2019 macbook pro 16: Recommendations for buying a Used MBP 16"

[Krechie]

I'm looking to purchase a used or refurbished 2019 Macbook Pro 16". Wondering if there's any serious issues with this MBP or is this a safe bet (providing I pick one up from a reputable dealer)?

Thoughts or Suggestions? Thank you!

 

[sennomulo]

I’ve had one since it came out, and I’m looking forward to upgrading when the new models drop later this year because, at least for me, the fans have been a problem on this device. Granted, I regularly push it for hours on end playing CPU-intensive games, so I have somewhat of a unique use case, but I’ve had it cleaned twice and I can still hear the fans whenever the computer is on, even if it’s completely idle or in sleep mode. From what I read the M1 model does a much better job with thermals, and I’m crossing my fingers that holds true for the M2 as well.

 

[Sterkenburg]

No major issues, it does not have a butterfly keyboard and it is a solid design.

I have to say, though, that using it next to a M1 16" (I have two MBPs b/c company issued laptop) really shows how significant the leap to the Apple Silicon was. The difference in battery and thermals is especially ridiculous.

In all honesty, with configs like the base 14" M1 Pro going on sale for $1599 it's a little difficult to recommend pre-2020 models right now unless it you need Intel for a specific reason or the price makes it an absolute bargain.

 

[Fear12]

It's a fine machine. It has decent specs. It gets hot and is loud. There are threads in this forum you can read more about it on. I use mine docked most of the time so the heat part is easier to ignore.

Like Sterkenburg said comparing to the M1 or M2 stuff is night and day. I have a direct comparison since my wife has an M1 Air. Sure, the 2019 I have with the i9 probably has more horsepower technically but her user experience is 10x better than mine. She gets all day battery, smoother interface, instant wake from sleep, no fans, etc. etc. etc.

 

[Krechie]

No major issues, it does not have a butterfly keyboard and it is a solid design.

I have to say, though, that using it next to a M1 16" (I have two MBPs b/c company issued laptop) really shows how significant the leap to the Apple Silicon was. The difference in battery and thermals is especially ridiculous.

In all honesty, with configs like the base 14" M1 Pro going on sale for $1599 it's a little difficult to recommend pre-2020 models right now unless it you need Intel for a specific reason or the price makes it an absolute bargain.

Good feedback, I'll consider this, thanks!

 

[Krechie]

I’ve had one since it came out, and I’m looking forward to upgrading when the new models drop later this year because, at least for me, the fans have been a problem on this device. Granted, I regularly push it for hours on end playing CPU-intensive games, so I have somewhat of a unique use case, but I’ve had it cleaned twice and I can still hear the fans whenever the computer is on, even if it’s completely idle or in sleep mode. From what I read the M1 model does a much better job with thermals, and I’m crossing my fingers that holds true for the M2 as well.

That's what I was wondering, I had heard some things from other people. thanks for the reply.

 

[Krechie]

It's a fine machine. It has decent specs. It gets hot and is loud. There are threads in this forum you can read more about it on. I use mine docked most of the time so the heat part is easier to ignore.

Like Sterkenburg said comparing to the M1 or M2 stuff is night and day. I have a direct comparison since my wife has an M1 Air. Sure, the 2019 I have with the i9 probably has more horsepower technically but her user experience is 10x better than mine. She gets all day battery, smoother interface, instant wake from sleep, no fans, etc. etc. etc.

good to know, I'll consider getting an M1/M2 machine - it's a matter of finances at this point.

 

[glhiii]

I have a 2019 16" MBP. It is quite a good computer, but I don't push it very much so I have no issues with heat or battery. I was thinking of upgrading to the M1, but I don't really need to, so I will wait a year or two and see what Apple comes up with. For me, the biggest advantage of the M1 would be the screen.

 

[Krechie]

I have a 2019 16" MBP. It is quite a good computer, but I don't push it very much so I have no issues with heat or battery. I was thinking of upgrading to the M1, but I don't really need to, so I will wait a year or two and see what Apple comes up with. For me, the biggest advantage of the M1 would be the screen.

Good feedback, thank you. I've also found solutions to the heat/fan issue for these macbooks.

 

[venom600]

I had one for two years before I switched to the M1 Max model. The major issue with the 16" is that it runs very hot when using the internal display and external monitors if you have the 5300 or 5500 graphics processor. The 5600 doesn't seem to have that issue, but it's rare to find because it came out late in the product cycle and was a very expensive option. Here's a link to the thread, which apparently is still regularly posted to. A link to the thread is below:

(2019) 16" is HOT & NOISY with an external monitor!

