13" 2015: i5 8GB vs i7 16GB

[JerTheGeek]

So in the process of buying a retina MBP 13" refurbished. I'm looking at 512GB models in the refurb store, and there is one with i7 and 16GB RAM for like $350 more than the i5 8GB model. Would this be worth it if I'm doing iMovie video editing a few times a month? Would it be a good future proofing move as well?

 

[vng01]

So in the process of buying a retina MBP 13" refurbished. I'm looking at 512GB models in the refurb store, and there is one with i7 and 16GB RAM for like $350 more than the i5 8GB model. Would this be worth it if I'm doing iMovie video editing a few times a month? Would it be a good future proofing move as well?

Hey,

Nice topic i would like to know the Same if the i7 is much better than the i5?

Im a music producer using logic pro x and mashine incl their Software soon

 

[JerTheGeek]

Hey,

Nice topic i would like to know the Same if the i7 is much better than the i5?

Im a music producer using logic pro x and mashine incl their Software soon

Yeah, would like some input from ppl who have used both.

 

[AFEPPL]

I have both, the i7 makes very little difference.

 

[JerTheGeek]

I have both, the i7 makes very little difference.

What about the 16GB RAM? Worth $350? I'm guessing not.

 

[AFEPPL]

I'd take the RAM if i could get it for sure, I just don't want to put value on one over the other. I'll leave that for you guys to do. From a performance point of view, you won't see much for the extra was my point. I cant compare the difference the RAM makes as i would need to identical i7s to do that.

 

[JerTheGeek]

I'd take the RAM if i could get it for sure, I just don't want to put value on one over the other. I'll leave that for you guys to do. From a performance point of view, you won't see much for the extra was my point. I cant compare the difference the RAM makes as i would need to identical i7s to do that.

If I'm not doing a ton of multitasking the RAM won't really be that beneficial, right?

 

[AFEPPL]

It provides you with future proofing i guess, plus the ability to manipulate large datasets/files.
Or if you use VMs to run more. SSD masks some of the benefits of larger RAM as the IO is moved around faster (less latency).

 

[vng01]

It provides you with future proofing i guess, plus the ability to manipulate large datasets/files.
Or if you use VMs to run more. SSD masks some of the benefits of larger RAM as the IO is moved around faster (less latency).

Im using 8gb of ram in my 5k imac and its Running Fine so...

How big is the difference between the i5 in my imac and the i5 in the macbook pro 13"?

 

[T5BRICK]

The i7 upgrade is not worth it. 16GB of RAM is nice but not needed for most users. I think you'd be fine with the i5/8GB unit.

 

[vng01]

The i7 upgrade is not worth it. 16GB of RAM is nice but not needed for most users. I think you'd be fine with the i5/8GB unit.

Thank you for your reply...

Do you really think a dual Core i5 With 8gb of ram is enough for Logic pro x, ni Maschine including their Software like massive?

 

[T5BRICK]

Thank you for your reply...

Do you really think a dual Core i5 With 8gb of ram is enough for Logic pro x, ni Maschine including their Software like massive?

The current 13" rMBP seems to exceed the minimum requirements for the software you mentioned. I'm no expert on audio software so I can't say much more than that.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Thank you for your reply...

Do you really think a dual Core i5 With 8gb of ram is enough for Logic pro x, ni Maschine including their Software like massive?

The i7 is a dual core as well, all 13 inch MacBook pros are dual core if you want a quad like your iMac then you'll have to get a 15 inch rMBP. As for RAM if 8gb is fine on your iMac it'll be fine on the rMBP, of course logic will use as much RAM and as many cores as you throw at it buts what hardware you actually need is down to what you are doing with the software, many people run logic just fine on a low spec MacBook Air.

 

[vng01]

The i7 is a dual core as well, all 13 inch MacBook pros are dual core if you want a quad like your iMac then you'll have to get a 15 inch rMBP. As for RAM if 8gb is fine on your iMac it'll be fine on the rMBP, of course logic will use as much RAM and as many cores as you throw at it buts what hardware you actually need is down to what you are doing with the software, many people run logic just fine on a low spec MacBook Air.

