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MacBook Pro CPU comparison

xoration

xoration

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 16, 2016
16
1
I am currently thinking about getting a new MBP either 13" or 15" but I don't know which CPU to pick. Is there some comparison out there of the different cpu types for example which have the best price/performance rating.

Is it worth to go from the i5 3,1 to the i7 3,3ghz on the 13"? How about the 15" is the upgrade from 2,6 Ghz to 2,7Ghz to 2,9ghz worth it?

thx
 
xoration said:
Is it worth to go from the i5 3,1 to the i7 3,3ghz on the 13"?
Click to expand...

Not really. You're looking at about a 5% difference in speed.

How about the 15" is the upgrade from 2,6 Ghz to 2,7Ghz to 2,9ghz worth it?
Click to expand...

The 2.7GHz and 2.9GHz models have 8MB of L3 cache, while the 2.6GHz model only has 6MB L3 cache.
 
protoxx said:
Site you can see some good reference information
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Core-i5-6360U-Notebook-Processor.149856.0.html
Click to expand...

Do you happen to know the model numbers which are in the macbooks?
[doublepost=1479399354][/doublepost]
T5BRICK said:
Not really. You're looking at about a 5% difference in speed.



The 2.7GHz and 2.9GHz models have 8MB of L3 cache, while the 2.6GHz model only has 6MB L3 cache.
Click to expand...

Ah ok so the upgrade in 13" model is definately not worth it i guess at least for me.
I'd assume the different between 2,7ghz and 2,6ghz would also be pretty small regardless of the l3 cache.
 
xoration said:
Do you happen to know the model numbers which are in the macbooks?
Click to expand...

Another resource:

http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/index-macbookpro.html

Scroll to the bottom. Each Mac is listed with the CPU model on the far right column.

Ah ok so the upgrade in 13" model is definately not worth it i guess at least for me.
I'd assume the different between 2,7ghz and 2,6ghz would also be pretty small regardless of the l3 cache.
Click to expand...

Basically.

What are you upgrading from? If it's 2011 or newer, there really isn't any huge performance gains. If it's older than that, any of these new Macs will be a decent upgrade.
 
My method for making a CPU decision for Macbooks:

Work out if you want/need 2 cores or 4. Typically this means you either go 13" or get forced into a 15" if you need 4 cores.

Once you've done that, pick the base spec CPU that comes with the machine that has the storage and RAM options you require. That CPU will be fine.

It is typically 110% NOT WORTH upgrading the spec of CPU on a Macbook, outside of getting the spec Apple ship in the machine you pick based on the above choice.

The 13" machine's i7s are an i5 with a little more cache, and basically almost the exact same speed for 99% of workloads.

The one exception is in the 15" Macbook Pros. If you want a 15" machine, and KNOW you are doing a lot of heavily CPU bound work (not games, like heavy video work) go for an i7 to get 8 threads instead of 4.

Clock speeds are pretty irrelevant. They all boost up pretty fast - within 10% of one another.

The big, big choice is 13" vs 15" machine, and if you go 15", i5 vs. i7.

Typically, any money you think you might want to spend on a CPU upgrade it much better spent on more storage or more RAM. If you've got an unlimited budget by all means, go nuts. Just be aware that those very expensive custom BTO machines with the highest spec CPU are only perhaps 5% faster than the CPU that was replaced (and it is money you're far better off putting in the bank to buy a new model a year sooner). Except for going from i5 to i7 in the 15". That is a significant upgrade, IF you need it.


2c.
 
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T5BRICK said:
Another resource:
What are you upgrading from? If it's 2011 or newer, there really isn't any huge performance gains. If it's older than that, any of these new Macs will be a decent upgrade.
Click to expand...

Well i am upgrading from a Late 2013 Macbook pro 13" which is not functioning anymore let's not get into the why. ;) So actually i am forced to upgrade otherwise I wouldn't have cause I loved that macbook pro.

I am mostly doing iOS Development some photoshop and well everyday use. If I do video editing it is done on the workstation anyway cause it has a way faster cpu etc.
If I use it 70% of the time it is connected to a bigger monitor anyway and the macbook is only my second screen for documentation or webbrowser etc. Therefore bascially I wouldn't need a bigger screen than 13".

So why am I thinking about the 15" at all? Mostly for the dedicated GPU. My thinking was I determine the best cpu with the best value/money for the 15" and 13" and then I see what the price difference would be for the GPU and if I am willing to pay it. The other components would be the same anyway 16gb of ram and 512gb of ssd.

