It’s actually just referred to as the 2019 model. Often in just parentheses: 16” MacBook Pro (2019)
Whereas in previous years, they labeled multiples like 15” MacBook Pro (Early 2012) or (Late 2012) (…etc)
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Is a 16” November 2019 MBP i9 a good device?
- Thread starter Makisupa Policeman
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Whereas in previous years, they labeled multiples like 15” MacBook Pro (Early 2012) or (Late 2012) (…etc)
"Eyesore" is a bit much...but I will admit to the inaccuarcy of the OP. My mistake. However, there were two larger model MBPs released in 2019--a 15" in May and the "reworked" (for lack of a more accurate descriptor) 16" version with the new keyboard in November. You can check EveryMac for yourself:
All Apple MacBook Pro Specs (2006-Current): EveryMac.com
Tech specs for all Apple MacBook Pro from 2006 to the latest. Dates sold, processor type, memory info, storage details, configuration options, model identifiers and more.
I only wrote 'November 2019' to distinguish more clearly between the two, not realizing myself that the screen size had increased with the late '19 release.
Well I (somewhat impulsively) took the plunge despite it being a clearly controversial model ITT. I just got a new job and it was my little way of celebrating.
I'll report back with a review at some point.
When I can afford it, I'm likely going to replace my rMB with a M1 MBA, so I will also be taking the plunge into the M1 world sooner or later, in some capacity.
Regardless, I really appreciate everyone's input. It's great to have a place like this where I can talk esoteric computer geek nonsense, without seeming like I'm from another planet
I'll report back with a review at some point.
When I can afford it, I'm likely going to replace my rMB with a M1 MBA, so I will also be taking the plunge into the M1 world sooner or later, in some capacity.
Regardless, I really appreciate everyone's input. It's great to have a place like this where I can talk esoteric computer geek nonsense, without seeming like I'm from another planet
Congrats! Enjoy your new Mac. It is quite the upgrade from the 2012 model.
I am an M1 believer but the truth of it is that if you hid the M1 chassis in another room so that I couldn't see hear the fans spin up, there is barely little difference between Intel and M1 for many daily general computing tasks .
I am an M1 believer but the truth of it is that if you hid the M1 chassis in another room so that I couldn't see hear the fans spin up, there is barely little difference between Intel and M1 for many daily general computing tasks .
It's great to have a place like this where I can talk esoteric computer geek nonsense, without seeming like I'm from another planet
It's all good. You're with friends here.
It doesn't need to be the M1 Max. He could get the entry level 16" M1 Pro, and find an open-box or refurb model to same some money.
"Eyesore" is a bit much...but I will admit to the inaccuarcy of the OP. My mistake. However, there were two larger model MBPs released in 2019--a 15" in May and the "reworked" (for lack of a more accurate descriptor) 16" version with the new keyboard in November. You can check EveryMac for yourself:
All Apple MacBook Pro Specs (2006-Current): EveryMac.com
Tech specs for all Apple MacBook Pro from 2006 to the latest. Dates sold, processor type, memory info, storage details, configuration options, model identifiers and more.everymac.com
I only wrote 'November 2019' to distinguish more clearly between the two, not realizing myself that the screen size had increased with the late '19 release.
Quantitative measure makes it objectively different.
MacRumors Buyer's Guide recognizes only the one 16" released for 2019.
The 2020 is devoid of entry.
We may disagree with "eyesore" but what I am sure of is your description has more in common with fake news.
I say this as people googling the Intel 16" will get confused.
Personally I think all this debate over how the OP described this MBP is silly. "16 November 2019 MBP I9" is more than specific, and I seriously doubt if anybody here was confused. For that half of 1% who were, and went googling for other 16" Intels, well it was a good education. You gotta keep up if you want to hang out here.
@Makisupa Policeman
Check out this reddit post:
Lots of used November 16" MacBook Pros on the FB marketplace.
i9, 32GB, 2TB, 5500M for $1600. Mine had 50 battery cycles and was merely 6 months old (from manufacture date).
If you get a chance, return your MacBook using the 14-day guarantee return policy and get yourself a used one. i7, 16GB, 512GB can be found for $1000. Buy one with apple care so that you can extend the apple care if you wish. Apples M1 chip really made everybody take an L who bought 1-2 years prior (cuz like M1 MacBook Air has same performance as i9 wow???.. but I needed a 16" not a 13" and the new 16" are minimum like 3K, tax and all...)
