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Makisupa Policeman

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 28, 2021
488
354
I believe 16" 2019 was Scissor type and the 2018 to 2015? was butterfly. It was the reason I bought it.
Mine is 2tb ssd/32gb Ram/ 2.4 i9 with the 8mb 5500 video card...
I sold it for $2,000 its absolute pristine and when my Max arrives I turn it over.
If there wasn't a new one I'd have no issue keeping it as its been a great laptop for me and haven't had one issue with this one. Apple was offering like $1700 for these on trade so wonder what they sell it for in refurbished store?
I think the one with the specs I’m considering still run near or over $2000 in the refurb store (I could be wrong). On eBay for open box they’re like 1700-1800.
 

Adarna

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Jan 1, 2015
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According to Every Mac, the 11/2019 MBP was a tweak/upgrade to the 2018-19 i9 models with the screen size bumped from 15 to 16”. There was a 05/2019 model with the 15” screen also released in 2019 afaik.

To put it plainly there has only been one release of a 16" Intel product line and one release of the 16" Apple silicon product line.

All product lines you listed are of the 15".

Physically & in name they are totally different. Like say a 11", 12", 13" from a 14".
 

Hunter5117

macrumors 6502a
Mar 17, 2010
569
401
To put it plainly there has only been one release of a 16" Intel product line and one release of the 16" Apple silicon product line.

All product lines you listed are of the 15".

Physically & in name they are totally different. Like say a 11", 12", 13" from a 14".
The 11/2019 was the 16" Intel, the one I have.

Regarding the keyboards, it is definitely a scissors mechanism. Almost but not quite as good as my late 2013 model which feels just a bit firmer with slightly more travel.
 

synicalx1

macrumors regular
Jun 24, 2020
142
90
Total cost of ownership for a bill of material of
  • Mac
  • eGPU
  • GPU
  • External display to avoid TB3 bottlenecks.

And that's assuming you can even get a GPU, and don't get ripped off completely by scalpers.
 

Adarna

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Jan 1, 2015
685
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The 11/2019 was the 16" Intel, the one I have.

Regarding the keyboards, it is definitely a scissors mechanism. Almost but not quite as good as my late 2013 model which feels just a bit firmer with slightly more travel.

As I pointed out there is only one release date for the 16" Intel SKUs.

I never spoke of any keyboard either.

If you have the 16" Intel already then why even post this thread that implies that there is more than 16" Intel released in other months?
 

Adarna

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Jan 1, 2015
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And that's assuming you can even get a GPU, and don't get ripped off completely by scalpers.

Thank you! Very astute point.

If you're buying a new Mac and want the fastest possible GPU performance would that be possible using an Intel Mac + eGPU + AMD GPU that has been released as of today?

Or are you better off with the M1 Max?
 

bnumerick

macrumors member
Jan 14, 2010
93
68
Thank you! Very astute point.

If you're buying a new Mac and want the fastest possible GPU performance would that be possible using an Intel Mac + eGPU + AMD GPU that has been released as of today?

Or are you better off with the M1 Max?
I strongly suspect a 6800xt or 6900xt would be by far more performant in GPU tasks like games. You're looking at about $1,200-1500 for the GPU alone though at current prices. If you're talking about things like Final Cut Pro then the M1 Max might edge them out. eGPUs, outside of games, don't always speed things up the way an internal GPU might so that would be worth considering too.

To the opening poster for your use case it would probably be fine but as much as I wanted to love my 2019 16" MBP I was happy to trade it. For me I can't help but feel like it was the biggest disappointment I've had with a Mac. I had a i9/5500m 8GB since release but last year I also tested a base model i7/5500 4g and a i9/5600m model. They all exhibited CPU throttling down to 1Ghz or less even with low CPU temps if doing something that required both max CPU/GPU and/or Intel GPU/AMD GPU. In my case using Compressor for batching video was the culprit but an easy way to reproduce the issue was by running Luxmark. The system would get very laggy and almost unusable. A lot of digging seemed to suggest it was the voltage regulators overheating. Somewhat of a solution was to put thermal pads on it which helped but didn't clear it up. Maybe macOS 12 fixed that issue. For what its worth I ran the same tests on my old 2016 MBP and it did not have the same issue. Personally if I were in your shoes I'd probably get the Air or 13" pro. You can get a dock to add more TB ports to it if you need more and the 13" screen, to my surprise, is very useable while on the go. Probably more usable so than my 16" honestly.
 
