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2015 – 13 inch MacBook Pro vs 15 inch MacBook Pro

M

mjwalkermusic

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 16, 2015
6
0
Windermere, FL
Hi everyone,

I am about to upgrade from a 2011 15-inch MacBook Pro to a brand new, fully upgraded 2015 MacBook Pro.

I had a few questions I was hoping someone could help me out with. I am a musician who wants to be using my computer mostly for music production / mixing, but also for livestreaming and some video-editing.

First, would a fully upgraded 13-inch or 15-inch MBP be a more powerful option?

I did some research, and the 13-inch uses the new "Broadwell" processors, while the 15-inch does not. Is that a big deal? I know the 15-inch has a better graphics card for video editing.

Second, should I buy it now, or wait until the next release?

MacRumor's Buyer's Guide says Don't Buy! right now. I'm a bit torn because I really need a new computer right now – I'm starting to use livestreaming / bigger music production, and my current computer is on it's edge – but I don't want to get this new computer now (usually wait 5 years between computer purchases) and be bummed out if a new revolutionary model comes out in a few months.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks so much,

Michael
 
Last edited:
mjwalkermusic said:
Hi everyone,

I am about to upgrade from a 2011 15-inch MacBook Pro to a brand new, fully upgraded 2015 MacBook Pro.

I had a few questions I was hoping someone could help me out with. I am a musician who wants to be using my computer mostly for music production / mixing, but also for livestreaming and some video-editing.

First, would a fully upgraded 13-inch or 15-inch MBP be a more powerful option?

I did some research, and the 13-inch uses the new "Broadwell" processors, while the 15-inch does not. Is that a big deal? I know the 15-inch has a better graphics card for video editing.

Second, should I buy it now, or wait until the next release?

MacRumor's Buyer's Guide says Don't Buy! right now. I'm a bit torn because I really need a new computer right now – I'm starting to use livestreaming / bigger music production, and my current computer is on it's edge – but I don't want to get this new computer now (I usually wait 5 years between computer purchases) and be bummed out if a new revolutionary model comes out in a few months.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks so much,

Michael
Click to expand...
Despite the 15" having the older processor design, it is far superior in terms of performance in both GPU and CPU. Additionally it is difficult to tell when the next Macbook Pro will arrive, especially this generation since there are rumors of redesign and due to Intel. There is no 45 watts quad core i7 with Iris Pro with the Skylake architecture released and the time frame given by Intel was Spring 2016 which could be anywhere from March-May. If Apple does a redesign, they'll probably announce it in June (WWDC). Apple could do a spec refresh in April 2016 but it may piss people off if they announce the redesign in WWDC and released formally in Fall (depends what they take out and what they put in). Apparently the 13" Skylake with Iris and 21(?) watt CPU are out.
 
RoboWarriorSr said:
Despite the 15" having the older processor design, it is far superior in terms of performance in both GPU and CPU.
Click to expand...
Definitely go with the 15" I think you get a better GPU and of course CPU, plus the screen is more expansive :)

edit:
mjwalkermusic said:
That about settles it for me – I'll go with the 15-inch. Thanks man!!
Click to expand...
Nice - I think that's a great choice. Looks like you've opted to buy now as opposed to wait.
 
mjwalkermusic said:
Hi everyone,

I am about to upgrade from a 2011 15-inch MacBook Pro to a brand new, fully upgraded 2015 MacBook Pro.

I had a few questions I was hoping someone could help me out with. I am a musician who wants to be using my computer mostly for music production / mixing, but also for livestreaming and some video-editing.

First, would a fully upgraded 13-inch or 15-inch MBP be a more powerful option?

I did some research, and the 13-inch uses the new "Broadwell" processors, while the 15-inch does not. Is that a big deal? I know the 15-inch has a better graphics card for video editing.

Second, should I buy it now, or wait until the next release?

MacRumor's Buyer's Guide says Don't Buy! right now. I'm a bit torn because I really need a new computer right now – I'm starting to use livestreaming / bigger music production, and my current computer is on it's edge – but I don't want to get this new computer now (usually wait 5 years between computer purchases) and be bummed out if a new revolutionary model comes out in a few months.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks so much,

Michael
Click to expand...
The 15" is roughly twice as powerful as the 13" due to having a quad-core vs the 13's dual.
 
mjwalkermusic said:
The fully upgraded 13" has a quad-core too I believe. Thanks for the heads up though. I'm going with the 15 inch!
Click to expand...
No, no it doesn't. i7 does not mean quad-core if that is what confused you. Apple has (thus far) never produced a quad core 13".
 
Confusing since I don't see references to threads. My existing 2010 15" has a dual core i5 with hyper threading. Does the i7 in the 13" have hyper threading? If so, still considerably faster than my existing one.

I'm in the market myself earlier than expected. My father's wife attempted to replace a fan in an old Mac Mini, and broke off a piece that is way too small to fix. No guarantee that, if it had been me, that I wouldn't have done it either.

So I think I'll be passing down the MBP I'm currently using, and just buy myself a new MBP with Retina. Haven't decided whether I should go with the lighter, less expensive, 13", or go with the 15".

I just wish that apple didn't like high glare screens.

I COULD wait, but that would mean using an inexpensive Windows laptop I have laying around for how many months it will take for Apple to release a new model.
 
kevink2 said:
Confusing since I don't see references to threads. My existing 2010 15" has a dual core i5 with hyper threading. Does the i7 in the 13" have hyper threading? If so, still considerably faster than my existing one.

I'm in the market myself earlier than expected. My father's wife attempted to replace a fan in an old Mac Mini, and broke off a piece that is way too small to fix. No guarantee that, if it had been me, that I wouldn't have done it either.

So I think I'll be passing down the MBP I'm currently using, and just buy myself a new MBP with Retina. Haven't decided whether I should go with the lighter, less expensive, 13", or go with the 15".

I just wish that apple didn't like high glare screens.
Click to expand...

Any 13" is going to be faster all-around than your 2010. If you don't need much more power, then the 13" is a solid choice since you'll get a machine that's significantly faster while also being significantly lighter. Yes, the dual cores have hyper threading.
 
just another case of wondering where technology will be in 5 years. I figured I would have replaced my current 2010 by now, but replacing the hard drive with a SSD helped wonders. Though I had to replace my battery in the last year.

I generally run some VMs, so extra CPU cores will help.
 
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