Now tell me if i am being stupid. ;)
 
Check Muti-Core benchmark on https://browser.primatelabs.com/mac-benchmarks

MacBook Pro (13-inch Late 2016)

i5 @ 2.0 GHz : 7000
i5 @ 2.9 GHz : 7400 (+6%)
i7 @ 2.4 GHz : 7500 (+7%)
i5 @ 3.1 GHz : 7600 (+9%)
i7 @ 3.3 GHz : 7900 (+13%)

MacBook Pro (15-inch Late 2016)

i7 @ 2.6 GHz : 12100
i7 @ 2.7 GHz : 12800 (+6%)
i7 @ 2.9 GHz : 13300 (+10%)
[doublepost=1479402811][/doublepost]MacBook Pro 13", 2 cores i5 @ 2.0 GHz, 16GB, 512GB

Muti-Core CPU benchmark: 7000
GPU benchmark: 26000
$1900

MacBook Pro 15", 4 cores i7 @ 2.6 GHz, 16GB, 512GB

Muti-Core CPU benchmark: 12100
iGPU benchmark: 17300
dGPU benchmark: 41400
$2600
 
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xoration said:
So why am I thinking about the 15" at all? Mostly for the dedicated GPU. My thinking was I determine the best cpu with the best value/money for the 15" and 13" and then I see what the price difference would be for the GPU and if I am willing to pay it. The other components would be the same anyway 16gb of ram and 512gb of ssd.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you know what you're looking for. I'd go with the base model 13" or 15" and upgrade the RAM and SSD to whatever suits your needs.
 
T5BRICK said:
What are you upgrading from? If it's 2011 or newer, there really isn't any huge performance gains. If it's older than that, any of these new Macs will be a decent upgrade.
Click to expand...

This is the battle I'm facing. I have a 2011 15" Pro quad core i7 and a 2014 MacBook Air. I can't afford the 2016 15" to really see the performance improvements. My 2011 benchmarks close to the 2016 13". I have an SSD in my 2011. I know there's a lot of things that affect computer speeds and Geekbench is only one data point. The Air is a little snappier than the Pro waking up. They are both on El Cap, so it's not really an OS thing.

The bang-for-my buck upgrade is to go to 16g of ram and a 2TB SSD on the 2011.

The only real improvement I'd see is the screen. non-Retina on my MacBooks doesn't hurt my eyes like it did on the iPad 3 to 2.

I'm happy this isn't a problem I need to solve. I think If I had to, I'd just get the straight MacBook or a retina 2012 and upgrade the components.
 
Yoshimura said:
Check Muti-Core benchmark on https://browser.primatelabs.com/mac-benchmarks

MacBook Pro (13-inch Late 2016)

i5 @ 2.0 GHz : 7000
i5 @ 2.9 GHz : 7400 (+6%)
i7 @ 2.4 GHz : 7500 (+7%)
i5 @ 3.1 GHz : 7600 (+9%)
i7 @ 3.3 GHz : 7900 (+13%)

MacBook Pro (15-inch Late 2016)

i7 @ 2.6 GHz : 12100
i7 @ 2.7 GHz : 12800 (+6%)
i7 @ 2.9 GHz : 13300 (+10%)
[doublepost=1479402811][/doublepost]MacBook Pro 13", 2 cores i5 @ 2.0 GHz, 16GB, 512GB

Muti-Core CPU benchmark: 7000
GPU benchmark: 26000
$1900

MacBook Pro 15", 4 cores i7 @ 2.6 GHz, 16GB, 512GB

Muti-Core CPU benchmark: 12100
iGPU benchmark: 17300
dGPU benchmark: 41400
$2600
Click to expand...

How is it possible? 13" mbp with 28w 3,1ghz i5 has lower single-core result that 15w 2,4ghz i7
 
But is there any battery difference between any of these CPU's? I'd assume the lower the clock speed, the greater the efficiency?
 
xoration said:
So why am I thinking about the 15" at all? Mostly for the dedicated GPU. My thinking was I determine the best cpu with the best value/money for the 15" and 13" and then I see what the price difference would be for the GPU and if I am willing to pay it. The other components would be the same anyway 16gb of ram and 512gb of ssd.

