Apple Macbook The Macbook Purchasing Megathread - August 2020

The Macbook Purchasing Megathread - August 2020
My Sister’s First MacBook
Refurbished Macbook Pro for work?
On the 2020 13 inch macbook pro the less expensive model has iris 645 while the more expensive one has no number after it. Does the less expensive model has better graphics
Question
Why is my MacBook Air losing WiFi capabilities whenever I connect an external display? Regardless of whether it's a monitor through my Anker dock, or my iPad wirelessly Airplaying as a second display, WiFi just dies whenever I try and utilise a second screen? Any ideas?
MacBook Pro 16" specs for editing large photo files (~100mb each) in Lightroom & Photoshop?
60 Days With The MacBook Pro
So... is Apple's upcoming custom ARM Macbooks going to work with MACOS games on Steam?
Macbook for engineering?
Bought the 10th gen 13" 2020 pro - the speakers????
SSD upgrade question for Late 2013 Macbook Pro Retina
Why does the right fan have a lower max speed than the left one, does the GPU need less cooling?
Download speed issues
Mbp 16 - Trackpad is moving when I'm scrolling
Thunderbolt 2 to UBC-C via hub?
Problems with the new Magic Keyboard?
Macbook for programming student?
External Monitor MacBook Pro
HELP sometimes my USB disconnects and I can no longer open the folders I had open! Anyway to fix this? Please help!
MacBook pro late 2011 uses more ram after upgrade
Which MacBook for me?
Broke keycaps frame, don't know if it is repairable
The caps lock seems to need excessive strength to activate it. Is this normal? (The other key caps are normal)

The Macbook Purchasing Megathread - August 2020

Posted: 01 Aug 2020 02:57 AM PDT

Have a question?

Wondering what model you should go for? Ask here!

Do make your submission on point while adding as much detail as possible.
Mention your intended uses (i.e. video editing, graphic designing, photography, audio editing, gaming, casual browsing, etc).

That's pretty much it! :)

submitted by /u/AutoModerator
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My Sister’s First MacBook

Posted: 01 Aug 2020 02:16 PM PDT

submitted by /u/RudeCoconut
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Refurbished Macbook Pro for work?

Posted: 01 Aug 2020 10:20 AM PDT

Looking to buy a Macbook Pro for work. Website design, photoshop, YouTube etc.

Is a refurbished Macbook Pro that's a year or two old a good investment or would the newest be better to buy? Thanks!

submitted by /u/emmabellawho
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On the 2020 13 inch macbook pro the less expensive model has iris 645 while the more expensive one has no number after it. Does the less expensive model has better graphics

Posted: 01 Aug 2020 03:16 PM PDT

submitted by /u/niftyrock2020
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Question

Posted: 01 Aug 2020 06:21 PM PDT

Would you rather have

Base model 2020 16 inch MacBook

256 gig 2019 13 MacBook Pro plus a 12.9 2018 iPad Pro (with Smart Keyboard and pencil)

I own #2 and am debating selling both for #1. Just looking for opinions.

submitted by /u/kp1877
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Why is my MacBook Air losing WiFi capabilities whenever I connect an external display? Regardless of whether it's a monitor through my Anker dock, or my iPad wirelessly Airplaying as a second display, WiFi just dies whenever I try and utilise a second screen? Any ideas?

Posted: 01 Aug 2020 10:00 PM PDT

submitted by /u/JustCallMehWhatever
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MacBook Pro 16" specs for editing large photo files (~100mb each) in Lightroom & Photoshop?

Posted: 01 Aug 2020 09:17 PM PDT

I'm a photographer and want to make sure I get the options that are necessary for a MacBook Pro 16" to edit large photos in Photoshop and Lightroom. I shoot in RAW with a Nikon d850 and each photo is 92MB. So there's quite a lot to process and I have a few questions about what will give me the fastest system:

I am most confused about this option. I really don't know what this is describing/when I would need what:
AMD Radeon Pro 5500M with 4GB of GDDR6 memory vs 5500M with 8GB of GDDR6 memory vs 5600M with 8GB of HBM2 memory

Is 64GB of memory unnecessary? Will I definitely be comfortable at 32GB, or is this the sort of thing where it's worth the price just to be sure?

Will higher SSD storage slow it down? I know I can go through 1TB of storage and was going to opt for the 2TB option, but only if it runs the same. Would filling, say, 90% of 1TB storage have the same affect as filling 90% of 2, 4, or 8TB? Or will this have no effect on how it runs?

2.3GHz 8‑core 9th‑generation Intel Core i9 processor, Turbo Boost up to 4.8GHz vs 2.4GHz 8‑core 9th‑generation Intel Core i9 processor, Turbo Boost up to 5GHz

Will an upgrade make an actual difference? When would I need one over the other?

