Buying Advice

[Mac202]

Due a job change, I have an opportunity to come back to the Mac family. I'm looking at a couple of MBP options and would love to hear any thoughts and advice this forum can offer. I'll be using the laptop for basic, everyday tasks like email, web surfing, etc. I'll also be doing some minor video editing, photo editing, website design and some CAD work. I'd love to keep the laptop for the next 6-8 years and my budget is +/- $2K. I'm considering:
13.3" 2019 i5 8GB RAM 256 GB SSD $1500 (refurbished)
15" i7 2.6GHz, P555X, 16GB RAM, 256GB, Gray (Mid 2019) $2100

I kind of like the larger 15" screen (the old eyes ain't what they used to be) but the 13.3 would be fine. Which is more important to spend the money on - upgrading the RAM od the SSD? Another thought would be to get the 13.3" and use the difference in the 2 to get an external monitor to use. I looked at the new 16" and think its probably too powerful for what I need. I understand the issues with keyboards too but it is what it is. Definitely interested in hearing any advice from everyone. Thanks.

 

[morze]

If you're considering the 15" for $2100, I'd look into stretching the budget if possible and getting the base 16" for $2400. I'm sure you'd appreciate the slightly bigger screen and larger SSD, along with the new keyboard and other improvements, it might be beneficial for keeping it long term 6 years onwards. IF the keyboard fails on the 15", the expense to repair it after the 4 year program is quite significant.

If that's too expensive, I think the 13" would be fine if you didn't do any editing, CAD work, etc. I'm sure you can do it on the 13" but it may be limiting or slow especially in the later years.

Also consider if you think your usage of the computer will change over the years you wish to keep it. You may get into editing a bit more or edit 4k, etc.

Plugging in an external monitor is useful, but you may find yourself using the MBP monitor more than you think and having a 15" over a 13" secondary display is much better.

Opt for RAM over the SSD as you can't upgrade the RAM after purchase but you can plug in an external drive. I think 16gb ram would be better for video editing.

Hope that helps a little, hear out the others. Happy New Year!

 

[ascender]

Either machine will be more than capable of what you're looking to do. As you've said, you could upgrade the RAM and SSD on the 13", but then you'll end up much nearer to the starting price of the 15".

Between RAM and SSD I'd be tempted to do RAM first. As @morze says, you can add an external SSD cheaply and easily.

15/16 is obviously more easy on the eyes if you're using it standalone, but if its mainly going to be used at the desk, I'd still be tempted to go for the 13 and get a nice big monitor.

Will you be desk-based? Will you need to travel and use the laptop on the go? The only downside of the 15/16 IMO is that its a bit less portable as its more unwieldy than the 13", so if you're looking for something lighter which is easier/more comfortable to use in confined spaces, I'd go for the 13 every time.

 

[Fishrrman]

I wouldn't consider ANY MacBook Pro with a butterfly keyboard now that the new keyboard has been released in the 16".

The butterfly keyboard is going to go down as one of Apple's all-time WORST design mistakes.

So... my advice...
Either get the 16" model (even the base one will do), or... if you "want smaller"... wait until the smaller MBP with the new keyboard is released. But that's not going to be until next May or June.

 

[applesed]

I wouldn't consider ANY MacBook Pro with a butterfly keyboard now that the new keyboard has been released in the 16".

The butterfly keyboard is going to go down as one of Apple's all-time WORST design mistakes.

So... my advice...
Either get the 16" model (even the base one will do), or... if you "want smaller"... wait until the smaller MBP with the new keyboard is released. But that's not going to be until next May or June.

I doubt they will leave the butterfly out there another six months..

 

[Mac202]

Either machine will be more than capable of what you're looking to do. As you've said, you could upgrade the RAM and SSD on the 13", but then you'll end up much nearer to the starting price of the 15".

Between RAM and SSD I'd be tempted to do RAM first. As @morze says, you can add an external SSD cheaply and easily.

15/16 is obviously more easy on the eyes if you're using it standalone, but if its mainly going to be used at the desk, I'd still be tempted to go for the 13 and get a nice big monitor.

Will you be desk-based? Will you need to travel and use the laptop on the go? The only downside of the 15/16 IMO is that its a bit less portable as its more unwieldy than the 13", so if you're looking for something lighter which is easier/more comfortable to use in confined spaces, I'd go for the 13 every time.

Thanks! I will be mainly using this at my desk (or in Starbucks) and any travel will be minimal. Do you think 16 GB of RAM is enough or should I add more?
[automerge]1577813301[/automerge]

I doubt they will leave the butterfly out there another six months..

I do need the laptop soon. If I knew a new 13" with the scissor keyboard would be out soon, no more than 2-3 months, I would wait. But with no time frame, I'm not sure I can wait.

 

[am2am]

I wouldn't consider ANY MacBook Pro with a butterfly keyboard now that the new keyboard has been released in the 16".

The butterfly keyboard is going to go down as one of Apple's all-time WORST design mistakes.

I haven't heard many complains about 2019 butterfly keyboards ..

Having 16" I can confirm I prefer this keyboard over butterfly, but still use at home MacBook 2016 without any problems.
When I switch between MBP16 and MB I can feel the difference but strangely enough neither is bothering me. In fact I miss a little old keyboard stability.
MacBook is much smaller/lighter and in my perception butterfly keyboard fits better with its lightness/finesse - I use it differently (more frequently on my laps), type differently on it.

Going back to the topic - I can only recommend MBP16 path - not because I would be afraid of the keyboard, but it is overall very good machine, with bigger screen (I rarely use external now) and much better GPU which may not be the factor today but can be tomorrow.

 

[ascender]

Anecdotally, the changes they made in 2018 seem to have improved the reliability of the butterfly keyboard. And you get a 4 year warranty on that anyway. I'm one of those who quite likes typing on those keyboards, especially the 2018+ ones. Like @am2am says, there's something quite nice about the stability of them. Maybe you could pop to an Apple store and try them out?

It is a bit annoying at the moment that the 16 is the only one with the revised keyboard design & layout though as the current 13" MBP is a great balance of power v portability.

16GB RAM will be more than enough for what you need unless the CAD requirements are for 32GB+? That's the only thing I can't comment on although I know people who do "light" CAD work with 8Gb/16GB RAM quite happily.

The 16" MacBook Pro is a brilliant machine. The only downside IMO is that like the 15", its a bit big and unwieldy, but it sounds like that's not an issue for your use case. I'd definitely recommend one of those based on what you've said.

 

[hipnetic]

B&H Photo is currently selling the base-model 2019 MBP 16 for $2199. Adorama is selling it for about $50 more, and you could probably get Adorama to price-match, and you won't have to pay sales tax with Adorama. Compared to the 15" model you're considering, that 16" base model will get you:
- a (hopefully) more reliable scissor-style keyboard (which I prefer the feel of - YMMV)
- a slightly larger and higher-res display
- 512GB of storage (vs 256GB)
- a much more performant GPU

If the price/size is more than you really want, then a MBP 13 isn't bad, but I'd probably recommend holding out a few months to see if they update it with the scissor-style keyboard (and some other performance upgrades).

 

[Dominus Mortem]

The 16" is probably more power than 90% of its purchasers need. I could do what I do on a 2010 MBP. I bought the 16" for A) that gorgeous, large screen and B) that lovely, perfect keyboard. As a bonus, I think they have improved the trackpad: it's more reliable, crisp and consistent than all that came before it.

From your description I think the 16" would work well for you and I'm thinking the base unit has all the upgrades you could possibly need with 16gb of ram and a 512gb SSD.

You may not need the power, but that power in the background makes everything smooth and snappy.