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13" 2017 vs 15" 2016 (help)

LarryJoe33 said:
...I can't see myself laying down on the couch with it propped on my lap like I like to do now with my 13". The screen real estate is nice though but not enough of an advantage to overcome the large form factor.
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LOL! I can't see myself laying on the couch with the 13"! I go for the iPad! :D

That said, I did compare the 13" with the 15" today @ Best Buy and while there's definitely an uptick in real estate, I still don't think it's big enough to comfortably work with two web pages + something else, or even just two windows...for something like that I think a minimum of a 20" monitor would be needed for my purposes...so I'm keeping the 13". Also, the 15" models seem to have a PWM backlight, so that's a nogo for me anyway.

Did you get your notebook yet?!
 
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Jodiuh said:
LOL! I can't see myself laying on the couch with the 13"! I go for the iPad! :D

That said, I did compare the 13" with the 15" today @ Best Buy and while there's definitely an uptick in real estate, I still don't think it's big enough to comfortably work with two web pages + something else, or even just two windows...for something like that I think a minimum of a 20" monitor would be needed for my purposes...so I'm keeping the 13". Also, the 15" models seem to have a PWM backlight, so that's a nogo for me anyway.

Did you get your notebook yet?!
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LOL! It's funny, I got this MBP as a hand me down from my son in college. I bought him a new one because his old one was "slow". Little did I know that for a few hundred bucks in upgrades it would perform like new.

Anyhow, it's mine now and since I got it, I really have little interest in using my iPad. I'd rather use my iPhone 7 for simple quick checks of stuff or my MBP for surfing, replying to email, iMessage etc. I find the iPad annoying to type on the large keyboard, especially when lying down.
 
I have a similar scenario, 2017 13" w/TB vs. 2016 15" (base). The delta for me would be $300 more for the 15", but I'd be getting:
  • 8GB vs. 16GB
  • 256GB vs. 512GB EDIT: for the 13"/15" I'm considering, both have 256
  • Dedicated GPU on 15"
  • bigger screen
In favor of the 2017 13":
  • 3lbs vs 4lbs, but I won't be taking it out of the house very often
  • Better in the long-term with 4K HVEC support?? (info needed here)
Main uses will be editing with iMovie/FCPX, mostly 1080p, but I expect more 4K in the near future. Some audio editing via iZotope RX5, maybe light photo editing + general tasks.
 
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So I went with a 2017 MacBook Pro 15" TB Base. The size is killing me, do I just get a 13" with 16gb and 256 with a 3.3 i5? or Go with the i7? What would be more powerful? Note: my 15 is BASE.
 
Jayjew said:
So I went with a 2017 MacBook Pro 15" TB Base. The size is killing me, do I just get a 13" with 16gb and 256 with a 3.3 i5? or Go with the i7? What would be more powerful? Note: my 15 is BASE.
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Just get the i5. The i7 would be slight more powerful, but consume the battery faster, etc for minimal gain.
 
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Get the 13". It is a great machine, feels solid looks great and performs awesome. Granted there are some instances like serious gaming where it will be an issue, but for a vast majority of users it will be well more than sufficient. The smaller foot print is a big factor for myself. I would upgrade RAM and SSD if I were in your shoes. The processor is not a big deal. I have the i7, but only because that was the only 2017 configuration that had the 16 GB and 1TB SSD that I wanted in the apple refurbished store when I purchased mine. Saved about $450 by getting apple refurbished vs same computer new.
 
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Jayjew said:
I can't afford all those upgrades and it'd make it the same price as a 15" 2016

Maybe the i7 and just 8gb? Would that do any justice? I just want something that'll last awhile. And do Logic Pro.

Edit: nvm I see what you mean. So just do the ram and memory?
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Honestly, 8GB is fine ... For whatever reason, some people on this forum assume everyone is running two or three VMs and is compiling source code for the F35.

Most of us will be solid with 8GB of RAM. I will echo what has been said regarding the disk space though, and even that depends on how you use your computer.

If I'm buying a laptop today, it'll be the 13" MBP TB (the nTB has half the TDP and half the ports), with 8GB of RAM and 512GB storage.
 
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I think the 15” is just to darn big. IF I were purchasing right now, I would check out the refurb Apple store, I would get a 13” w/TB, i5, with 16GB of memory and 512GB SSD. All this said, I know 8GB is fine (for today) but I is the minimum, so 16GB would future proof me. I also know I could get by with 256GB SSD because I keep everything in iCloud, BUT, I won’t want to keep watching space. The basic OS with a few essential apps (Office, iMovie and Garage bland) takes up 120GB. The touchbar has gotten widespread negative feedback that it’s not useful, but I would want it for the cool factor.
 
Adamantoise said:
Honestly, 8GB is fine ... For whatever reason, some people on this forum assume everyone is running two or three VMs and is compiling source code for the F35.

Most of us will be solid with 8GB of RAM. I will echo what has been said regarding the disk space though, and even that depends on how you use your computer.

If I'm buying a laptop today, it'll be the 13" MBP TB (the nTB has half the TDP and half the ports), with 8GB of RAM and 512GB storage.
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LOL! So true, in another thread folks seem to be avoiding the 128GB due to the slower speed/space, but for those of us that aren't xffering 50GB's in 32KB files to and from a Samsung 960 m2 via TB3, it's not the end of the world.

If I have a BUNCH of stuff open, I might notice the occasional slight animation hiccup, but it's not a deal breaker by any means. As for storage space, I have 90GB left and nothing else to install. :D
 
lax28 said:
Get the 13". It is a great machine, feels solid looks great and performs awesome. Granted there are some instances like serious gaming where it will be an issue, but for a vast majority of users it will be well more than sufficient. The smaller foot print is a big factor for myself. I would upgrade RAM and SSD if I were in your shoes. The processor is not a big deal. I have the i7, but only because that was the only 2017 configuration that had the 16 GB and 1TB SSD that I wanted in the apple refurbished store when I purchased mine. Saved about $450 by getting apple refurbished vs same computer new.
Click to expand...

Wait are the 2017 models now available in the refurb store?!
 
Jayjew said:
Off and on. If you do the student deal and sell the beats, its a way better deal.
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That can be debatable, student discount $150-$200, you get a free pair of beats that retail for $300. I think it would be hard pressed to find someone willing to pay full retail so if you can get 200-250 for them it works out to be around same w/o hassle of selling something that you didn't need or want. I didn't need another pair of beats, so I had no interest in paying more to get them.

Although, I think that they should be included on the refurbs as well...after all the money dropped on buying a Mac, regardless if new in box or refurbished is still a very significant amount of cash.
 
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