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Adarna

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Jan 1, 2015
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I strongly suspect a 6800xt or 6900xt would be by far more performant in GPU tasks like games. You're looking at about $1,200-1500 for the GPU alone though at current prices. If you're talking about things like Final Cut Pro then the M1 Max might edge them out. eGPUs, outside of games, don't always speed things up the way an internal GPU might so that would be worth considering too.

To the opening poster for your use case it would probably be fine but as much as I wanted to love my 2019 16" MBP I was happy to trade it. For me I can't help but feel like it was the biggest disappointment I've had with a Mac. I had a i9/5500m 8GB since release but last year I also tested a base model i7/5500 4g and a i9/5600m model. They all exhibited CPU throttling down to 1Ghz or less even with low CPU temps if doing something that required both max CPU/GPU and/or Intel GPU/AMD GPU. In my case using Compressor for batching video was the culprit but an easy way to reproduce the issue was by running Luxmark. The system would get very laggy and almost unusable. A lot of digging seemed to suggest it was the voltage regulators overheating. Somewhat of a solution was to put thermal pads on it which helped but didn't clear it up. Maybe macOS 12 fixed that issue. For what its worth I ran the same tests on my old 2016 MBP and it did not have the same issue. Personally if I were in your shoes I'd probably get the Air or 13" pro. You can get a dock to add more TB ports to it if you need more and the 13" screen, to my surprise, is very useable while on the go. Probably more usable so than my 16" honestly.
It comes across to me that if you want to play games you're better off buying a gaming Windows laptop/desktop.

If you want Final Cut Pro then buy a 2021 MBP M1 Pro or Max.

So the whole eGPU is just more complications that just adds cost to just enjoy a computer.

And to repeat only 1 release was ever made of a MBP 16" Intel. No other 16" Intel was released outside of Nov 2019.

Anyone who implies otherwise need their eyes check
 
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synicalx1

macrumors regular
Jun 24, 2020
142
90
It comes across to me that if you want to play games you're better off buying a gaming Windows laptop/desktop.
Just on this topic - if you're setup to run a Macbook as a desktop (ie dock, stand, monitor etc) then it's super easy to just drop a gaming laptop into the same setup. Probably cost you about the same as buying a eGPU, you won't get the same performance as a desktop (probably) but you'll have a FAR easier time gaming and you're not relying on Mac eGPU support which is essentially EOL at this point.
 

clevins

macrumors 6502
Jul 26, 2014
413
651
Just on this topic - if you're setup to run a Macbook as a desktop (ie dock, stand, monitor etc) then it's super easy to just drop a gaming laptop into the same setup. Probably cost you about the same as buying a eGPU, you won't get the same performance as a desktop (probably) but you'll have a FAR easier time gaming and you're not relying on Mac eGPU support which is essentially EOL at this point.
Yeah buying a MBP and an eGPU to play games is... not wise. Go get a gaming machine (or build one) and run Windows.
 
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Adarna

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Yeah buying a MBP and an eGPU to play games is... not wise. Go get a gaming machine (or build one) and run Windows.
It's just dumb.

I bought a 2019 MBP 16" Core i7 base model this is why I found it weird that this thread specified "November 2019 MBP" and so many daft excuses about 15" being 16".

I ran the numbers of eGPU, AMD GPU & Dell U3819DW display and it came out that it was stupefyingly expensive.

It would be more economical to build a Ryzen Zen 3 desktop with a Nvidia GPU and Dell U3819DW.

I get native Windows 10 support at bat without any need to join a forum to diagnose some bug that may never be solved du to EOL.
 

