Looking to sell MBP & return to iMac

[beerglass007]

I'm looking to sell my late 2016 MBP 15" fully max out laptop and return to iMac

Im not sure to buy a 21.5" or 27"

Currently looking at the

3.4GHz quad-core 7th-generation Intel Core i5 processor with 1TB SSD and

• Radeon Pro 560 with 4GB video memory

with 16GB which comes out at £2,259.00

Or

27 "

• 3.5GHz quad-core 7th-generation Intel Core i5 processor, Turbo Boost up to 4.1GH with 1TB SSD

with

• Radeon Pro 575 with 4GB video memory

with 8GB which comes out at £2,579.00


So the 27" is £300 more and only has 8GB ram but I can upgrade at a later date to 32GB for £300


I had a 21.5" before, never had a 27"

I'm going back to a iMac because I need a desktop and work will give me a lowed 13" MBP I just need a desktop, but really like the SSD speeds and couldn't go back to a FD

I also might run some Virtual machines in VMWARE, not really into games, I have a PS4 PRO for that

Also not too worried about I5 or I7 as this doesn't matter to me

I just can't make up my mind between these two spec machines

 

[joema2]

I'm looking to sell my late 2016 MBP 15" fully max out laptop and return to iMac...Im not sure to buy a 21.5" or 27"....

I'd definitely get the 27". I have a top-spec 2016 MBP 15" and several 27" iMacs. The MBP is good for portable work but for anything else you can't beat the 27" iMac and that big retina screen. Also if you do much compute-intensive work the iMac is quieter than the MBP. The 2017 iMac also has regular USB-A ports which supports the millions of portable drives and USB sticks already in circulation.

 

[CaptRB]

I have BOTH the new i5 and i7 machines.

They're both solid, but the i5 was bought for my 13 year old and is not a long term machine. The i7 with the 580 card and SSD is something I'll keep for a few years, though I expect to swap out the 512 SSD down the road

Don't let anyone fool you. The i7 is substantially quicker on a variety of tasks. Get the 27" i7 and SSD if it's in the budget. It's silly not to max out the processor, which is 10-20% faster.

The only reason to buy the 21.5 is if you have a space issue, but it's a poor value overall.


R.

 

[Fishrrman]

Get the 27" -- you will never NEVER regret having bought the larger display.

Get the "midrange" iMac -- nice compromise between cost and power (has the better 7600 CPU and better graphics).

Get either a 256gb or 512gb SSD -- the 1tb version is WAY overpriced.

Do these three things, and you'll have an "iMac with legs" (for longevity) that doesn't break your bank account.

 

[beerglass007]

I popped into the local Apple Store and used the 21" with standard HDD. It was very slow and too small with the black bezels look awful now

I then used the 27" midrange with 1TB fusion drive and that felt much quicker loading apps and stuff. But I hear that the 2TB fusion has more SSD, does this make a big different compared to the 1TB

I don't really need 2TB space but would like 1TB.

So do I get the midrange 27" or highend 27" with the 2TB fusion and 8GB VRAM

I know I'll get with i5 and 8GB because I can upgrade the memory, I don't care about i7

 

[CaptRB]

The i7 is an inexpensive upgrade that gives a significant increase in speed on many apps. If you just do browsing and no photo or video stuff, then the i5 is okay, but otherwise the i7 is very cheap to get more longevity out of the machine.

Get the 2TB FD drive as a minimum because it offers you a 128GB SSD portion. I had this with the i7 and it was very fast.

I ended up with the i7 580 card and 512 SSD (already have external SSD as well), then added 16GB ram for 24GB total. I also own the i5 machine (bought for my son).

As pointed out by others, the i7 speeds things up anywhere from 10-20%, so not much more to pay for such a sizable upgrade. Obviously the pure SSD is faster than the FD, but the 2TB FD is not slow by any means.

If you have any heavy usage in the future or want as much future-proofing as possible, the i7/SSD is your best path. The poor man pays twice, so if you can swing it, go for the higher spec machine.


R.

 

[beerglass007]

Is there much difference between the Radeon Pro 575 and Radeon Pro 580 in performance

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

Again, I recommend you "pass the fusion by" and get either a 256gb or 512gb SSD.
This single change will make the greatest difference in performance "right out of the box".
AND... it will KEEP the performance going as time goes by.

If 256gb or 512gb isn't enough room to hold all your stuff, buy a 2.5" USB3 external drive (some folks velcro it to the back of the iMac's stand). Or an external SSD for the extra speed.

 

[beerglass007]

OP:

Again, I recommend you "pass the fusion by" and get either a 256gb or 512gb SSD.
This single change will make the greatest difference in performance "right out of the box".
AND... it will KEEP the performance going as time goes by.

If 256gb or 512gb isn't enough room to hold all your stuff, buy a 2.5" USB3 external drive (some folks velcro it to the back of the iMac's stand). Or an external SSD for the extra speed.

Thanks I think I might drop the 8GB GPU and go mid range with 512GB SSD

Thats pretty much the same price as top range with 8GB GPU and 2TB fusion