16-inch MacBook Pro officially announced, starting at 2399$

[Fatoy]

Yeah, using it in a scaled mode is pretty much a nightmare scenario for the GPU. The way MacOS is handling this is completely inelegant brute force approach, totally unsuited to a level of GPU power that's available to it. If you want to have a "1080p" desktop on your 4K monitor, that's fine - it renders in the actual 3840x2160 resolution with 2xHiDPI, but if you want to have "1440p" desktop on that 4K monitor, what is actually happening is that instead of still rendering in 3840x2160 but using smaller fonts, icons and window elements, like Windows 10 is doing, Mac OS renders your desktop internally in 5120x2880 and then scales that down to 3840x2160, thus making it both incredibly performance hogging and not as sharp looking, due do to a simple bitmap scaling. That's on top of the fact that even with all the Metal optimizations in the newer MacOS, it's just not very fast when it comes to rendering the UI compared to Windows. Windows 10 is noticeably snappier and has better FPS in any resolution I throw at it on the very same machine, under bootcamp.

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This is really useful information, thanks. I'm currently running a 4K external monitor via DisplayPort, using a 2015 MacBook Pro, and having to compromise between either tiny elements at native 3840x2160 and chugging performance at a scaled "1440p" is irritating.

I'm due for an upgrade anyway, but I was really hoping the extra GPU grunt in the 16" MBP would be enough to overcome the performance hit imposed by the way macOS scales the desktop. I'm genuinely disappointed if Apple's top-flight "pro" machine can't run their own scaling method outside of perfect 2X situations.

I don't like Windows in many (or maybe any) other areas, but I run a streaming VM on Windows 10 and the simple "scale UI elements to 150%" feature is a far better solution. I can run the desktop at a native 4K but still have good window drawing performance without having to squint to close applications.

 

[Deleted member 2474]

This is really useful information, thanks. I'm currently running a 4K external monitor via DisplayPort, using a 2015 MacBook Pro, and having to compromise between either tiny elements at native 3840x2160 and chugging performance at a scaled "1440p" is irritating.

I'm due for an upgrade anyway, but I was really hoping the extra GPU grunt in the 16" MBP would be enough to overcome the performance hit imposed by the way macOS scales the desktop. I'm genuinely disappointed if Apple's top-flight "pro" machine can't run their own scaling method outside of perfect 2X situations.

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i have a couple of framerate hitches when running on the 16" mbp's internal display using the integrated GPU, but the 5500m has no such issues and should also be plenty capable of pushing 5k. it's more powerful than GPUs in some of the older 5k imacs.

 

[mescalineeyes]

I've been using retina MacBook Pros since they are available, always at the 1680x2 scaling point and I've never had any issues with performance, even with the integrated graphics card. What are you people on about?

 

[Fatoy]

I've been using retina MacBook Pros since they are available, always at the 1680x2 scaling point and I've never had any issues with performance, even with the integrated graphics card. What are you people on about?

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I'm not talking about the MacBook's own retina screen.

Right now I'm running a 27" 4K second screen via a Thunderbolt to Displayport cable, which supports full 3840x2160 at 60Hz. For context I also have my built-in retina display running at the furthest on the "more space" scaling spectrum, which is the "looks like 1680x1050" option.

The built-in display performs perfectly at the scaled resolution, with smooth animations, but the external display - running on "looks like 1440p" - doesn't. If I set the external display to use its native 4K resolution, performance and animations are smooth but everything is eye-strainingly small; if I let macOS scale both displays, the external one chugs when it's drawing animations or re-drawing windows. And that's true even if I set the external display to proper 2X "looks like 1080p" scaling, which seriously compromises screen real estate.

My question was whether the 16" MBP in base spec, with its DGPU, would have the grunt to scale both its internal display and an external one. Because the 2015 MBP with integrated graphics definitely doesn't.

 

[earthsucks]

Yes

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do you know if there's a rough ETA? not sure how much longer my 2012 MBA can hold out for.

 

[FaceHugger]

16" is too big

heh

 

[mescalineeyes]

do you know if there's a rough ETA? not sure how much longer my 2012 MBA can hold out for.

