Just my opinion for the 2016 rMacbook

[pookitoo]

Hello everyone,

I want to share with you my experience with the rMacbook 2016 m5:

(just in case, i'm a freelancer web designer / web developer, and i do a little IT support, I use sketchapp , affinity designer and affinity photo, Microsoft Rdp , sublime text , a little bit of Vmware fusion for testing, a little bit of Xcode and a little bit for casual WOW gaming )

Last year, i bought the rMacbook, i was really excited but after a few weeks, i feel uncomfortable with the reactivity, too slow, many app are slow to open. I was disappointed, so I sold it and took a 2015 macbook pro retina. It seemed faster, but it was not the night & day either; ) but comfortable for my use.

When they released the new 2016 rMacbook, i want to give him a second try (i travel a lot, so i want a thinner computer than the 2015 rMacbook pro). I was impressed ! I had the feeling of having the same power as the 2015 rMacbook Pro ! Really happy, i decided to sold the the rMacbbook pro without any regrets at all !!!

After that, i 've a big contract and i decided to buy the 5k iMac, the middle one with the fusion disk for my little office, and ... disappointed again. I don't feel the extra power of the iMac ! even in WOW, i can't go much higher than the little rMacbook 2016. In sketch app, i've a huge file and it opens with the same speed. I don't understand, maybe the fusion drive vs the SSD of the rMacbook, but the little macbook feel snappier !

And i decided again to send back the 5K iMac ...

I 've read the rumors for a release for the new macbook pro in 2016 with maybe a new external 5K screen (i know, for now, only rumors). It'll be the perfect machine for my need i think

So, in my opinion and with my use case, i feel the rMacbook 2016 have the same power than the macbook pro 2015, (i'm not doing anymore MAO and i'm not doing big photo editing, neither final cut ), even the 5K iMac is not for me

But i've little question:

1 - i want an extra charger, i've try :

https://www.amazon.com/AUKEY-Charger-Ports-Samsung-Nexus/dp/B01DZ4KHYQ/ref=pd_sim_107_3?ie=UTF8&dpID=41AnlQ6YwtL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL320_SR320,320_&psc=1&refRID=81KMRCGF2XRH4Z0HRP84

and it doesn't charge enough the rMacbook, (the battery discharges when i use the rMacbook)

- Same problem with a usb a -> usb c with an aukey usb a charger;( (and for the little info : not very good for the battery i think, because the trackpad doesn't work very well and apple say to me it is because of the charger, and it is right)

- i need to purchase the official from apple ?

2 - i want an external display, i've try 2 different dell monitor, and i was really disappointed by the color (a little dark and pink like the Philips monitor). Any advice for a really good and accurate wqhd monitor please ? (i think i'll try the Acer with the usb c port ?)

 

[Hellhammer]

Fusion Drive is not as good as an SSD because it takes time for the algorithms to learn your behaviour (i.e. what files are used frequently). When opening a new file, it will feel slow since the file is loaded from the HDD. You probably should have gone with an SSD-only iMac and then use external storage.

Anker PowerPort+ is a great 3rd party charger for the MacBook.

What Dell displays did you try? Dell has pretty decent monitors, so knowing what you tried would help to isolate the issue.

 

[deeddawg]

it doesn't charge enough the rMacbook, (the battery discharges when i use the rMacbook)

- Same problem with a usb a -> usb c with an aukey usb a charger;( (and for the little info : not very good for the battery i think, because the trackpad doesn't work very well and apple say to me it is because of the charger, and it is right)

I've had a couple chargers not be able to keep up with the rMB but it's been older chargers that for some reason didn't kick over to delivering the full 2.4A on the port I used. Though with that said, if you're doing a bunch of compute heavy stuff, that and the display may consume more than the 12 watts a 2.4A port can deliver.

I use the Anker USB C to USB A cable and have used it with both Anker and other chargers. Haven't had a single issue, although as I mentioned sometimes 12W power delivery (2.4A) may not be enough to keep up with your usage.

As for a trackpad issue being due to a charger? Sounds like bull-excrement. Easy enough to test out, so you should be able to quickly determine the legitimacy of that claim on your own.
[doublepost=1470924649][/doublepost]

Fusion Drive is not as good as an SSD because it takes time for the algorithms to learn your behaviour (i.e. what files are used frequently). When opening a new file, it will feel slow since the file is loaded from the HDD. You probably should have gone with an SSD-only iMac and then use external storage.

