From 2017 13' mbp asking for serious advice

[airlied]

Some little background:

Sorry for my lousy English.

I have Macbook pro 13inch 2017 touch bar model (3.1Ghz core i5, 16Gb RAM and 250Gb SSD). My previous model was a 2014(maybe?) model 15'inch MacBook Pro and I was happy with it, until one day the battery became twice as its size and popped out from bottom cover (didn't want to repair an old laptop so had to sell it at a low price).

Since I 'downgraded' from quad-core to dual core, I constantly feel the 13inch is slower than my previous one. Especially when doing some CPU/Graphic intensive stuffs (Im a non-professional video editor but I don't know too much about computers).

Sometimes even casual work like iWork or 4k video playback feels not that smooth (I don't know if this has to do with software/OS issues).

I hooked it into a 43' LG 4k Monitor (actually it's a TV). However if I choose the contents to 'look like' 1920X1080, everything looks too big, so I set it as 'look like' 2560X1440, but the whole system just feels so laggy, especially when opening launchpad.

So I decided if I'd buy a new one, I will at least switch back to quad core, and to have a much higher graphic performance.

And everyone knows Apple just announced its fancy 2018 model. All 13 inch got 8th gen intel quad core i5 processor (except for non touch bar model) and all 15' got 6-core CPUs.

Now I have three options.

Three options:

Option 1:
(sell my 13inch model online then) Buy a new 13 inch 2.3Ghz core i5 quad-core model, then config it to 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD so I can enjoy quad core and extra storage.
The new 13 inch model still uses intel Iris pro Graphic and has only 5~7% performance boost from last year's one. So I can buy a BlackMagic eGPU to boost the graphic performance.

Option 2:
(sell my 13inch model online then) Buy a 15inch low end i7 model, then config it to 32GB RAM, Radeon Pro 560X and 512 GB SSD.
So I can enjoy 6-core CPU performance but I have to deal with the graphic card it offers. Because the BlackMagic eGPU only have 2X speed boosts, it seems not worth it considering the price tag.
Of course I can wait until BlackMagic release second gen.

Option 3:
Keep my current Mac and buy a BlackMagic eGPU so I can enjoy 6X faster GPU performance, but I have to endure dual core cpu performance.

WHY I NEED YOUR HELP:

option one cost:  (new 13' mac + egpu - old mac)
option one gain: please tell me (quad core cpu + egpu +512GB SSD)

option two cost:  (new 15' mac - old mac + potential future egpu cost)
option two gain: please tell me (6 core cpu +32G RAM + decent mobile gpu +512GB SSD + potential future egpu)

option three cost: (egpu)
option three gain: please tell me (egpu)

Here is the thing,
I know eGPU is WAY better than intel iris pro (it's like super race car vs mini van), but If I choose option one I have to deal with quad core and unchanged 16GB RAM.
eGPU is just two times faster than Radeon Pro 560X so if I choose option two the cost efficiency is too low, but I can have 6 core and 32GB RAM.
If I choose three, I can get a huge gpu boost as well but unchanged 16GB RAM and dual core cpu.

The problem is, I don't know WHICH COMBINATION has the best cost performance.
If I get option one, is quad core i5 sufficient for driving egpu to its full potential? Can anyone tell me the difference between 2018' 8th quad core i5 and previous quad core i7? They had to be different right?
If I get option three, will the limitation of dual core cpu make egpu less powerful? Like, anything graphic intensive will feel 'smoother' but the general usage still feels laggy as hell? How powerful is core i5 7267u dual-core cpu (which my 13 inch has)?
If I get option two I can get the best without doubt, but the cost is too high I really don't want to choose this one. However if 6 core i7 + 32GB RAM makes HUGE difference (which I don't think so), I might go for it.

Please help me to decide it thanks for your precious time.

 

[airlied]

no one?

 

[green86]

If you can afford it, just get the 15". It is vastly superior in many ways (Graphics, Cores, Max Ram) and it sounds like your a power user that could actually use the extra muscle.

 

[wchigo]

I don't believe the cost difference between a 13" i5 16/512 + eGPU is that different than a base 15" with upgraded RAM, SSD and GPU, is it?

Also, 32GB of RAM seems overkill for your workflow. Check Activity Monitor on your current MacBook when you're working; is the memory pressure green or yellow? From most of the advice in here (MacRumors forums), you really don't need 32GB of RAM unless you're running a lot of Virtual Machines, which you don't seem to be. In that case, I think you'd be fine with the 15" 2.2GHz i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD and the 555X (560X doesn't offer that much more performance, but the upgrade is relatively cheap I understand so feel free to get it if you want.) I honestly think that's the sweet spot of the 3 options, whereas just getting the eGPU to go with your current MacBook would be the most cost efficient.

Edit: Looking on Apple's US website, the eGPU will take 3-4 weeks to ship, meaning a lengthy wait time if you go that route. Also, the configuration you mentioned (13" i5/16/512) with eGPU comes to around $2898 USD.

If you go with the 15" base i7/16/512/560X, you're looking at $2699 USD, which is cheaper than what you're considering with option 1. Even if you go for 32GB RAM, you're looking at $3099 USD, which is a difference of $201 USD (less than 10%) compared to option 1. It's honestly not that much more money, when you're already considering to spend several thousands, and you'll get everything quicker since you're not waiting for the eGPU.

 

[smirking]

If you're a casual video editor, I don't think it'll warrant the expense of an eGPU and support for even the Blackmagic eGPU isn't comprehensive yet. Final Cut Pro doesn't make use of the Blackmagic eGPU unless you run a special conifgurator to sidestep the issue that's preventing it from being used. Presumably that will get addressed soon, but it goes to highlight that you can't assume that an eGPU will address your issues. There's a lot we don't know yet.

I'd say I'm a casual video editor myself and I've found the Radeon Pro 460 in my 2016 MBP to be good enough for the task. Exporting to a high definition format takes forever, but it works acceptably for editing.

It sounds to me like your two best options are:

1) If you can wait, keep your 13" and see how good eGPU support becomes once the Blackmagic eGPU becomes a more common accessory. Then decide whether you keep your 13" or not. If you live near an Apple store, you could always buy a Blackmagic eGPU and return it if it doesn't do what you expected.

2) Sell your 13" and buy any 2018 15" that has the 560x. Or pick up a refurbished or used 2017 that has a 560 Pro. The performance improvments from the 460 (2016), 560 (2017), to the 560x (2018) isn't very large. Like others said, I don't think you'll need 32GB RAM and I don't think you really need 6 cores either. I'd rather prefer to spend the money on getting more storage. 256GB seems to be way to restrictive to me. You'd be spending half of your time just trying to free up SSD storage so you have space free for render files.