My mid-2012 MBA is on its last leg. Keyboard and trackpad not responding as they should but it's usable albeit annoying, for now. Also the fan runs full speed when I'm on it. It has a 2GHz Intel Core i7 in it. A friend suggests I get the 2.5GHz dual core i7 in the new machine (MBP) since I have an i7 already. My argument is my i7 is 7 years old. Wouldn't a current 2.3GHz dual core i5 be better than a 7 year old i7? Should I pay the extra $282 for the i7 or just get the standard i5?
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i5 or i7?
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BTW- Didn't mentioned my friend is in IT that's why I mentioned his recommendation. Also, I used to process heavy loads of images from sports photography. Not doing it as much now but it's not out of the question in the future. I travel a lot and wanted to get the MacBook but it's pricier than the air and not as updated. The Pro isn't the brick it used to be and seems to be a better option than the Air for not too much more.
I assume you are looking at non-touchbar 13" MacBook Pros. If that is the case, I would not get the i7. For exactly the same price you can get a Touch Bar version with a quad-core i5 which should be a better deal. Newer generation processor, Touch ID, Touch Bar (I know), 4 USB-C, all for the same price as simply upgrading the non-touchbar to that dual-core i7. Honestly seems a no-brainer to me.
EDIT: Also better GPU and True Tone display.
I think that's what I needed to hear. Didn't realize that model was a quad core. I wasn't sure about the Touch Bar, my son and daughter have those models but like the True Tone and Touch ID.
I have a non-TB 2.5 i7 that I can try to get you some benchmarks for if you want to compare. Tocuh iD is very nice. True Tone I like. 4 USB-C is also really nice. It feels like that non-TB i7 is priced really poorly, but maybe it is faster than I realize? I cannot find benchmarks for it.
The 2018 13" Touch Bar is quad core, the 2017 13" Touch Bar is dual core.
I would take the i5 dual or the i5 quad.
Not necessary but thanks for the offer. I'm trying to get over being pissed about having to dump this kind of cash into a laptop. My old MBA runs great except for the keys, trackpad and fan running full blast all the time. But it is a mid-2012 so I guess it's time.
I didn’t mean I would buy them from you. I mean that both i5s are capable in either configuration (dual/quad). The extra money for the i7 is of limited return if you look at the benchmarks.
Sorry, quoted the wrong reply. I thought I was responding to @Cashmonee about him running the benchmarks.
i5 , i7.......If you're looking at non-Touch Bar then you're talking about a dual-core U series with a 15W TDP. Honestly, apart from a few 100 MHz clock, you're not going to see much difference. The lithographic process is the same for both. Intel uses performance binning. Both parts are effectively the same and then branded i5 or i7 during wafer level test.
Either i5 or i7 is going to outperform your 2012.
If you're looking Touch bar then same rules apply except the 2016/2017 are still dual core albeit running a higher TDP of 28W. 2018 is quite a different beast. A quad core running at 28W so perhaps 40% more performance (in some applications) compared to the 2017. This will scream compared to the 2012.
Either i5 or i7 is going to outperform your 2012.
If you're looking Touch bar then same rules apply except the 2016/2017 are still dual core albeit running a higher TDP of 28W. 2018 is quite a different beast. A quad core running at 28W so perhaps 40% more performance (in some applications) compared to the 2017. This will scream compared to the 2012.
Higher tear CPUs offer you incremental performance upgrade for a premium. Are you willing to pay those $300 (or how much that is) for a 5% increase in performance (and that, only under very specific scenario)? And it's not like those 5% are going to make your machine last longer — if an i5 is too slow at some point, the i7 will be as well.
There are definitely good reasons to get the faster CPU — if your work can benefit from it. For most normal users, CPU upgrade doesn't make much sense.
There are definitely good reasons to get the faster CPU — if your work can benefit from it. For most normal users, CPU upgrade doesn't make much sense.
Yeah the i5 touchbar is the logical choice out of 2018 offerings, the dualcores are expensive for what they are
Another vote for the i5 quad-core, best bang for the buck in the MBP lineup right now (unless you have specific performance needs, and you'd likely know if that were the case).
I just replaced my 2011 MBP that had an i7 with an imac with an i5 and it's perfectly adequate for everything I do. It's certainly much faster than the older machine, not just because of the newer cpu but also memory, disk, bus, etc. I've been in IT for 25 years and can honestly say the argument for the high end processors is becoming less and less valid for every day use all the time. They serve a huge purpose for high end video and scientific work, or help out if you are running a few virtual machines, but otherwise today's mid range procs are really, really impressive.