Not only. If the lid is open you definitely get high power draw. Some monitors also cause that in clamshell. Some don't.
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(2019) 16" is HOT & NOISY with an external monitor! :(
- Thread starter Appledoesnotlisten
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Not only. If the lid is open you definitely get high power draw. Some monitors also cause that in clamshell. Some don't.
What sort of monitor connection do users have? I am using USB C (TB3) and there's no fan noise, no lag, no issues at all unless I'm running several video files or finalizing a FCP X movie and on occasion if Parallels is doing something in Windows that's too intense.
Can you confirm the dGPU wattage with Stats / iStats? Are you using the internal display of the Macbook as well?
I'm using a 144hz LG display at 1440p through HDMI. While my mid-2017 MBP with 560X doesn't get hot (fanny shows 58-60c), it spins the fans enough to make them audible, not a lot, but it's definately not silent. It doesn't do that while running only the internal screen.
As soon as HDMI is plugged in, gfxCardstatus notifies me that the computer switched to dedicated card.
As soon as HDMI is plugged in, gfxCardstatus notifies me that the computer switched to dedicated card.
5500m and I downloaded stats. Doesn't even look like the AMD GPU is doing anything 0C the Intel is 62C
Running parallels and safari and Chrome, Word and Acrobat
I turned on 8 QT videos and the temp in the Intel rose and the % on the AMD rose and the fans started blowing after about a minute.
Shutoff QT and the Intel GPU temp dropped and the fans are slowing but still running a bit. Videos were running on both internal and external Dell 4K display.
Also ran Company of Heroes 2 MacOS port and it cranked up the fans to full speed but they went back down once I quit the game. At no point did the AMD GPU show a temp (just % usage) so I don't think that's working for me.
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Seriously? You have connected 3 external 4K monitors and Radeon High Side is only 6-8W? How is that possible? What is your temperature at idle?
With lid closed that's very possible.
I got an Ultrawide + 1080p and with the lid closed, I'm around 5.
Cheese, I like those battery temps of yours
Mine were 33-35, down now to 27-28 with custom SwitchResX resolution and a cooling pad
no wonder battery capacity dropped 5% in just over a month...
(base spec MBP 16 lid closed)
Battery capacity probably dropped because of the battery health management feature in macOS...
If you disable it design capacity will probably rise again...
Yeah, but we are talking about 3 4K monitors and a lot of pixels. If that’s true it makes the 18W with lid open + external monitor even worse.
Got my 2016 MBP 15 Touch Bar back, with a new battery and top casing including keyboard. Since it is out of 3 year Apple care, paid $240 for part plus labor. Not a bad deal. It was indeed a dead battery.
I have 2 set of monitor connected with same MBP 16" i9 5500M 8GB
1st set:
TWO of dell p2415q 4k. Connected via usb-c to display port. Radeon always draw power 20-22W whether open or close lid.
2nd set (just bought)
THREE of dell u2720q 4k. Connected via supplied cable usb-c to usb-c (DP alt mode -- I guess)
When close lid draw less than 10W and 20-22W when open lid.
I just connected my 16" (5500m 4gb, i9 2,3 16GB) to an external monitor for the first time. I'm using an Apple USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter and an HDMI cable to connect it to my ASUS ROG PG279Q (1440p 144hz 27") gaming monitor. I knew about these issues plaguing the MBP 16", but I went in optimistically. I started tracking my fan rpm, temps and wattage using iStat Menus.
Using both internal and external display:
I noticed for the first 10-15 minutes the fans kick in, very subtly and quiet, at 2000 rpm. At this rpm it's perfectly bearable. Then after another 10 minutes or so the part between the aluminium part between the Touch Bar and the 16" monitor started to feel quite hot to the touch, and remains so for as long as I am using the second display.
All my CPU cores are at around 60 C, fans between 2700 - 3300 RPM (a bit more pronounced and quite noticeable) and Radeon High Side is always between 18-20W
I used in clamshell for a bit, but didn't notice the Radeon High Side wattage go lower.
I haven't tried any fixes or things like turning of turbo boost of the CPU.
I intend to use the 16" display and external display, and if I have to live with the fan noise, I am totally okay with it, my only concern is the longevity of the parts. Is it ok, or consider normal usage having the aluminium part above the Touch Bar always so hot to the touch? Should I expect a shorter lifespan of the GPU or battery?
I've always kept an eye on this thread even before biting the bullet and buying my 16", and except this, I have not had any single issues with it. I also read a lot of replies here with multiple fixes/workarounds. Are there any that I should try?
LE: Also forgot to mention I'm running on Big Sur 11.0.1 Beta
Using both internal and external display:
I noticed for the first 10-15 minutes the fans kick in, very subtly and quiet, at 2000 rpm. At this rpm it's perfectly bearable. Then after another 10 minutes or so the part between the aluminium part between the Touch Bar and the 16" monitor started to feel quite hot to the touch, and remains so for as long as I am using the second display.
All my CPU cores are at around 60 C, fans between 2700 - 3300 RPM (a bit more pronounced and quite noticeable) and Radeon High Side is always between 18-20W
I used in clamshell for a bit, but didn't notice the Radeon High Side wattage go lower.