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Mine has been great - bought March 2020 when my 2014 MBP died. I only bought myself M1 Max MacBook because my wife needed my 16" MacBook to replace her aging 2015 iMac, and she needs to be able to run Mac for home and Windows apps for work.

With 32GB RAM and 2TB SSD it does everything I needed it to do. I use Turbo Boost Control app to turn off turbo boost when the battery is low or the fans go too fast, and so it's never too loud or hot for me. You can also get TG Pro or Macs Fan Control to run the fans at a fixed rpm and rarely hear them or get too hot. I have it set for low power mode on battery, and battery jumps up from 6 hours to 9 hours in low power mode (performance drops about 20%). The speakers sound great, and the screen colors are very accurate too.

When running Windows 10 in a virtual machine it runs about the speed of a i3 or i5 Windows machine, but with an incredibly fast SSD vs a PCI Gen 3 PC. I don't really game with it, as I have a gaming PC, so I can't give feedback about that.

The Passmark PC benchmarks in July 2020 were pretty decent running as a Windows virtual machine. The graphics score was about half that of a GTX 1080 though (maybe like a GTX 1050 or 1050Ti I don't know?). I planned to set up BootCamp to run it as a dual boot with a windows only mode, but never needed it do run PC apps any faster than it does and didn't bother since I can give windows 16-24GB of RAM.

I see the 32GB/2TB models going for $1600 on eBay, but if you don't need the extra RAM and storage, and that's in your budget, and Apple Silicon Mac might be a better choice.

 

[magbarn]

I’ve had one since it came out, and I’m looking forward to upgrading when the new models drop later this year because, at least for me, the fans have been a problem on this device. Granted, I regularly push it for hours on end playing CPU-intensive games, so I have somewhat of a unique use case, but I’ve had it cleaned twice and I can still hear the fans whenever the computer is on, even if it’s completely idle or in sleep mode. From what I read the M1 model does a much better job with thermals, and I’m crossing my fingers that holds true for the M2 as well.

Good luck with the gaming part. My 2019 still can play many more games than my M1Max due to boot camp.

I also have both MBP 16 machines but my Intel one stays at home due to much shorter battery life. I got the loaded standard model of my m1max MBP and the only thing I prefer on my Intel is the 2tb SSD in it and the ability to run boot camp. The m1max screen is so much better and the fans hardly ever come on.

 

[Krechie]

Mine has been great - bought March 2020 when my 2014 MBP died. I only bought myself M1 Max MacBook because my wife needed my 16" MacBook to replace her aging 2015 iMac, and she needs to be able to run Mac for home and Windows apps for work.

With 32GB RAM and 2TB SSD it does everything I needed it to do. I use Turbo Boost Control app to turn off turbo boost when the battery is low or the fans go too fast, and so it's never too loud or hot for me. You can also get TG Pro or Macs Fan Control to run the fans at a fixed rpm and rarely hear them or get too hot. I have it set for low power mode on battery, and battery jumps up from 6 hours to 9 hours in low power mode (performance drops about 20%). The speakers sound great, and the screen colors are very accurate too.

When running Windows 10 in a virtual machine it runs about the speed of a i3 or i5 Windows machine, but with an incredibly fast SSD vs a PCI Gen 3 PC. I don't really game with it, as I have a gaming PC, so I can't give feedback about that.

The Passmark PC benchmarks in July 2020 were pretty decent running as a Windows virtual machine. The graphics score was about half that of a GTX 1080 though (maybe like a GTX 1050 or 1050Ti I don't know?). I planned to set up BootCamp to run it as a dual boot with a windows only mode, but never needed it do run PC apps any faster than it does and didn't bother since I can give windows 16-24GB of RAM.

I see the 32GB/2TB models going for $1600 on eBay, but if you don't need the extra RAM and storage, and that's in your budget, and Apple Silicon Mac might be a better choice.

View attachment 2085979

Wow, this is super useful info! thanks for passing this on! I was just wondering how to deal with the Fan noise, and this covers it. I like the form factor of the 2019 MBP 16" more than the M1 (less bulky), and the most intense thing I'll be doing is some light video editing on DaVinci Resolve. thanks again!

 

[Krechie]

Good luck with the gaming part. My 2019 still can play many more games than my M1Max due to boot camp.

I also have both MBP 16 machines but my Intel one stays at home due to much shorter battery life. I got the loaded standard model of my m1max MBP and the only thing I prefer on my Intel is the 2tb SSD in it and the ability to run boot camp. The m1max screen is so much better and the fans hardly ever come on.

Really? the screen is better? I'm gonna take a look: not so much for Gaming for me but video Editing. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[CalMin]

I really liked mine, but Apple Silicon is a huge leap forward.

