We got "sort of" an update from the Apple Business Team: They can't get any information about the cases that have been opened by Apple Engineers from these community topics, but they're continuing to ask to try and get us some kind of an update. They did say that what seems to be happening is very similar to what happened with the 15-inch MacBooks and the introduction of both i9 and i7 processors. Much of what was occurring was related to the GPU and the high CPUs were pushing the MBPs beyond its thermal limits. Apple has an EFFA (Early Field Failure Analysis) process which can take up to 180 days. In that timeframe they take the piece of hardware, send it to the engineers, who then evaluate the issues and attempt to solve the problems. I think the consensus is, there is a problem with the 16-inch MBPs, so you have leverage with extended return periods.
We have new employees and need new hardware ASAP. We requested an extended return policy so that we can move forward beyond this testing phase with a few 16-inch MBPs. However, we will be using eGPUs with most of these new purchases until Apple fixes the hardware issues. Not everyone has this luxury and this is only a temporary solution for us.
We've done some additional work doing actual tests with Xcode and Adobe products and have been able to get the CPUs and COREs to 100 degrees Celsius for extended periods. That is no bueno for the hardware. Even at full fan speeds, they can't keep up with the heat load with external monitors.
Because we have a number of eGPUs, we are now using one with every MacBook to eliminate the heat. We have able to reduce the heat by 50% and the 16-inch MBPs will stay within good working conditions. Shutting the lid with the eGPUs will essentially disable the internal Radeon Pro and is necessary to reduce overall heat conditions.
There is no question there is an issue and it seems to be with ALL configurations. The lower Radeon Pros will produce slightly less heat, lower CPUs will produce slightly less heat, but adding one or two monitors, and even USB-C hubs, will add to heat conditions. As many of you have noticed, the power draws on these laptops are excessive because of the power demands related to the GPU etc.
To summarize, although the GPU is the biggest culprit, everything else adds to the problem. This topic has been referenced from a number of other discussions in MacRumors. If there is some peace of mind, it's clear they're seeing the issue and it's a big problem. This is something Apple will need to fix or resolve even beyond standard warranty periods because the 16-inch MBPs are not working properly since their release.
Thanks,
Tim
[Personal Information Edited by Moderator]
