Does Macbook pro 13" 2020 i7 32GB get very hot and has thermal issues?

[hejel52914]

Hello,
I am a software dev and own a 2015 dual core 13" macbook pro. It has slowed down considerably and since I depend on it for my work (approx. 10hrs daily) I have to get a new laptop. My choices are below:

a] 13" 2020 i7 32GB (price 2747 Euro on Apple website)
b] 16" 2019 i7 32GB (price 3075 Euro on Apple website)

I personally like the 13" form factor as it is very portable but for 300 Euro eextra (which is not a small amount as I can get an external monitor and a keyboard for that price) I can get 16" macbook which has 2 extra cores, a dedicated GPU, better thermals and faster SSD speed but 16" feels way too big and is not portable as I travel a lot and will need a special bag to fit in 16" laptop.

Now I have read on this forum (and on reddit) that 13" 2020 i7 has heating issues and it gets very hot (and loud fans) even for simple tasks and has poor thermals. People on this forum who have this laptop, can you please confirm how has your experience with 13" 2020 i7 been, does it get very hot, how is the performance, is it a good laptop especially for software developers and as I also want to connect it with external display (for coding) does it have any problems there especially with heat? My preference is to stick with 13" so asking. Also, my use case 2/3 IDE's open, dozens of chrome tabs and browser instances, firefox and safari, Docker/Kubernetes running locally, bunch of processes running locally, Netflix, Youtube, Microsoft teams, video calls and screen recording for longer time.

For 2019 16" i7 I have read that when connected to an external monitor it does get very hot if the lid of laptop is open and both external display and laptop screens are used simultaneously (due to more watts being drawn by GPU). Because of this the 16" gets very hot and this is attributed to a hardware issue (which Apple has been quiet on). Also some users have mentioned eye strain due to PWM on 16" which is not there on 13". I don't want to blow up 3100 Euro on a laptop and live with its hardware limitations especially when I plan to use an external monitor with it for coding. Also I feel it is not portable as my 13" when I am on the go.

That leaves me with 13" 2020 i7. Is it still a good laptop performance and thermals wise (I don't want to get an i5 even if the performance difference is 6-8%) especially for software development and decently intense work? I want to use this laptop for atleast 5 years.

Also, out of curiosity is Apple still planning on releasing intel macbook for 2021 (Alongside their m1 or m1x variant) or we will never see an x86 mac again in the next two years of transition?

NOTE: Before anyone says m1 mac I need Docker support (virtualisation support) and software compatibility so I don't want to be a beta tester for ARM based m1 and instead want a reliable laptop which will run any software that I depend on. Also please check

as the docker preview released for m1 mac is not capable of running x86 images (which most images are as of now) and instead only can work with ARM based images. Long story short it still has a lot of limitations and I can't depend on it for my main work especially virtualisation (and who knows what other software limitations I will discover on the go so I will wait for atleast two years)

 

[mdgm]

Have you tried backing up your data and doing a clean install of Mac OS?

Especially if you are running Big Sur, a clean install (not restoring from TM backup) can help significantly with performance.

You may also wish to run Diagnostics by holding D on boot.

If the internal storage in your 2015 MBP is wearing out you can put a 3rd party SSD in (there's a long thread on that)


If you need to use x86 Macs the new Macs will be good for years to come.

It's possible Apple might release one more new 16" Intel MBP but that may/may not happen.

I doubt they will release a new 13" Intel MBP ever again.

You can use Turbo Boost Switcher to turn off Turbo Boost when you don't need it.

You can also use apps like MacsFanControl to increase the fan speed if you would like to make it run cooler.

 

[hejel52914]

But does 13" 2020 i7 (10 gen) has issues with thermals? Atleast I know 16" 2019 has thermal issues when connected to external monitor and its laptop lid open.

 

[antipodean]

But does 13" 2020 i7 (10 gen) has issues with thermals? Atleast I know 16" 2019 has thermal issues when connected to external monitor and its laptop lid open.

I have had the 13" 2020 (10th gen, i7, 32GB, 1TB) since June. The majority of my use has is "docked" sitting screen open on a rain mStand plugged into a CalDigit TS3+ and a Black Magic 580-based eGPU, which in turn drives a Dell 4k display (U3219Q) in "looks like 2560x1440" scaled retina resolution. For everyday tasks, web-browsing, YouTube (even 4k videos), the typical CPU temp is 43C with both fans at 0 rpm.

The fans only become audible when pushing it quite hard (e.g. lengthy FCP exports). That can push rpm to 3500+ rpm.