As for buying used, I think they were pretty reliable. They had scissor switch keyboards which don't break. They do run hot, so I was always worried about lifespan, but I don't hear of any premature failures.

The only issue that I had with mine was docking and undocking from a Caldigit TS3+. I would get weekly kernel panics by doing this which caused me to lose time or work, or both. I could never understand why, but I think it was to do with switching from integrated to discrete graphics. It didn't seem to affect others, but that's one of the reasons I traded up to Apple Silicon when I did. Otherwise it was a terrific MacBook - if a little porkier than the 15" that came before it.

Fan noise is a relative thing. You could hear it, but it was hardly distracting. It is noisier than other MacBooks but really, it's not a big deal vs just about any Windows laptop.

 

[venom600]

Really? the screen is better? I'm gonna take a look: not so much for Gaming for me but video Editing. Thanks for the feedback.

The screen is the biggest difference you'll notice immediately. It's a full HDR MiniLED screen with more local dimming zones than a flagship 75" TV. It gets eye searingly bright when you watch HDR content on it and it has near perfect blacks with very little blooming. It's so good, in fact, that it makes 99% of monitors you'd connect to it look terrible, Apple's own included. You have to get into OLED or MiniLED monitors that cost as much as the computer to match it's performance.

 

[magbarn]

Really? the screen is better? I'm gonna take a look: not so much for Gaming for me but video Editing. Thanks for the feedback.

It blows away my work provided screens so much that I use my mbp 16 screen over my work provided 24” monitor.

 

[davidmx]

i am too looking into buying a used/refurbished MacBook Pro 16" 2019 too, as it seems like a pretty good deal (like less than 1000usd). but would it be really that convenient now in the middle of apple silicon transition?

i would buy a MB 16/2019 mostly for photo and video editing, i know it's a big difference with M1 but i am not looking for specs right now. i'm only concerned about the imminent lack of major OS updates, and probably reselling price, in case i'd want to upgrade to a newer M-chip macbook.

 

[moldy lunchbox]

i am too looking into buying a used/refurbished MacBook Pro 16" 2019 too, as it seems like a pretty good deal (like less than 1000usd). but would it be really that convenient now in the middle of apple silicon transition?

i would buy a MB 16/2019 mostly for photo and video editing, i know it's a big difference with M1 but i am not looking for specs right now. i'm only concerned about the imminent lack of major OS updates, and probably reselling price, in case i'd want to upgrade to a newer M-chip macbook.

Get an M1.

 

[davidmx]

Get an M1

oh, i definitely would if it wasn't for finances,,

 

[rovostrov]

I'm looking to purchase a used or refurbished 2019 Macbook Pro 16". Wondering if there's any serious issues with this MBP or is this a safe bet (providing I pick one up from a reputable dealer)?

Thoughts or Suggestions? Thank you!

I bought a 2019 a few weeks ago and like it. I didn't like the fact that it lacked ports or magsafe but I found a magnetic adapter on Amazon and it works fine. The lack of ports hasn't been an issue. The 2019 seems like a solid build and has a great keyboard. So far I've had no issues or complaints.
Great deals can be had for the 2019's now that the M1's have replaced them, and many are being resold that still have Applecare

 

[moldy lunchbox]

oh, i definitely would if it wasn't for finances,,

I'm not sure how much storage you're looking for, but Walmart has the M1 MacBook Air 256GB for $749. Probably a few other Black Friday weekend deals left. Just having to never deal with fan noise/heat is reason enough for me to pick an M1 Air over any Intel Macs, let alone the performance jump.

 

[davidmx]

I'm not sure how much storage you're looking for, but Walmart has the M1 MacBook Air 256GB for $749. Probably a few other Black Friday weekend deals left. Just having to never deal with fan noise/heat is reason enough for me to pick an M1 Air over any Intel Macs, let alone the performance jump.

I'm looking for 512gb minimum, that's the size I'll be updating my older (and current main) MacBook air, and i also would like a bigger screen. I'm reading about heat/fan noise issues in this thread, but they don't seem to be such dealbreakers for me atm 🤔 after all i'm not looking for top specs in this economy... but i'd ideally keep this new machine for about 2 years before i make the big upgrade with all the dream specs i want.

 

[venom600]

I'm looking for 512gb minimum, that's the size I'll be updating my older (and current main) MacBook air, and i also would like a bigger screen. I'm reading about heat/fan noise issues in this thread, but they don't seem to be such dealbreakers for me atm 🤔 after all i'm not looking for top specs in this economy... but i'd ideally keep this new machine for about 2 years before i make the big upgrade with all the dream specs i want.

If you plan to upgrade in the next two years, you want a big screen, and you won't be hooking this up to external monitors, you can't go wrong with a 16".