2016 13" TB vs 2017 13" nTB

[DaveMike11]

Hello Everyone,

I need some help and recommendation from the experts here. I'm buying my first Macbook. All these years I have been an windows user. At home i have had all apple products except macbook pro.

I decide to buy Macbook Pro now. However I'm confused which models to go. I'm a IT professional. I'm a photo hobbyist. I need for regular use. I do use photoshop & lighroom and Premier Pro for 1080p video editing. I'm not a paid professional. Although its nice to do the photo editing in the 15" mbp. But I'm limiting my budget not to cross $1500 and stick with 13"mbp for general use and use my windows PC which is already setup for my photo/video editing works.

The following are the 3 options i have now. I need your help to suggest me which one would work for me.
1. 2016 13" TB
Model: MNQF2LL/A
Specs: Apple 13" MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, Dual-Core Intel Core i5 2.90GHz, 512GB PCIe SSD,Intel Iris Graphics 550 - Space Gray
Price: $1399

2. 2016 13" nTB
Model : MLL42LL/A
Specs: Apple 13"MacBook Pro with Retina Display,2.0GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5,8GB RAM,256GB PCIe SSD,Intel Iris Graphics540-Space gray
Price: $1050

3. 2017 13" nTB
Model: MPXT2LL/A
Specs: Apple - MacBook Pro® - 13" Display - Intel Core i5 - 8 GB Memory - 256GB Flash Storage- Space Gray
Price: $1399

Thanks in advance,

 

[DaveMike11]

Any advice on my above questions ?

 

[macintoshmac]

Play around with the Touch Bar. Decide if you want it or not. Browse around MR for similar threads as you have made a new thread for, and also come across the several hardware issues these machines are riddled with. Decide if you are okay with them.

This is to prevent another unhappy customer and to ensure that you make the right decision for yourself.

 

[DaveMike11]

Any advice on my above questions ?

Play around with the Touch Bar. Decide if you want it or not. Browse around MR for similar threads as you have made a new thread for, and also come across the several hardware issues these machines are riddled with. Decide if you are okay with them.

This is to prevent another unhappy customer and to ensure that you make the right decision for yourself.

Thanks for your reply. I have been reading MR forums for similar questions. I have not come across anyone having hardware issues with the touchbar versions.

Based on your experience with it.....Do you recommend the MBP 13" 2016 TB or MBP 13" 2017 nTB for the same price ?

 

[aevan]

Thanks for your reply. I have been reading MR forums for similar questions. I have not come across anyone having hardware issues with the touchbar versions.

Based on your experience with it.....Do you recommend the MBP 13" 2016 TB or MBP 13" 2017 nTB for the same price ?

I really like the Touch Bar, but even if you don't care much about TB, the Touch Bar model has 2 more Thunderbolt 3/USB-C ports and a faster CPU (even though the 2017 has Kaby Lake, the TB model has a more powerful 28W i5).

Personally, I would go for the 2016 TB model.

 

[DaveMike11]

I really like the Touch Bar, but even if you don't care much about TB, the Touch Bar model has 2 more Thunderbolt 3/USB-C ports and a faster CPU (even though the 2017 has Kaby Lake, the TB model has a more powerful 28W i5).

Personally, I would go for the 2016 TB model.

Thanks aevan for your response. Do you know if the 2016 TB have removable SSD ? I'm reading the 2016 nTB has removable SSD. I'm more leaning towards 2016 TB due to the TB advantages you have mentioned above. But at the same time i wanted to be very clear what I will be missing in the 2017 models if i decide to choose 2016 TB model.

Thanks in advance,

 

[aevan]

Thanks aevan for your response. Do you know if the 2016 TB have removable SSD ? I'm reading the 2016 nTB has removable SSD. I'm more leaning towards 2016 TB due to the TB advantages you have mentioned above. But at the same time i wanted to be very clear what I will be missing in the 2017 models if i decide to choose 2016 TB model.

Thanks in advance,

No, the SSD is not removable on 2016 and 2017 MBPs - Touch Bar or not - they are soldered to the motherboard, so one more reason to get the 2016 (from your list it is the only one with 512Gb - so that alone is a reason to get it, because you won't be able to change the drive later).

Upside is - they are super-fast

 

[DaveMike11]

No, the SSD is not removable on 2016 and 2017 MBPs - Touch Bar or not - they are soldered to the motherboard, so one more reason to get the 2016 (from your list it is the only one with 512Gb - so that alone is a reason to get it, because you won't be able to change the drive later).

