2016 MBPs vs 2012 MBP - performance differences?

[Unprocessed1]

I'm curious what the real-world difference (web browsing, multitasking, gaming, etc) would be between these the two 15" MBPs, especially since it seems the processors are similarly spec'd (assuming the laptops are brand new in the box in 2018).

Also curious how the base 13" MBP compares to both.

Any insight would be appreciated!

2016 15" MBP

• 2.7 GHz Intel Core i7 Quad-Core
• 16GB of 2133 MHz RAM | 512GB PCIe SSD
• AMD Radeon Pro 460 GPU (4GB GDDR5)

2012 15" MBP (retina)

• 2.6GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7
• 16GB 1600MHz DDR3L SDRAM
• Intel HD Graphics 4000
• NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1GB of GDDR5 memory and automatic graphics switching

2016 13" MBP - base, non-touch bar

• Intel Core i5 Processor 2.0GHz
  
• 8GB LPDDR3-1866 Onboard RAM
• Intel Iris Graphics 540

 

[leman]

Differences: the CPU is around 25-30% faster, the GPU is around 2.5-3x faster. In gaming, the difference is staggering, for intensive professional workflows the difference is certainly noticeable. For normal office work, the difference might be even bigger since the new CPUs are much faster in switching power states — they can rev from zero to max very quickly. Since office work keeps the CPU waiting for the user input for most of the time (99% or more) — during which the CPU enters a lowe power state to save energy, faster power state switches result in faster response times.

 

[Unprocessed1]

Thanks! Figured there was more to it than just the processor. Aso curious how the two 15" MBPs compare to the base 13" MBP from 2016.

Differences: the CPU is around 25-30% faster, the GPU is around 2.5-3x faster. In gaming, the difference is staggering, for intensive professional workflows the difference is certainly noticeable. For normal office work, the difference might be even bigger since the new CPUs are much faster in switching power states — they can rev from zero to max very quickly. Since office work keeps the CPU waiting for the user input for most of the time (99% or more) — during which the CPU enters a lowe power state to save energy, faster power state switches result in faster response times.

 

[Nbd1790]

Thanks! Figured there was more to it than just the processor. Aso curious how the two 15" MBPs compare to the base 13" MBP from 2016.

The 2016 base model is a great computer - but its not intended for intensive tasks (such as gaming in your case) Dedicated graphics play a huge role in Gaming as well as 4k video editing. Is it possible to do both of those on a base 13 inch? Probably. But it won't be an enjoyable experience by any means.

If you're looking for something to use for office work and even some 1080 video editing, its not a bad choice.

 

[Unprocessed1]

Sounds like the '16 15 inch MBP is a real-world usage upgrade over both?

 

[UBS28]

Only the GPU is faster. And if you need alot of GPU power, then you simply do not buy a MAC.

Better to wait for the new 6-core Macbook Pro which will be a real upgrade.

 

[Naimfan]

Sounds like the '16 15 inch MBP is a real-world usage upgrade over both?

The graphics of the 2016 15" are substantially better/faster than the 2012. CPU-wise the 2016 will edge out the 2012, but not to the degree you might expect.

A number of people, myself included, prefer the 2012-2015 retina form factor, for a variety of reasons. If you go with a 2016, be prepared to buy new cables or adapters to connect things, as the 2016 is USB-C only.