Hi, I've had mine since Dec '19. Base configuration pros and cons really. Been using macs for over 20 years and spent a lot on machines. This machine and Catalina has been up and down, if I could downgrade to Mojave i would have but that's not possible. Currently on 10.15.3, when I first updated kernel panics all over the shop until I installed the combo updater, none since. I use mine for music production and it's a beast for that tbh. (Logic, Pro Tools, Live) I use turbo boost switcher pro which gets some extra batt life. Main gripes are battery is poor when using intensive apps, turbo boost has helped, battery currently 95% capacity after 44 cycles not impressed. Yes the fans can go crazy at times when pushed but I can live with that, normally a very quiet machine. The speaker issue is just a joke which hopefully they can sort. I use an external audio interface but the issue is there when using the internal card. I've been close to selling it at times and then think get a grip. I'm hoping that Catalina is the beta for the forthcoming OS, majority of issues are software related except the battery issue. (or it might be) When High Sierra and Mojave first came both were poor, but they got there in the end. They might surprise us all with Catalina in the end, or not. Is it worth a punt? Apart from the speaker issue and the battery, it's a great machne. I may have just been unlucky, it also really depends on your needs.
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Aren't there many owners of MBP 16" that haven't experienced any issues?
- Thread starter talhak
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And, I really hope the best for those who experience issues.
Your workflow and intended use may or may not show you some of these issues. For me, as a Logic Pro user, I was disappointed with how the machine forces the use of the dedicated radeon graphics card while Logic is running. When the dGPU is in use, the computer definitely runs hot, and the CPU is less stable. When running on integrated graphics, it runs smooth as butter. The solution for me was to run a terminal script to disable the dGPU. Now the CPU runs at a consistent 3.5-4 ghz, and it stays nice and cool, and the fans never go over 2k rpm. This is much better than crippling the CPU by disabling turboboost.
Not a solution if you bought the computer for graphics intensive use, or if you are plugging into an external monitor. So it's a work around and it doesn't cover all scenarios.
I wanted to run in clamshell with an external some of the time, and I'm disappointed that if I want to do that, I'm still going to be running the computer up to 99 degrees celsius with the fans blaring at 4-5k rpm. So I guess I won't be using an external monitor.
I almost wish I had waited for the next 13/14" with integrated graphics, because of the way this machine is performing with the radeon card. It's not worth it trying to cram all that graphics performance into a laptop if it means it runs like garbage. If there were an option to bypass the radeon while running an external monitor, I'd be happy. Since that is impossible, I'm hoping there is an update to the Radeon drivers coming that will fix this problem...
Also I think some people say there is no problem, but they just don't care or notice. They will say things like "of course it's running hot, look how powerful it is". To those people, I say, good for you, ignorance is bliss. Hopefully the increased heat does not lead to faster degraded components for you. But now that I've seen how much more stable my computer is without the use of the Radeon graphics card, I can't unsee it. It's not only about heat. Its about the difference between a CPU speed jumping all over the place to make sure the graphics card gets all the power it can suck, and a CPU running smoothly and consistently at over 1ghz higher than the base clock speed. For DAW use like Logic Pro, stable CPU speed is very important. For an i9 running very basic Logic projects with only a few tracks, I was getting way too many system overload errors with the GPU running.
Not a solution if you bought the computer for graphics intensive use, or if you are plugging into an external monitor. So it's a work around and it doesn't cover all scenarios.
I wanted to run in clamshell with an external some of the time, and I'm disappointed that if I want to do that, I'm still going to be running the computer up to 99 degrees celsius with the fans blaring at 4-5k rpm. So I guess I won't be using an external monitor.
I almost wish I had waited for the next 13/14" with integrated graphics, because of the way this machine is performing with the radeon card. It's not worth it trying to cram all that graphics performance into a laptop if it means it runs like garbage. If there were an option to bypass the radeon while running an external monitor, I'd be happy. Since that is impossible, I'm hoping there is an update to the Radeon drivers coming that will fix this problem...
Also I think some people say there is no problem, but they just don't care or notice. They will say things like "of course it's running hot, look how powerful it is". To those people, I say, good for you, ignorance is bliss. Hopefully the increased heat does not lead to faster degraded components for you. But now that I've seen how much more stable my computer is without the use of the Radeon graphics card, I can't unsee it. It's not only about heat. Its about the difference between a CPU speed jumping all over the place to make sure the graphics card gets all the power it can suck, and a CPU running smoothly and consistently at over 1ghz higher than the base clock speed. For DAW use like Logic Pro, stable CPU speed is very important. For an i9 running very basic Logic projects with only a few tracks, I was getting way too many system overload errors with the GPU running.
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I have one of the custom configured 16" models with the Core i9 CPU and 8GB of VRAM w/32GB of RAM and 2TB SSD.
I can't say I've experienced any major issues with mine, although I've always configured it to use the dedicated GPU all the time instead of switching back and forth between it and integrated video. (I've never had the smoothest or best results with the video switching, even on much older Mac laptops that supported it. I figure if I spent all the money for the upgraded GPU to be in there, I may as well just configure the machine to use it all the time! I can always turn that back off if I encounter a situation where battery life is my biggest concern.)
