Kevin C. Wong

MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019) [+]

MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2019)

Processor: 2.4 GHz 8-Core Intel Core i9
Memory: 64 GB 2667 MHz DDR4
Graphics: AMD Radeon Pro 5500M 8 GB + Intel UHD Graphics 630 1536 MB

I've had my MBP for a few months and it's been really great. I use it with two monitors (Dell U2717D and Dell U2415) and also use the internal monitor for a 3-monitor setup. MBP handles this fine and I can play DDO (via CrossOver) while watching three or four Twitch streams. I can also run Handbrake encoding and I might notice while doing UI stuff even though it's taking like 600% CPU.

Since I don't use it as a portable the Touch Bar is little used. I guess would be used if my MBP were the central screen but making the smallest screen primary is not a good idea. On the other hand Touch ID is more convenient than I thought. When it comes up I can reach over and touch the button no problem.

It has four USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports which I use for: power, connection to Drobo, connection to each Dell monitor (for video and to each monitor's USB hub). USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 is a bit confusing (they do have different capabilities even though they share the same connector) but I can see living with one USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 port and daisy chaining my peripherals.

I guess that's it. It's a good computer and even though four or five years later model than my previous MBP I can basically treat it like a faster computer to what I had before.

Addendum: With Touch ID you also get Apple Pay without having to use an iOS device for identification, which didn't work if I was on VPN (because authentication uses Bluetooth for discovery and current Wifi network for authentication). You can easily add cards that you've already added in other devices (it only asks you to enter Apple ID password) so it removes that pain point.