I'm thinking of picking up one of the refurb nonTB MBPs that are available now, but I'm just wondering if I'm missing anything by not getting the touchbar version (outside of the touchbar and extra ports)? I'm looking to get a machine that will last me 3+ years at least, so I'm hoping to get something that is a little bit futureproofed.
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Is it worth getting the nonTB MBP 13"?
- Thread starter firehawk12
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If you get something that is CPU and 3D intensive, the Touch Bar version would do marginally better since it has more headroom to burn (15 watts vs 28 watts).
IOW, you get a CPU with a guaranteed base all-core clock speed at 2.9 GHz with the TB version, versus the one in the non TB that starts at 2.0 GHz and boosts to 2.9 GHz (all cores) only when the power and/or thermal budget permits (e.g. GPU is idle).
Personally I am interested in non-TB, since most of the stuff I run day-to-day do not tax the GPU in any significant way (well, including 4K display output), but only the CPU.
IOW, you get a CPU with a guaranteed base all-core clock speed at 2.9 GHz with the TB version, versus the one in the non TB that starts at 2.0 GHz and boosts to 2.9 GHz (all cores) only when the power and/or thermal budget permits (e.g. GPU is idle).
Personally I am interested in non-TB, since most of the stuff I run day-to-day do not tax the GPU in any significant way (well, including 4K display output), but only the CPU.
Personally, only thing that bothers me with non-tb version are ports. 2 are (maybe) enough, but I would love it if they were on opposite sides. It's a shame they didn't do it like that.
But never the less, I would rather have non-tb version over TB version. Less bugs, better battery life, no gimmicks
But never the less, I would rather have non-tb version over TB version. Less bugs, better battery life, no gimmicks
Its really what the TB has to offer, do you want/need those features which are absent in the non-TB model.
Its a question that only you can answer, if it were me, I'd opt for the TB model, for a couple of reasons. First you get a faster processor, and second you get more ports (at least full thunderbolt ports)
Its a question that only you can answer, if it were me, I'd opt for the TB model, for a couple of reasons. First you get a faster processor, and second you get more ports (at least full thunderbolt ports)
Absolutely. They honestly are great machines. Potential hardware failures aside, I can't see why they wouldn't last that length of time.
My 2010 Macbook Pro is still cranking away, as good as it ever was. So I imagine the new models will run fine well into the future.
I just replaced a 5 year old 11" MBA with a non TB 13". I was waiting on a 2017 MB, but decided the 13" MBP was a much better value, since the the 1lb weight difference didn't really matter to me. The processor is overkill for me as it is, and I'll have a thunderbolt hub at work as soon as I find the right one. The nonTB 13" seems like the best bang for your buck notebook in the lineup right now.
It's the RAM that worries me for longevity (I have the base with the TB). Seems like I'm naive to think that 8 GB won't be sufficient, though.
I've lived with 4gb in my MBA for 5 years, so 8gb should last me a few more. I don't do much RAM intensive work, but it's nice to have in case. 4gb could definitely lag, but 8 is good for me.
2 is way better than just 1 on the rMBPersonally, only thing that bothers me with non-tb version are ports. 2 are (maybe) enough, but I would love it if they were on opposite sides. It's a shame they didn't do it like that.
But never the less, I would rather have non-tb version over TB version. Less bugs, better battery life, no gimmicks
I though the same way you did and decided not to get the non-TB.
Besides 8GB is going to efficient toughen, look at the configurations :
Non-TB : 8GB of 1866MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory
TB : 8GB of 2133MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory
I couldn't convince myself in to this marketing game where I lose processing power, Ram power and more just because I don't want to pay the price hike.
The touch bar version has a faster i5 and faster RAM. It really depends on what you're doing as to if it's good enough for your purposes. I think it should be fine for most users for 4 or more years, but if you're using it as your main computer doing CAD and/or video editing, then I'd say buy the best computer you can afford.
The touch bar is a feature that, at this moment, has not been fully realized by the majority of programs. It is a good idea, but in its infancy. Can you do without a touch bar now, definitely. Might you regret in a few years, perhaps. But, it won't be the difference between a usable and unusable machine.
The ntMBP is a solid machine which, spec wise, will hold up for a good amount of time. The lack of IO might be annoying, but you can still get a TB3 dock for it which would take care of that in a lot of situations.
The ntMBP is a solid machine which, spec wise, will hold up for a good amount of time. The lack of IO might be annoying, but you can still get a TB3 dock for it which would take care of that in a lot of situations.
Thanks for the replies. I just thought I'd ask to confirm since I did some research, but in terms of i5 vs i7 on the 13" MBPs, they both have hyperthreading and are essentially the same in that regard? It's just a minor clock speed bump?
Taken from PCMAG ;
Intel Hyper-Threading uses multithreading technology to make the operating system and applications think that a processor has more cores than it actually does. Hyper-Threading technology is used to increase performance on multithreaded tasks. The simplest multithreaded situation is a user running several programs simultaneously, but there are other activities that take advantage of Hyper-Threading, like multimedia operations (such as transcoding and rendering) and Web surfing (loading different elements, like Flash content and images, simultaneously).
The quick explanation is that all Core i7 CPUs use Hyper-Threading, so a six-core CPU can handle 12 streams, a four-core can handle eight streams, and a dual-core can handle four streams. Core i5 uses Hyper-Threading to make a dual-core CPU act like a four-core one, but if you have a Core i5 processor with four true cores, it won't have Hyper-Threading. For the time being, Core i5 tops out at handling four streams, using four real cores or two cores with Hyper-Threading.
Intel Hyper-Threading uses multithreading technology to make the operating system and applications think that a processor has more cores than it actually does. Hyper-Threading technology is used to increase performance on multithreaded tasks. The simplest multithreaded situation is a user running several programs simultaneously, but there are other activities that take advantage of Hyper-Threading, like multimedia operations (such as transcoding and rendering) and Web surfing (loading different elements, like Flash content and images, simultaneously).
The quick explanation is that all Core i7 CPUs use Hyper-Threading, so a six-core CPU can handle 12 streams, a four-core can handle eight streams, and a dual-core can handle four streams. Core i5 uses Hyper-Threading to make a dual-core CPU act like a four-core one, but if you have a Core i5 processor with four true cores, it won't have Hyper-Threading. For the time being, Core i5 tops out at handling four streams, using four real cores or two cores with Hyper-Threading.
All Intel mobile i5 processors have Hyper Threading — at least those used by Apple. The only difference is the clock speed (base/all-core turbo/max).
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Yes. All of them support Hyper Threading.
'' Processors with both Intel® HT Technology and Intel® Turbo Boost Technology (or Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0, available in Intel® Core™ i5 processors and above) deliver better performance and can complete tasks more quickly. ''
From INTEL:
''Processors with both Intel® HT Technology and Intel® Turbo Boost Technology (or Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0, available in Intel® Core™ i5 processors and above) deliver better performance and can complete tasks more quickly.''