Just got my 2017 rMB

[wineandcarbs]

I just received my refurbished, 2017 rMB (base model, 8GB / 256GB) today.

So far, I love it! I'm still getting everything set up on it but some initial thoughts:

1) the size. WOW. I'm coming from and will still be using a 2014 rMBP, which is "only" 3.4 lbs. When I bought the 2014 rMBP I was coming from a cMBP and it seemed light in comparison, but I guess our expectations for portability get higher and higher over time because my primary use for buying the rMB was wanting something more portable since I carry the laptop to work every day. This thing is compact!

2) the keyboard: I had read A LOT about this and was nervous about it. I find I can type very accurately on it. No issues. The only thing I am still getting used to is the "clickiness". It's louder than my previous keyboard, or at least a different sound. I'm still unsure whether I'll get the stuck keys people have talked about. Is the 'clickiness' something that changes or that one just gets used to?

3) for anyone curious about refurbished computers and batteries: out of sheer curiosity I checked the number of cycles on the battery when I first started the computer. It had 4. So, not a new battery (which I knew was likely) but what I consider an appropriate amount, especially given the savings + the fact that I have the regular Apple warranty.

4) I have both the 2014 rMBP and 2017 rMB in front of me right now and it's interesting going back and forth between them. In basic usage (for me; office/business-type use) I don't find the rMB slow at all, even going from one computer to the other (typing this on the rMBP right now while setting up some software on the rMB). It'll be interesting to see as I multi-task more on the rMB.

Do you use a keyboard protector? (One of those thin clear pieces? I've never used one on my previous Macs but am wondering if I should on this one?)

Should I disable throttling to prevent overheating?

 

[EugW]

The Retina 13" Pros are nice, but even though they're significantly lighter than the previous non-Retina Pros, they're still not exactly light. Plus the 13" is really awkward on the plane unless you sit in business class. The 12" truly feels light, and it works better for travel when used as is. The main problem is the necessity to carry a whole bunch of dongles when traveling for business in my case, which adds weight and take up space, and which can be annoying.

The 2015 MacBook was a bit slow. The 2017 is faster in feel. That is borne out by the benches. The 2015 m3 gets around 4850 multi-core. The 2017 m3 gets around 7000. That's about a 45% improvement in speed from 2015 to 2017. Mind you, the 2015 MacBook is still significantly faster than the Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro I use as a secondary computer, and that MBP is more than usable even in High Sierra.

The 2015 had a terrible keyboard. The 2017 has a decent one. Yes it's louder than the old style keyboards, but the feel is reasonably good. The Pros have more travel though, so they're nicer. I have not yet had a stuck key with my 2017, but time will tell.

You can't disable throttling, cuz throttling is what prevents heating. So I'm not sure what you mean. Do you mean disable Turbo Boost? If that's what you mean, I wouldn't recommend that, because if you do, it will feel slow.

 

[wineandcarbs]

The Retina 13" Pros are nice, but even though they're significantly lighter than the previous non-Retina Pros, they're still not exactly light. Plus the 13" is really awkward on the plane unless you sit in business class. The 12" truly feels light, and it works better for travel when used as is. The main problem is the necessity to carry a whole bunch of dongles when traveling for business in my case, which adds weight and take up space, and which can be annoying.

The 2015 MacBook was a bit slow. The 2017 is faster in feel. That is borne out by the benches. The 2015 m3 gets around 4850 multi-core. The 2017 m3 gets around 7000. That's about a 45% improvement in speed from 2015 to 2017. Mind you, the 2015 MacBook is still significantly faster than the Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro I use as a secondary computer, and that MBP is more than usable even in High Sierra.

The 2015 had a terrible keyboard. The 2017 has a decent one. Yes it's louder than the old style keyboards, but the feel is reasonably good. The Pros have more travel though, so they're nicer. I have not yet had a stuck key with my 2017, but time will tell.

You can't disable throttling, cuz throttling is what prevents heating. So I'm not sure what you mean. Do you mean disable Turbo Boost? If that's what you mean, I wouldn't recommend that, because if you do, it will feel slow.

Thanks so much! You're right that the rMBP isn't light, especially if you're carrying it around regularly, which I am. I don't travel for work but I do carry my computer with me daily so I'm hoping I can get by dongle free most days (otherwise dongles would be a must).

My mistake; I meant Turbo Boost. I thought I'd read something about it being recommended to disable TB but I won't do that then. So far I'm really happy with the purchase. I was nervous about the keyboard but I actually really like it! I'm finding my typing speed and accuracy to be the same as the previous computers I had (I haven't tried the 2017 MBP keyboard so I don't have a basis for comparison on that one. I'm comparing to the previous cMBP and rMBP keyboards, plus the various desktop keyboards I've used).

