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Is the i7 MBP worth it?
- Thread starter BoneHead001
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What is your use case? It may make sense in instances where computer processing time is money, and you'll have to run a break even analysis on your expected incremental productivity gain. If you truly do find yourself in that space, then you may also have to run the same analysis against an iMac Pro or even the Mac Pro.
If you want the fastest 13” that’s how you get it. In Geekbench and Cinebench it is about 8-10% faster than the i5. That’s about the same as the difference between the 8th gen CPU and 10th gen CPU (though the 10th GPU is faster) for the same $200 price difference. I’m perfectly happy with the i5.
I personally don't think you'd ever notice the difference in day to day usage. Sure, there is a 3-10% increase in benchmarks, but I think you'd be hard pressed to see real-world gains.
I never look at "is this upgrade worth X dollars", but at "what is the best upgrade I can get for X dollars". You can get a 1TB SSD instead of 512GB, that might be better depending on what you do. Or half of the 32GB Ram upgrade. The difference is if the i5 is not fast enough, you just wait a tiny bit longer. But if your SSD is full, you're stuck.
I like this analysis. Very good point!
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To be completely transparent, I did also agonize over whether or not to jump to the i7 after ordering the i5. I have since convinced myself that the performance difference in small at best and undetectable at worst. Also, $200 will be left in my pocket for whenever I decide to upgrade next.
I'm thinking of getting the base i5 Macbook Pro 13.
My usage will be very light but I've always wanted one and as much as I love my iPad pro 11 there are times where I prefer to sit with a laptop and look through web pages.
I'm probably the perfect user for a Macbook Air but I'm not keen on the way the body gets thinner towards the front. I prefer the more squarer shape of the pro. Plus the way I see it if it is something I've always wanted I may as well treat myself
I did consider the i7 but that is just too much power for what I need so the base model will be perfect.
My usage will be very light but I've always wanted one and as much as I love my iPad pro 11 there are times where I prefer to sit with a laptop and look through web pages.
I'm probably the perfect user for a Macbook Air but I'm not keen on the way the body gets thinner towards the front. I prefer the more squarer shape of the pro. Plus the way I see it if it is something I've always wanted I may as well treat myself
I did consider the i7 but that is just too much power for what I need so the base model will be perfect.
The problem with CPU upgrades is for just a little bit more you can get the faster model above it, which will have much more performance. The only time it really is worth it is if you absolutely need the size/shape of the model and want to get the absolute best in that model.
But as it is, 16" Pro is faster than the fastest 13" Pro. And a 13" Pro is much faster than the fastest MBA.
Now the 13" is much more portable than the 16" of course, so putting the most powerful stuff in it is pretty good. But it's just not that much better for the cost.
But as it is, 16" Pro is faster than the fastest 13" Pro. And a 13" Pro is much faster than the fastest MBA.
Now the 13" is much more portable than the 16" of course, so putting the most powerful stuff in it is pretty good. But it's just not that much better for the cost.
Ya, that last line you wrote sums it up for me, “But it's just not that much better for the cost.” I think I’d go for the i7 if it were not such a marginal ~7-10% improvement for $200.