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when the next gen of intel chips ship, I think between February and April last I've heard. Please someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[HamSandwich]

Been using one for the past 24 hours and absolutely love it. For long sessions, the new keyboard is an absolute joy. Got the base model so im glad 512 GB is the standard SSD now.

One thing I've been reading about is ghosting on the panels. I don't notice any on my end and I've been using an iPad Pro for the past month, and even coming from a 120hz screen its not even bad.

 

[Terraj_RSL]

2666Hz RAM? Lmfao

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Is 2666Hz RAM good or bad?

 

[Dynamic3]

Any recommendations on where to purchase a Windows 10 key for setting-up Bootcamp? (Assuming a key purchase is the way to go?).

 

[totofogo]

I've had mine for a few weeks now and am loving it. Upgrading from a 2015 so the touch-bar is new to me and... accompanied by the two physical keys now, I love it! I've installed a few add ons to add tactile feedback and show my album art. However, the real game changer has been the speakers. Holy shit they are outstanding and have rendered my usual speaker setup useless.

 

[Yasuke]

I'm trying so hard not to cave on this.

I got a refurbished 2015 15" back in January cause I was wary of the keyboards, and hearing they finally got that corrected is tempting me, hard.

 

[nujabeans]

Anyone have the speaker popping issue when scrubbing/fast forwarding through videos?

Also, when it's quiet - I hear audible sounds, but I'm not sure if it's coming from the speakers or the computer itself. It sounds like a hard disk drive writing to the disk, but this doesn't make sense because it's a SDD.

 

[efr]

Anyone have the speaker popping issue when scrubbing/fast forwarding through videos?

Also, when it's quiet - I hear audible sounds, but I'm not sure if it's coming from the speakers or the computer itself. It sounds like a hard disk drive writing to the disk, but this doesn't make sense because it's a SDD.

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Your second issue is coil whine. Its a known thing with this model.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

My 2011 MBP turns 9 years old in March. Still the daily driver. Still gets shit done. Still has as much RAM and more storage space than most of you guys have. :-)

My next move might come with the upcoming refresh. The new Intel parts might finally be enough to make me jump. Maybe.

Is 2666Hz RAM good or bad?

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2666 is very cheap and fairly slow ram, relatively speaking. Fine for general use, but it will incur a significant performance penalty in ram-intensive tasks compared to say DDR4 3200, 3600, or 4000 ram. In gaming, for example, framerate performance penalties due to slow RAM can reach or exceed 20%. If you're not using your machine for such tasks, it doesn't really matter what the RAM speed is, but for a premium price on a product that has removed the ability to upgrade parts via subsequent purchases, it would be good to be given premium parts.

 

[Deleted member 39374]

Anyone have the speaker popping issue when scrubbing/fast forwarding through videos?

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I believe this was addressed in the newest 10.15 update

 

[nujabeans]

I believe this was addressed in the newest 10.15 update

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Thanks, just updated and do not hear the pop/cracking sound when scrubbing through videos. I'll keep checking.

Your second issue is coil whine. Its a known thing with this model.

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This one I'm still hearing in certain occasions. Debating whether I should get it replaced by Apple.

 

[Deleted member 39374]

This one I'm still hearing in certain occasions. Debating whether I should get it replaced by Apple.

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If your computer is still within return policy just go exchange for a new one. Otherwise, i dont think youll have much look with coil whine under warranty unless its really bad and disruptive

 

[MJForum Poster]

So recently got one of these through work, and am having an issue where if I leave it plugged into my Thunderbolt 3 dock overnight and it goes to sleep, when I wake it up the next day, it will not output video to my monitor until I unplug my Thunderbolt 3 cable and plug it back in (sometimes using a different USB-C port). The laptop itself wakes up and is responsive - I can see it on its own screen. Anybody else run into this issue?

 

[Martin]

So recently got one of these through work, and am having an issue where if I leave it plugged into my Thunderbolt 3 dock overnight and it goes to sleep, when I wake it up the next day, it will not output video to my monitor until I unplug my Thunderbolt 3 cable and plug it back in (sometimes using a different USB-C port). The laptop itself wakes up and is responsive - I can see it on its own screen. Anybody else run into this issue?

