I'm looking to replace my mid 2012 Retina MBP with a refurbished 2018 model. I broadly know what I'm looking for, but would appreciate some critique on my thinking.
I have a baseline mid-2012 Retina 15" MBP:
2.3GHz quad-core Ivy Bridge
8GB RAM
256GB SSD
Intel HD Graphics 4000 with DDR3L SDRAM + Nvidia GeForce GT 650M with 1 GB GDDR5
I'm looking at a 2018 13" MBP:
2.3GHz quad-core Coffee Lake
16GB RAM
512GB SSD
Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655
The Iris Plus graphics are probably my biggest query here. I'm interested to see how this integrated chip compares to the 7+ year old pairing on my 2012 model. I use Illustrator & Pixelmator Pro a lot, but I'm probably not the most intensive user. A little iMovie, sometimes 4k, but noting really pro. Not too fussed about gaming but it's nice to know where I stand just incase - if I cared that much about top gaming performance I'd get a gaming PC. But I don't, so I won't!
I could spend ~£350 more (inc. Apple Care) and get a 2018 15" MBP instead, albeit with smaller 256GB SSD - 512GB comes to ~£500 extra in total. However I'd rather put that money towards something else if I don't really need it. I fancy going back to a smaller laptop (used to have an Unibody MacBook) and have a 4k LG Ultrafine display available to me.
I have a baseline mid-2012 Retina 15" MBP:
2.3GHz quad-core Ivy Bridge
8GB RAM
256GB SSD
Intel HD Graphics 4000 with DDR3L SDRAM + Nvidia GeForce GT 650M with 1 GB GDDR5
I'm looking at a 2018 13" MBP:
2.3GHz quad-core Coffee Lake
16GB RAM
512GB SSD
Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655
The Iris Plus graphics are probably my biggest query here. I'm interested to see how this integrated chip compares to the 7+ year old pairing on my 2012 model. I use Illustrator & Pixelmator Pro a lot, but I'm probably not the most intensive user. A little iMovie, sometimes 4k, but noting really pro. Not too fussed about gaming but it's nice to know where I stand just incase - if I cared that much about top gaming performance I'd get a gaming PC. But I don't, so I won't!
I could spend ~£350 more (inc. Apple Care) and get a 2018 15" MBP instead, albeit with smaller 256GB SSD - 512GB comes to ~£500 extra in total. However I'd rather put that money towards something else if I don't really need it. I fancy going back to a smaller laptop (used to have an Unibody MacBook) and have a 4k LG Ultrafine display available to me.
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