Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

16bitplus

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 22, 2018
47
52
I am thinking of just getting the $2799 model of the new 16" as Best Buy has them for $100 off already. I mostly do productivity work, audio editing for podcast and about 2-3 hours of video editing a week with a bigger project every 3-6 months of about 10 hours of video to editing down into 20 clips. And I would be coming from the 512GB SSD, 560X and 16Gb of RAM on my current machine. But for me the keyboard and the 1TB drive is making me have to get this upgrade. Also I tend to get a new machine every 18-months to 2-years.

So the two options I am looking at have a $645 ($780 if BBRewards Included) difference

Best Buy $2868 after Tax (plus $135 back in rewards)Apple.com $3513.19 after Tax
8-Core 2.3ghz8-Core 2.3ghz
1TB SSD1TB SSD
16Gb Ram32GB Ram
4GB 5500m8GB 5500m GPU
I am guessing for what I do the 32GB of ram and the 8GB video might be overkill? The 4GB 5500m is already about 90% faster that the 560x?
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: SHKLMRE

leman

macrumors Core
Oct 14, 2008
19,510
19,646
My completely non-informed opinion: you will be fine with the first option. I don't think that the extra VRAM will do anything for you, and as to system RAM... when working on larger projects, did you ever have the impression that your machine is RAM-starved?
 

AnotherSoftwareEngineer

macrumors member
Sep 9, 2018
52
80
Price tiers are not driven by logic. They are determined by marketers and meant to prey on human emotion.

Build the config you need/want, look at the final price, and decide if that's a price you're willing to pay for this tool. Do not attempt to justify or otherwise apply logic to upgrade pricing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Graham King

Sirmausalot

macrumors 65816
Sep 1, 2007
1,135
320
I would wait for the configuration you want to go on sale. For video editing, I'd absolutely get the better graphics card. FCP X is very memory efficient, so I'm sticking with 16GB of RAM. But if you *have* to buy now, get the less expensive machine.
 

btraill

macrumors member
Oct 3, 2019
32
12
Ontario, Canada
In a similar position -- was stuck between going 32gb RAM versus 16gb RAM and the 5300 versus the 5500 (4GB) GPUs. Think I will remain with the 16GB of RAM but choose the upgrade to the 5500 (4GB) card. Taking into account the prices for upgrades; it's almost silly not to grab the base model with the 5500 (4GB) card. (IMO)
 

Juicy Box

macrumors 604
Sep 23, 2014
7,579
8,919
I am guessing for what I do the 32GB of ram and the 8GB video might be overkill?
Maybe the RAM might be overkill, but the 8GB VRAM would be nice to have.

I haven't seen any news about if the RAM is soldered or not. Maybe wait to see if it is soldered, iFixit will probably do a tear-down soon, then make a decision. If it is soldered, maybe go for the 32GB. If not, stick with the 16GB and see how that does.


I general rule of thumb that I have used for Mac buying advice over the years is always get the best GPU that is availble, or that you can afford. Apple usually sticks with older GPUs in their new Macs, and the GPU tends to show its age the soonest compared to the other components.

Now that Apple is supporting eGPUs for Macs, this has changed a little and isn't as important for desktops, but I still think it matters for laptops.

Also I tend to get a new machine every 18-months to 2-years.
Well, if you plan on replacing it so soon, having an older GPU might not as matter as much, and maybe the cheaper options might be better for your situation. You can make adjustments when you choose the replacement device.

Although, if you plan on selling your MBP in 18-24 months, having the upgraded GPU will probably make it easier to sell and will hold its value better than the cheaper MBP.
 

badsimian

macrumors 6502
Aug 23, 2015
374
200
Just watched a YouTube video which showed the 5300 ad being better than vega20. The base machine upped to 32GB/1TB is looking pretty good to me right more
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.