13in (2020) or 16in (2019) - Data Analytics

[ghb653]

hi!

I would appreciate any advice on whether to purchase the 2020 13in MacBook or 16in as well as opinions on the specs I should choose.

Currently, I am considering getting the 13 in pro with 16 or 32GB memory and 512GB storage. However, I am confused about how the specs relate to the work I do and how many add-ons are too many on the 13in before it just makes sense to get the 16 in.

About the work I do:
- I am a graduate student who has at least 5 years left (data for at least 4 or 5 projects will be collected and stored during this time)
- I do computational research using programs like Stata and R
- I use programs like NVivo and Atlas.ti
- I frequently use video conferencing apps while simultaneously running data analytic programs
- I commute a few times a week but will likely not for the next several months
- I currently own a 2015 13in and find that to be a good weight and size but would be willing to go for a 16in if it will make a massive difference for the work

thank you so much in advance!

(p.s. I would love to wait for the 14in but am nervous my 2015 will fail on me before its released...what do you think?)

 

[w00tini]

stay with 13”. get a decent monitor if you don’t already have one. you’ll appreciate the portability of the 13 vs the 16. the 13 is more than sufficiently powered for your computing needs.

 

[trojans10]

I work in data, originally ordered the 13, then canceled and went with the 16. Extra screen size and power is nice. In terms of portability. Look at your specs from the 2015 and look at the 2019 16in. Compare the sizes. Take out a ruler. Your current 13 is probably bigger than the 2020 13in.

 

[sunfast]

I’d say stay 13 if you can add an external monitor to the mix. Most of my work is in R and I don’t struggle with my new 13” MBP. My external monitor is a 34” ultrawide though which is lovely for reviewing large datasets.

 

[ghb653]

I’d say stay 13 if you can add an external monitor to the mix. Most of my work is in R and I don’t struggle with my new 13” MBP. My external monitor is a 34” ultrawide though which is lovely for reviewing large datasets.

Thanks so much! May I ask what CPU and memory you got?

 

[Ish]

hi!

(p.s. I would love to wait for the 14in but am nervous my 2015 will fail on me before its released...what do you think?)

I'm about to go with the high end 13" to replace my mid-2011 11" MBA and mid-2012 15" MBP so your 2015 doesn't seem that old to me! They're still creaking along though and haven't gone wrong yet.

 

[sunfast]

Thanks so much! May I ask what CPU and memory you got?

I got the 10th gen i5 / 16GB

 

[trojans10]

Just got the 16in. The extra screen real estate is super nice when working with data.

 

[benredacted]

I’m in nearly the same position. I work in data science and had been using a 2015 13” MBP, and decided on going with another 13” after agonizing between that and the 16”. I went with the smaller screen since both in my office (which I haven’t seen in 2 months) and my home office I use large external displays. The smaller form factor will be important for bouncing around different meetings and for travel (when we get to do those things again). The main reason for getting the 16” is the dedicated GPU, if your workflow/software can take advantage, or if you’ll be taking advantage of the larger screen on-the-go.

For me, the dGPU is a non-issue, and my portable tasks are more mundane, such as writing documents and email. Even when I have to show “real work” in a meeting, I’m often throwing it up on a large wall display anyway.

 

[Fishrrman]

"I would love to wait for the 14in but am nervous my 2015 will fail on me before its released...what do you think?"

I think you'll be fine if you wish to do this.
The 2015 MacBook Pro's were some of the best laptops Apple has ever made.

 

[LinkRS]

Howdy,

Something that I want to point out about the differences between the 13" MBPs and the larger models is the screen real-estate. With the High-DPI settings (default) the 13" has less room to display information than the larger ones. I explicitly went to the 15" for that reason (back in 2012). The 15" had the equivalent resolution of 1440x900, and the 13" 1280x800, which makes a bigger difference than the numbers imply. When I was using programs like XCode and even many websites, you end up having to scroll more on the 13" due to this. I don't know for sure if the current models (2020 and 2019 referenced for this post) have these same exact resolutions, but the High-DPI works the same way. Now of course you can go into the display settings and use a "scaled" resolution on both of these, but on my old 13" MBP, that made scrolling slower :-(. What is funny, is that the default displays are all less than 1080P (effectively), but look darn good . Good luck!

 

[ghb653]

I’m in nearly the same position. I work in data science and had been using a 2015 13” MBP, and decided on going with another 13” after agonizing between that and the 16”. I went with the smaller screen since both in my office (which I haven’t seen in 2 months) and my home office I use large external displays. The smaller form factor will be important for bouncing around different meetings and for travel (when we get to do those things again). The main reason for getting the 16” is the dedicated GPU, if your workflow/software can take advantage, or if you’ll be taking advantage of the larger screen on-the-go.

For me, the dGPU is a non-issue, and my portable tasks are more mundane, such as writing documents and email. Even when I have to show “real work” in a meeting, I’m often throwing it up on a large wall display anyway.

Thank you so much for detailing your experience! This best fits the concerns I was weighing!