I haven't tried any fixes or things like turning of turbo boost of the CPU.
I intend to use the 16" display and external display, and if I have to live with the fan noise, I am totally okay with it, my only concern is the longevity of the parts. Is it ok, or consider normal usage having the aluminium part above the Touch Bar always so hot to the touch? Should I expect a shorter lifespan of the GPU or battery?
I've always kept an eye on this thread even before biting the bullet and buying my 16", and except this, I have not had any single issues with it. I also read a lot of replies here with multiple fixes/workarounds. Are there any that I should try?
LE: Also forgot to mention I'm running on Big Sur 11.0.1 Beta
Do yourself a favor and get a refund if you still can, and wait for the 16” refresh which is coming on December (still intel tho)
I got it in July, I'm way past that return date. Also except this, I don't have any reason to return it. It has served me well so far. I'm probably gonna sell it when the 2nd gen Apple Sillicon 16'' MacBooks show up.
Would you still feel this way if the 2019 16" was purchased for $1500 (refurbed)?
That's the dilemma I face currently. Hard to ignore the value at that price point... but at the same time that's still a lot of money to spend on a lemon that'll be a generation old in two weeks.
I don't need the dGPU at all... that's the thing. The upcoming ARM model will likely still be < the price I paid for this 16", and better in probably all other aspects aside from the speakers and screen real estate... which I absolutely adore.
My return window ends a week from now, a week before the ARM event. What an awful situation to be in!
If your plan is to use it with an external monitor with lid open and for pro stuff then it will be wasted money even at 500 imo, but if this is not your use case and you prefer clamshell or just the laptop display then it might be a good deal, the laptop overall is great, let’s see how out gpus will be in 1 or 2 years
That depends. Shorter compared to what? And shorter by how much?
If the worry is "it won't last 10 years now, only 8", then I think the expectation might have some merit. But if you worry "it won't last 4 years because of this" ... then I think it's an undue overreaction. And here's why:
The parts outside do get warmer, even hot to touch due to the extra 20 W consumption. But remember that the fans are working and the necessary internal cooling is ongoing. It's always quite hot inside a laptop, the fans react to that. As long as the internal parts get the amount cooling they require, the computer is operating within its designed limits and shouldn't wear out any faster than what we can normally expect from Macs.
Another way to put it: If there's headroom for the fans, they aren't running at 100%, and 100% of the time, it means that the computer is operating within its designed performance envelope and it could still handle more. The outside temp is mostly irrelevant from longevity perspective, and the GPU/battery temps are kept in check by the fans.
Note that the battery is a consumable anyway. It will degrade over time, no matter what you do. If you don't waste money on an eGPU now, that's enough money saved to replace the battery twice in an authorized repair shop. So, as an "insurance policy", an eGPU or 5600M would be a waste of money in my opinion. I went the eGPU route, but that was primarily for convenience, not longevity.
To summarize: if you are otherwise OK with the performance, then there's no reason to worry or change anything just because it's a bit hot to touch.
You make a very fair point. And, it is worth noting, we have not seen reports of 5500M models nuking. And I am probably overly-paranoid on this topic and so I'll get too caught up on things as a result.
That said, with my displays, the internal temps of my 5500M MacBook Pro 16 were a good bit higher at idle than my 5600M MacBook Pro 16, and this happened while the fans on the 5500M model were above idle but the 5600M fans were idle. This difference became more amplified under load. Does that have a longevity implication? Like you said, these systems are built for heat, and designed to operate within a certain envelope. However, I've been surprised by how pronounced the difference is, and unable to definitively answer the question regarding the implication, this in part (combined with less fan noise, better performance, and better battery life on the dGPU) made me favor the 5600M.
This is my 5600M model with light usage, using one QHD display, one 4K display @ 60 Hz scaled, with the lid open, a Thunderbolt dock, and a hand full of hard drives--all four TB3 ports utilized. As you can see, the fans are at idle levels, and the temps are warm but not wild. The 5600M is eating about 8 watts. The GPU wattage saved, and what I've observed to be the 5600M's seeming ability to more rapidly cool itself (presumably due to the smaller footprint or maybe just my individual models?) makes what I consider to be a big difference, and has left me much happier with the system. My 5500M model would have been hotter and with the fans well-above idle.
Now it is worth noting that while my 5500M model would be hotter and panting, it would NOT have reduced performance at that usage level. I only experienced that under higher CPU loads.
(Side note - you will notice the QHD Dell is 59.88 Hz. This display at 59.88 Hz will trigger the 20 watt draw on the 5500 in both clamshell as well as with the lid open. Interestingly, the 4K Dell is the higher resolution 4K brother in the same product line, and by default runs at exactly 60 Hz. In clamshell mode on the 5500, supposedly this 4K display will NOT trigger the 20 watt draw, further supporting some of the findings that refresh rate has some impact on this. For those looking for 4K displays that play nice with the 5500/5300 in clamshell mode, the U2720Q might play nice with their systems?)
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