2.2,2.6, or 2.9? Best value machine?

[Momo13Drums]

I'm having a really hard time deciding on the 2.2 or 2.6 i7, or going for the i9 2.9. It seems like there are some really mixed opinions: i9 is fastest in "real world" work, whereas most bench marks seem like all CPU's are almost essentially the same across the board. I would love to save money wherever I can - as the upgrades from apple are insanely expensive. A 2.6/16/512 goes from a 3k~ machine to a $4k~ machine even just upgrading the SSD/RAM to 1tb/32 w/ apple care +

My usage scenario is:

• Lightroom Editing A7iii files
• 4k video editing
• Light content creation in Photoshop
• Website building
• Logic Pro X music creation

I don't know if this is just forum drama or what, but I'm having a hard time committing 3-4k on a machine that people are stating is bogging down or not up to par. It's an insane amount of money for a machine, which I don't mind spending if it's super fast and will last me a long time - but I'm nervous about throwing down on it and having a ton of issues.

As of today, what do you think the best value is if someone wants to keep the machine and do the above mentioned work on it for at least 5 years? 2.2/512/560x/16? or maybe 2.6/1tb/560x/32?

 

[maflynn]

Given that the 2015 machines could fit your needs, I'd say any one of the current models will be more then computer to handle what you want.

 

[ESA]

2,6 only 80 dollars in difference.

I bought the i9, but I always max my computer. Better second value.

 

[wallysb01]

I'm having a really hard time deciding on the 2.2 or 2.6 i7, or going for the i9 2.9. It seems like there are some really mixed opinions: i9 is fastest in "real world" work, whereas most bench marks seem like all CPU's are almost essentially the same across the board. I would love to save money wherever I can - as the upgrades from apple are insanely expensive. A 2.6/16/512 goes from a 3k~ machine to a $4k~ machine even just upgrading the SSD/RAM to 1tb/32 w/ apple care +

My usage scenario is:

• Lightroom Editing A7iii files
• 4k video editing
• Light content creation in Photoshop
• Website building
• Logic Pro X music creation

I don't know if this is just forum drama or what, but I'm having a hard time committing 3-4k on a machine that people are stating is bogging down or not up to par. It's an insane amount of money for a machine, which I don't mind spending if it's super fast and will last me a long time - but I'm nervous about throwing down on it and having a ton of issues.

As of today, what do you think the best value is if someone wants to keep the machine and do the above mentioned work on it for at least 5 years? 2.2/512/560x/16? or maybe 2.6/1tb/560x/32?

I think the best value spot for reasonably high computational needs and prolonged used is the 2.2/512/555x/32. Single core performance will be better with the 2.6 or 2.9, but for long running jobs, multicore performance won't change much. I really like have 1TB in my current laptop, but is it really worth $400 to go from 512GB to 1TB? I'd think external solutions for the larger data would be the way to go here. On the GPU, I don't use things that put them to work much, so I'm not the best person to comment on how useful that 560x will be for you, but these are pretty middle of the road GPUs regardless. If you can really put a GPU to work, external solutions might be better now. Especially given that you'd be able to upgrade them during the life of the machine. Its a cheap enough upgrade though (the 555x -> 560x), so it doesn't make a huge difference. Then to the RAM, those are some potentially beefy applications you're running. I'm guessing if you want to have a few projects open at the same time, you're going to benefit from the 32GB, especially if you want to keep this machine for 5 years. Some people might argue buy what you need now, then upgrade when you need more, but with soldered RAM that's not as easy of a proposition. You'll eat the depreciation of the machine sooner (and the non-linearness of depreciation means quicker machine turn arounds means eating more depreciation than slower turn arounds), you have to pay tax twice, there is time involved in switching machines (moving data, apps, etc). I'd definitely lean towards just going for the RAM upgrade if you think it will benefit you at all now, because usually RAM needs only go up in the future.

 

[MadCar]

A above pretty much. I've gone for the below.

2.2/512/560x/32 The 2.2. seems to have fewer thermal issues and nearly matches the higher models in many tests it seems so that is what I've gone for.

That might change over time come on this is a 6 core machine laptop that is wafer thin there are compromises somewhere and if you want or really need more raw performance then you need a desktop and a MBP isn't the answer.

 

[Starlights]

Another vote for 2.2/512/555x/32 - thats what I got for the reasons provided by wallysb01 above.

 

[p8blr]

Jonathan Morrison and Apple Insider were going to post videos on a 2.2/2.6/2.9 comparison in the next few days. Personally I'm waiting for that, also hopefully the T2 chip errors resolved by Apple with an update soon.

 

[Momo13Drums]

Does anyone know how much space you realistically have if you go 512GB after the OS and regular programs and all that?

 

[justinf77]

Does anyone know how much space you realistically have if you go 512GB after the OS and regular programs and all that?

Depends on the applications of course, but I have ~485GB left after installing Word, Excel, Photoshop, and a bunch of other, smaller applications.

 

[Momo13Drums]

Depends on the applications of course, but I have ~485GB left after installing Word, Excel, Photoshop, and a bunch of other, smaller applications.

Thanks! That gives me a good idea. I honestly thing I might go for the 1TB as I do a little travelling, and would like to store a lot of my photo/video files locally on the computer during weekend trips or 3-5 day trips without having to carry extra external storage with me. I've been kind of on a simplistic kick, I want to carry as little as possible when travelling