2017 MBP 15 vs. 2020 MBP 13

[Girder_Shade]

Hi all
I apologize if this topic has been done to death already.
I've been on the fence for weeks now regarding which MPB to purchase as my first Mac.
After extensive research I've boiled my choices down to one of the following;

- 2017 MBP 15 with the 2.9ghz quad core Kaby Lake processor, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, AMD GPU 4GB VRAM

Or

- 2020 MBP 13 with the 2.0 quad core Ice Lake processor, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD

Both are roughly the same price (within $2,500 tax included) here in Canada and on my budget.

My main challenge is that do I go for the older 2017 model with a dedicated GPU and bigger screen, however butterfly keyboard and refurbished or do I go for the brand new 2020 model with smaller screen but faster RAM and new Magic keyboard?

Performance wise should be similar even though the 2020 i5 Ice Lake is much newer but the i7 Kaby Lake has higher clock speeds.
I have also heard reports that the new Ice Lake processor runs hot under load which is concerning.

Any thoughts would be much appreciated.
Cheers

 

[Natzoo]

I would go for the 15" just for the dedicated GPU but it depends on your tasks, I would try to find a 2018 15" since it has a slightly updated keyboard. Also, have you checked out the refurbished store on apple, the 16" goes for $360 off.

If you cant, then go with the 13" 2020 with 10th gen for the updated GPU. Can't go wrong with either tbh but 2020 is more "future proof".

 

[rMBP2013]

Definitely go for 2020 MBP 13!

 

[coffeeplease]

I'd avoid butterfly keyboard. Sure you get 4 years of keyboard replacements, but there's a cost of going to the Apple Store or not having your machine while it's being fixed. Not worth the $600+ replacement when that time is up either. Are you doing work that absolutely requires a dedicated GPU?

 

[mbvmbmb]

Hi all
I apologize if this topic has been done to death already.
I've been on the fence for weeks now regarding which MPB to purchase as my first Mac.
After extensive research I've boiled my choices down to one of the following;

- 2017 MBP 15 with the 2.9ghz quad core Kaby Lake processor, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD, AMD GPU 4GB VRAM

Or

- 2020 MBP 13 with the 2.0 quad core Ice Lake processor, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD

Both are roughly the same price (within $2,500 tax included) here in Canada and on my budget.

My main challenge is that do I go for the older 2017 model with a dedicated GPU and bigger screen, however butterfly keyboard and refurbished or do I go for the brand new 2020 model with smaller screen but faster RAM and new Magic keyboard?

Performance wise should be similar even though the 2020 i5 Ice Lake is much newer but the i7 Kaby Lake has higher clock speeds.
I have also heard reports that the new Ice Lake processor runs hot under load which is concerning.

Any thoughts would be much appreciated.
Cheers

hi. i currently have 15 inch 2017 mbp and i am looking to get the 2020 13 inch mbp for a couple reasons:

1. machine runs very hot to the touch when i am using programs such as lightroom , photoshop , indesign , illustrator. granted i have more than one open at a time but this machine is supposed to be a powerhouse.

2. keyboard has failed 2 times. first time the space bar stopped working. (would get stuck when pressed down ) most recently the "B" key has stopped working. leading to many typos

3. battery is crap when using graphics card.



if i where you id avoid this model. dont buy outdated tech at this price. the 2020 13 inch has a newer processor and faster ram. are you sure you need a graphics card? the smaller screen can be made up by using a dedicated monitor.

 

[Girder_Shade]

I would go for the 15" just for the dedicated GPU but it depends on your tasks, I would try to find a 2018 15" since it has a slightly updated keyboard. Also, have you checked out the refurbished store on apple, the 16" goes for $360 off.

If you cant, then go with the 13" 2020 with 10th gen for the updated GPU. Can't go wrong with either tbh but 2020 is more "future proof".

The 2019 MBP 16 is way too expensive here in Canada. Base model is $3,000 before tax lol plus refurbished models are very limited to find.
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hi. i currently have 15 inch 2017 mbp and i am looking to get the 2020 13 inch mbp for a couple reasons:

1. machine runs very hot to the touch when i am using programs such as lightroom , photoshop , indesign , illustrator. granted i have more than one open at a time but this machine is supposed to be a powerhouse.

2. keyboard has failed 2 times. first time the space bar stopped working. (would get stuck when pressed down ) most recently the "B" key has stopped working. leading to many typos

3. battery is crap when using graphics card.



if i where you id avoid this model. dont buy outdated tech at this price. the 2020 13 inch has a newer processor and faster ram. are you sure you need a graphics card? the smaller screen can be made up by using a dedicated monitor.

Thanks so much for the feedback!
I might just go for the 2020 model now based on your feedback on the 2017.
I heard the 2020 Ice Lake processor runs hot also which is disappointing. I've also considered the base 2020 MBP 13 with the 8th Gen CPU but it comes with slower RAM and less ports. Also heard the speakers aren't as good?

 

[JanDdd]

The 2019 MBP 16 is way too expensive here in Canada. Base model is $3,000 before tax lol plus refurbished models are very limited to find.
[automerge]1592305481[/automerge]

Thanks so much for the feedback!
I might just go for the 2020 model now based on your feedback on the 2017.
I heard the 2020 Ice Lake processor runs hot also which is disappointing. I've also considered the base 2020 MBP 13 with the 8th Gen CPU but it comes with slower RAM and less ports. Also heard the speakers aren't as good?

What do you mean with "the 2020 Ice Lake processor runs hot"? It "runs hot" like any other processor, meaning that it will get hotter as you put it more at work, until the point where the CPU die gets close to 100° and then the boost frequency will drop to stay under the 100°. If needed the fan will be used to keep the CPU cool enough to continue to operate at a frequency that is higher than base clock frequency, but probably below boost frequency if the load is maintained for a long term.

In terms of thermal dissipation, it is a 28Watt CPU (like in previous models), it will thus over the long term dissipate a maximum of 28 Watt of heat, although it might shortly go higher for peak performance.