Your posts actually really helped me decide on the rMB (your posts in other threads I was perusing and asking questions in) so thank you!

 

[facemeat]

It’s a great laptop, I really miss mine! I honestly wish I got it instead of the 13 inch, I’ve found that the added screen space of the 13-15 doesn’t really add that much. If I want to be productive I’ll connect an external 27, for travel the 12 can’t be beat!

 

[wineandcarbs]

It’s a great laptop, I really miss mine! I honestly wish I got it instead of the 13 inch, I’ve found that the added screen space of the 13-15 doesn’t really add that much. If I want to be productive I’ll connect an external 27, for travel the 12 can’t be beat!

I really think this could end up being my primary computer. The more I use it, the more I love it! And like you said, for portability it really can't be beat!

 

[EugW]

My primary computer is an iMac with dual 27" screens.

However, the MacBook is my primary laptop. I just hate lugging around bigger laptops. A 13" is still a pain to edit excel spreadsheets and powerpoint presentations, so they're not hugely advantageous over the 12 MB in that regard. The dual 27" iMac is my go-to machine for that when possible.

I think the advantage here is that 1280x800 on this laptop is decent to look at. The native resolution is 2304x1440 so you'd think we best be using 1152x720, but that does affect usability in terms of space, and is not necessary because the text quality is so good at 1280x800.

IOW, the 12" MB effectively has the same usable screen real estate as the old 13" MacBook Pros. The Airs unfortunately don't look good in comparison.

 

[wineandcarbs]

Some more thoughts now that I've been using this for a few days:

- I could definitely see this becoming my main computer. Since getting everything set up I haven't been using my rMBP. I definitely am keeping it because it has extra features (and those USB A and HDMI ports come in handy sometimes!) but for my purposes the rMB is powerful enough to do what I need to do and I'm not finding the screen size an adjustment at all.
- Battery life is fantastic. I'm getting about 11 hours browsing, using iCal and Mail, and dong Office-type work with the screen at a bit below 50% brightness (sometimes a bit less depending on lighting conditions around me).
- I did have a moment where I thought my rMB wasn't going to sleep when the lid was closed. Turns out it was, I just hadn't set it so it required a password after sleeping so when I opened the lid and no password was needed I thought it was awake. Changed the password setting and fixed the non-issue. Doh!

 

[polee]

I just received my refurbished, 2017 rMB (base model, 8GB / 256GB) today.

So far, I love it! I'm still getting everything set up on it but some initial thoughts:

1) the size. WOW. I'm coming from and will still be using a 2014 rMBP, which is "only" 3.4 lbs. When I bought the 2014 rMBP I was coming from a cMBP and it seemed light in comparison, but I guess our expectations for portability get higher and higher over time because my primary use for buying the rMB was wanting something more portable since I carry the laptop to work every day. This thing is compact!

2) the keyboard: I had read A LOT about this and was nervous about it. I find I can type very accurately on it. No issues. The only thing I am still getting used to is the "clickiness". It's louder than my previous keyboard, or at least a different sound. I'm still unsure whether I'll get the stuck keys people have talked about. Is the 'clickiness' something that changes or that one just gets used to?

3) for anyone curious about refurbished computers and batteries: out of sheer curiosity I checked the number of cycles on the battery when I first started the computer. It had 4. So, not a new battery (which I knew was likely) but what I consider an appropriate amount, especially given the savings + the fact that I have the regular Apple warranty.

4) I have both the 2014 rMBP and 2017 rMB in front of me right now and it's interesting going back and forth between them. In basic usage (for me; office/business-type use) I don't find the rMB slow at all, even going from one computer to the other (typing this on the rMBP right now while setting up some software on the rMB). It'll be interesting to see as I multi-task more on the rMB.

Do you use a keyboard protector? (One of those thin clear pieces? I've never used one on my previous Macs but am wondering if I should on this one?)

Should I disable throttling to prevent overheating?

Interesting to note that the battery cycle was only 4. I am also interested to get a MacBook Pro refurbished for myself.

 

[wineandcarbs]

Interesting to note that the battery cycle was only 4. I am also interested to get a MacBook Pro refurbished for myself.

I'm not sure what Apple's "limit" for battery cycles is (after how many they put in a new battery; they don't really state their upper limit) but mine was 4 and I read someone else on here say their's was 12 (not sure how long the model they purchased had been out for upon purchasing). Battery cycles was something I was wondering about when I realized they don't replace the battery for Macs, but I was pleasantly surprised. I've bought a refurbished Apple product before but this was my first refurb laptop and I can 100% say I'd do it again. I inspected it very carefully (hey, I'm on MacRumours, I read about things I wouldn't have even thought to look for! LOL) and I wouldn't be able to tell that it was a refurb if I hadn't purchased it from the refurb store myself!