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is the i7 12" Macbook worth it ? (vs m3/i5)

M

macaron95

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 5, 2014
220
17
Hello

I am thinking about buying the 12" Macbook with the i7 processor on the refurb store.

I was hesitating between MB, MBA and MBP.

MBA has almost the same performance as MB but has a fan which makes noise for nothing

MBP is thicker and is hurting my wrists

it leaves me with the MB

I used to own the 2015 model with m3 1.2 Ghz which was a bit slow, especially with 8 Gb of RAM

now considering the i7 with 16 Gb of RAM

will it be much hotter than the m3 and the i5 ?

will there be a real difference between the i5 and the i7 in the MB ?


Thanks
 
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macaron95 said:
Hello

I am thinking about buying the 12" Macbook with the i7 processor on the refurb store.

I was hesitating between MB, MBA and MBP.

MBA has almost the same performance as MB but has a fan which makes noise for nothing

MBP is thicker and is hurting my wrists

it leaves me with the MB

I used to own the 2015 model with m3 1.2 Ghz which was a bit slow, especially with 8 Gb of RAM

now considering the i7 with 16 Gb of RAM

will it be much hotter than the m3 and the i5 ?

will there be a real difference between the i5 and the i7 in the MB ?


Thanks
Click to expand...
The performance of the MacBook is not worth the money in any configuration. The Air is a much better value.
 
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chrfr said:
The performance of the MacBook is not worth the money in any configuration. The Air is a much better value.
Click to expand...

indeed MBA is a bit cheaper

I was thinking then MBA i5 1.6 / 16 Gb / SSD 256 but i'm reluctant to having a fan once i've experienced the fanless MB
[doublepost=1550129477][/doublepost]
darknite38 said:
What?

And you think a macbook would be any different? Not sure how it's hurting your wrists
Click to expand...

maybe not for you, but for me, when my hands are on the desk, the MBP is higher than MBA/MB when typing
[doublepost=1550130016][/doublepost]should i spend a bit more, give up on the slim aspect and go for a 13" MBP ?
 
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The current macbook is a failed product not worth spending your money on. It hasn't been updated in almost two years. Much better to get a new model macbook air.

Apple really should eliminate the current macbook and rename the new model MBA to MB. Doing so would make the laptop lineup a lot less confusing.
 
macaron95 said:
I was thinking then MBA i5 1.6 / 16 Gb / SSD 256 but i'm reluctant to having a fan once i've experienced the fanless MB
Click to expand...
I have a 13" 2018 MacBook Pro. Most of the time the fans do not even run on this computer and I assume the Air is similar. In my mind, the lack of a fan in the MacBook does not nearly override the computer's other disadvantages.
 
The MacBook is not a failed product. It’s a fantastic device. That being said, it hasn’t gotten the most recent processor update so if that’s a priority for you it might be worth waiting until a little later this year.
 
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TGM85 said:
Low performance. For a laptop device a barely usable tiny 12 inch screen. One single usb c-port. Horrible keyboard.

All this at a price very much higher than the substantially better and recently updated macbook air.
Click to expand...

It isn’t low performance for its intended purpose. In fact, it’s snappy. 12 inches is barely usable? Tell people who used 11 inch Airs... or iPads... USBC is the perfect choice for a single choice. I’ve dealt with it for 3 years comfortably and enjoyed it. If you need more, then you are the target market. Keyboard is exactly the same as the “substantially better MacBook Air.” Price is only $100 more. Substantially more portable and quieter than that MacBook Air.

I think the new Air is the one without a real spot in the lineup. If you want portable ultrabook, go Macbook. If you want pro level performance, go Pro.
 
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Hell no! It isn't worth it! Would you rather pay another $250 from the base model for just another 1000 in Geekbench scores or $300 or even $400 for another 4000 in Geekbench scores for the 15-inch MacBook Pro. The $250 is a horrible deal your money. If it was the MacBook Pro then this would be a different story.

$250 - 1000 Increase in Geekbench scores on the MacBook (12-inch)

$300 - 2000 Increase in Geekbench scores on the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar 13.3-inch

$400 - 4000 Increase in Geekbench scores on the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar 15.4-inch

Everything that I mentioned is from the base model.
 
macaron95 said:
MBA has almost the same performance as MB but has a fan which makes noise for nothing
Click to expand...
The fan keeps the processor running at peak performance for longer. Why else would they put one in? The Macbook will run fast for a while, get hot and slow down. The Air will turn the fan on, cool the CPU and keep running fast.
 
The only and only reason to consider a macbook is the praticality. Just like an ipad it's easy to bring in flight and use it on the go. I tried the i7 and it wasn't really faster. Every app made by apple work flawlessly, but it was a bit laggy on anything like Chrome, Luminar, Adobe. I use it for React development with Atom/Docker and it's the best computer I ever used again because of its size.

It tend to freeze for couple seconds when you open the lid quickly. It comes with compromises I guess
 
I gotta say, I just picked up a used 2017 MB i5 512 for $700 on eBay and I'm actually really surprised how well it's performing. The power really is sufficient for 99% of my needs, the battery life for me has been crazy - 10-12 hours of use depending - and the weight / carry around factor is glorious.

Coming from a 2015 13" MBP and a 2011 13" MBA. The 2015 MBP used to stay at my office and now I use the MB so that I can just grab it and go when I need to.

I'm going to get an updated version when available. I'm sold.
 
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TBi said:
The fan keeps the processor running at peak performance for longer. Why else would they put one in? The Macbook will run fast for a while, get hot and slow down. The Air will turn the fan on, cool the CPU and keep running fast.
Click to expand...
The MacBook Air fan is not cooling the processor. It is blowing air in the case. It will not cool the processor so it is not down clocking.
 
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