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Do you have the newest update? There were some usb-c fixes in that update like:

• Resolves an issue where a USB-C port in your Mac may become unresponsive

 

[MJForum Poster]

Do you have the newest update? There were some usb-c fixes in that update like:

• Resolves an issue where a USB-C port in your Mac may become unresponsive

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Yup, it's still happening. And the port is not unresponsive, because the other peripherals I have plugged into the TB3 dock are working - mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc. It's just the monitor that is getting no signal.

 

[Blanquito]

So recently got one of these through work, and am having an issue where if I leave it plugged into my Thunderbolt 3 dock overnight and it goes to sleep, when I wake it up the next day, it will not output video to my monitor until I unplug my Thunderbolt 3 cable and plug it back in (sometimes using a different USB-C port). The laptop itself wakes up and is responsive - I can see it on its own screen. Anybody else run into this issue?

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Yeah I have this issue too

also have a friend that reported the same problem

 

[Martin]

Yup, it's still happening. And the port is not unresponsive, because the other peripherals I have plugged into the TB3 dock are working - mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc. It's just the monitor that is getting no signal.

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Just googled and some people have that problem too.
Seems to be a bug in 10.15.4 ...

 

[MJForum Poster]

Yeah I have this issue too

also have a friend that reported the same problem

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Glad to know it's not just me. I upgraded from a 13" 2017 that never had this issue so I'm wondering if its related to the fact that there's now a dGPU in there as well.

 

[Deleted member 21709]

So recently got one of these through work, and am having an issue where if I leave it plugged into my Thunderbolt 3 dock overnight and it goes to sleep, when I wake it up the next day, it will not output video to my monitor until I unplug my Thunderbolt 3 cable and plug it back in (sometimes using a different USB-C port). The laptop itself wakes up and is responsive - I can see it on its own screen. Anybody else run into this issue?

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I've been having this issue for the longest time. Apple doesn't seem to have a clue about how to fix it.

It is related to the dedicated graphics card shutting off.

 

[MJForum Poster]

I've been having this issue for the longest time. Apple doesn't seem to have a clue about how to fix it.

It is related to the dedicated graphics card shutting off.

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Do you think I should ask for them to take this back and wait for the rumored 14", which hopefully won't have this problem? I would hope that Apple could resolve this with a software update

 

[The Albatross]

I'm not talking about the MacBook's own retina screen.

Right now I'm running a 27" 4K second screen via a Thunderbolt to Displayport cable, which supports full 3840x2160 at 60Hz. For context I also have my built-in retina display running at the furthest on the "more space" scaling spectrum, which is the "looks like 1680x1050" option.

The built-in display performs perfectly at the scaled resolution, with smooth animations, but the external display - running on "looks like 1440p" - doesn't. If I set the external display to use its native 4K resolution, performance and animations are smooth but everything is eye-strainingly small; if I let macOS scale both displays, the external one chugs when it's drawing animations or re-drawing windows. And that's true even if I set the external display to proper 2X "looks like 1080p" scaling, which seriously compromises screen real estate.

My question was whether the 16" MBP in base spec, with its DGPU, would have the grunt to scale both its internal display and an external one. Because the 2015 MBP with integrated graphics definitely doesn't.

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I have similarly poor performance with a 4K external, the HP z27. It's not really chugging but it doesn't perform well. Also have had weird behavior in Chrome tabs since one of the Catalina updates where switching or closing tabs will often hang the app for 15-30 seconds. Installed an update last week which seems ot have improve it, but it still happens occassionally just not as often.

All of the advice on fixing that issue on the internet is "Stop using chrome and use something else," but that's not good advice. The bug is recent, unique to Mac OS Catalina.

I'm on the 15" 2016 MBP though.

 

[grmlin]

I have similarly poor performance with a 4K external, the HP z27. It's not really chugging but it doesn't perform well. Also have had weird behavior in Chrome tabs since one of the Catalina updates where switching or closing tabs will often hang the app for 15-30 seconds. Installed an update last week which seems ot have improve it, but it still happens occassionally just not as often.

All of the advice on fixing that issue on the internet is "Stop using chrome and use something else," but that's not good advice. The bug is recent, unique to Mac OS Catalina.

I'm on the 15" 2016 MBP though.