I ran that GeekBench 5 test that people said to run to see if it would create a kernel panic when doing the video tests, but mine passed without crashing. If there's really a hardware issue with the GPU, it's probably like some of the old nVidia GPU problems where over time, heat caused them to come desoldered and start acting up. So I'm a bit concerned about that possibility -- but can't say I'm experiencing problems right now.
I set up Windows 10 Pro in Boot Camp on it too, and that ran poorly until I did a bunch of optimizations. Using one of the YouTube videos out there as a guide, I tweaked it with custom video drivers and other utilities to control fan speeds, etc. and now it runs 3D games pretty well in that environment.
I can't say I've experienced any major issues with mine, although I've always configured it to use the dedicated GPU all the time instead of switching back and forth between it and integrated video. (I've never had the smoothest or best results with the video switching, even on much older Mac laptops that supported it. I figure if I spent all the money for the upgraded GPU to be in there, I may as well just configure the machine to use it all the time! I can always turn that back off if I encounter a situation where battery life is my biggest concern.)
I ran that GeekBench 5 test that people said to run to see if it would create a kernel panic when doing the video tests, but mine passed without crashing. If there's really a hardware issue with the GPU, it's probably like some of the old nVidia GPU problems where over time, heat caused them to come desoldered and start acting up. So I'm a bit concerned about that possibility -- but can't say I'm experiencing problems right now.
I set up Windows 10 Pro in Boot Camp on it too, and that ran poorly until I did a bunch of optimizations. Using one of the YouTube videos out there as a guide, I tweaked it with custom video drivers and other utilities to control fan speeds, etc. and now it runs 3D games pretty well in that environment.
i've had a weird issue, the USB C charging cable that came with the laptop didn't work, i bought a new one (2m) also didn't work. anyone faced this issue before? luckily i had an amazon USB - C to USB - C cable that is helping me charge the laptop. anyone faced this before?
I’ve had mine for about a month and haven’t had any trouble. My 2019 16” replaces a 2017 15” that was a replacement for a like model with a Thunderbolt 3 issue, then repaired due to a keyboard failure.
I’m happy-but wary.
I’m happy-but wary.
Like most reviews in life, people who are happy don't go around posting reviews and saying they are happy. People who have an issue will sometimes go to great length to make sure everyone knows they have an issue, post to get rid of some frustration, or legitimately hope to let people know about something they encountered. So more often than not you are going to read about all the issues. It's human nature. When someone posts an issue that turns into a 40 page thread of posts....that's a major issue. When you have a post and 3 replies saying I have the same thing...that's a nuisance.
I have a MBP 16. I love it. Quite a bit. Never had an issue. Don't have an axe to grind.
The legit issue I see is the running out with open clamshell and external monitor. That seems to be a major nuisance issue but it runs, just loud and hot. Close the clamshell if possible.
Lots of happy MBP16 owners.....most are just not posting...if nothing else, do you really want to go to a forum and read about all happy experiences? It does not work on the evening news...bad news sells.
I have a MBP 16. I love it. Quite a bit. Never had an issue. Don't have an axe to grind.
The legit issue I see is the running out with open clamshell and external monitor. That seems to be a major nuisance issue but it runs, just loud and hot. Close the clamshell if possible.
Lots of happy MBP16 owners.....most are just not posting...if nothing else, do you really want to go to a forum and read about all happy experiences? It does not work on the evening news...bad news sells.
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> Aren't there many owners of MBP 16" that haven't experienced any issues?
Could this be Selection Bias? I mean, this forum is for people with issues.
I have experienced no issues with my new 16" MBP base model. 2 days old.
The interface (screen, keyboard, trackpad and speakers) - is very fine. Stable. Zippy. A pleasure.
Again, I have the base model and no heat issues.
If you add the faster CPU, more RAM and bigger SSD, - of course it will get hotter.
Push 4 monitors, while editing video, and grinding bitcoins - of course it will get hotter.
Keeping it hot for a very long time is not a great idea.
Some programs are known to really gun both GPUs, like Chrome, Adobe, Photos, Quicktime, etc. I simply avoid them.
Could this be Selection Bias? I mean, this forum is for people with issues.
I have experienced no issues with my new 16" MBP base model. 2 days old.
The interface (screen, keyboard, trackpad and speakers) - is very fine. Stable. Zippy. A pleasure.
Again, I have the base model and no heat issues.
If you add the faster CPU, more RAM and bigger SSD, - of course it will get hotter.
Push 4 monitors, while editing video, and grinding bitcoins - of course it will get hotter.
Keeping it hot for a very long time is not a great idea.
Some programs are known to really gun both GPUs, like Chrome, Adobe, Photos, Quicktime, etc. I simply avoid them.
I was very reluctant to buy a 16" after reading about all the issues here. But a week ago I noticed a swelling battery in my MacBook Pro 15" from 2017, which performed exceptionally well for my without keyboard or other issues so far. Knowing that fixing the battery will take weeks where I live, I ordered a 15" (i7, 32GB RAM, 2TB SSD, 8GB graphics card) that was on stock locally. I have this new MacBook for 2 days only, but I already love it. Super keyboard, screen, speakers, and no issues as far as I can tell. The fans were only noticeable in BootCamp Windows which I only use through Parallels for MS Office, as I need Mathtype (formula editor), which now longer works in Catalina.
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Just got mine yesterday. With the exception of a bad MacOS build that it came with and I had to immediately update, it's been great. No issues.