Upside is - they are super-fast

Thank you for your response.

 

[trueredsoxfan58]

No, the SSD is not removable on 2016 and 2017 MBPs - Touch Bar or not - they are soldered to the motherboard, so one more reason to get the 2016 (from your list it is the only one with 512Gb - so that alone is a reason to get it, because you won't be able to change the drive later).

Upside is - they are super-fast

No he is wrong, the SSD is removable on the nTB MBP, it just may be hard to source a replacement.

https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/MacBook+Pro+13-Inch+Function+Keys+Late+2016+Teardown/72415

 

[DaveMike11]

No he is wrong, the SSD is removable on the nTB MBP, it just may be hard to source a replacement.

https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/MacBook+Pro+13-Inch+Function+Keys+Late+2016+Teardown/72415

Thanks for sharing the link.

 

[DaveMike11]

Anyone using the 2016 13" mbp TB connected to a external 4k monitor ?

 

[Hayden99]

The fastest one is actually the 2017 nTB. Apple gave the CPU a surprisingly big upgrade, to the extent it outperforms last year TB models. The RAM speeds were also bumped up on the 2017 nTB.

I wouldn't bother with the 2016 nTB unless you really want to save the cash.

The 2017 nTB will have a significantly better battery life. And you may prefer having physical function keys (like I do). I also feel in the future the touchbar will have a higher chance of failure compared to physical keys.

However, the 2016 TB will have more ports and a big jump in storage which may be handy for you. And a touch bar, depends whether you like it.

If you're going to be offloading any heavy video editing to your PC. Then I'd just get the 2017 nTB for the better battery. Unless you really want the TB.

 

[DaveMike11]

The fastest one is actually the 2017 nTB. Apple gave the CPU a surprisingly big upgrade, to the extent it outperforms last year TB models. The RAM speeds were also bumped up on the 2017 nTB.

I wouldn't bother with the 2016 nTB unless you really want to save the cash.

The 2017 nTB will have a significantly better battery life. And you may prefer having physical function keys (like I do). I also feel in the future the touchbar will have a higher chance of failure compared to physical keys.

However, the 2016 TB will have more ports and a big jump in storage which may be handy for you. And a touch bar, depends whether you like it.

If you're going to be offloading any heavy video editing to your PC. Then I'd just get the 2017 nTB for the better battery. Unless you really want the TB.

Thanks @Hayden99 for your reply. From whatever reviews online i read it tells that 2017 computers are overall faster than their 2016 counterparts, BUT the touch bar and non touch bar MBP's use a different class of processors. The 2016 touch bar model is all around faster than the 2017 non-touch bar.

I'm not very much keen on the touchbar but overall what i like on the 2016 TB model (MNQF2LL/A) is the faster CPU, more storage, touch id and 2 extra ports.

since both of them I'm getting for the same price, I'm debating which one is best suited for me.

thanks,

 

[Populus]

@DaveMike11 What do you prefer? What would you rather have, a OLED touchscreen (AKA TouchBar), or the function keys? What about battery life?

If you want better battery life, go for the nTB 2017 MBP. If you want the TouchBar, take the 2016 TB MBP. It's pretty simple.

 

[DaveMike11]

@DaveMike11 What do you prefer? What would you rather have, a OLED touchscreen (AKA TouchBar), or the function keys? What about battery life?

If you want better battery life, go for the nTB 2017 MBP. If you want the TouchBar, take the 2016 TB MBP. It's pretty simple.

@Populus . Thanks for your reply. I'm not interested in the Touchbar. My main reason for the above Touchbar model is 4 ports, storage & faster CPU. I'm also ok with 1-2 hour lesser battery between the two. If i need to use the MBP for lighter photo/video editing which would work best among these 2 choices.? Will i see any performance differences if i use Photoshop & Lightroom applications on these 2 model?

 

[Populus]

@DaveMike11 For light photo editing and light video editing, use of Lightroom etc, I think the nTB has enough horsepower you need. Honestly, both are 2 core CPUs, the GPU is the same, the RAM you choose will be the same. Honestly, I'd take the non touch bar MacBook Pro.

Ports: Yes, 2 ports are a pain in the ass. I'm almost sure you will use dongles, so make your calculations, think about it, and if you will be OK with 2 ports (for instance, one for charging and the second one with a dongle for HDMI output, USB-A and Type-C), well, go ahead. I think the nTB fits your needs.

