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Aren't there many owners of MBP 16" that haven't experienced any issues?

T

talhak

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 16, 2020
16
3
I read many comments regarding the issues of MBP 16" such as Kernel panic, stuttering desktop animations which really made me think about my potential buy of MBP 16" when it is refreshed. Aren't there many owners of MBP 16" that haven't experienced any issues, completely happy with it?

Thanks in advance for your feedback.
 
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Depends on what you mean by issues. Some things are just inherent to the hardware, such as a brief stutter when the system switches GPUs, or even a little bit of laggy scrolling in a terribly optimized app such as Apple News while on the integrated GPU. The kernel panic problem is also basically universal in the right conditions, it's a software issue and all Macs run the same OS.

That being said, I think my machine is great. Fast, powerful, quiet, the screen is nice, battery life is good, the keyboard is a goddamn godsend compared to the butterfly switches. I'm very happy with it. But listen, every system will have problems, you just can't let perfect be the enemy of good.
 
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If the kernel-panic is a software issue, why I don't experience it on my 13" MBP? A premium device should handle the switch more smoothly I think, at least this is what I haven't experienced while using premium Windows devices. I don't experience any issues with my MBP 13"; so I think it is very natural to not expect them on a top-line model.
 
talhak said:
If the kernel-panic is a software issue, why I don't experience it on my 13" MBP? A premium device should handle the switch more smoothly I think, at least this is what I haven't experienced while using premium Windows devices. I don't experience any issues with my MBP 13"; so I think it is very natural to not expect them on a top-line model.
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I mean you know the obvious answer to this right? The 16" is a different computer. It's running different hardware, it has different drivers, and different power management systems, which seem to be the source of the problem.

As far as the dynamic graphics switching, perhaps it will improve over time, but just because it doesn't happen on Windows doesn't mean.. really anything. The question is how MacOS handles the transition, and right now, there is a tiny delay.

If these things are deal breakers for you, don't buy the computer. Don't expect some to just magically "not have it." You can though expect updates over time to improve the issues.
 
No issues...On the other hand, I've preemptively set up mine to do stuff like not use turboboost unless I'm doing demanding tasks...So, not only are there no issues, but the fans rarely kick on during normal usage. I love it!
 
My only big issue was transferring directories from my old Mac to the new one, the process sometimes crashed. That's of course only software.
Another small issue was the display having a red tint color, happened a couple of times and I was able to solve by switching TrueTone off and on in settings. I didn't notice it the last few days, and never happened on the external display. Since I solved by switching TrueTone I guess it was some kind of software bug while reading light from the sensor.
I'm really happy as far as hardware is concerned. Keyboard is great, was happy with the butterfly but I also like this one, and hopefully there are no more reliability problems.
Speakers are awesome, I usually listen to music with headphones, but those are better than the ones on my 2016 MBP, I could actually enjoy music on the speakers but in my home office I use the Mac in clamshell mode so it is not an option.
 
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Once in a while there's a thread about people happy with their machines. Here are a few from after a few months when potential problems had emerged.

forums.macrumors.com

i9 MBP16 owners, are you happy so far?

I’m seriously considering this bad boy. Final stage of the decision process, what can you guys tell me about it?
forums.macrumors.com forums.macrumors.com


forums.macrumors.com

MacBook Pro 16" is excellent

Since forever, I have dreamed of a notebook that could work as an all in one, super-computing device. One that was slim and light enough, I could lug everywhere, have great battery life, a huge screen, an amazing keyboard, while offering great performance so it can serve as both mobile work...
forums.macrumors.com forums.macrumors.com


forums.macrumors.com

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my MacBook Pro 16

I have always loved MacBook Pros but this one is simply amazing. Instant start up when opening lid, brilliant fingerprint, even the Touch Bar I love! Just saying I LOVE it!! I have a 2019 Mac Pro and the XDR nano screen as well plus lots of other goodies but the MacBook Pro 16 is up there with...
forums.macrumors.com forums.macrumors.com
 
talhak said:
I read many comments regarding the issues of MBP 16" such as Kernel panic, stuttering desktop animations which really made me think about my potential buy of MBP 16" when it is refreshed. Aren't there many owners of MBP 16" that haven't experienced any issues, completely happy with it?

