2015 MB m3 was too laggy - 2016 M7 for the win?

[Abaganov]

hey guys

So when the new MacBook came out last year I bought the base model , as a minmlasit I just fell in love with the form factor , problem was - the swinging circle of death appeared way too often , I used it as the main machine for my work ( not anything heavy , just require lots of safari tabs and some simple apps) and couldn't stand the lag every once in a while , also running Virtual Windows was just horrible ( btw I used it while plugged into a 24 inch dell monitor)

I'm now in need for new primary laptop and trying to decide between the pro and this little guy , would opting for the latest model m5/7 will be much more satisfying experience coming from 2015 m3 model?

Pros for the MBP - power and ports , cons - old design , bulky
Pros for the MB - just love the form factor So much , call me crazy/childish but it'd kind of important for me how my stuff look and feel like , not for others to see , just for myself and the MB is the finest looking piece of tech I ever laid my eyes on


Oh and I can't wait for Apple to announce a new MBP , need a laptop ASAP

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

I get the occasional spin wheel in Safari on my '16 m3. But that's also the only app I see it in. I would assume the m7 almost completely removes it, but not totally.

The '15 MB didn't have an m3 chip. They weren't branded as such, so you are confusing your readers by writing that.

 

[Abaganov]

I get the occasional spin wheel in Safari on my '16 m3. But that's also the only app I see it in. I would assume the m7 almost completely removes it, but not totally.

The '15 MB didn't have an m3 chip. They weren't branded as such, so you are confusing your readers by writing that.

It didn't ? So what was the base model chip called?

 

[deeddawg]

It didn't ? So what was the base model chip called?

It's referenced as "1.1GHz Dual-core Intel Core M" -- See http://www.apple.com/shop/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/macbook

I have the 2015 1.2GHz model and can't recall any beachballs/lag. I also don't usually have many tabs and don't need any VMs so that may be a factor.

 

[Abaganov]

Oh right , my bad

 

[playtech1]

I have been wondering the same thing, as I have the high end 2015 model and - as great as it is - I too find it feels a little laggy at times.

I'm afraid I don't have experience of the newer model, but Anandtech's review of the refreshed model sets out the specs of the two generations and the bumps in speed seem pretty minor. We are talking an extra 200Mhz max turbo speed on the high end model - so clock speed at best a 10% boost. Add, say, another 5% for architectural improvements to the CPU. Graphics are next-gen but otherwise they have the same clocks and execution units as the prior model. Slightly faster memory and PCIe 3 might also help.

Lots of little improvements that might add up to a much better performing machine overall, but I suspect not.

 

[KPOM]

I went from the 2015 1.2 GHz (the "m5" equivalent) to the 2016 m7. The differences aren't dramatic (particular load times of applications), but so far I haven't noticed as much lag when I have lots of tabs open. The architectural improvements let it sustain higher performance for longer since it can toggle more quickly between faster and slower speeds. The least improvement is in the m3, since the maximum Turbo Boost is slower than in last year's base model. However, the m5 and m7 both have faster maximum Turbo Boost speeds, so they benefit more from the architectural improvements.

From some of the "real world" benchmarks there aren't dramatic differences between the m5 and m7 except in a handful of applications (Final Cut being one of them). But the 2016 m5/m7 MacBooks perform about as well as the 2015 Core i5 MacBook Air in the real world tests.

 

[Dennison]

I went from the 2015 1.2 GHz (the "m5" equivalent) to the 2016 m7.

But the 2016 m5 MacBook performs about as well as the 2015 Core i5 MacBook Air in the real world tests.

I would love to know where you saw that.

I owned and used the 1.1 2015 model for a little less than a year. Light tasks were fine, but later in it's life I wanted to edit 4K videos taken from my iPhone 6s on it. Video editing was just too slow, and I started using it less for daily tasks. So I ended up selling it.

Now, I miss the form factor, especially when I leave the house. So I'm considering the 2016 options, and have heard good things about the m5 model. Currently doing more research on it now.

 

[KPOM]

I would love to know where you saw that.

I owned and used the 1.1 2015 model for a little less than a year. Light tasks were fine, but later in it's life I wanted to edit 4K videos taken from my iPhone 6s on it. Video editing was just too slow, and I started using it less for daily tasks. So I ended up selling it.

Now, I miss the form factor, especially when I leave the house. So I'm considering the 2016 options, and have heard good things about the m5 model. Currently doing more research on it now.

Check out this thread:
https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comm...m3_m5_m7_application/?st=iq2w11ls&sh=9d86af52

This graphic compares the MacBook to the 2015 MacBook Air and 13" rMBP
https://img.macg.co/2016/5/macgpic-1462873410-5201476212354-sc-jpt.jpg

It is still likely too slow/throttled for hard core video editing, but for most of the tasks above it was very competitive with the 2015 MacBook Air.

 

[DontGetTheCheese]

If you are looking at a 1.1 2015 vs a 1.3 2016 you should see a significant increase. I'd guess around 30%, possibly more if you don't do things that throttle. Geekbench numbers put the processor close to the entry-level 13.3 macbook.

The thing is, you kind of get more everything in a 13.3 Macbook for the same price.

My 15" isn't really a portable device so I just took a shot at a 13.3 refurb. I really wanted, still want, the 12" for the size but the price/performance just didn't work. It also didn't help that the screen was right on the edge of being too small. What I really want, probably, because we haven't seen them yet, is one of the new MacBooks.