When using it in normal laptop mode it generally stays cool and silent. Certainly no hotter than my previous 2019 i5 13" MBP.

Without the eGPU and pushing the 4k display in scaled retina mode, it would run a little warmer, but not what I would call hot and noisy. I believe this differs from the 16" MPB with 5300 and 5500 dGPUs - those reportedly get very hot when driving an external display and lid open.

Shame an M1 Mac will not suit your workflow. I have an M1 mini (16GB/1TB) and that thing runs seriously cool. Like 23C CPU core cool.

 

[hejel52914]

I have had the 13" 2020 (10th gen, i7, 32GB, 1TB) since June. The majority of my use has is "docked" sitting screen open on a rain mStand plugged into a CalDigit TS3+ and a Black Magic 580-based eGPU, which in turn drives a Dell 4k display (U3219Q) in "looks like 2560x1440" scaled retina resolution. For everyday tasks, web-browsing, YouTube (even 4k videos), the typical CPU temp is 43C with both fans at 0 rpm.

The fans only become audible when pushing it quite hard (e.g. lengthy FCP exports). That can push rpm to 3500+ rpm.

When using it in normal laptop mode it generally stays cool and silent. Certainly no hotter than my previous 2019 i5 13" MBP.

Without the eGPU and pushing the 4k display in scaled retina mode, it would run a little warmer, but not what I would call hot and noisy. I believe this differs from the 16" MPB with 5300 and 5500 dGPUs - those reportedly get very hot when driving an external display and lid open.

Shame an M1 Mac will not suit your workflow. I have an M1 mini (16GB/1TB) and that thing runs seriously cool. Like 23C CPU core cool.

Thanks for replying. Those insights are very helpful. As a software developer my use will be heavy (10h every day).
My problem is with a spec-ed up 202 13" the price is roughly same as 16" which is much more powerful than 13" so I am hesitating putting that money on 13" instead of 16" for the same price (buyers remorse).

@antipodean If I may ask, why did you not opt for base 16" instead of a spec-ed up 13" as the price difference is negligible? After using 13" for almost 6 months do you say it is worth it and is your use case heavy (without eGPU as I am not planning on using one) i.e. do you use heavily everyday and is it CPU intensive?. Would you suggest getting a 16" as it is all round a significantly better laptop for the same price except only two drawbacks
1] less portable (obviously as its much bigger). Am I over estimating it or it is manageable?
2] When connected to external display and with lid open it makes noise and gets hot. This is a known issue and nothing can be done about. Is it worth it to spend this much money knowing this limitations or this edge case one can live with by closing the lid and ONLY using mirror display?

A m1 for software dev. is not ready yet and will take a significantly longer time I feel.

 

[kodabear]

I will confirm what Antipodean says as I have exactly the same computer but with the LG 4K 24" monitor w/o the CalDigit TS3 and no eGPU. I have had this 13" MBP since September and I can count on one hand and not get to five how many times I have heard the fans on. Current temperature is 35C w/o running Photoshop or LR.

 

[hejel52914]

@kodabear thanks a lot for re-assuring. Do you use this as your main computer and is your usecase heavy? If I may ask, why didn't you go for 16" mac?

 

[kodabear]

@kodabear thanks a lot for re-assuring. Do you use this as your main computer and is your usecase heavy? If I may ask, why didn't you go for 16" mac?

Yes, it is my main computer and 90% of the time it is hooked up to my external display. No, it is not heavy even with the Andar leather case to protect it. I would of preferred the 16" MBP since I don't travel a lot but the very well known issues of heat in the existing models when used with external displays was a red flag. The option of getting the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M graphics card for $700 more that seems to eliminate the heat issues was way more than I wanted to spend. Down the road when the M1 16" MBP become available I may consider the 16" then. I could of opted for the Mac Mini since I don't travel very much but I do like the option of the portability and the 13" is the best choice.

 

[antipodean]

Thanks for replying. Those insights are very helpful. As a software developer my use will be heavy (10h every day).
My problem is with a spec-ed up 202 13" the price is roughly same as 16" which is much more powerful than 13" so I am hesitating putting that money on 13" instead of 16" for the same price (buyers remorse).