If i dont need more than 50 % of cpu in my imac that means that the i5 in the macbook pro will be Fine?

 

[Samuelsan2001]

If i dont need more than 50 % of cpu in my imac that means that the i5 in the macbook pro will be Fine?

It doesn't really work like that but yes.

 

[vng01]

It doesn't really work like that but yes.

Thank you very much

 

[raptor402]

Usually, the main difference between i5 and i7 CPUs is hyperthreading, which is very beneficial for multithreaded use as long as each individual thread isn't using too much of the core. However, all dual core processors in the current Intel mobile lineup, i5 and i7, offer hyperthreading, so that difference is lost. With the i7, you get a slightly faster clock speed, but it won't make much of a difference.

16GB of RAM might be worth it, though. In older macs, you could always upgrade the RAM later. Now, you're stuck with what you buy. If you plan on keeping the laptop for more than 4 years, consider the 16GB RAM.

 

[vng01]

Usually, the main difference between i5 and i7 CPUs is hyperthreading, which is very beneficial for multithreaded use as long as each individual thread isn't using too much of the core. However, all dual core processors in the current Intel mobile lineup, i5 and i7, offer hyperthreading, so that difference is lost. With the i7, you get a slightly faster clock speed, but it won't make much of a difference.

16GB of RAM might be worth it, though. In older macs, you could always upgrade the RAM later. Now, you're stuck with what you buy. If you plan on keeping the laptop for more than 4 years, consider the 16GB RAM.

Thank you very much.

I think the better choice would be buying the 15 With 128gb Flash( upgradeable later) and 16gb ram

 

[raptor402]

Thank you very much.

I think the better choice would be buying the 15 With 128gb Flash( upgradeable later) and 16gb ram

Another word of warning: for some reason, Apple uses a proprietary SSD type instead of the now standard M.2 SSDs (though they are still using it over PCIe 3.0 x4 w/ NVMe just like many of the newer M.2 SSDs). As a result, the only aftermarket options for upgrading SSDs are from OWC, and they cost a bundle and a half. You should be prepared to live with only 128GB, which is perfectly alright if you're just using OS X and store most of your data externally. Prices may fall in the future or you might find an SSD on eBay, but that's always a risk.

Best of luck!

 

[vng01]

Another word of warning: for some reason, Apple uses a proprietary SSD type instead of the now standard M.2 SSDs (though they are still using it over PCIe 3.0 x4 w/ NVMe just like many of the newer M.2 SSDs). As a result, the only aftermarket options for upgrading SSDs are from OWC, and they cost a bundle and a half. You should be prepared to live with only 128GB, which is perfectly alright if you're just using OS X and store most of your data externally. Prices may fall in the future or you might find an SSD on eBay, but that's always a risk.

Best of luck!

Thank you again... We will See

But first of all i will use my amazing imac. I really love this Mashine With logic pro x

 

[rockstarjoe]

Also keep in mind that Logic and all of it's built in samples take up a lot of space. That 128 GB would get eaten up fast.

 

[T5BRICK]

Thank you very much.

I think the better choice would be buying the 15 With 128gb Flash( upgradeable later) and 16gb ram

Apple hasn't ever shipped a retina MacBook Pro with less than 256GB SSD.

 

[raptor402]

Apple hasn't ever shipped a retina MacBook Pro with less than 256GB SSD.

Exactly. The 15" rMBP always started with 256GB. Now, it's only 16GB RAM.

Lately, the top 15" rMBP has been available for 1900 or so, which is lower than the base model. It might be worth looking into if you're going for 15".

 

[vng01]

Apple hasn't ever shipped a retina MacBook Pro with less than 256GB SSD.

Sorry i mean i5 but yes the 15" would be an amazing mashine With better specs but reallyexpensive

 

[JerTheGeek]

Sorry i mean i5 but yes the 15" would be an amazing mashine With better specs but reallyexpensive

I was deciding between the two as well. I went for 13" cause I couldn't afford the 15 in the storage I needed. Ultimately, I think it is better for me cause I don't need quad core and may never need it, and if I need more space I can use a monitor. Makes sense to stay more portable.