Now tell me if i am being stupid. ;)
Click to expand...


reported battery life (not in all reports but some) is that the 15 gets better battery life. Just mentioning this as something to incorporate into your research as it's not all about cpu/gpu.
 
Any consolidated GPU comparisons on the 15" models available.​
 
skids929 said:
reported battery life (not in all reports but some) is that the 15 gets better battery life. Just mentioning this as something to incorporate into your research as it's not all about cpu/gpu.
Click to expand...

Thanks. But tbh for me it is. I really don't care that much about battery life and i don't get the fuss. I've seen various comparisons where the 15" held up for what do i know 14hrs and the 13" 12 hours (Don't pin me on the actual numbers). But all that is in the ballpark of "i don't care". :)

That is long enough at least for me. Of course it is dependent on what you are doing but whatever. On my last macbook pro I had a battery cycle count of 70 or something in 3 Years. :)
 
joscejrod said:
How is it possible? 13" mbp with 28w 3,1ghz i5 has lower single-core result that 15w 2,4ghz i7
Click to expand...

I actually doubt that tbh. All the cpus are efficient have deep sleep states and what not. There is for sure a difference but my bet is you wouldn't notice it and the actualy quality of your battery is more important than the cpu.
 
xoration said:
Thanks. But tbh for me it is. I really don't care that much about battery life and i don't get the fuss. I've seen various comparisons where the 15" held up for what do i know 14hrs and the 13" 12 hours (Don't pin me on the actual numbers). But all that is in the ballpark of "i don't care". :)

That is long enough at least for me. Of course it is dependent on what you are doing but whatever. On my last macbook pro I had a battery cycle count of 70 or something in 3 Years. :)
Click to expand...


Ok just wanted to mention it..I'd love to see where the 2016 MBP are getting that kind of time.
 
I'm kind of torn between upgrading the base 15" to460 or the 2.7 to the 460. Either way, I'll be upgrading (the base) or sticking with 512GB (the stock 2.7 model). So the price is either $2,799 or $2,899. Just seems like $200 for a huge jump in GPU performance is more worth it than a minor bump in CPU performance for $100.

Any thoughts?
 
skids929 said:
Ok just wanted to mention it..I'd love to see where the 2016 MBP are getting that kind of time.
Click to expand...

Like I said don't pin me on the numbers. I can't find the review anymore where they compared the machines. But the difference was whatever. It might even been smallern like 10 hours and 11 hours only 1 hour of difference or whatever. I personally think everyhting > 8 Hours is great. But you know people like to complain and if you need the big battery life go for the one with the best I simply don't care too much. Both have enought battery life to get me through quite some time if needed.
 
Thx for the radeon pro comparisons. Man this is a hard one. I didn't expect the decision to be that hard. Still undecisive wether to take the 13" or 15". I guess I could flip a coin.

Pros for the 13" smaller and lighter
Pros for the 15" dedicated gpu, quadcore, more battery

Did I forget something?
 
xoration said:
Thx for the radeon pro comparisons. Man this is a hard one. I didn't expect the decision to be that hard. Still undecisive wether to take the 13" or 15". I guess I could flip a coin.

Pros for the 13" smaller and lighter
Pros for the 15" dedicated gpu, quadcore, more battery

Did I forget something?
Click to expand...
I'm in the exact situation as you. iOS development and most of the time connected to external monitors.

Initially, I ordered the 15" but after seeing how much bigger it is, I ordered a 13". Now, I have to decide which order I will cancel.

My only fear with the 13" is that it won't be powerful enough. I currently use a Mac mini quad cores i7 so the 13" will be a downgrade for me (7,000 versus 10,000 in benchmark). Regarding the dGPU, I really don't care. My current mini iGPU only score 6,000 so any of the MBP GPU will be a huge upgrade.

What are you using now?
 
Last edited:
Yoshimura said:
I'm in the exact situation as you. iOS development and most of the time connected to external monitors.

Initially, I ordered the 15" but after seeing how much bigger it is, I ordered a 13". Now, I have to decide which order I will cancel.

My only fear with the 13" is that it won't be powerful enough. I currently use a Mac mini quad cores i7 so the 13" will be a downgrade for me (7,000 versus 10,000 in benchmark).

What are you using now?
Click to expand...

Till now I used a 13" Late 2013 but to unfortuncate circumstances I am forced to upgrade. Otherwise I would wait until we get 32gb of ram. :)

Sizewise I loved the 13"
 
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