MacBook Pro 2017 - A good time to buy?

[UnluckyXIII]

Hey guys,

Looking for some advice really, I'm in the market for a new laptop (coming from a 17" 2006 MBP), last year I had planned on getting the new 2016 MBP but due to events at home the funds had to be used elsewhere I had to cancel my preorder... anyway fast forward to now and my current circumstances mean I've now got the opportunity to pick up a 2017 MBP. What I was wanting to know is how will the 2017 15" MBP (base model with 512GB) Handel the following tasks:-

Photo editing, I recently got back into photography after an almost 10 year break. I'll mainly be working with 24mp RAW files and using software by Adobe. How does the MBP feel for working with these type of files (in comparison to say my 2006 17" MBP?).

Additionally, I now seem to have an interest in working with video files also. Nothing 4K just the standard 1080 type stuff. Is the 2017 15" MBP a capable contender in this area?

I've also recently started to take a free coding class at my local college, will the MBP be suitable for this type of course and is it cabable to take things further should I find myself wanting to do so?

Finally, I'm a HUGE RTS gamer but I see the 2017 15" MBP comes (again) with a terrible GOU, how will this handle some basic gaming or should I just forget about it straight out of the box?

Also, are there any "must buy accessories" for someone looking to get a 2017 15 MBP as I'll need to factor them into the total cost.

Hope you guys are able to help answer my question

Kind regards,
XIII

 

[ZapNZs]

Literally the next 6 hours is a fantastic time to buy, and I would argue as good a time as it gets to purchase. You are going to love the new system.

Words cannot adequately describe how much faster things will be on the 2017 MBP15 than they are on your 2006. The 2017 MBP 15 is a photo and video editing machine. It will handle everything you have to throw at it and then some, and it will get surprisingly good battery life while doing it. It is perfect for coding because it can run virtually any operating system you wish thanks to programs like VMWare Fusion, Parallels, or Virtual Box. The MBP15 is especially capable with VMs as it can run quite a few operating systems at once (for example, it will have no issues running a Windows 7, Windows 10, and Ubuntu VM all at the same time, each shown on a different monitor - allowing you to perform multi-platform testing with just a single machine.)

Many owners use the 2016/7 generations for lighter gaming - indeed, it lacks the graphics power of many Windows machines, but with High Sierra there will be significant graphics processing advancements, as well as external GPU support using Thunderbolt 3. Especially with the 560 GPU update (which is a lot more capability for just a hundred bucks), the system may very well meet your needs. If it does not, an eGPU is something you could do a year or so down the line.

As for things to factor in, other than AppleCare+ and the GPU upgrade to the 560, and a few USB adapters, I do not think you need anything else immediately. I would factor in the money for either a hub or a dock at some point during ownership (but not necessarily immediately). If you use a lot of devices, plan to use multiple displays, or want a one cable solution, then you may be best served by one of the (more expensive) Thunderbolt 3 docks. The MBP also goes great with multiple displays, and this hugely improves productivity IMO - the ability to drive four 4k displays is IMO one of the 15's finest properties because multiple displays saves me a lot of time every day, and macOS' ability to manage these displays make the experience seamless, further improving my productivity. You may also want to purchase license keys for one or more Windows OS' depending what you are doing coding-wise. Finally, you might also find yourself wanting a braided charge cable for durability - there are several good brands here that have braided USB 3.1 gen 2 100W charge cables that are IF-Certified, and they start at like twenty bucks.

 

[melchior]

yeah, i doubt there will be an update for at least six months.

as for accessories, i carry a handful of usb-c adapters plus hdmi adapter. apple's stuff is more reliable than cheap stuffed i've tried on ebay/amazon.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Great time to buy and it will make your old machine look like an abacus. that simple really.