Table of contents
🤖
AI-generated summary
My 2019 MacBook Pro 13 purrs a bit too loud when it’s pushed hard — honestly, sometimes all it takes is one Microsoft Teams window to get the fans spinning. It also has graphical stutters when connected to a 4K external display while open with a large number of windows.
That’s why I decided to switch to a MacBook Pro 16, which would also be more comfortable for working on the go.
Ordered and picked up in 24 hours — thanks Boulanger! Because out here in the countryside, there’s no Apple Store…
We unbox the beast and the screen definitely makes an impression, and so does the form factor. The machine is imposing and makes my 13-inch look like a cheap tablet. The screen is gorgeous, though I can’t actually tell the difference from my old 13-inch. In any case, there’s really plenty of room to work on it all day without an external display.
I didn’t really get a chance to test the machine’s power. I went for the top-spec model — i9 with 8 cores — to be set for a while. Everything is smooth, everything launches fast; in short, the hardware gets out of the way, as it usually does with Apple.
I plug it into my LG 21.5-inch Ultrafine external display — designed for Mac — and that’s when the disappointment hits. The moment the MacBook Pro is connected, the fans become more noticeable. I install iStat, which I wasn’t familiar with until then, and I see the fans go from 1,800 RPM to 2,300 RPM once the machine is connected to the screen. And yet, I can’t understand it, because I’m doing absolutely nothing on it. I looked it up and found many forums and users reporting the exact same issue.
I do a clean install to see if the problem persists — and yes, same issue. A blank desktop with nothing installed except iStat shows the fans spinning up the moment it’s connected to the external display.
I don’t understand how a €3,000 computer can have this kind of problem. The so-called solutions — or rather workarounds — you’ll find online:
- disable turbo boost => right, I’m paying €3,000 to get lower performance
- use only the integrated GPU => same answer as above
- automatically reduce fan speed and turn your computer into a rotisserie, risking damage to it
In short, after just one day of use, I returned it. Oh, and I almost forgot — apparently the Radeon 5600 fixes the problem, and it only costs €800 more, bringing the MacBook’s price to a bargain “mere” €4,000…
It’s worrying to see that Apple still can’t build computers properly. After the botched keyboard generation, we might be witnessing the loudest generation of machines they’ve ever built.
People always say you shouldn’t buy the first generation of Apple products. I’m more convinced of that now than ever…