Not to mention that the current iMac base 1TB fusion drive appears to be a paltry 24GB SSD paired with the 1TB spindle drive. Yuck.

 

[pookitoo]

@Hellhammer Thank for the anker but doesn't work with hub (even the apple one).

And the dell display was : U2515h and the SE2716H , the white seem pinky and all the display seem dark , the color are not accurate at all, and I've try many setting.

@deeddawg i've try with the belkin usb a-> usb c and the aukey 4 ports usb a . The charge was short but enough for my need, but when I try the trackpad it feel weird. I change with the apple one and everything ok the support tell me that too and I,ve read some post in the net with the same weird problem and a friend of mine who is very good in electronic explain to me that not every charger have the same quality. And the apple one are very good and stable

And for the iMac I'm totally agree with you , a little 24gb ssd... I've read some post they explain how the new fusion drive is optimized but in real world usage we are far far away from an SSD and totally broke the performances

 

[lambertjohn]

Hello everyone,

I want to share with you my experience with the rMacbook 2016 m5:

(just in case, i'm a freelancer web designer / web developer, and i do a little IT support, I use sketchapp , affinity designer and affinity photo, Microsoft Rdp , sublime text , a little bit of Vmware fusion for testing, a little bit of Xcode and a little bit for casual WOW gaming )

Last year, i bought the rMacbook, i was really excited but after a few weeks, i feel uncomfortable with the reactivity, too slow, many app are slow to open. I was disappointed, so I sold it and took a 2015 macbook pro retina. It seemed faster, but it was not the night & day either; ) but comfortable for my use.

When they released the new 2016 rMacbook, i want to give him a second try (i travel a lot, so i want a thinner computer than the 2015 rMacbook pro). I was impressed ! I had the feeling of having the same power as the 2015 rMacbook Pro ! Really happy, i decided to sold the the rMacbbook pro without any regrets at all !!!

After that, i 've a big contract and i decided to buy the 5k iMac, the middle one with the fusion disk for my little office, and ... disappointed again. I don't feel the extra power of the iMac ! even in WOW, i can't go much higher than the little rMacbook 2016. In sketch app, i've a huge file and it opens with the same speed. I don't understand, maybe the fusion drive vs the SSD of the rMacbook, but the little macbook feel snappier !

And i decided again to send back the 5K iMac ...

I 've read the rumors for a release for the new macbook pro in 2016 with maybe a new external 5K screen (i know, for now, only rumors). It'll be the perfect machine for my need i think

So, in my opinion and with my use case, i feel the rMacbook 2016 have the same power than the macbook pro 2015, (i'm not doing anymore MAO and i'm not doing big photo editing, neither final cut ), even the 5K iMac is not for me

But i've little question:

1 - i want an extra charger, i've try :

https://www.amazon.com/AUKEY-Charger-Ports-Samsung-Nexus/dp/B01DZ4KHYQ/ref=pd_sim_107_3?ie=UTF8&dpID=41AnlQ6YwtL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL320_SR320,320_&psc=1&refRID=81KMRCGF2XRH4Z0HRP84

and it doesn't charge enough the rMacbook, (the battery discharges when i use the rMacbook)

- Same problem with a usb a -> usb c with an aukey usb a charger;( (and for the little info : not very good for the battery i think, because the trackpad doesn't work very well and apple say to me it is because of the charger, and it is right)

- i need to purchase the official from apple ?

2 - i want an external display, i've try 2 different dell monitor, and i was really disappointed by the color (a little dark and pink like the Philips monitor). Any advice for a really good and accurate wqhd monitor please ? (i think i'll try the Acer with the usb c port ?)

You must be rich, able to purchase all those different Apple computers. Most of us scrimp and save for one, and live with it for several years. Must be nice to buy with reckless abandon!

 

[pookitoo]

Most of the time I send back within the 14 days delay for money back and other time when I keep more than 14 days I sell them (I buy with my little companies with tax free so 20% less than the normal price, and less taxes because charges ) , and it's my work , I don't need a store, neither a big office , when you are Webdesigner, you need only a computer and that's all I don't have a car etc...

And for the moment all that I've : rMacbook 2016 / small iPad Pro / iPhone 6

But you're right, I'm very happy that I can test all this product

 

[deeddawg]

i've try with the belkin usb a-> usb c and the aukey 4 ports usb a . The charge was short but enough for my need, but when I try the trackpad it feel weird. I change with the apple one and everything ok

Only think I can think of is that you have an issue with your power outlet or the charger is bad in some way. Google reports of tingling feelings when charging a cellphone. Try the chargers somewhere else where you know for sure the outlets are okay to see if it's the charger or the outlet.