Anyways, I ran the numbers and rolled a Macbook for a trial run but I don't think I'd have gone too wrong with a 12".

 

[Dennison]

Check out this thread:
https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comm...m3_m5_m7_application/?st=iq2w11ls&sh=9d86af52

This graphic compares the MacBook to the 2015 MacBook Air and 13" rMBP
https://img.macg.co/2016/5/macgpic-1462873410-5201476212354-sc-jpt.jpg

It is still likely too slow/throttled for hard core video editing, but for most of the tasks above it was very competitive with the 2015 MacBook Air.

I saw that thread right after I posted, lol.

I'm scanning the Internet for experiences in 1080p and 4K video edits in Final Cut Pro with these machines. I only had experience with my 1.1 last year in iMovie, which I believe sucks on macOS anyway. This is because it's the most power I will ever need from a system like this outside of my house.

I was contemplating on posting a thread here to see if there's anybody with advice and experience with my particular request.

 

[ShionoyaTamaki]

I saw that thread right after I posted, lol.

I'm scanning the Internet for experiences in 1080p and 4K video edits in Final Cut Pro with these machines. I only had experience with my 1.1 last year in iMovie, which I believe sucks on macOS anyway. This is because it's the most power I will ever need from a system like this outside of my house.

I was contemplating on posting a thread here to see if there's anybody with advice and experience with my particular request.

2015 1.1 to 2016 1.3 would be twice as fast in final cut pro, but 4K video...ur still better luck going with a i7 iMac Desktop.

 

[KPOM]

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-to-recent-airs-and-pros-chart.1969613/page-7

 

[HiFiGuy528]

I have 2016 m5 Macbook and it lags in scrolling and typing. I've reset SMC and VRAM. No improvements.

 

[Abaganov]

Thanks for all your input guys ,
Well it seems I won't risk it and will just go for the pro as my main work machine, I just can't accept lags during my work flow , willing to give up on portability and sexiness for that ,

now the waiting game starts

 

[ajpuciat]

I have 2016 m5 Macbook and it lags in scrolling and typing. I've reset SMC and VRAM. No improvements.

What do you have going on in the background? I haven't noticed any lag while scrolling or typing...

 

[HiFiGuy528]

What do you have going on in the background? I haven't noticed any lag while scrolling or typing...

Unfortunately, nothing crazy. Only iTunes and Safari running. The lag is worst when I type text on Facebook, Amazon, YouTube and some forums. I do have Ghostery, Adblock running however, it doesn't improve if I turn them off. Same lag on Chrome.

 

[headcase]

I've been using a 2015 Macbook for over a year, and the biggest issues with lag were remedied with the El Capitan release. Also, I have found that by using uBlock in my browser has been much more effective in streamlining any bloated websites that would cause lag, versus Adblock.

Overall, going from a 2014 MacBook Air, I honestly haven't looked back. The only time I desire my Air which my daughter now uses, is for video editing or something very intensive like that.

 

[Dennison]

Unfortunately, nothing crazy. Only iTunes and Safari running. The lag is worst when I type text on Facebook, Amazon, YouTube and some forums.

I've owned two rMB's, and only experience this kind of lag in pretty rare situations when I have a lot of apps running. It could be another problem.

Same lag on Chrome.

You're using it wrong.

 

[HiFiGuy528]

Do you guys know if it's the low power GPU, RAM, or CPU that's causing the lag? Facebook is especially bad on my 2016 MBr m5. Amazon is bad too in the search box. Are you guys experiencing this? The only apps I have running are Mail, browser, and iTunes.

 

[pasells]

I have the 2016 Core m5 and I have only had the spinning wheel 1 time, but I also had 7 safari windows open. Think I was pushing it a little there and really didn't even need that many. I was clicking on links into links and it happened that way. Outside of that, not one time have I experience that again nor lagging at all. Zero. I don't use any type of video editing since, if I did, I would have chosen a much more powerful machine.

I switched from a Surface Book to this due to SB giving me the BSOD on occasion and the "hot bag" affect from the machine not really shutting down when closing the lid. While my Mac is retina, to this day, nothing was able to match the screen of the Surface Book...the nicest display I've ever seen or used...what good is it though if it keeps locking up on me.

 

[CYKBC]

M3 to m7.... Feels snappier.

 

[HiFiGuy528]

unfortunately, I'm too late to exchange for m7...

 

[RubberShoes]

I tend to push my 2016 m7 to its limits but I'm patient with it for that reason. Right now I have quite the share of apps open but no CPU intensive tasks so it runs just fine. I bought it for writing, coding, web work and far too many hours in iTerm/ARD working on other machines and it's fantastic for those cases. On the other hand, I once tried making a small tweak on an AE project and it turned into a slow painful nightmare. Just beware of what you intend do with it and if its mostly RAM/SSD dependent stuff like coding or machine management its portability and battery life cannot be matched. As a video editor I leave everything else to the Mac Pro

 

[ApolloBoy]

What's strange is that I've been using my 2015 1.1 rMB for all my daily stuff and I don't encounter the beach ball unless I'm accessing a network drive. On a typical day I use Chrome with several tabs open, iTunes, Photos and occasionally VLC or Zandronum (which actually runs way better than I thought), and so far I haven't had any real lag or beachballing.