Thank you in advance. Feel free to be as condescendingly descriptive as possible. I'm good with my camera but have no idea what any of this kind of computer stuff means.

submitted by /u/Omfgjustpickaname
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60 Days With The MacBook Pro

Posted: 01 Aug 2020 11:27 AM PDT

Got my first MacBook on June 3 after a lifetime on Windows. Here are my thoughts.

My current MacBook is the base model 16" MacBook Pro which I got refurbished for about $2039.

First, Some Background

I host a podcast that I'm hoping to expand into video. So, I need a machine that processes video fairly well. However, I'm not a video pro so I don't need anything super-powerful. But I don't want to sit around waiting 30 minutes for a 5-minute video to render either.

I already have a decent Dell PC. This PC meets all of my needs except one: Portability. When the world reopens, I'd like to work on the podcast while traveling.

My desktop is a Dell XPS 9700 with an 8th gen i7 CPU and Nvidia 1060 GPU. I game a little, but not that much so don't need anything too powerful. Just enough to let me play a little Hitman and Civilization.

The desktop gets the job done, but it's kinda meh. The fans crappy and Dell used some proprietary wiring and therefore, aren't easily replaceable (or so I've read in a forum). The desktop sounds like a vacuum cleaner whenever I'm playing games or rendering audio or video.

Before getting the MBP, I also owned a Dell G5 5590 from late 2019 (not the new one with the AMD chips). I loved that machine but my son needed a laptop and he is really into gaming. So I gave it to him thereby giving me an excuse to get a Mac.

The Dell G5 had a 9th gen i7 CPU and NVIDIA 1650 GPU with a 144 Hz screen. But good God almighty... did it get hot.

What you're seeing are my impressions of the MacBook Pro based on my own personal usage and expectations. Of course, some of this is skewed by my familiarity with Windows.

Better than the Hype

The Keyboard - I heard a lot of bad stuff about the butterfly keyboard which prevented me from getting a Mac for years. But everyone said the new keyboard was much better, so I didn't know what to expect. Well, the hype is real. I love typing on the new MBP keyboard. Even more than my Logitech wireless keyboard for my desktop.
The Speakers - You won't understand how good the speakers are until you try them. I took the MBP to a family gathering in another state and played some music off of YouTube. Everyone was impressed by how good they sound. Most laptops require headphones or external speakers. Not this bad boy. You will only need headphones if you're editing audio (like me), watching movies with profanity (like me), or need to step away from the laptop while something is on (again...like me).
Build Quality - In the right hands, a MacBook Pro can be a deadly weapon. This thing is solid and feels like it can take a licking. But since it's so expensive...I treat it with the utmost care.
MacOS - I'm still learning my way around the operating system, but all the little extras it gives you are really neat. The sound effects when moving things to trash. Built-in screen recording. The magic corners thing. There are a lot of things to like about it and I'm just scratching the surface.
The Trackpad - I heard a lot of good stuff about the trackpad and thought it was just over-hyped MBP fanboyisms. But no...the Touchpad is wonderful. On Windows, I never worried about the trackpad because I knew figured they were all bad and always expected to use a mouse. But I have absolutely no issues editing audio and video using the trackpad alone. It's not quite as good as a mouse... but it's very close.
Security - I'm really impressed by how seriously Apple takes security. I love the way it automatically generates secure passwords and saves them for different browsers. I love the way it asks for my fingerprint for so many things. These things might be an annoyance for some people, but they give me additional peace of mind.
Touchbar - I don't love the Touchbar. But I don't hate it either. Honestly, not sure why there's so much controversy about it. All I use it for is to adjust volume and scrub through videos. But I don't have an issue with it at all.

Not Quite What I Expected

The Screen - Perhaps my expectations were too high. The screen is not bad, but it's nothing to write home about. My standards are probably skewed because my Dell gaming laptop had a high-refresh screen and my desktop uses a large external monitor. Both are much brighter than the Mac's screen. I heard a lot about the color-accuracy of the MBP screen. But since I'm early in my video editing journey, it doesn't really matter much to me yet.
The Ecosystem - Let's get this out the way: I'm not switching to an iPhone. I use Google Pixel phones on Google Fi and I'm happy with it. So, I probably won't be able to take full advantage of the vaunted Apple ecosystem which seems heavily dependent on the iPhone. I recently purchased a pair of Beats headphones. They paired easily enough...but not easier than any other pair of headphones. I don't get what all the hype is about.
Dongle Life - Yeah. This blows. I hate buying extra peripherals. I knew it might be an issue, but did not realize how annoying it was until I had to deal with it.
MacOS - I know how to do most of the basic things I need to do. And anything I don't, I can Google it. For instance, to use a webcam on a Windows laptop, you go to Start and click "Camera." I expected something similar in MacOS. Spent about 10 minutes trying to start the webcam. Finally googled it. Turns out all I had to do was start an app that uses the webcam. This is just a matter of familiarity and will likely change with time.
Heat Management - This thing gets hot sometimes. Usually when I'm editing video but also when I'm just watching Netflix or something. On Windows, I can go into Task Manager and figure out which programs are driving up the CPU. Not sure how to do that yet on MBP so I usually wind up shutting everything down until it cools down. That being said, it's still way coller than the Dell gaming laptop was.
Battery - I have to recharge the MBP at least once a day, sometimes two. Again, better than the Dell laptop battery which only lasted about 3 hours. And, to its credit, the MBP battery recharges fairly quickly. But it also drains faster than I thought it would, even when I'm not doing high-intensive work. I admit, this is probably just me expecting too much from a 16" laptop.