I regularly use this Anker cord with this charger, as well as with an older Anker 2-port charger, and also with the USB outlets built into this power strip. I've never had any issue with the trackpad.

 

[pookitoo]

I've send back the Aukey one, i need to test with your charger. The charge is enough when you work on the rMacbook ?

 

[deeddawg]

Depends on what you mean by "work"... If I'm doing cpu intensive stuff a 2.4A (12W) charger may not add much to the charge state but it definitely reduces the discharge rate. If it's just basic email and web surfing, it certainly adds to the charge. Of course since our website choices likely vary, you may see different results. I don't have Flash installed and don't watch videos, so my web surfing cpu load is pretty small.

 

[pookitoo]

ok thank for your reply

 

[viperGTS]

You pretty much described what I wanted to use my future rMB for (the programming and slight VM usage, beyond my casual needs); I'm glad to hear it's performing well for you! Makes me excited to get one

 

[lympero]

Are you using it with Windows 10 + visual studio? What's the performance?

 

[pookitoo]

Yes, bootcamp with visual studio for little project in .net (i'm coding in C#), and the compiling time is good, but i'm doing only little project, i'm not relevant . With VMware fusion you can access to your bootcamp partition in the mac os side , but i can see a little lack of performances like this so when i need to use Visual studio i prefer to boot with the bootcamp side

2 days ago i started to learn Unity, and for the tutorial, performances are surprising ! I think i'll see the limits of this little computer soon with Unity But I'm already amazed !

I think for big photo editing, movie making, MAO or 3D this rMacbook 2016 is not enough. But i do not think there is a big difference in performances between this rMacbook m5 2016 and the rMacbook pro 2015, for having tested both.

The big + for the rMacbook pro : the size of the screen, you can feel the 1,3 " in addition ! 2 usb 3 + HDMI + sd Card (not very useful for me, but 1 usb c is too short, 2 is better ! ) more battery.
In my bag and in my use case the weight, the thickness, the silence ( and the beauty of the rMacbook are a real pleasure !

I speak only for myself and my experiences, but be careful to benchmark !

ps : if your wallet can : go for the m5 (or m7), again if you can : buy with the Apple on Campus with a friend or other

 

[rrm998]

I glad the rMB is working out so well for you. I have the top of the line 2016 Macbook and the SkyLake Retina iMac (with SSD). In my observation, almost every task I do on the iMac is quite at bit faster than the rMB. From opening Photoshop to how long it takes for a web page to complete. Generating Lightroom previews is 2-3 times faster. Rendering video is 3-5 times faster.

I will say that I'm considering the 2016 13" rMBP as the 12" screen is starting to feel small to me. Perfect when I'm on an airplane but small at home.

 

[pookitoo]

I glad the rMB is working out so well for you. I have the top of the line 2016 Macbook and the SkyLake Retina iMac (with SSD). In my observation, almost every task I do on the iMac is quite at bit faster than the rMB. From opening Photoshop to how long it takes for a web page to complete. Generating Lightroom previews is 2-3 times faster. Rendering video is 3-5 times faster.

I will say that I'm considering the 2016 13" rMBP as the 12" screen is starting to feel small to me. Perfect when I'm on an airplane but small at home.

You haven't done the same mistake as me by taking the fusion And i think everything that is link to video or photo editing are not performing very well on the little rMacbook. But i don't understand , when you are at home you can use your iMac ?

And for me, 2 computers is boring. I've big expectation for the new Macbook pro 2016 with a 5K external display

 

[rrm998]

. But i don't understand , when you are at home you can use your iMac ?

I do use my iMac for certain tasks, but I do most of my web surfacing from my sofa. I haven't found a way to get the iMac on my sofa yet

I also view YouTube on my TV via Apple TV so my primary "computer area" was moved from the office to my living room.

 

[pookitoo]

I understand that very well ! For me the 9,7 iPad pro is perfect for "web surfing sofa" and i can understand the little size of the rMacbook, like i said we can feel the screen size differences between the rMacbook and the rMacbook pro, but we can feel too the weight differences between the 2

 

[deeddawg]

i don't understand , when you are at home you can use your iMac ?

My mac mini and 27" display just don't fit well in my lap when I'm sitting in my recliner in the den.