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That's MacOS on portable Macs for you. It's the same on my 2019 15", but not as terrible as on my old 15" from 2014.

 

[Imur]

I could get one relatively cheep (it's 2699€ at Apple in my country and I could get one for 2159€, both including taxes).I have an 3+ years old Surface Book 1 now, it's fine but my Girlfriends Laptop Died and I would give it to her. Didn't have a big Laptop like this for many years, but I kind of like the Idea. I have an 12.9 iPad with the new Magic Keyboard for entertainment and would like my working Laptop to be significantly bigger than that. It would just make the difference more tangible.
I'm unsure though... Rumors say they will announce a new 14" one this month, but I don't think it's a problem for me, since I want the big one (it could be with Pro Motion, but i doubt that). My Problem is that I'm afraid they will bring a new 16" one with the new Intel Gen and maybe even without the dGPU. I don't need it and would like to get rid of it, since I heard it drains the battery if I connect it to a Projector. I use it in a lot of different Classrooms at work and don't want to carry the charger with me all the time. We barely have power sockets either.

I really don't know what to do now. If I wait for a while I could see if they bring a Macbook with 10nm and no dGPU (even if it's unlikely) but if I'm unlucky, I won't be able to buy it for that price for a while. I could order it and pamper it for a few weeks, so I could send it back if they announce something great... but I don't know.

What do you think? Is there even a chance, Apple will announce something that let me regret buying the Laptop for that "cheap" price?

 

[Deleted member 2474]

I could get one relatively cheep (it's 2699€ at Apple in my country and I could get one for 2159€, both including taxes).I have an 3+ years old Surface Book 1 now, it's fine but my Girlfriends Laptop Died and I would give it to her. Didn't have a big Laptop like this for many years, but I kind of like the Idea. I have an 12.9 iPad with the new Magic Keyboard for entertainment and would like my working Laptop to be significantly bigger than that. It would just make the difference more tangible.
I'm unsure though... Rumors say they will announce a new 14" one this month, but I don't think it's a problem for me, since I want the big one (it could be with Pro Motion, but i doubt that). My Problem is that I'm afraid they will bring a new 16" one with the new Intel Gen and maybe even without the dGPU. I don't need it and would like to get rid of it, since I heard it drains the battery if I connect it to a Projector. I use it in a lot of different Classrooms at work and don't want to carry the charger with me all the time. We barely have power sockets either.

I really don't know what to do now. If I wait for a while I could see if they bring a Macbook with 10nm and no dGPU (even if it's unlikely) but if I'm unlucky, I won't be able to buy it for that price for a while. I could order it and pamper it for a few weeks, so I could send it back if they announce something great... but I don't know.

What do you think? Is there even a chance, Apple will announce something that let me regret buying the Laptop for that "cheap" price?

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10th gen Intel at the 45W TDP level (which is what the 16" Pro uses) is still 14nm and isn't particularly better than the 9th gen.

 

[Imur]

Oh, I didn't know that. That's one thing from my list of concerns, thank you!

 

[Jubern]

I got mine since December and it's a wonderful machine but I got strange complaints: whenever I use Microsoft Teams, and also Skype IIRC, people will tell me after 15 or 20 minutes that the audio quality is too low for them to hear me correctly. Basically, it progressively gets worse until it gets to the point they actually tell me something. Muting/unmuting the mic or, at worst, restarting the call will solve any issues but it's not ideal.
It's the same problem whether I'm using MacOS or Windows (Bootcamp).
No problems at all with Facetime.

Any ideas where it could come from?

 

[Imur]

Got mine a month ago and love it. The only thing I kind of dislike is the feeling of the keyboard after a while. It's not really a problem the typing is really good but it kind of feels... wobbly? Not like a cheap keyboard or something it's hard to describe. Maybe I have to get used to it a little more, it's really just a subjective feel thing. I don't have more Tippos or anything.

Does anyone know what I mean? The Keys feel a little bit too soft.

 

[Spinluck]

Got mine a month ago and love it. The only thing I kind of dislike is the feeling of the keyboard after a while. It's not really a problem the typing is really good but it kind of feels... wobbly? Not like a cheap keyboard or something it's hard to describe. Maybe I have to get used to it a little more, it's really just a subjective feel thing. I don't have more Tippos or anything.

