I had the 2019 MacBook Pro i9 too. Applying thermal pads to the VRM module fixed the throttling problem. It was like a brand new computer, the one I thought I was purchasing.
After buying it, I regularly had throttling issues. Nothing seemed to help. I tried all the recommended tricks but wasn’t getting anywhere. (I had two external monitors and using adobe creative suite back then.)
I came across some forum posts about the VRM module not being able to cool and that was making the system think it was overheating. It sounded reasonable so I decided to give it a shot. I got the thermal pads, carefully opened the laptop and applied a few layers to the various components to make sure it was touching the case (this is what makes this mod work properly, heat transfer to the aluminum case.)
It worked like magic, it felt like a brand new computer after months of bad experiences.
Only side effect was that bottom case gets really hot (that heat needs to go somewhere) so I couldn’t comfortably use it on my lap. But I never regretted doing the mod for a second!
I retired what was my then favorite computer for an M3 MacBook Air with 24gb ram and couldn’t be happier. I still have fond memories of my 16 inch 2019 MacBook Pro, if you still use that computer, please do yourself a favor and at least look into adding thermal pads to the VRM modules.
I did the same mod on my 2019 MBP 16, and I got two more years of useful life out of it in exchange for nearly burning myself a few times when watching a movie or running some kind of CPU-intensive task with the laptop touching my body (even through a t-shirt or jeans!). Eventually, the airflow from the cooling fans started to weaken and the display flex cable started to get a bit squirrely on me. I'm on a 14" M-series MBP now, and it's freakishly quiet and efficient.
After buying it, I regularly had throttling issues. Nothing seemed to help. I tried all the recommended tricks but wasn’t getting anywhere. (I had two external monitors and using adobe creative suite back then.)
I came across some forum posts about the VRM module not being able to cool and that was making the system think it was overheating. It sounded reasonable so I decided to give it a shot. I got the thermal pads, carefully opened the laptop and applied a few layers to the various components to make sure it was touching the case (this is what makes this mod work properly, heat transfer to the aluminum case.)
It worked like magic, it felt like a brand new computer after months of bad experiences.
Only side effect was that bottom case gets really hot (that heat needs to go somewhere) so I couldn’t comfortably use it on my lap. But I never regretted doing the mod for a second!
I retired what was my then favorite computer for an M3 MacBook Air with 24gb ram and couldn’t be happier. I still have fond memories of my 16 inch 2019 MacBook Pro, if you still use that computer, please do yourself a favor and at least look into adding thermal pads to the VRM modules.