@antipodean If I may ask, why did you not opt for base 16" instead of a spec-ed up 13" as the price difference is negligible? After using 13" for almost 6 months do you say it is worth it and is your use case heavy (without eGPU as I am not planning on using one) i.e. do you use heavily everyday and is it CPU intensive?. Would you suggest getting a 16" as it is all round a significantly better laptop for the same price except only two drawbacks
1] less portable (obviously as its much bigger). Am I over estimating it or it is manageable?
2] When connected to external display and with lid open it makes noise and gets hot. This is a known issue and nothing can be done about. Is it worth it to spend this much money knowing this limitations or this edge case one can live with by closing the lid and ONLY using mirror display?

A m1 for software dev. is not ready yet and will take a significantly longer time I feel.

For me the decision between the 13" and 16" wasn't entirely clear-cut. This was before the 5600m GPU version had been released and I was put-off by the reports of high temps and noise running a 16" open lid with an external monitor. Also, while not huge, the price difference wasn't negligible, especially when you include the considerably higher cost of AppleCare+ on a 16" vs. 13".

With hindsight, I probably over-estimated the importance of portability. Like many, the length of the pandemic-induced travel restrictions is more than I expected. The 13" is definitely more portable though.

If I had to buy an Intel MBP right now, I would scour the Apple Refurb store for a 5600m-equipped 16". They are appearing quite regularly now and offer a decent costs saving. I say this as someone who is very happy with my 13" MBP, but the 5600 16" is, IMO, the pick of the intel macbooks right now.

Personally, I can't wait to order a 16" Apple Silicon MBP when they are released (middle of next year?). I think they will be awesome.

 

[hejel52914]

@antipodean thanks. So will 16 be portable i.e. travelling with it in flights, bus etc. and on the go is not an issue? When I last tried in a store it was barely fitting in my backpack and clearly needed a bigger backpack to carry. Also checked in Apple store website for refurbished one for 16 inch but the cheapest was for 3300 Euros (with i9 and 5600M) which much higher than my budget. What would you suggest in this case going for 16" base 2019 (but with known external monitor issue with lid open) or with 13" 2020 i7 for almost the same price and more portability but much less horse power?

 

[antipodean]

@antipodean thanks. So will 16 be portable i.e. travelling with it in flights, bus etc. and on the go is not an issue? When I last tried in a store it was barely fitting in my backpack and clearly needed a bigger backpack to carry. Also checked in Apple store website for refurbished one for 16 inch but the cheapest was for 3300 Euros (with i9 and 5600M) which much higher than my budget. What would you suggest in this case going for 16" base 2019 (but with known external monitor issue with lid open) or with 13" 2020 i7 for almost the same price and more portability but much less horse power?

IMO, the 16" is reasonably portable when packed in a suitable backpack (based on my experience of the 2015 15", which is the last "large" MBP I owned). Its size is more of an issue when you want to use it on the go (on a flight, on a train even in some cafe or lecture theatre situations). The larger footprint can make the 16" a bit unwieldy for on the go use.

The UK Apple Store has an i9/16GB/1TB/5600M available now for £2969. Is that the same version at 3300 Euros?

If that is outside your budget and you definitely need an intel MBP that you can use with an external monitor and lid open, the the 13" is worth looking at. You could get an i7/32GB/1TB for £2209. Compared to the 16", that will have weaker GPU, weaker multicore CPU, but faster single core, more RAM (and faster) and will not heat up as much with an external monitor and lid open.

(Edit: LOL at the idea of testing backpack fit of a 16" MBP at the Apple store. I presume you have to explain before you try!)

 

[hejel52914]

The UK Apple Store has an i9/16GB/1TB/5600M available now for £2969. Is that the same version at 3300 Euros?

@antipodean yes its the same one except the graphics is 5500M with 8 GB GDDR6 and storage is 2TB instead of 1TB.

and you definitely need an intel MBP that you can use with an external monitor and lid open

Well that's the thing, one can adjust by just doing screen mirroring and using in clampshell mode and I could be fine with it but I could have used 16" large display as an extended display hence using two displays at once for different apps further increasing the productivity. Just because Apple messed up the buyers have to live with the compromise. I can live with it but the question is for such an expensive device, should I? Also I have heard even in clampshell mode it can cause issues with some monitors/cables and the frequency should be 60hz or above (I am not 100% on this but remember reading this).

(Edit: LOL at the idea of testing backpack fit of a 16" MBP at the Apple store. I presume you have to explain before you try!)

Yeah for that massive size I just had to have a realistic view from travel perspective as I have never used a portable device that big.

All in all cannot believe that its been 1 year since 16" was released and Apple has done nothing to fix it and based on the looks of it would probably do nothing and still selling that device under false premise inspite of so many complaints.