Pro tip: meet at a police station though cuz thieves are crazy now'a days.
Check out this reddit post:
Lots of used November 16" MacBook Pros on the FB marketplace.
i9, 32GB, 2TB, 5500M for $1600. Mine had 50 battery cycles and was merely 6 months old (from manufacture date).
If you get a chance, return your MacBook using the 14-day guarantee return policy and get yourself a used one. i7, 16GB, 512GB can be found for $1000. Buy one with apple care so that you can extend the apple care if you wish. Apples M1 chip really made everybody take an L who bought 1-2 years prior (cuz like M1 MacBook Air has same performance as i9 wow???.. but I needed a 16" not a 13" and the new 16" are minimum like 3K, tax and all...)
Pro tip: meet at a police station though cuz thieves are crazy now'a days.
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I sold my 16” 2.3ghz i9 32gb 1tb SSD with 8gb 5500M + 1 year AppleCare+ remaining for $2100 two weeks before the new 16” were released. seems I lucked out.
Fair enough. I suppose there is such a thing as being specific enough to the point of being wrong.
Still think you’re being a bit persnickety though.
Thanks. The 2012 is definitely showing its age, especially since the latest Catalina updates. I enjoyed it for what it was and I’ll miss the MagSafe and disk drive, but it’s time to move on to greener pastures.
Hmmm...looks like you did! I have exactly the same spec and am trying to sell it. I'm asking about US$1850 (in Australia), and have and a few calls but with low offers ($1400-1600). I suspect that I will have to reduce my price to sell it.
[Update: I sold it for approx US$1600 in the end, having to reduce it 3 times to generate some interest. It was definitely a fairly hard sell, with about 15 people interested but not really interested in negotiating their low offers upwards to reach a compromise.
BTW, eBay auction pricing (which I think should give an idea of the actual sale price compared to "buy it now" or other marketplaces) varies wildly. I've seen cases of "auction fever" that push up prices way above the average, and then other auctions where it barely moves from the initial bids....for the same spec machine. And also "buy it now" offers at prices lower than the auction bids, that no one touches.... it's very odd! ]
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So far so good. I’m not having any of the fan or battery issues reported ITT. I was importing all of my iCloud stuff (mail, messages, docs, photos, etc...) which would normally send my 2012’s fans screaming, but the fans on this one hardly kicked on. And it was asleep for over 24 hours on battery and didn’t budge from 100%. Old MBP would’ve lost 10% overnight, easy.
I’ve probably just been living with outdated tech for too long, but it seems like maybe some peeps are a little bit spoiled by the M1 machines (j/k ?)
I’ve probably just been living with outdated tech for too long, but it seems like maybe some peeps are a little bit spoiled by the M1 machines (j/k ?)
I just picked up a used 2019 16" i9 (32GB RAM and the top spec 5600M GPU) for basically half-price. The M1 Max has really done a number on the used values of intel MBPs (the first time I've seen that happen with Apple).
It's a wonderfully strong machine for the price (the powerful GPU makes all the difference for me, doing video work).
Probably all of the M1 Macs, not just the M1 Max. I find my 2020 Mac mini to be generally better performing than my 2019 MBP16 that cost 3 times as much. 16GB is a bit marginal for my usage, but it's definitely the best bang-for-buck Mac that I've ever bought.
I also thought that I might still get 60% of original price on a 2-year old MacBook Pro with a good spec, but it's looking like it will be closer to 40%. You can't win 'em all!
Howdy Makisupa,
I purchased a 2019 16" i9 MacBook Pro with 8 GB GPU and 1 TB SSD in May of 2020. I used it with no issues until I upgraded to the 2021 16" M1 Max MacBook Pro in Dec 2021. I do not plug my Mac into an external display, and am plugged into the wall the majority of the time, and I loved my 2019 MBP. It did get hot and the fans kicked on, but it did not get as hot or as loud as the 2015 15" MBP it replaced. I never noticed any throttling under my workloads, despite the heat. This tells me that even thought the Mac was warm to the touch (particularly on the metal between the touch bar and the display), it wasn't too hot. The fans did kick in, and came on whenever the dGPU was engaged. Using the dGPU meant that fans were on constantly, but as I mentioned earlier, overall noise was quieter than the 2015 it replaced. Granted my new M1 Max MBP is pretty much silent, but I digress. I purposely skipped the 2016 - early 2019 models, due to the keyboard and touchbar. The 2019 touchbar mitigated my biggest complaint about the original versions, as it has a dedicated ESC key. Coming from a 2012, you will be very happy with this MacBook Pro
Good luck!