Overall Opinion

I'm happy with the MacBook Pro. I think I'll love it even more as I get more comfortable with the OS and finish paying it off. Even with the drawbacks mentioned above, I still prefer using it over my desktop for most things.

My Dell PC is not getting used that often. I turn it on maybe once or twice a week. Usually when I need to get some files that are stored on there (should've gotten more storage for the MBP.)

If anyone is interested, I might run some benchmarks comparing the Dell PC to the MBP pertaining to audio/video creation. I can already tell you, the PC processes audio faster, though not by much.

Edited for clarity.

submitted by /u/jacobgoswin
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So... is Apple's upcoming custom ARM Macbooks going to work with MACOS games on Steam?

Posted: 01 Aug 2020 09:37 AM PDT

I have an extensive library on Steam, many games that are MacOS compatible. I know I won't play Triple AAA games, but I would like to play some of my simple games like Stardew Valley or Civ on potato quality. But will the ARM chipset even support the Steam or will we have to stick with Intel?

submitted by /u/78512378951237895321
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Macbook for engineering?

Posted: 01 Aug 2020 11:23 AM PDT

Hi, I recently conisder buying a Macbook Air or Pro. I am an aerospace engineering student.

I'm wondering if a Macbook will be the right device for me as some programs might not be available for MAC.

Has anyone used a virtual machine before to run CAD or CFD software before and can share their experience?

submitted by /u/IchliebeButter
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Bought the 10th gen 13" 2020 pro - the speakers????

Posted: 01 Aug 2020 12:49 PM PDT

I don't know why I haven't seen many other reviewers talk about it or much articles about it online, but Jesus Christ the MacBook speakers are insane...

Anyone else have thoughts on it? Also what speakers are they specifically. Are they really that good compared to other laptops or am I just experiencing a good quality laptop for the first time.

submitted by /u/MarigiHD
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SSD upgrade question for Late 2013 Macbook Pro Retina

Posted: 01 Aug 2020 04:01 PM PDT

Hi,

I have a question regarding compatibility upgrading the SSD from a Late 2013 Macbook Pro, i7, 512GB SSD.

I was on the OWC website and I saw the 1TB Aura Pro X2 NVMe SSD however the price is incredibly high.

I was comparing it to the Samsung NVMe Evo 1TB which is cheaper however the pins don't line up correctly so I would also have to purchase an adaptor that would then make it compatible with the Macbook Pro.

The adaptors in question are: https://www.amazon.ca/Rivo-Adapter-Upgrade-2013-2015-MacBook/dp/B07Q239HRP/ref=pd_lpo_147_t_1/134-3764401-8606818?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07Q239HRP&pd_rd_r=dad808fe-acba-4b23-a778-fe72baeee345&pd_rd_w=20A0E&pd_rd_wg=avCfC&pf_rd_p=256a14b6-93bc-4bcd-9f68-aea60d2878b9&pf_rd_r=FJSNYRNPXJKCCEQ33VE6&psc=1&refRID=FJSNYRNPXJKCCEQ33VE6

https://www.amazon.ca/Sintech-Adapter-Upgrade-2013-2015-MacBook/dp/B01CWWAENG

Does the adaptor throttle or decrease the performance of the NVMe SSD?

submitted by /u/LordOfBathurst
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Why does the right fan have a lower max speed than the left one, does the GPU need less cooling?

Posted: 01 Aug 2020 03:51 PM PDT

submitted by /u/daru1848
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Download speed issues

Posted: 01 Aug 2020 03:46 PM PDT

purchased a MacBook Pro a few days ago and have dowloaded a few games to use on an emulator, these have been very small so I didn't notice the download speed. I have come to downloading a 3ds ROM that is around 1.8GB and realised my download speed is at about 60kb/s, compared to my xbox at 70-90Mb/s. I have tried lots of methods to speed up the internet and am wondering if anyone knows a fix for this.

submitted by /u/Miest123
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Mbp 16 - Trackpad is moving when I'm scrolling

Posted: 01 Aug 2020 03:32 PM PDT

Hello,

I noticed a small issue with my macbook pro 16. When I scroll up or down, my trackpad (Not cursor, trackpad part) is moving and sometimes make "clicky / cracking" sound. It's my first macbook so, I don't know if it's normal. It's moving like 1 - 2 mm, no more. How trackpad is fixed? Glue, screws?

