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Farrgazer

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 25, 2017
210
92
Hello, first time poster here.

I’ve been using my 2012 MacBook Air for quite some time now, but recent issues have led me to get a new Mac as the technician said it’s a logic board issue and I don’t feel like sinking money into what is going to be a vintage Mac pretty soon.

My overall needs were well-met on the MacBook Air - frankly, if it weren’t for the logic board, I wouldn’t mind using it today. I do a lot of word processing and web surfing, with a side of low end games that may kick up the fan, but are still quite playable otherwise.

My question is - would it be overkill to spend upwards of $2,300 for a 15” MacBook Pro in the hopes of getting a full five years or more of usage and future proof myself? Or should I just save $1000 and get a 13” MacBook Pro since a five-year-old Mac worked well enough for me to this point?
 

McScooby

macrumors 65816
Oct 15, 2005
1,238
777
The Paps of Glenn Close, Scotland.
Had the logic not fried, you would easily have prob got another 3 years out of it. Only u know what to buy. Personally I've been there twice, bought the latest & most powerful, only to get burned as now I wouldn't chuck silly money on a MBP with a dedicated graphics card again, but maybe whatever you do prob best to invest in :apple:care.
n.b if you use word 2011, maybe check out possible incompatibility / not supported on Hi Sierra, might influence your spending power.
 
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960design

macrumors 68040
Apr 17, 2012
3,691
1,548
Destin, FL
As McScooby stated... All you need is a MacAir. It should be good for about 5 years, just like the MacBook Pro. Save yourself some weight and money.
 

Samuelsan2001

macrumors 604
Oct 24, 2013
7,729
2,153
Unless you see your usage changing anytime soon then there is no need for a 15 inch, that simple really, if you want a better gaming experience I would go for the 15 inch but other than that there seems no need for you to spend the extra.
 

ZapNZs

macrumors 68020
Jan 23, 2017
2,310
1,158
No, it is not justifiable in your case IMO because the $1,000 you save means you can upgrade in half the time.

For your needs other than gaming, every model will work great, including the retina MacBook. Since you do light gaming, the base model MacBook Pro 13 (with a 256+ SSD) will probably work great for your needs for years to come.
 

ApfelKuchen

macrumors 601
Aug 28, 2012
4,334
3,010
Between the coasts
I'd spend the money for the larger display and Retina quality. In terms of future-proofing, I think display size and quality could become significant issues. The larger working desktop on the 15" Retina can produce productivity improvements. The other future-proofing consideration would be storage space. Will 256 GB of internal storage be enough for the long haul, or would it be better to go for 512 GB, regardless of which model you get?

While I'd be likely to spend money for the Touch Bar (another potential productivity-booster), you might trim your MBP budget by going for the non-Touch Bar model. Since your usage doesn't seem to scream out for lots of Thunderbolt ports, the lower number of ports in the non-Touch Bar model may not be a major consideration. You wouldn't need to spend extra for upgraded CPU or GPU.
 

Farrgazer

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 25, 2017
210
92
Thank you for all your suggestions. After some more thought, I pulled the trigger for a 13” entry level MBP with the touch bar.
 
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960design

macrumors 68040
Apr 17, 2012
3,691
1,548
Destin, FL
Fantastic! Getting used the Touch Bar was a little irritating at first, but I recently assisted a user on an older MBP and was surprised at how much I immediately missed the touch bar.

You will love it!
 
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