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12" MacBook or 13" MacBook Pro 2017

N

Nicholecata94

macrumors member
Original poster
Sep 21, 2017
34
26
Houston
I have been reading and watching comparisons between the two for awhile. It seems like every time I make up my mind about one, I read something that sways me back to the other side! Argh!

I need a laptop because I travel about 4-5 times a year and definitely have to have my computer when I do.
I am a teacher and could definitely see myself bringing my laptop to school although I usually make do just fine with my iPad and the big clunky Windows laptop issued by the school that stays in my classroom. I walk to work so portability is somewhat of an issue, although I don't think either of these are particularly big or heavy.

At home I do basic things - Facebook, internet browsing, e-mail, etc. I will also use it for school work (Google Classroom and Drive, my grade book, lesson planning etc). Nothing particularly intensive I think, although I am known for keeping a lot of tabs open at one time especially when I am lesson planning.

I went to Best Buy and played with both. I ended up selecting the MacBook Pro 13" with 256GB storage. The Best Buy associate told me to try it out and if I wanted to I can come back and exchange for the 12" MacBook. The return period is extended to January so no rush right now, but I'd like to decide.

I know it sounds like a bad reason but I REALLY like the form factor of the 12" MacBook. It's so small and cute lol. I am seriously considering doing the switch but will I take a hit on performance given the above things that I do? I would hate to take back the Pro and switch to the MacBook just to then go back and have to switch again. They might stop letting me shop there if I do that lol.

Has anyone switched from the pro to the MacBook and are happy with their decision? Will it age well? The reviews I have read said it flies through most tasks, but will it still do that 2 years from now? I don't want to have to buy another laptop next year.

Any advice or stories are appreciated. Thanks!

Nicole
 
Your described tasks are really basic for a modern MB. You could easily do this. not only the next 2years but 10 years on a 2017 MB :)
 
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Your stated uses are unlikely to strain a MacBook, even when you have lots of tabs open—8GB RAM should handle your load. For most users a MacBook Pro is overkill.
 
cincygolfgrrl said:
Your stated uses are unlikely to strain a MacBook, even when you have lots of tabs open—8GB RAM should handle your load. For most users a MacBook Pro is overkill.
Click to expand...
This

Unless you do a lot of video editing, the rMB is just fine for your usage. My first Mac was a 2013 rMBP almost four years ago and while it was nice, I ended up selling it a year later and buying a cheaper, refurb MBA because the it was just a waste of money for what I used it for. I just upgraded to a 2017 base model rMB two weeks ago from the MBA and love it. It's a speed demon and handles everything I do on it just fine while being very portable. Go with the rMB.
 
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I just switch from a 2017 15" MacBook Pro to the MacBook and I have loved it so far. The 15" was overkill for what I do on a daily basis and it's quite shocking how fast and snappy the processors are in the MacBook. I haven't run into any issues with speed over the past couple days of using it as my main machine.

For the tasks you described I'm betting you would be more than fine going with the MacBook.
 
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I went from a 13-inch nTB to a 12-inch rMB and have zero regrets. I like the portability much more. However, the rMB would not work for me as my only computer (I have a 15-inch MBPr as well). It it plenty capable to do the things you need now, and will be for the foreseeable future. When traveling, the weight advantage over the MBP13 isn't groundbreaking, but the slightly lighter weight and the smaller form factor is a nice bonus, as is the ability to get it in a color other than gray or silver.

The biggest limitation of the rMB to me is the single legacy USB connection - for my portable machine, this is no issue at all, since my 20 or so wired devices are hooked up via Thunderbolt hubs to my MBP, and I do not use the rMB with external displays. However, if this were my only computer and I needed to use it with wired devices and/or external displays with any regularity, I would personally be preferential to the 13-inch MacBook Pro not just because of the one or three additional ports, but because those ports support Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.1 gen 2, which the retina MacBook does not.
 
You will love yourself if you carry a retina MacBook and have a long walk.

You will hate yourself if you missed the two extra CPU cores from your exchanged MacBook Pro.

You will love yourself when you have less battery anxiety with the retina MacBook.

You will hate yourself if you missed fiddling with the touch bar on the MacBook Pro.

Your wallet will love you more for getting the retina MacBook for less price than the MacBook Pro.

