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The thermal design of Macbook pros just isn't adequate for >4 core high clock speed CPUs, especially with a discrete GPU thrown in the mix too. I had one of th

The thermal design of Macbook pros just isn't adequate for >4 core high clock speed CPUs, especially with a discrete GPU thrown in the mix too. I had one of those i9 2018 MBPros and it was always super hot. Much happier now with a 13" 4 core MBpro, it runs quite cool and without any fan noise most of the time. Built a separate AMD 3900x PC with an Nvidia GPU for heavy lifting, and can use that remotely with the MBpro if needed.

antalk 7y ago
For what it's worth, this only occurs when connected to an external monitor -- which causes the discrete GPU to overheat, even with no apps running. Using the built-in display (with the discrete GPU on) is fine.
- tobyhinloopen 7y ago
  I’m using 2 external displays (one 4K) and it’s not overheating and the fans are completely silent. My 16” i9 is MUCH quieter than my 15” 2015 Macbook pro, and it’s not like i’m browsing Facebook: i’m constantly compiling and running tests on every file save. My macbook feels warm but not hot, even when I touch it at the fan exhausts. I do notice my battery only lasting about 2,5 hours though. Playing games it runs great and while you can hear the fans, it’s much better compared to my 15” 2015. Personally i’m really impressed with the cooling and performance of the 16”
  - smashedtoatoms 7y ago
    This has been my experience as well. Fans kick on on long compiles, and that's about it.
pentae 7y ago
I wish someone would publish a guide for MacBooks based on palm rest idle temperature, having a hot sweaty palmrest (especially in warmer climates) bugs me more than having a bit of fan noise and if it was clear and transparent maybe Apple would design better thermal solutions.
- ohmaigad 7y ago
  I have MBP 16" with the 8-core i9, palm rest sensors show they are at 32C and 30C at my regular usage (browser, IDE, slack and other apps). However i don't use external screen.
zmb_ 7y ago
These problems are not new or only affecting MacBooks. I had a 27" iMac for work and it cooked the display panel, HDD and the discrete graphics card. I did drive the system, including the GPU, reasonably hard, but nothing exceptional. To Apple's credit, they did replace the HDD and the display panel for free, but when the graphics card died I just gave up on it. It seems like the combination of the form factor, components and thermal solutions that Apple uses just don't add up.
dangus 7y ago
The 16-inch MacBook Pro has a completely different thermal design compared to the 15-inch, so I’m not sure what relevance your 2018 experience bears on the 16-inch. It’s basically a different computer in a lot of ways, despite looking similar on the outside.

antalk 7y ago

For what it's worth, this only occurs when connected to an external monitor -- which causes the discrete GPU to overheat, even with no apps running. Using the built-in display (with the discrete GPU on) is fine.

tobyhinloopen 7y ago
I’m using 2 external displays (one 4K) and it’s not overheating and the fans are completely silent. My 16” i9 is MUCH quieter than my 15” 2015 Macbook pro, and it’s not like i’m browsing Facebook: i’m constantly compiling and running tests on every file save. My macbook feels warm but not hot, even when I touch it at the fan exhausts. I do notice my battery only lasting about 2,5 hours though. Playing games it runs great and while you can hear the fans, it’s much better compared to my 15” 2015. Personally i’m really impressed with the cooling and performance of the 16”
- smashedtoatoms 7y ago
  This has been my experience as well. Fans kick on on long compiles, and that's about it.

pentae 7y ago

I wish someone would publish a guide for MacBooks based on palm rest idle temperature, having a hot sweaty palmrest (especially in warmer climates) bugs me more than having a bit of fan noise and if it was clear and transparent maybe Apple would design better thermal solutions.

ohmaigad 7y ago
I have MBP 16" with the 8-core i9, palm rest sensors show they are at 32C and 30C at my regular usage (browser, IDE, slack and other apps). However i don't use external screen.

zmb_ 7y ago

These problems are not new or only affecting MacBooks. I had a 27" iMac for work and it cooked the display panel, HDD and the discrete graphics card. I did drive the system, including the GPU, reasonably hard, but nothing exceptional. To Apple's credit, they did replace the HDD and the display panel for free, but when the graphics card died I just gave up on it. It seems like the combination of the form factor, components and thermal solutions that Apple uses just don't add up.

dangus 7y ago

The 16-inch MacBook Pro has a completely different thermal design compared to the 15-inch, so I’m not sure what relevance your 2018 experience bears on the 16-inch. It’s basically a different computer in a lot of ways, despite looking similar on the outside.