2017 nTB MBP

[Sebastian79]

Can anyone here help me figure out whether the 2017 nTB base model MBP is enough for the below needs:
- web browsing
- some light photo editing on photoshop
- some light video editing (family videos,etc...)
- Office tools

Thanks in advance!

 

[c0ppo]

nTB will do all of that without any problems at all. Even Macbook 12 will do everything that you've mentioned without a problem.

 

[ZapNZs]

The base 13 should work great for you. However, if you tend to accumulate a lot of photos or videos, I think it is worth investing in a larger hard drive of at least 256 GB, and possibly 512 depending on how you use the system.

 

[Sebastian79]

The base 13 should work great for you. However, if you tend to accumulate a lot of photos or videos, I think it is worth investing in a larger hard drive of at least 256 GB, and possibly 512 depending on how you use the system.

I was thinking about sticking to the base model and relying on an external drive for storage. But then again I plan to install windows (boot camp) + my dropbox alone is 20GB, so i'm kind of confused...
The thing is I'm either gonna get this model or the 15 inch, cos spending more on a 13 inch doesnt make sense to me.

 

[jerryk]

I was thinking about sticking to the base model and relying on an external drive for storage. But then again I plan to install windows (boot camp) + my dropbox alone is 20GB, so i'm kind of confused...
The thing is I'm either gonna get this model or the 15 inch, cos spending more on a 13 inch doesnt make sense to me.

I understand the 15" vs. 13" argument. I go through the same analysis every time I upgrade and the 15" has won out every time. But, still there are days I would like something smaller and lighter.

 

[Mr. Dee]

I have 2015 13 inch MBP and went with 256 GBs instead of the measly 128, but depending on your needs, it might be able to suffice your needs. I have a Surface Pro 3 with 128 GBs and manage my storage needs for files and photos between Google Drive and External backup. My 2 TB external is split in 3: NTFS, HFS+ for Time Machine and exFAT for storing and moving files between Windows 10, macOS and Linux. Its about 500 GBs. So, if you don't mind the slight convenience of lugging with an external (I use a portable 2 TB G-Drive), the 128 GBs should work.

 

[Sebastian79]

If I rely on an external drive for storage, I'm left with 40GB (OS) + 20GB dropbox on OS + 40 GB windows bootcamp + dropbox on windows=120 GB
Is that enough?
[doublepost=1500510022][/doublepost]I guess I have to drop the windows bootcamp...

 

[lambertjohn]

just spend the extra money and get the 256GB MBP. You'll thank yourself later on down the line. Especially when you go to sell the thing.

 

[ZapNZs]

I was thinking about sticking to the base model and relying on an external drive for storage. But then again I plan to install windows (boot camp) + my dropbox alone is 20GB, so i'm kind of confused...
The thing is I'm either gonna get this model or the 15 inch, cos spending more on a 13 inch doesnt make sense to me.

Understandable completely - the 13-inch with extra options rapidly rises close to 15-inch territory.

But if you keep this system for 6-7 years, will 128 GB be enough in 2025? (it sounds like with your needs it is barely enough in 2017)

You could use an external for secondary OS' and media, but is that convenient for your usage?

 

[Sebastian79]

Understandable completely - the 13-inch with extra options rapidly rises close to 15-inch territory.

But if you keep this system for 6-7 years, will 128 GB be enough in 2025? (it sounds like with your needs it is barely enough in 2017)

You could use an external for secondary OS' and media, but is that convenient for your usage?

I can use external for media, but having 2 OS seems not so do-able on the base model
[doublepost=1500511934][/doublepost]

just spend the extra money and get the 256GB MBP. You'll thank yourself later on down the line. Especially when you go to sell the thing.

I'm overseas and I don't have that option. It's either the base model or the TB model.

 

[ZapNZs]

I can use external for media, but having 2 OS seems not so do-able on the base model

If you don't mind having something like a Samsung T3 external SSD or a high-capacity high-speed USB-C flash drive plugged in when using media, I think you will be able to get by (although it may be slightly less convenient.)

I'm not sure if this interests you or not, but, depending how you use Windows 10, you could use a program like VMWare Fusion to run a Win10 virtual machine, and enable shared folders between the host OS and guest OS so that you do not have the redundancy of the same DropBox files on the computer 2x. If you ever wanted additional Windows, Linux, or OS X guests, it's easy to run them off of an external SSD or flash drive. The simultaneous access to both a host and guest can be nice - the primary exception being extremely intense applications and gaming.

 

[Sebastian79]

If you don't mind having something like a Samsung T3 external SSD or a high-capacity high-speed USB-C flash drive plugged in when using media, I think you will be able to get by (although it may be slightly less convenient.)

I'm not sure if this interests you or not, but, depending how you use Windows 10, you could use a program like VMWare Fusion to run a Win10 virtual machine, and enable shared folders between the host OS and guest OS so that you do not have the redundancy of the same DropBox files on the computer 2x. If you ever wanted additional Windows, Linux, or OS X guests, it's easy to run them off of an external SSD or flash drive. The simultaneous access to both a host and guest can be nice - the primary exception being extremely intense applications and gaming.

I havent used virtual machines since 2009. I didnt like it then, found it extremely slow. If they have improved them, it might be worth considering.

 

[ZapNZs]

I havent used virtual machines since 2009. I didnt like it then, found it extremely slow. If they have improved them, it might be worth considering.

IMO they have come an incredibly long way from 2009, and I think the single-biggest gain has been thanks to the SSD. I've had great experiences with VMWare Fusion and it has played a huge role in boosting my productivity. I've got a nice collection going of about 20 VMs now on my 15-inch MBP stored between the internal SSD and two external SSDs now. It runs High Sierra with APFS very well...it also runs Windows NT 4.0 like a champ!

While it runs better on my 15-inch which can run Win 7, Win 10, and Ubuntu VMs simultaneously each on their own separate display and each VM still be usable, a single W10 Pro x64 VM on my base 2016 nTB runs very well - especially with many of the Windows VM UI visualizations disabled as I find these consume quite a lot of CPU and disabling them improves both performance and battery life. It might be worth giving one a trial run. IIRC both Fusion and Parallels have free trials, although I personally really prefer Fusion because it works so reliably, they are quick to respond to changes (they released an update allowing High Sierra APFS VMs literally two days after the first public beta came out) and I think their pricing/billing structure is more fair.

 

[Sebastian79]

IMO they have come an incredibly long way from 2009, and I think the single-biggest gain has been thanks to the SSD. I've had great experiences with VMWare Fusion and it has played a huge role in boosting my productivity. I've got a nice collection going of about 20 VMs now on my 15-inch MBP stored between the internal SSD and two external SSDs now. It runs High Sierra with APFS very well...it also runs Windows NT 4.0 like a champ!

While it runs better on my 15-inch which can run Win 7, Win 10, and Ubuntu VMs simultaneously each on their own separate display and each VM still be usable, a single W10 Pro x64 VM on my base 2016 nTB runs very well - especially with many of the Windows VM UI visualizations disabled as I find these consume quite a lot of CPU and disabling them improves both performance and battery life. It might be worth giving one a trial run. IIRC both Fusion and Parallels have free trials, although I personally really prefer Fusion because it works so reliably, they are quick to respond to changes (they released an update allowing High Sierra APFS VMs literally two days after the first public beta came out) and I think their pricing/billing structure is more fair.

Thanks. I will consider it.