Mac Pro (late 2013) vs MacBook Pro (2017)

[DilemmaDude]

Hi all!

I'm having a real first-world problem over here for which I could use some advice and/or insight. I currently have a Mac Pro (late 2013) with 64Gb of RAM. Bought it secondhand from a guy who was into photography etc. for € 2500 (about a year ago after the "underwheling" announcement of the MBP 2016) and use it for software development.

Since then my housing arrangements have changed and I don't really have a desk for my setup. It's currently installed on the dining table in the living room and it's not very ideal. Because of this I'm considering selling my MP and using that money to buy a MBP 2017.

I feel like that if I were to sell my MP, now would be the time since it still has some resell value. On the other hand, I'm afraid that the current generation of MBP's is not really a worthy upgrade and the reports about the keyboard scare me as well, especially since these things are quite pricey.

Anyone here with some advice or even experience with both devices and is willing to share some insights?

Thanks in advance guys!

 

[drGB]

Hi all!

I'm having a real first-world problem over here for which I could use some advice and/or insight. I currently have a Mac Pro (late 2013) with 64Gb of RAM. Bought it secondhand from a guy who was into photography etc. for € 2500 (about a year ago after the "underwheling" announcement of the MBP 2016) and use it for software development.

Since then my housing arrangements have changed and I don't really have a desk for my setup. It's currently installed on the dining table in the living room and it's not very ideal. Because of this I'm considering selling my MP and using that money to buy a MBP 2017.

I feel like that if I were to sell my MP, now would be the time since it still has some resell value. On the other hand, I'm afraid that the current generation of MBP's is not really a worthy upgrade and the reports about the keyboard scare me as well, especially since these things are quite pricey.

Anyone here with some advice or even experience with both devices and is willing to share some insights?

Thanks in advance guys!

Stick with MP. Its quite a beast.

 

[DilemmaDude]

True, but isn't the new MBP a beast as well? If I check the geekbench scores of both machines, the MBP ends up performing a little bit better. I know benchmarks are only an indication and you shouldn't stare yourself blind at them, but still

 

[Leorodion]

Hi all!

I'm having a real first-world problem over here for which I could use some advice and/or insight. I currently have a Mac Pro (late 2013) with 64Gb of RAM. Bought it secondhand from a guy who was into photography etc. for € 2500 (about a year ago after the "underwheling" announcement of the MBP 2016) and use it for software development.

Since then my housing arrangements have changed and I don't really have a desk for my setup. It's currently installed on the dining table in the living room and it's not very ideal. Because of this I'm considering selling my MP and using that money to buy a MBP 2017.

I feel like that if I were to sell my MP, now would be the time since it still has some resell value. On the other hand, I'm afraid that the current generation of MBP's is not really a worthy upgrade and the reports about the keyboard scare me as well, especially since these things are quite pricey.

Anyone here with some advice or even experience with both devices and is willing to share some insights?

Thanks in advance guys!

[doublepost=1514357232][/doublepost]I’m lookin for Mac Pro and I both MacBook Pro 2017 , for video editin I think I still like to have Mac Pro instead

 

[leman]

True, but isn't the new MBP a beast as well? If I check the geekbench scores of both machines, the MBP ends up performing a little bit better. I know benchmarks are only an indication and you shouldn't stare yourself blind at them, but still

The MP is going to be faster in every department except maybe the SSD speeds. Its a completely different hardware tier with different thermal constraints (the MBP has around 80W of power to the performance components at its disposal, while the MP has over 300W). I am a bit surprised that you would expect the MBP to faster. Maybe it can match the MP in single-threaded performance, new generation of CPUs and all that, but it won't help you that much with real world stuff.

If you want an upgrade, look at the iMac Pro, now thats a beast

Then again, the MBP is a perfectly fine laptop and it offers perhaps the best CPU performance of all comparable laptops in the market. So if your workflows are not super-GPU-heavy, its a great tool. Not sure why you consider the 2016 release underwhelming, its just as any MBP before it...

 

[Naimfan]

Keep the Mac Pro.

It is at least sort of upgradable, and likely to be more reliable than a laptop.

 

[maflynn]

Keep the Mac Pro.

Given that he doesn't have the room for it, I think performance and upgradability is lost on the OP.

I vote for the MBP, because your housing situation changed and you don't have a place for the Mac Pro.

 

[wheelhot]

I have both, and from the looks of it, it's probably a good thing for you to sell the MP now before the new one comes out next year.

Though there's no doubt that the MP will be a faster machine then the MBP, and regarding the keyboard, there's a 1 year hardware warranty (if I recall correctly) and if you end up with such a model, do like what I do and spam the key A LOT over a few days, cause the key issue is related to the stainless steel dome not deforming at the rate that Apple designed it for, hence why it double triggered, flex it enough and eventually it'll be okay, though as I said, if it doesn't you have 1 year to get fixed under warranty

 

[mj_]

Yes, the keyboard is a bit iffy and somewhat of an issue. That said there are no absolute numbers so nobody really knows if its 95% of all keyboards that fail or only 5%. In addition, the 2017 butterfly switches have been redesigned and are supposed to be a bit more reliable than the 2016 switches. But again: due to lack of official stats nobody really knows.

Given your living situation I absolutely agree with maflynn: get rid of the Mac Pro and get yourself a MacBook Pro. If you're unsure about the current models you could get a used 2015 model instead, put the rest of the money aside, and wait it out. Maybe Apple will revamp the MBP line-up in 2018 again and introduce an improved version of the butterfly keyboard, maybe not. Nobody knows. If you don't want to buy used you can get the 2015 model brand-new as well since Apple is still selling those ($2,000 for the 16GB/256GB model). I would suggest going for a refurbished in this particular case though and save yourself $300 - you can get the exact same notebook from Apple's Refurbished store for $1,700.