Apple Silicon based MacBooks might be more powerful but this 2019 version is still a very capable Intel based alternative
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In October 2021, much to the delight of Apple fans and YouTubers, Apple launched its new performance laptops taking pride of place in the MacBook Pro range powered by its own advanced silicon technology. These 14 and 16 inch behemoths would replace the outgoing 13 and 16 inch machines, the latter having appeared in late 2019 and powered by Intel’s 9th generation processors.
A trend then began to emerge. Now, it is common for YouTube tech channels and individuals when reviewing products to compare them to the previous outgoing generation. However, in the case of the new MacBook Pro models for 2021, when comparing them to the previous 16 inch model from 2019 in particular, the comparisons were both demeaning and scathing.
Many of the tests carried out by reviewers concentrated on video editing tasks, including import and export times. Additionally, a tried and tested piece of software called Geek Bench was deployed to run its various assortment of speed and rendering tests to push the performance capabilities of new M1 Pro and M1 Max Apple Silicon chips inside these laptops to their limits. The conclusions were decisive and the new machines were most definitely performance monsters. The 2019 machine on the other hand was now just a fancy doorstop and relegated as such to this humiliating position.
As I type this mini re-review if you will, I am doing so on a 16 inch MacBook Pro from 2019. One could argue that of course I do not wish to read more than a handful of detrimental comments targeted at it as I’ve invested my hard earned cash into this laptop. Yet, I feel more than any reviews or comparisons I’ve read in recent years, this machines gets continuously lambasted and discredited and very harshly. Sure, it cannot compete on some levels with the newer models powered by Apple Silicon but for my daily tasks its runs just great. Those tasks consist of everything from web design and development to writing blog posts, articles and reviews.
Some of the standout features for me then are the amazing screen and wonderful speakers, both doing their jobs really, really well. The 32GB of memory certainly helps when I’ve got multiple applications and web browsers running, which is quite often. It can get hot to the touch when pushed this way and the battery level diminishes a little faster but I have never noticed it slow down under heavy load and it averages between 4-5 hours on a single charge, enough to get about a half a day of work done before plugging in.
It has a 512GB hard drive and the base 5300M AMD graphics chip with 4GB of memory. It does however sport the higher end i9 processor from Intel so it certainly has the raw processing power available when needed. I have not done any video editing on it as yet but will be dipping my toes into this with the help of DaVinci Resolve, a piece of software that can be used at a basic level for free. Now, from the reviews I’ve read this is where one of the new MacBooks with an ‘M’ series Apple Silicon chip would be handy at getting things like export times reduced thank to the architecture having a hardware based media engine. Yet, my work and income doesn’t depend on this so I’m perfectly happy for the i9 and 5300M to take as long as they need to export video clips into whatever format might be required.
Ultimately it’s a great machine. The used market has them available in abundance with prices coming just under £1000 for the specification I’m using and entry level machines with an Intel i7 and 16GB starting nearer £700. Believe me when I say this is probably all you will need unless as mentioned, in my example above, your income depends on specifically getting video work done to a deadline. In that case a newer Apple laptop or even Windows based machine would be better although you would also be spending thousands of pounds more.
I don’t buy into the hype machine online, whether it's established YouTubers or tech websites. The best reviewers for these computers are people like you and me, using them on a daily basis to get work done. My laptop might be last generation but for my needs it's keeping up with newer software and web apps very nicely and definitely has a few years left in it before Apple drops software support and I start thinking about an upgrade, from the used market of course!
