13" Macbook pro nTB vs 13" Macbook pro TB

[Gara_kons]

Hello everyone new guy here although i always have been browsing macrumors for news. But the time has come for me to get into the apple mac family and because of my masters degree program starting in September, i cant seem to choose between these 2 models of the 13". I have read everything about the differences the similarities and the difference between those two for me tax free is about 200 euro. Whichever one i choose will be upgraded to 16 gb ram and 512 gb ssd. So which one you think is best for typical daily use and light workload? Thanks everyone !

 

[maflynn]

So which one you think is best for typical daily use and light workload? Thanks everyone !

It boils down to personal preference
Do you want the TB version with the faster processor and more ports or the non-TB version with a bigger battery (but slower processor).

If it were me, I'd opt for the TB version because software doesn't get faster but slower and having a beefier processor should help you better in the long run

 

[leman]

So which one you think is best for typical daily use and light workload? Thanks everyone !

The nonTB version. The CPU is slightly slower (which you won't notice in light workloads), but it actually might be a benefit, since you are getting better battery life (that, and the battery is actually bigger in the nTB model). Also save some money. Whats not to like?

 

[vseera]

Also, the nTB version has only one fan, as compared to the TB version with two. Hence, if you work the machine a lot, you may notice the cpu throttle more with the nTB version.

 

[hajime]

For the nTB version with bigger battery, how many more minutes is the battery life? Is the only way to find out if the nTB version fast enough to get the work done is to try it out for two weeks?

 

[Gara_kons]

The only one fan on the nTB really bothers me. I don’t know if I’m gonna overload the machine to be sure that it won’t make noise. So I still can’t decide for sure

 

[t.portis]

I have the nTB and use it for everything. It probably depends on what you are going to use it for. If your graduate program is using a lot of Word, Powerpoint, Excel and the college's LMS, then you'll be fine with the nTB. The only time I ever hear the fan kick in is with the occasional game I play.

 

[Gara_kons]

No gaming. Studying , watching videos mostly

 

[hajime]

I have the nTB and use it for everything. It probably depends on what you are going to use it for. If your graduate program is using a lot of Word, Powerpoint, Excel and the college's LMS, then you'll be fine with the nTB. The only time I ever hear the fan kick in is with the occasional game I play.

What is your configurations?

 

[Gara_kons]

Can anyone with the 13" TB version tell me if the battery lasts a day of normal use ?

 

[animan]

Can anyone with the 13" TB version tell me if the battery lasts a day of normal use ?

I received my 13" 2017 TB last week. The first time I had fully charged it and let it run down to 12% battery, I got about 6 hours at 75% brightness, while coding in Xcode, watching videos, web, email etc. I expect the battery to get slightly better with use. Currently it is at 94% battery and showing time remaining of 8:15.

The time on battery will depend a lot on screen brightness, type of apps you are running etc.
I think you should be easily able to get 5-6 hours... perhaps more with less cpu intensive tasks and lower screen brightness.

 

[hyperx136]

I had the 13" TB 2017 with 16GB Ram, I would say 5 to 6 hours with 70% brightness on most day. My usages are usually typing documents, watching youtube, listening to music and reading news. Nothing too taxing, I figure if you are doing intense tasks such as decoding or rendering then it would be much shorter. I had the 13" nTB 2016 with 8GB Ram before that and the battery life was better, around 8 hours with the same usages.

 

[Gara_kons]

I’m really opting for the nTB model because I don’t need the extra cpu power for daily use. The only thing that bothers me is the single fan and the thermals. Also anyone can explain the numbers of networking why they appear to be higher in the TB version in notebookchecker? Are those differences real time ? Or you wouldn’t notice ? Does anyone know ?

 

[t.portis]

What is your configurations?

I have the least expensive base model, but did get 256gb for my hard drive.

 

[hajime]

Only 5 or 6 hours are no t good. Isn’t it supposed to be 10 hours? I found that the screen is really bright at max. It could get the user blinded during long term use.

 

[Gara_kons]

What about the networking receiving on the netbookchecker? Theres a big difference between those two models , does it play a big role in everyday use?

 

[lec0rsaire]

Hello everyone new guy here although i always have been browsing macrumors for news. But the time has come for me to get into the apple mac family and because of my masters degree program starting in September, i cant seem to choose between these 2 models of the 13". I have read everything about the differences the similarities and the difference between those two for me tax free is about 200 euro. Whichever one i choose will be upgraded to 16 gb ram and 512 gb ssd. So which one you think is best for typical daily use and light workload? Thanks everyone !

I would wait to see if this year the 13" MBP gets quad core CPUs. Otherwise buy the TB 13". It has 4 TB3 ports and is a much better performer overall.

 

[Painter2002]

Can anyone with the 13" TB version tell me if the battery lasts a day of normal use ?

Yep, I have a 2017 MacBook Pro with TB and it easily pulls 8-10 hours of browser and word document use. If I do photography editing it obviously goes down.

Keep in mind too that these MacBook pros use usb-c charging and you can easily go from 10% charge to 50% in less than an hour if you need to pull a little extra daytime use out of the battery.

Also, big big point, the Touchbar model comes with 4 usb-c ports, while the non-touchbar only has 2 ports. I find the four ports on my Touchbar model to be very handy

 

[Glockworkorange]

I would wait to see if this year the 13" MBP gets quad core CPUs. Otherwise buy the TB 13". It has 4 TB3 ports and is a much better performer overall.

This is a good point. If you need the ports, you should go with the TB.

If the ports don't matter, I would suggest the nTB.

I've had both. I ended up needing to return the nTB for the TB due to the port situation (and needed to jump to 15 inch for other reasons).

Bottom line: in your situation, I'd pick up the 2017 non-TB (assuming you don't have a port issue) at 512 GB and 16 G RAM.

Should last you awhile and meet your needs.

 

[BananaX]

nTB is powerful enough for daily uses and light works. I have the base spec nTB, it runs very well. I run office apps and plays Dota 2 and CS GO sometimes on my MBP as well. If your usage does not involve external devices such as SD cards/USBs/Hard Drives. I think nTB is enough, and it has slightly larger batter as well. With the right TB3 adepter the ports on the nTB can be transfer to 1 charging port, 2 USBs, 1 HDMI, and 1 type C as well, so it is plenty for daily uses.

Keep in mind the TB MBP does have 2 fans, compared to 1 fan in the nTB.