 

[Hayden99]

Thanks @Hayden99 for your reply. From whatever reviews online i read it tells that 2017 computers are overall faster than their 2016 counterparts, BUT the touch bar and non touch bar MBP's use a different class of processors. The 2016 touch bar model is all around faster than the 2017 non-touch bar.

I'm not very much keen on the touchbar but overall what i like on the 2016 TB model (MNQF2LL/A) is the faster CPU, more storage, touch id and 2 extra ports.

since both of them I'm getting for the same price, I'm debating which one is best suited for me.

thanks,

Actually the 2017 nTB will have the slightly faster CPU (ever so slightly). The difference is the TDP. Which means that the 2017 with its lower TDP should thermal throttle more. However in practice this is not the case. If you check benchmarks you'll see the Kabylake i5 in the 2017 nTB scoring higher than the Skylake in the 2016 TB. Like Apple Insider said in their review: the base 2017 nTB cpu is faster than the fastest 2016 TB CPU.

It's a mix of a larger battery and lower TDP CPU that afford the 2017 nTB is better endurance. But the CPU speed difference is so negligible, just get the 2016 if you want the extra ports.

 

[DaveMike11]

@Populus and @Hayden99. Thank you both for your response. It was helpful for me with your points.
For me the CPU performance is most important. It should be able to handle some heavy applications like Photoshop & lightroom. I can live the 2-ports by using dongle.

Do you think i can connect the 13" MBP to a bigger 4K monitor and use Photoshop & lightroom for some photo editing?

 

[Hayden99]

@Populus and @Hayden99. Thank you both for your response. It was helpful for me with your points.
For me the CPU performance is most important. It should be able to handle some heavy applications like Photoshop & lightroom. I can live the 2-ports by using dongle.

Do you think i can connect the 13" MBP to a bigger 4K monitor and use Photoshop & lightroom for some photo editing?

yes, without issue

 

[Jamalogo10]

The fastest one is actually the 2017 nTB. Apple gave the CPU a surprisingly big upgrade, to the extent it outperforms last year TB models. The RAM speeds were also bumped up on the 2017 nTB.

I wouldn't bother with the 2016 nTB unless you really want to save the cash.

The 2017 nTB will have a significantly better battery life. And you may prefer having physical function keys (like I do). I also feel in the future the touchbar will have a higher chance of failure compared to physical keys.

However, the 2016 TB will have more ports and a big jump in storage which may be handy for you. And a touch bar, depends whether you like it.

If you're going to be offloading any heavy video editing to your PC. Then I'd just get the 2017 nTB for the better battery. Unless you really want the TB.

As someone who just purchased a 2017 nTB I can't stress the performance upgrade enough. My nTB (is an i7) but I put up nearly 5000k single core scores and 10k multicore. You're gonna feel that 20-25% increase.

https://browser.primatelabs.com/v4/cpu/3245525

 

[DaveMike11]

@Hayden99 & @Jamalogo10 . Thanks for your reply.

 

[Sodaken]

Nice info. Thanks.

Can anyone comment on fan noise with the nTB 2017 (just 1 fan and it is said to have an annoying highfrequent sound....)

 

[Jamalogo10]

Nice info. Thanks.

Can anyone comment on fan noise with the nTB 2017 (just 1 fan and it is said to have an annoying highfrequent sound....)

I've had my computer for about 3 weeks now and haven't noticed it. Then again I'm not doing anything super intensive. It won't run unless it realllllly needs to. Go to a best buy (its quieter than an apple store) and download or run the Geekbench CPU test and give it a listen. Granted that will be it operating near max load so take that with a grain of salt.

In every day use aka streaming videos, downloading music, watching 4k movies and browsing the web with in Chrome with 20+ tabs, MS Word open, and youtube playing in the background I haven't had a problem. The nTB uses very little energy.

 

[DaveMike11]

Here is one youtube video about the fan noise posted by some user. This has been confirmed by many people.

 

[Jamalogo10]

Here is one youtube video about the fan noise posted by some user. This has been confirmed by many people.

That is a 2016 nTB. I thought your question was in regards to the 2017 nTB or the dual fan 2016 TB? I believe Kaby Lake's superiority in efficiency and power negate the potential for that kind of noise. From personal experience I've never heard anything close to that and my computer works significantly harder with the i7 and 16gb of ram.

It sounds like something is rattling in that individuals computer.