Can I communicate this problem to Apple and when if trackpad break, get a replacement? I need my laptop for work and I can't wait 1 - 2 weeks for a repair. When Apple replace parts, they give used part or new? Before, in my Dell laptop (XPS), Dell replaced my screen by used one with a lot of scratch

submitted by /u/Greenone27
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Thunderbolt 2 to UBC-C via hub?

Posted: 01 Aug 2020 02:41 PM PDT

I've just gotten a new 2020 Air, and I'm considering trying to run two screens with it. I have one of the old Thunderbolt 2 displays, and a Dell monitor that can connect via HDMI.

Will the Apple Thunderbolt to USB-C adapter work for the Thunderbolt monitor through one of those multi-port hubs, or will it only work connecting directly to the Macbook? I won't be able to connect both monitors otherwise, which would be a pity.

Anyone have experience with this who can hopefully give me good news?

submitted by /u/mosstalgia
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Problems with the new Magic Keyboard?

Posted: 01 Aug 2020 06:56 AM PDT

Hey there! First time poster here. I recently purchased a 2020 MacBook Pro 13" with the new Magic Keyboard. From what I understood before buying, the magic keyboard was supposed to solve all the issues with the awful butterfly-switch keyboard. However, I am already having significant issues with the Magic Keyboard.

As of writing this, the spacebar, "I", "K", apostrophe, and forward slash keys are all done for. I'm already in contact with Apple support to get it resolved but I just wanted to put this out as a message to be careful with your keyboard. Regardless of these issues, this has still been the best computer I've owned and I'm anxious to get back to using it for work. Be careful!

submitted by /u/GodOfBeverages
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Macbook for programming student?

Posted: 01 Aug 2020 07:31 AM PDT

I can't decide between Macbook air and Macbook pro. The ones I'm looking at are these:

The macbook air: 10th gen i5, 8gb ram and 512gb ssd The macbook pro: 8th gen i5, 8gm ram and 512gb ss

I will mostly use it for coding and wathing movies, daily use. I also need a good battery life. (Sorry for my english if I made any mistakes!!)

submitted by /u/nonncc
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External Monitor MacBook Pro

Posted: 01 Aug 2020 01:13 PM PDT

is there anything to be weary of when looking to purchase an external monitor for a 2017 MacBook Pro 13in? I just don't want to buy a monitor that's really laggy or has a bad resolution, but I'm not sure what to really look out for.

submitted by /u/rumpears
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HELP sometimes my USB disconnects and I can no longer open the folders I had open! Anyway to fix this? Please help!

Posted: 01 Aug 2020 12:25 PM PDT

submitted by /u/jennnnuuuuhhhh
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MacBook pro late 2011 uses more ram after upgrade

Posted: 01 Aug 2020 11:37 AM PDT

Sorry if this is the wrong sub for this but I just upgraded my late 2011 to 16gb ram and dad

My question is, after that my pro is using almost double the ram as it was before, is that normal? It used to use about 3.5gb but now it uses 8gb. That doesn't seem normal

Maybe I'm over thinking it but my computer knowledge isn't the best

submitted by /u/Slowhite03
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Which MacBook for me?

Posted: 01 Aug 2020 10:04 AM PDT

Hi guys, I'm having a really hard time choosing between the Air, Pro 13 and Pro 16".

I run a preschool program and will mainly use for running some cloud based software and web browsing, it will rarely if ever be used for gaming, photo editing or anything intensive. I was looking for 16GB RAM but maybe 8 will be fine for what I need?

Air and Pro 13" seem pretty similar? Is it a no brainer to go with the pro?

It seems like the MacBook Pro 16" might be overkill for what we really need, but I'm just so tempted.

I am upgrading from a 2013 MacBook Air. It only has 4gb RAM and it's just too slow now.

submitted by /u/mandi841
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Broke keycaps frame, don't know if it is repairable

Posted: 01 Aug 2020 05:05 AM PDT

keycaps hinge broke

key keeps popping out after typing

Idk where to get repaired here in south east asia, seller suggested 600sgd repair but that means shipping my macbook air to Singapore, that will take some time. Do you have cheaper alternatives? Any suggestion are welcomed. Thank you for answering.

Edit: model is 2018 air.

submitted by /u/real_namejeff
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The caps lock seems to need excessive strength to activate it. Is this normal? (The other key caps are normal)

Posted: 01 Aug 2020 08:30 AM PDT