You will love your retina MacBook less when your eyes get tired from the smaller 12" screen.

Anyway, I personally own both the 11" MacBook Air and a 13.3" MacBook Air since 2013. I love the size and the lightness of the 11" model (2.1 lbs), but controversially my eyes are telling me to bring the 13.3" MacBook Air (3.3 lbs) when leaving home.

My final answer to myself: I then bought a weightless 2.16 lbs 15.6" screen LG Gram (2016 model) and had installed Mac OSX (known as Hackintosh) on it (in dual boot Windows/OSX setup). :)
 
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I was in a similar dilemma and purchased both thinking I would return the other. I am also an iPad Pro 10.5 inch user. I returned the MacBook Pro and kept the MacBook. I liked the weight (the charger is lighter as well), silent functionality, and general form factor of the 12inch better.

I am a developer and do a fair bit of coding and connect my MacBook to a 34inch curved display when I am at home and in my office. I've not missed having more ports, and have found the MacBook to be a great little computer. Good luck.
 
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I just got the 12" MacBook base line as well today tho!
I email/stream&binge watch movies, youtube, Netflix/chat/webbrowsing/student as a journalist/listening to music *only Spotify and pandora*. I may have like 200 songs on my iTunes that I own but thats it :D. what color did you get?
 
Daewoo1985 said:
I just got the 12" MacBook base line as well today tho!
I email/stream&binge watch movies, youtube, Netflix/chat/webbrowsing/student as a journalist/listening to music *only Spotify and pandora*. I may have like 200 songs on my iTunes that I own but thats it :D. what color did you get?
Click to expand...

Mine is Space Gray. What about you?
 
Well done. Was in the same boat then went for the 13". Both nice machines, quite similar in a certain way. Have been using it for a week and absolutely loving it.
 
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I have been comparing the base models of these two for about month now
still haven't quite decided yet... but I'm leaning towards the pro
(I'm not a photoshop/video editing kind of person... prob will be use mainly for surfing and office stuff)

looking at the macbook, I love the portability of it, it is so sleek and light! plus the girly part of me really want the pink...
but the single usb-c port does concern me
I'm also worried about the fanless core m3 that it may not be able to keep up to future updates in MacOS

where as the macbook pro, it is one pound heavier (doesn't sound much but actually feels quite significant)
two thunderbolt 3 ports
and base model is the 7th gen i5
but only 128GB ssd, which is a huge turn-off, need to spend an extra $200 gets the 256GB

but to me it seems like spending an extra $200 to get the pro (vs base model macbook) is worth it..
- an actual duo core i5
- better graphics
- thunderbolt 3 offers faster data transfer (not that I may use it, but it's available if i happen to get a thunderbolt accessory in the future)
- better screen (more "nits" as the website says) and slightly larger (12" vs 13")
- front camera is 720p

OR get all that extra for the same price as a macbook and sacrifice disk space
 
Last edited:
jocyyu said:
I have been comparing the base models of these two for about month now
still haven't quite decided yet... but I'm leaning towards the pro
(I'm not a photoshop/video editing kind of person... prob will be use mainly for surfing and office stuff)

looking at the macbook, I love the portability of it, it is so sleek and light! plus the girly part of me really want the pink...
but the single usb-c port does concern me
I'm also worried about the fanless core m3 that it may not be able to keep up to future updates in MacOS

where as the macbook pro, it is one pound heavier (doesn't sound much but actually feels quite significant)
two thunderbolt 3 ports
and base model is the 7th gen i5
but only 128GB ssd, which is a huge turn-off, need to spend an extra $200 gets the 256GB

but to me it seems like spending an extra $200 to get the pro (vs base model macbook) is worth it..
- an actual duo core i5
- better graphics
- thunderbolt 3 offers faster data transfer (not that I may use it, but it's available if i happen to get a thunderbolt accessory in the future)
- better screen (more "nits" as the website says) and slightly larger (12" vs 13")
- front camera is 720p

OR get all that extra for the same price as a macbook and sacrifice disk space
Click to expand...
For ur use case the MB m3 is really fast enough for next several years easily.

The one port depends on your usage. It might be sometimes a problem and u have to use a dongle or hub.