The cooling is probably the most important thing to be aware of. It's a powerful machine, and it runs pretty hot - and Apple (by default) don't seem to want the fans to run up to adequate speeds to cool it effectively.
So if you do nothing, you will see thermal throttling of your processing performance almost immediately, under load.
I use iStat Menus to create custom fan control settings on mine, which ramp the fans up much earlier - so they're already spinning fast, before the machine gets too hot. This seems to have solved the thermal throttling issues, and performance is noticably smoother as a result - because the laptop's never bogging down under to much heat.
So if you do nothing, you will see thermal throttling of your processing performance almost immediately, under load.
I use iStat Menus to create custom fan control settings on mine, which ramp the fans up much earlier - so they're already spinning fast, before the machine gets too hot. This seems to have solved the thermal throttling issues, and performance is noticably smoother as a result - because the laptop's never bogging down under to much heat.
Thanks!Howdy Makisupa,
I purchased a 2019 16" i9 MacBook Pro with 8 GB GPU and 1 TB SSD in May of 2020. I used it with no issues until I upgraded to the 2021 16" M1 Max MacBook Pro in Dec 2021. I do not plug my Mac into an external display, and am plugged into the wall the majority of the time, and I loved my 2019 MBP. It did get hot and the fans kicked on, but it did not get as hot or as loud as the 2015 15" MBP it replaced. I never noticed any throttling under my workloads, despite the heat. This tells me that even thought the Mac was warm to the touch (particularly on the metal between the touch bar and the display), it wasn't too hot. The fans did kick in, and came on whenever the dGPU was engaged. Using the dGPU meant that fans were on constantly, but as I mentioned earlier, overall noise was quieter than the 2015 it replaced. Granted my new M1 Max MBP is pretty much silent, but I digress. I purposely skipped the 2016 - early 2019 models, due to the keyboard and touchbar. The 2019 touchbar mitigated my biggest complaint about the original versions, as it has a dedicated ESC key. Coming from a 2012, you will be very happy with this MacBook Pro
Good luck!
I prefer the more granular abilities of iStat Menus, as you can set specific fan speeds for specific temperatures (and therefore create your own custom fan curves essentially).
But I've also bought Macs Fan Control for the Windows partition on my 16" MBP, and it's workable. But you only get to set a single setting for your CPU and a single setting for your GPU. So I found it took me a lot longer to test and find single "max" temperature value for both the CPU and GPU that would ramp up the fans soon enough (that thermal throttling is avoided), but doesn't ramp up so quickly, that you always have the fans blasting away non-stop.
So straight out of the box after starting it up, I noticed a noise which I’m pretty certain is the infamous “coil whine.” It’s fairly constant when it’s on but not terribly loud, though I can often hear it when standing even a couple feet away in a very quiet room.
I don’t find it bothersome exactly—it’s almost kind of soothing like ASMR ?. Just jarring compared to the near-silence of my old machine when the fans weren’t on.
I’m still under warranty and I signed up for a year of AppleCare+. Is it something to be concerned about? Is it worth getting a replacement or just live with it? From what I’m reading, a lot of these machines suffer from it; people have gotten 3-4 replacements with the same issue. I’m thinking it’s probably not worth bothering, but interested in others’ opinions.
I don’t find it bothersome exactly—it’s almost kind of soothing like ASMR ?. Just jarring compared to the near-silence of my old machine when the fans weren’t on.
I’m still under warranty and I signed up for a year of AppleCare+. Is it something to be concerned about? Is it worth getting a replacement or just live with it? From what I’m reading, a lot of these machines suffer from it; people have gotten 3-4 replacements with the same issue. I’m thinking it’s probably not worth bothering, but interested in others’ opinions.
It does seem to come and go. When a lot of data is being read/written to disk, it gets noticeably audible. But when it's idle, I can barely hear it without holding my ear up to the machine.
Ugh. Now there’s an intermittent clicking noise that happens when waking from sleep. It’s a few rapid clicks in succession—sounds like a woodpecker.
I’ve read this could be the fan or something? I can’t find much info about my exact issue.
I probably should’ve just held out for an M1 iMac...?
I’ve read this could be the fan or something? I can’t find much info about my exact issue.
I probably should’ve just held out for an M1 iMac...?
Ugh. Sorry to hear about those issues. I have the same model with none of those problems, so it sounds like something is going on with your computer. Can you exchange / return?