Best upgrades for 13" MBP 2016. CPU/MEM/SSD

[mustberain]

Not easy to configure the new Macbook Pro, every upgrades u pick hurts a little because the total amount exceeds what u want to pay. A little more. Or much more. Or no meat for 6 months more.

I'm looking at the 13 inch macbook pro 2016 and wondering what the best upgrades are, regardless what u do with it, but for good value and future proofing. I understand it is personal but maybe you can make a case of why a base model is enough or a certain upgrade is something u really really need to consider.

1 question before my config and explanation. The i7 model.. why is that called a i7 and is it more than just marketing? Because cmiiw the i5 has 4 threads, just like the i7. For me its just a 0.4GHZ upgrade and not worth it. Someone who can tell me I'm wrong?

My config (for now)

- 13" (portability, cheaper than 15", not a gamer so no dgpu needed, quad core would have been nice though)
- 2.9 i5 (upgrade with 0.2GHZ or 0.4GHZ not worth it, who's gonna notice that % )
- 16Gb MEM (more future proof and the upgrade i think is worth the money. i like 50 tabs in chrome and need Android Studio.)
- 512GB SSD (instead of 256, because the more free space the better, for photoshop in example. 256GB is workable though but I feel like I'm gonna regret it in the future).

Thanks for reading and sharing.

 

[nochnia]

I will order basically the same machine only with 3,1 GHz i5.
I think that's pretty much the sweet spot for me.

In case you think it's dumb to upgrade to the 3,1GHz i5 please tell me.

 

[keviig]

I will order basically the same machine only with 3,1 GHz i5.
I think that's pretty much the sweet spot for me.

In case you think it's dumb to upgrade to the 3,1GHz i5 please tell me.

3.3 GHz to 3.5 GHz turbo, that's all the difference. Or a 6% increase if you will. Remember that 6% comes at a cost, higher power draw, more noise (fan speed), more heat, and a higher price. Unless you sit all day waiting for the computer to finish CPU tasks, i really don't see the value. That's coming from someone who used to buy Mac's with upgraded CPU's... Never felt the difference.

 

[nochnia]

but it will be around 10%+ increased performance from the 2,9 i5 to the maxed out 3,3 i7 right?
That's not nothing?!?

 

[kanyehameha]

Not easy to configure the new Macbook Pro, every upgrades u pick hurts a little because the total amount exceeds what u want to pay. A little more. Or much more. Or no meat for 6 months more.

I'm looking at the 13 inch macbook pro 2016 and wondering what the best upgrades are, regardless what u do with it, but for good value and future proofing. I understand it is personal but maybe you can make a case of why a base model is enough or a certain upgrade is something u really really need to consider.

1 question before my config and explanation. The i7 model.. why is that called a i7 and is it more than just marketing? Because cmiiw the i5 has 4 threads, just like the i7. For me its just a 0.4GHZ upgrade and not worth it. Someone who can tell me I'm wrong?

My config (for now)

- 13" (portability, cheaper than 15", not a gamer so no dgpu needed, quad core would have been nice though)
- 2.9 i5 (upgrade with 0.2GHZ or 0.4GHZ not worth it, who's gonna notice that % )
- 16Gb MEM (more future proof and the upgrade i think is worth the money. i like 50 tabs in chrome and need Android Studio.)
- 512GB SSD (instead of 256, because the more free space the better, for photoshop in example. 256GB is workable though but I feel like I'm gonna regret it in the future).

Thanks for reading and sharing.

Thinking of ordering the exact same machine as you, however I'm debating whether or not I should go for the 15inch purely because of its larger screen and faster CPU

 

[T5BRICK]

but it will be around 10%+ increased performance from the 2,9 i5 to the maxed out 3,3 i7 right?
That's not nothing?!?

It's about a 6% increase in speed for a 15% price increase. Not really worth it in my opinion.

 

[mustberain]

Thinking of ordering the exact same machine as you, however I'm debating whether or not I should go for the 15inch purely because of its larger screen and faster CPU

I feel the same, wish the 13 inch had quad core that would have made it easier. But although it sounds a lot faster, still not sure if its really gonna make a difference to me. I'm not rendering, 8k movie editing or doing science stuff or something. Just web development, Photoshop and occasional iMovie. And at work I will use an external monitor as main screen, 13 or 15 inch won't matter in that scenario.

Maybe you can buy the 15" and I will buy the 13", if were unhappy we can switch

 

[mikeo007]

The only difference between the i5 and i7 in the 13" is clock speed, so it's basically marketing.
In terms of upgrades, RAM>SSD>>>>CPU.
RAM can never be upgraded, so you're stuck with your original configuration.
SSD may or may not be upgradable, but there are external storage options that may be slightly annoying, but at least they're options.
CPU isn't worth it unless you're constantly maxing out your CPU cycles. And if that's the case, you should probably be looking at a 15" machine instead.

 

[mustberain]

thanx for confirmation about the i5-i7 difference mikee007. I'm gonna stick with my config if its gonna be the 13" model.