Thanks in advance for your feedback.
Click to expand...
absolutely. And contrary to popular belief here they likely outnumber thane that don't based on the fact most buyers aren't here posting
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talhak said:
If the kernel-panic is a software issue, why I don't experience it on my 13" MBP? A premium device should handle the switch more smoothly I think, at least this is what I haven't experienced while using premium Windows devices. I don't experience any issues with my MBP 13"; so I think it is very natural to not expect them on a top-line model.
Click to expand...

Kernel Panics have been along a heck of a lot longer than this 16" model. I have yet to experience one either on my loaded 2013 rMBP or my current loaded 2019 16" MBP.
As for your question no one can answer it as no one can absolutely define the cause.
 
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Had it for bout a week now. I'm still in the process of transferring everything over, but it has given me no issue thus far. Perhaps some stutter here and there with apps that I knew were problematic like Autodesk Fusion 360. It stuttered on a trash can Mac Pro with 12 cores and 64GB of RAM as well so I was under no illusion that the 16" MacBook Pro would do much better. I think some are forgetting that the 16" is still a portable computer after all.

Also no issue with two external displays we have at home. I have a LG 34" 5K2K in the office that is just a single-cable solution. Then we have a LG 43" 4K monitor in the kitchen that is also a single-cable solution with the 16" MacBook. Honestly, it's been nothing but convenient. Being able to charge the MacBook with 60W chargers in a pinch is also a Godsend.
 
Got mine April 14 and so far no annoying/major issues. Sometimes after sleeping the auto dimming keeps the screen darker until I change it, after that it works as should or just restart it. Very happy so far, quiet, fast and the keyboard is nice.
 
For the most part fine, other than the slightly too constrained thermal envelope still ( running with dGPU + relatively cpu heavy task, cpu will eventually be throttled down to ~1.8-2.0ghz ).

And the abysmal thermal management under bootcamp.

But zero kernel panics and such so far, though admittedly, laptop is rarely in deep sleep long enough that these might trigger.. so who knows.
 
So far so good with the 16" since the week it came out.

Only issue so far that I have is the ghosting on the screen when gaming, but I quickly fixed the issue by connecting it to a 1080p external monitor whenever I wanna game on my holiday house.
 
Just received my mbp 16"😳 and saw that the fans and heat issue started when I booted it up. after doing the updates and smc resets, the hinge area is still hot to the touch and fan is at 1700 rpm and temp is at 65c using the TGpro. I only have safari open. Its my first new mbp after 7 years on the mbp 2013.
 
jerryk said:
Mine has been problem free.
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I am leaving mine untouched for few hours as all the updates and software installs are done and then will check on it.
But I like it so far esp the Touch Bar since I've never used one and also the screen is nice and immersive.
 
I bought my 16" 2.3ghz i9 1TB model a week ago tonight and didn't update the OS because of the trouble I heard people were having. Then I watched a video and had the disappearing cursor problem so I updated to the latest over the weekend. I had a kernel panic today, not sure if it was before or after I watched the Peru video mentioned in another thread.
 
cpnotebook80 said:
Just received my mbp 16"😳 and saw that the fans and heat issue started when I booted it up. after doing the updates and smc resets, the hinge area is still hot to the touch and fan is at 1700 rpm and temp is at 65c using the TGpro. I only have safari open. Its my first new mbp after 7 years on the mbp 2013.
Click to expand...

When you setup a new lappie it can be doing stuff like reindexing spotlight and some labor intensive stuff with Photos I would give it a couple of days before worrying.
 
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