FocusAndEarnIt

macrumors 601
May 29, 2005
4,628
1,112
Don’t get the 16” 2019 model. I bought that machine in Nov 2019 and any claim to thermal issues being fixed in that machine is a joke. Maybe it’s improved from the 2016-2018 15” models, but given how terrible they were, improving on that really isn’t saying much. The 16 i9 I had was roaring it’s fans frequently. I would suggest either saving more money or getting a 14 M1 Pro or 13” M1 MBP/MBA. You really aren’t doing yourself any favors staying with that Intel machine.

Also the i9 16” MBP battery SUCKS. I have been blown away by Apple silicon battery life on my 16” M1 Pro.(and the battery life is great on the other apple silicon machines too)
 

Basic75

macrumors 68020
May 17, 2011
2,124
2,480
Europe
And to repeat only 1 release was ever made of a MBP 16" Intel. No other 16" Intel was released outside of Nov 2019.
Whether you count it as a "release" or not, one thing changed during the run of the 16" Intel in June 2020, the top-end GPU was updated from a Radeon Pro 5500M (8GB GDDR6) to a Radeon Pro 5600M (8GB HBM2).
 

Basic75

macrumors 68020
May 17, 2011
2,124
2,480
Europe
Yeah buying a MBP and an eGPU to play games is... not wise. Go get a gaming machine (or build one) and run Windows.
Agree, if you need a powerful Mac for other reasons and then use it for occasional gaming, sure, go ahead. But buying a powerful Mac to play games is not recommended by anybody. A console, a Windows PC, heck, even a PC with Linux and Steam, are all better alternatives when gaming is a primary concern. FWIW I game more on my iPad than on my Mac.
 

Hunter5117

macrumors 6502a
Mar 17, 2010
569
401
If you have the 16" Intel already then why even post this thread that implies that there is more than 16" Intel released in other months?
I am not sure about where I might have implied this, but very sorry if I did.

The comment about keyboards was actually answering to another persons comment I just threw it in randomly.
 

LordeOurMother

macrumors 6502
Jul 10, 2014
397
122
In the abstract this computer will be as powerful as basically any laptop.

In practice the M1 macs will have better battery life and probably perform comparably.

The question to ask yourself is: is it worth spending thousands on an intel machine at this point. I'm due for an upgrade and it will not be intel.
 
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Adarna

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I am not sure about where I might have implied this, but very sorry if I did.

The comment about keyboards was actually answering to another persons comment I just threw it in randomly.
My apologies. I got cross eyed from OP's posts.

I hate fake news that makes it appear that Apple did XYZ when they did ABC.
 

Adarna

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Jan 1, 2015
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Agree, if you need a powerful Mac for other reasons and then use it for occasional gaming, sure, go ahead. But buying a powerful Mac to play games is not recommended by anybody. A console, a Windows PC, heck, even a PC with Linux and Steam, are all better alternatives when gaming is a primary concern. FWIW I game more on my iPad than on my Mac.
Shush child... you dont want the reality distortion field victims thinking of more rational things like PC or console gaming.

They're still demanding Apple silicon gaming until now!
 
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Hunter5117

macrumors 6502a
Mar 17, 2010
569
401
The post is written in a way that implies that there other MBP 16" in 2019.

Conventional labeling goes by "Early", "Mid" and "Late"
Well I guess one persons implication is another persons specificity, which is how I read the OP, just being clear that they were not asking about the 16' M1. To me, the "early and late" would imply multiples in the same year, as in 2013 when they had both "early and late" 13" and 15" MBPs. I do agree the terms are used interchangeably.
 

Adarna

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Jan 1, 2015
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Well I guess one persons implication is another persons specificity, which is how I read the OP, just being clear that they were not asking about the 16' M1. To me, the "early and late" would imply multiples in the same year, as in 2013 when they had both "early and late" 13" and 15" MBPs. I do agree the terms are used interchangeably.

As there was only one 2019 MBP 16" then that should be what it be labled as. Not 16" November 2019 MBP. It's an eye sore
 
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