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In a somewhat similar situation with the 2019 16 inch Intel MBP. I wouldn't say it's too slow, but it does get embarrassingly hot during regular use. Enabling l

In a somewhat similar situation with the 2019 16 inch Intel MBP. I wouldn't say it's too slow, but it does get embarrassingly hot during regular use. Enabling low power mode disables turbo boost and keeps it much, much cooler, but plugging into an external monitor enables the discrete graphics card and the laptop gets hot again. Going to try to get a few more years out of it hopefully until Imagination Tech's hardware accelerated ray tracing solutions can make it to Apple's GPUs.

tomduncalf 4y ago
Yeah I ditched my 2019 16" for an M1 Max. Was an expensive move but honestly, I couldn't bear to use that thing as a laptop, especially once I knew there was an alternative which doesn't get hot enough to fry eggs on. For me it was worth it, because I now enjoy using my laptop as a laptop on the sofa or whatever, and do a lot more creative stuff on it than I did with the old one. But definitely not a cheap move!
drcongo 4y ago
Mine's gone in the cupboard and never been used since the M1 Pro arrived.
kayoone 4y ago
I had the same issues with a 2019 16" MBP. Annoying fans as soon as I connected an external display, getting very hot, okay performance. Switched to a M1 Pro 14" and couldn't be happier, as far as work laptops go it's the best I ever used since switching to macs in 2009.
robbintt 4y ago
I use these with few or no problems. The heat dissipation is pretty much solved by charging on the right side. My life is full of usability hacks, I don't mind one more. The biggest frustration for me with a mac now is that it's becoming a toy OS like windows. It becomes more and more cumbersome to run programs that aren't in the app store. As a result I've been cultivating an ubuntu/plasma(kde) practice on a gaming desktop outside of working hours.
tails4e 4y ago
I switched from windows/dell to a 2019 16inch MBP Intel for work as I wanted everything MBPs promised, especially battery life. I was very dissapointed that I get about 2 hours on battery, but I suspect its mostly due to the MS office apps. Is this improved on the M1 versions? Surely high cpu usage there will still waste battery pretty quickly?
rootusrootus 4y ago
The 16 inch Intel MBP was a machine I wanted to love. Big lovely screen, should be fast and capable, I was stoked to get it. But on the occasion where I have to take it off the charger and attend a zoom call, it gives me maybe 90 minutes of battery life, fan going full speed the whole time, trying to melt the desktop. Fortunately I also have a 13 inch M1 MBP that has no such problem, and is easily my favorite MBP in many years.
- nerdawson 4y ago
  I remember having to close down every app before starting a video call in an attempt to keep the fans under control. The new 16" just does not care! I've owned it since March and haven't heard the fans once. Runs smoothly whatever I try and throw at it.
deergomoo 4y ago
The 16" MBP would have been a much better machine for most people if it didn't have a dedicated GPU. The CPU got pretty toasty as-is, but adding a dGPU into the mix just turned it into a furnace. The way the thing was wired up also meant that connecting to an external display engaged the GPU, and some unacknowledged hardware or software flaw set the power/heat floor to about 20W (it's not just the minimum draw of the chip—you can have the GPU active without an external display and it uses a fraction of that). The end result: if you have it plugged into a monitor, you're almost constantly hearing a fan, even when idle. Mine replaced a 2015 entry-level MacBook Pro which, while it served me well, had long since fallen behind what I needed. I was so excited to have the 16" for about a week, until I realised that I was never going to not be hearing fans screaming. I know laptops (especially big laptops) aren't actually meant to be used on laps for extended periods, but I genuinely couldn't with that thing. Even mild load would make it uncomfortable to be in physical contact with. I don't understand how none of the reviews seemed to pick up on it—perhaps everyone was too distracted by finally having a functional keyboard again to notice. The sad irony of it all is that I bet the vast majority of purchasers were developers like myself, who have absolutely no need for a dedicated GPU. In any case I sold mine and bought an M1 Air, which I've been very happy with ever since. As nice as these new ones look (and as great as the new 14" and 16" M1 Pros are), I don't think I could justify it. This thing handles everything I throw at it (though my wife has the 8GB model and it really doesn't seem to be enough with how much RAM stuff guzzles these days).
- mehrdada 4y ago
  > The sad irony of it all is that I bet the vast majority of purchasers were developers like myself, who have absolutely no need for a dedicated GPU. I would seriously doubt that. Mac sales are huge and developers must be a relatively small segment of computer users.
  - arvinsim 4y ago
    They should have at least put it as an option to not have it. It would be even be cheaper.