Does anyone know what I mean? The Keys feel a little bit too soft.

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Would a keyboard mat solve the issue?

 

[Deleted member 39374]

Ordered a 6-core/32GB/512/5500 8GB yesterday to replace my 2019 13".

Went back and forth about 6 core versus 8 core but decided on 6 because its cheaper and there are only 1-2 situations per year where an 8 core would actually benefit me. Also thought about 6-core/16GB/512/5600 for only 100 bucks more but I'll definitely feel that RAM limitation so that's not a balanced system

Kinda weird knowing this might be my last Intel mac. Also spent like half a day either deleting my 32bit software or updating it to newer versions. Not excited at all to use 10.15 but it is what it is

 

[Replicant]

Got mine a month ago and love it. The only thing I kind of dislike is the feeling of the keyboard after a while. It's not really a problem the typing is really good but it kind of feels... wobbly? Not like a cheap keyboard or something it's hard to describe. Maybe I have to get used to it a little more, it's really just a subjective feel thing. I don't have more Tippos or anything.

Does anyone know what I mean? The Keys feel a little bit too soft.

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Always any issue with MacBooks since they went to chiclets. They also wear down really quickly and they will will end up looking like they have chicken grease all over them.

That's kinda an issue with all keys these days though.

 

[Milennia]

I wish my classes weren't all home based this year, I bought a base model 16 inch day 1 and used it maybe 4 times now I'm trying to sell it, with the intention of picking up a new model when I actually need it. Sucks.

 

[Plidex]

Ordered a 6-core/32GB/512/5500 8GB yesterday to replace my 2019 13".

Went back and forth about 6 core versus 8 core but decided on 6 because its cheaper and there are only 1-2 situations per year where an 8 core would actually benefit me. Also thought about 6-core/16GB/512/5600 for only 100 bucks more but I'll definitely feel that RAM limitation so that's not a balanced system

Kinda weird knowing this might be my last Intel mac. Also spent like half a day either deleting my 32bit software or updating it to newer versions. Not excited at all to use 10.15 but it is what it is

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That's what I considered the ideal spec for me too. But I had to buy mine at a retailer that only had the default specs, so went with the i9/16GB/1TB/5500 4GB.

I wish I could had gotten 32GB of ram, but I think the price difference was worth it for the rest. Especially having 1TB drive. I've had it for two months and I only have 270GB of free space.

EDIT: I'm loving it, and I'm glad I was able to buy a macbook while bootcamp is still a thing.

 

[Deleted member 39374]

That's what I considered the ideal spec for me too. But I had to buy mine at a retailer that only had the default specs, so went with the i9/16GB/1TB/5500 4GB.

I wish I could had gotten 32GB of ram, but I think the price difference was worth it for the rest. Especially having 1TB drive. I've had it for two months and I only have 270GB of free space.

EDIT: I'm loving it, and I'm glad I was able to buy a macbook while bootcamp is still a thing.

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Yeah I'm pretty excited to get mine, been eyeing it for months and finally had enough projects going on where getting one would be worth it.

I considered that standard i9/16GB/1TB/5500 4GB configuration since Amazon had it with 5% back, but I really need 32GB RAM and 8GB VRAM for my workflow and I had a pretty hard budget of 3K for a computer after tax, the one I got comes out to 2800 after tax + flipping the free airpods I got from the EDU promo

 

[Avenger]

How soon for the CPU transition on mac, I wonder.

 

[Deleted member 39374]

Yeah I have this issue too

also have a friend that reported the same problem

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What docks are you guys using? Is the firmware on the dock itself fully updated? I know the TS3+ has a specific update for Catalina.

 

[DarkMagician]

So recently got one of these through work, and am having an issue where if I leave it plugged into my Thunderbolt 3 dock overnight and it goes to sleep, when I wake it up the next day, it will not output video to my monitor until I unplug my Thunderbolt 3 cable and plug it back in (sometimes using a different USB-C port). The laptop itself wakes up and is responsive - I can see it on its own screen. Anybody else run into this issue?

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I've been having this issue on the 2018 MacBook 15" even.