But using 128GB on the MBP will be constantly a problem when storage runs out on a daily basis...

Keep in mind that after OS X and a few programs there is only 80-90GB available
 
jocyyu said:
I have been comparing the base models of these two for about month now
still haven't quite decided yet... but I'm leaning towards the pro
(I'm not a photoshop/video editing kind of person... prob will be use mainly for surfing and office stuff)

looking at the macbook, I love the portability of it, it is so sleek and light! plus the girly part of me really want the pink...
but the single usb-c port does concern me
I'm also worried about the fanless core m3 that it may not be able to keep up to future updates in MacOS

where as the macbook pro, it is one pound heavier (doesn't sound much but actually feels quite significant)
two thunderbolt 3 ports
and base model is the 7th gen i5
but only 128GB ssd, which is a huge turn-off, need to spend an extra $200 gets the 256GB

but to me it seems like spending an extra $200 to get the pro (vs base model macbook) is worth it..
- an actual duo core i5
- better graphics
- thunderbolt 3 offers faster data transfer (not that I may use it, but it's available if i happen to get a thunderbolt accessory in the future)
- better screen (more "nits" as the website says) and slightly larger (12" vs 13")
- front camera is 720p

OR get all that extra for the same price as a macbook and sacrifice disk space
Click to expand...


I was having the same exact debate.
In fact, I got the MacBook Pro 256 originally. I decided to return it and get the base MacBook. I like it so much more. I can just slip it in my bag so easily and bring it to school (work).
When I get home I can plug it into a monitor with a dongle and use it on a big screen.
It hasn't slowed down for me AT ALL and I regularly have a dozen or more tabs open, Spotify, Chrome, Safari.
I highly recommend saving the money and getting the MacBook (or using the extra money I would have spent on the Pro and putting it towards Apple Care).
 
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Nicholecata94 said:
I was having the same exact debate.
In fact, I got the MacBook Pro 256 originally. I decided to return it and get the base MacBook. I like it so much more. I can just slip it in my bag so easily and bring it to school (work).
When I get home I can plug it into a monitor with a dongle and use it on a big screen.
It hasn't slowed down for me AT ALL and I regularly have a dozen or more tabs open, Spotify, Chrome, Safari.
I highly recommend saving the money and getting the MacBook (or using the extra money I would have spent on the Pro and putting it towards Apple Care).
Click to expand...


I am n a debate, the macbook pro 13 is the same size as my current chromebook I use on a daily for 5 years so the form size is perfect. I played w the MBP 13 w TB and I liked it, my best buy doesnt have any macbook 12 on displays so cant even see or feel it. I am waiting for a 2017 deals for MB + MBP/tb to start popping up this year. I kind of worry the 12 macbook will feel too small, i'd like to see both side by side, best buy failed me.

Torn which one to actually get. I am not a power user but that touchbar is pretty slick with finger ID. choices choices.

May drive half an hour to the mall, apple stores should have them id hope.
 
Legionnaire said:
I am n a debate, the macbook pro 13 is the same size as my current chromebook I use on a daily for 5 years so the form size is perfect. I played w the MBP 13 w TB and I liked it, my best buy doesnt have any macbook 12 on displays so cant even see or feel it. I am waiting for a 2017 deals for MB + MBP/tb to start popping up this year. I kind of worry the 12 macbook will feel too small, i'd like to see both side by side, best buy failed me.

Torn which one to actually get. I am not a power user but that touchbar is pretty slick with finger ID. choices choices.

May drive half an hour to the mall, apple stores should have them id hope.
Click to expand...

If you are not a power user, you dont need the touchbar. It's a waste of $$. Get a refurb MacBook/MacBook Pro from Apple @ $1099 or better yet a new one from B&H @ $1149 with no tax unless you are in NJ/NY.
 
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Abs_p said:
If you are not a power user, you dont need the touchbar. It's a waste of $$. Get a refurb MacBook/MacBook Pro from Apple @ $1099 or better yet a new one from B&H @ $1149 with no tax unless you are in NJ/NY.
Click to expand...