tomduncalf 4y ago

Yeah I ditched my 2019 16" for an M1 Max. Was an expensive move but honestly, I couldn't bear to use that thing as a laptop, especially once I knew there was an alternative which doesn't get hot enough to fry eggs on. For me it was worth it, because I now enjoy using my laptop as a laptop on the sofa or whatever, and do a lot more creative stuff on it than I did with the old one. But definitely not a cheap move!

drcongo 4y ago

Mine's gone in the cupboard and never been used since the M1 Pro arrived.

kayoone 4y ago

I had the same issues with a 2019 16" MBP. Annoying fans as soon as I connected an external display, getting very hot, okay performance. Switched to a M1 Pro 14" and couldn't be happier, as far as work laptops go it's the best I ever used since switching to macs in 2009.

robbintt 4y ago

I use these with few or no problems. The heat dissipation is pretty much solved by charging on the right side. My life is full of usability hacks, I don't mind one more. The biggest frustration for me with a mac now is that it's becoming a toy OS like windows. It becomes more and more cumbersome to run programs that aren't in the app store. As a result I've been cultivating an ubuntu/plasma(kde) practice on a gaming desktop outside of working hours.

tails4e 4y ago

I switched from windows/dell to a 2019 16inch MBP Intel for work as I wanted everything MBPs promised, especially battery life. I was very dissapointed that I get about 2 hours on battery, but I suspect its mostly due to the MS office apps. Is this improved on the M1 versions? Surely high cpu usage there will still waste battery pretty quickly?

rootusrootus 4y ago

The 16 inch Intel MBP was a machine I wanted to love. Big lovely screen, should be fast and capable, I was stoked to get it. But on the occasion where I have to take it off the charger and attend a zoom call, it gives me maybe 90 minutes of battery life, fan going full speed the whole time, trying to melt the desktop. Fortunately I also have a 13 inch M1 MBP that has no such problem, and is easily my favorite MBP in many years.

nerdawson 4y ago
I remember having to close down every app before starting a video call in an attempt to keep the fans under control. The new 16" just does not care! I've owned it since March and haven't heard the fans once. Runs smoothly whatever I try and throw at it.

deergomoo 4y ago

The 16" MBP would have been a much better machine for most people if it didn't have a dedicated GPU. The CPU got pretty toasty as-is, but adding a dGPU into the mix just turned it into a furnace. The way the thing was wired up also meant that connecting to an external display engaged the GPU, and some unacknowledged hardware or software flaw set the power/heat floor to about 20W (it's not just the minimum draw of the chip—you can have the GPU active without an external display and it uses a fraction of that). The end result: if you have it plugged into a monitor, you're almost constantly hearing a fan, even when idle. Mine replaced a 2015 entry-level MacBook Pro which, while it served me well, had long since fallen behind what I needed. I was so excited to have the 16" for about a week, until I realised that I was never going to not be hearing fans screaming. I know laptops (especially big laptops) aren't actually meant to be used on laps for extended periods, but I genuinely couldn't with that thing. Even mild load would make it uncomfortable to be in physical contact with. I don't understand how none of the reviews seemed to pick up on it—perhaps everyone was too distracted by finally having a functional keyboard again to notice. The sad irony of it all is that I bet the vast majority of purchasers were developers like myself, who have absolutely no need for a dedicated GPU. In any case I sold mine and bought an M1 Air, which I've been very happy with ever since. As nice as these new ones look (and as great as the new 14" and 16" M1 Pros are), I don't think I could justify it. This thing handles everything I throw at it (though my wife has the 8GB model and it really doesn't seem to be enough with how much RAM stuff guzzles these days).

mehrdada 4y ago
> The sad irony of it all is that I bet the vast majority of purchasers were developers like myself, who have absolutely no need for a dedicated GPU. I would seriously doubt that. Mac sales are huge and developers must be a relatively small segment of computer users.
- arvinsim 4y ago
  They should have at least put it as an option to not have it. It would be even be cheaper.