2020 13" Macbook Pro - 10th Gen i5 v i7

[Hockin]

Hi all,

I'm trying to find some comparasion between these two processer options. I can't seem to find anything on YouTube that specifically address the differences (speed vs produced heat vs cost), can anyone please point me in the direction of a video that addresses? Or, failing that, another information medium that may guide me when make a purchase.

Thanks,
Chris

 

[bearmaster1]

This has a good comparison.

 

[Hockin]

This has a good comparison.

Thank you, that's a great video with some helpful points, but compares the 8th Gen i5 with the 10th Gen i5. So isn't quite what I'm looking for.
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Found one. This video advises to not upgrade to the i7:

watch

 

[TheKDub]

FYI - rumors of a Q4 13" MBP update to ARM. A lot of hype on these boards about how ARM will destroy Intel. I'm don't know one way or another, but if true, you might want to to hold off on a MBP purchase until more info comes out.

That being said, Intel Macs have a limited lifespan now. So it's a matter of what your needs is now, but I wouldn't buy more than that to "futureproof" since Apple is moving in a different direction.

 

[Hockin]

FYI - rumors of a Q4 13" MBP update to ARM. A lot of hype on these boards about how ARM will destroy Intel. I'm don't know one way or another, but if true, you might want to to hold off on a MBP purchase until more info comes out.

That being said, Intel Macs have a limited lifespan now. So it's a matter of what your needs is now, but I wouldn't buy more than that to "futureproof" since Apple is moving in a different direction.

Thanks, am aware of the move to ARM news, but I'm not willing to wait any longer to upgrade my late 2013 model. I can always trade in or sell at a later date.

I was trying to quantify the difference between the two processors in order to better understand my needs. I've settled on the 10th Gen i5, and as I'm coming from a 2.8 Dual-Core i7, I'm pretty certain I'll be happy!

Cheers!

 

[TheKDub]

Thanks, am aware of the move to ARM news, but I'm not willing to wait any longer to upgrade my late 2013 model. I can always trade in or sell at a later date.

I was trying to quantify the difference between the two processors in order to better understand my needs. I've settled on the 10th Gen i5, and as I'm coming from a 2.8 Dual-Core i7, I'm pretty certain I'll be happy!

Cheers!

Haha, yeah, I went through the same debate (i5 vs i7) and actually went for the i7 2020 13" MBP, thinking that it'll extend my laptop's lifespan by a few more years. Joke's on me and I already gave away my 2013 MBP, so can't return this one - but it is what it is. I think you'll be happy with your i5.

 

[DougFNJ]

FYI - rumors of a Q4 13" MBP update to ARM. A lot of hype on these boards about how ARM will destroy Intel. I'm don't know one way or another, but if true, you might want to to hold off on a MBP purchase until more info comes out.

That being said, Intel Macs have a limited lifespan now. So it's a matter of what your needs is now, but I wouldn't buy more than that to "futureproof" since Apple is moving in a different direction.

They confirmed a lot of information that has been rumored for a long time regarding ARM. They said it will take 2 years to complete a full rollout, and also confirmed they will be continuing to release and support Intel chips beyond this. I'm curious what you mean by Intel Macs having a limited lifespan.

 

[TheKDub]

They confirmed a lot of information that has been rumored for a long time regarding ARM. They said it will take 2 years to complete a full rollout, and also confirmed they will be continuing to release and support Intel chips beyond this. I'm curious what you mean by Intel Macs having a limited lifespan.

I personally think that there is a difference between "continued support" and "fully featured". As an example, I just upgraded my laptop to a 2020 13" MBP, from a late 2013 13" MBP. My 2013 MBP was able to get the latest MacOS upgrade for every year and still be able to run (as far as I know) 100% of the new functionality of Catalina (and Big Sur). In fact, some of the MacOS upgrades have even made my 2013 MBP more efficient (better power management and more efficienct CPU processing, etc.) and thus has extended the lifespan of my laptop.

I think historically, Intel base Macs lasted 7-8 years of MacOS updates (plus another 1-3 years of support after that). I think this trend will now break for now as we are in a reset period, and I really doubt that my 2020 13" MBP will still be able to update to the latest MacOS in 2027. It just simply makes no business sense for Apple to create 2 versions (or even deal with porting) an ARM MacOS feature to an x86 framework. Existing features will be supported for both, but new features will rapidly be ARM-only and I think this will happen as soon as 2023-2024.

Thus Intel Macs have a shorter lifespan (3-4 years of new features, 3-4 years of support after that) relative to ARM Macs (7-8 years of new features, 1-3 years of support after that), which is what Intel Macs used to get after the PowerPC transition but will longer have IMO.

 

[DougFNJ]

I personally think that there is a difference between "continued support" and "fully featured". As an example, I just upgraded my laptop to a 2020 13" MBP, from a late 2013 13" MBP. My 2013 MBP was able to get the latest MacOS upgrade for every year and still be able to run (as far as I know) 100% of the new functionality of Catalina (and Big Sur). In fact, some of the MacOS upgrades have even made my 2013 MBP more efficient (better power management and more efficienct CPU processing, etc.) and thus has extended the lifespan of my laptop.

I think historically, Intel base Macs lasted 7-8 years of MacOS updates (plus another 1-3 years of support after that). I think this trend will now break for now as we are in a reset period, and I really doubt that my 2020 13" MBP will still be able to update to the latest MacOS in 2027. It just simply makes no business sense for Apple to create 2 versions (or even deal with porting) an ARM MacOS feature to an x86 framework. Existing features will be supported for both, but new features will rapidly be ARM-only and I think this will happen as soon as 2023-2024.

Thus Intel Macs have a shorter lifespan (3-4 years of new features, 3-4 years of support after that) relative to ARM Macs (7-8 years of new features, 1-3 years of support after that), which is what Intel Macs used to get after the PowerPC transition but will longer have IMO.

The business sense is keeping long time users happy! Lets say ARM integrates 2 years from now where all Mac products no longer have Intel as an option. That's still an enormous percentage of Apple Customers still on Intel with previous hardware. That number will shift over time of course, but to tell 5-6 years worth of customers they will no longer be supporting their devices would likely convert many of those same customers to Windows.