Last year a lot of deals popped up i5's 512gb macbook 12 for like 800-900. I have been hoping those deals for the 17 models appear shortly. Its odd, there are 0 open box's at best buy right now. I feel like they arent allowing them to be sold at the moment for some reason, no macbook I see has open boxes but just days earlier tons of them. Might be due to the cyber sales going on. Open books sold after?

I just know the MBP 13 is like .3 inches wider than my chromebook. The same exact size otherwise. I am pretty happy with it, if the macbook 12 is much smaller than this i would possibly be let down. I thought the touchbar was neat as heck when I played with it at the store, but I would probably never use it except finger ID
 
Legionnaire said:
Last year a lot of deals popped up i5's 512gb macbook 12 for like 800-900. I have been hoping those deals for the 17 models appear shortly. Its odd, there are 0 open box's at best buy right now. I feel like they arent allowing them to be sold at the moment for some reason, no macbook I see has open boxes but just days earlier tons of them. Might be due to the cyber sales going on. Open books sold after?

I just know the MBP 13 is like .3 inches wider than my chromebook. The same exact size otherwise. I am pretty happy with it, if the macbook 12 is much smaller than this i would possibly be let down. I thought the touchbar was neat as heck when I played with it at the store, but I would probably never use it except finger ID
Click to expand...

I dont remember them tbh and last year's MacBook didn't have i5 in the first place.
 
Abs_p said:
I dont remember them tbh and last year's MacBook didn't have i5 in the first place.
Click to expand...


https://slickdeals.net/coupons/best-buy/


I am hoping they start clearancing the 17 models in next 3-4months. Im either getting MB 12 or MBP 13. After comparing the models to my chromebook, the 13 is apple for apple, probably go that route. (though if I get a mbp 13.. I will prob grab i5 with 512gb and tb and 16gb ram) to keep it future proofed.

I would be happy with either, just not having handled the 12 or seen one in person is only reason I dont know which I want really. Def going to have to drive out to Apple store, OP made me realize the 12 might really be better for me. However my chroembook has been the perfect size and its same exact size as the MBP 13.

Decisions decisions.
 
Legionnaire said:
https://slickdeals.net/coupons/best-buy/


I am hoping they start clearancing the 17 models in next 3-4months. Im either getting MB 12 or MBP 13. After comparing the models to my chromebook, the 13 is apple for apple, probably go that route. (though if I get a mbp 13.. I will prob grab i5 with 512gb and tb and 16gb ram) to keep it future proofed.

I would be happy with either, just not having handled the 12 or seen one in person is only reason I dont know which I want really. Def going to have to drive out to Apple store, OP made me realize the 12 might really be better for me. However my chroembook has been the perfect size and its same exact size as the MBP 13.

Decisions decisions.
Click to expand...

That's the m5 :p

Anyway, I now remember this deal. I planned on getting it and then decided to sleep on it.

Anyway, it was marked down to $1099 not "800-900" and then an $125 off edu coupon brought down the price and BBY $125 edu coupons on MacBooks are not very common. I think that's the only time I remember seeing one.
 
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Abs_p said:
That's the m5 :p

Anyway, I now remember this deal. I planned on getting it and then decided to sleep on it.

Anyway, it was marked down to $1099 not "800-900" and then an $125 off edu coupon brought down the price and BBY $125 edu coupons on MacBooks are not very common. I think that's the only time I remember seeing one.
Click to expand...


To be honest, I am torn between both 12 and 13. I think the 12 would be nice, but I think the 13 would be nice as well. Pretty even really. If I get a 13 i'd prob splurge another 400 and get TB+16gb ram when a deal came out just because I wouldnt want the base model of the pro. As long as I get 5-6 years out of either i'd be happy. The pro should last longer due to specs alone but how bad are the fans on the MBP 13 with touchbar? I read there are two of them. Could be annoying.

Til I get hands on both of them I really cant say, whatever better deal comes along i'll prob snag up first. Yeah but deals will come along. I only use this laptop on my bed. I just move it from nightstand to my bed. So not sure how much the fan will run being on my comforter. I surf web while laying in bed at night/banking/facebook/macrumors etc.

Thank you for your replies. I am just a torn manchild on how to spend my money lol never owned a macbook and now torn between two awesome models. Deals will hit when new models released for sure. Also slightly hesitant about the new keyboard, keep reading people having them break unfortunately.
 
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