as a purchase criteria. I tried 3 different drivers, both with Big Sur and Catalina. The USB ports do work, and I guess that's nice. One less cable to connect all of the USB. I've got a USB hub behind the Razer.

Temps and wattage are low and stable. I now run TB ON and no Volta max CPU W limits, it's fine. Loud when heavily taxed, silent the rest of the time.

All 3 monitors get stellar performance, even with tons of open apps and lots going on. 27" 5k + 24" WQHD + 24" WQHD. Without the eGPU things could slow down a bit, with all 3 monitors busy. LG 5k TB3 is handled direct by the 5500M, and 2xWQHD Lenovo connected to the eGPU. So, two cables total. Opposite sides of the MBP.

I'm pretty sure I could throw a lot more at the eGPU, but no need at the moment. Using a "scaled resolution" of 4096 x 2304 --> 2048 x 1152 is not blurry on the 24" wing monitors, so no need to go 4k with them. No logical reason anyway.

I found that a native 2048 x 1152 is quite blurry, and pixel-to-pixel 2560x1440 makes things too small. A HiDPI Scaled Resolution is optimal with this combo. I used this script to make it work: https://github.com/xzhih/one-key-hidpi

I've set the "Prefer eGPU" checkbox ON for apps that might benefit from it, and many of them do. Microsoft Teams is one of those that doesn't, and I wish it did, because it's quite a hog. Maybe one day.
 
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Minga089

macrumors regular
Jun 26, 2020
122
99
München, Bayern
Update to those who might take the Razer Core X (Chroma) route: I switched the 120 mm fan with a Noctua NF‑A12x25‑FLX and it was an easy drop-in. Ten minutes, one small X-shape screw driver. The noise level was very much OK even without it, but I changed it anyway, because ... I could ... and there was a YouTube video that showed it has an effect.

It did. Now the eGPU sound is just a whisper, with an under-the-desk mount. This particular Noctua model spins just like the old one, except that I can't hear it at all. The PSU sound is still there, but it doesn't penetrate the desk in any meaningful way. I'll leave the fan situation like it is now.

The Ethernet port on Chroma still doesn't work, no one should use that as a purchase criteria. I tried 3 different drivers, both with Big Sur and Catalina. The USB ports do work, and I guess that's nice. One less cable to connect all of the USB. I've got a USB hub behind the Razer.

Temps and wattage are low and stable. I now run TB ON and no Volta max CPU W limits, it's fine. Loud when heavily taxed, silent the rest of the time.

All 3 monitors get stellar performance, even with tons of open apps and lots going on. 27" 5k + 24" WQHD + 24" WQHD. Without the eGPU things could slow down a bit, with all 3 monitors busy. LG 5k TB3 is handled direct by the 5500M, and 2xWQHD Lenovo connected to the eGPU. So, two cables total. Opposite sides of the MBP.

I'm pretty sure I could throw a lot more at the eGPU, but no need at the moment. Using a "scaled resolution" of 4096 x 2304 --> 2048 x 1152 is not blurry on the 24" wing monitors, so no need to go 4k with them. No logical reason anyway. I found that a native 2048 x 1152 is quite blurry, and pixel-to-pixel 2560x1440 makes things too small. So, a Scaled Resolution is a must with this combo.

I've set the "Prefer GPU" checkbox ON for apps that might benefit from it, and many of them do. Microsoft Teams is one of those that doesn't, and I wish it did, because it's quite a hog. Maybe one day.
I also run my 24" WQHD in 2048x1152 HiDPI. It looks really nice and definitely better than native 2560x1440 (especially the fonts look crispier).
 
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