MacBook Pro Upgrade

[JumpToTheMoon]

I have a 15", mid 2012 Retina MacBook Pro with 2.3 GHz Intel Core i7 processor, 8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3 memory, Intel HD Graphics 4000 1536 MB. I recently bought a 4k monitor on sale and am eager to upgrade to a compatible Macbook Pro to go along with the monitor. There is a sale for Macbooks right now on AAFES and I am thinking about taking advantage. Admittedly, I do not understand the subtle differences in specs between all of the new models and my old model. Hence, this post.

I am considering these models:
13 inch
2.3GHz Processor
256GB Storage
2.3GHz dual-core 7th-generation Intel Core i5 processor
Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz
8GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 memory
256GB SSD storage1
Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640
Two Thunderbolt 3 ports

13 inch
Touch Bar and Touch ID
3.1GHz Processor
256GB Storage
3.1GHz dual-core 7th-generation Intel Core i5 processor
Turbo Boost up to 3.5GHz
8GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 memory
256GB SSD storage1
Intel Iris Plus Graphics 650
Four Thunderbolt 3 ports
Touch Bar and Touch ID

15 inch
2.2GHz Processor
256GB Storage
2.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 processor
Turbo Boost up to 3.4GHz
16GB 1600MHz memory
256GB SSD storage1
Intel Iris Pro Graphics
Two Thunderbolt 2 ports

15 inch
Touch Bar and Touch ID
2.8GHz Processor
256GB Storage
2.8GHz quad-core 7th-generation Intel Core i7 processor
Turbo Boost up to 3.8GHz
16GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 memory
256GB SSD storage1
Radeon Pro 555 with 2GB memory
Four Thunderbolt 3 ports
Touch Bar and Touch ID

Basically my questions are:
(1) If I go with a 13 inch, would I be downgrading in specs at all from what I have now in any way other than screen size?
(2) If I go with the basic 15 inch, am I downgrading in specs at all from what I currently have (going from 2.3 GHz Intel Core i7 to 2.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i7... not sure I understand the difference or if the quad-core negates the loss of 0.1 GHz)
(3) Between the sexiest 13 inch on my list (not considering the 512 GB version) and the most basic 15 inch, what has the edge in specs? I guess I don't care all that much about the Touch Bar, although I'd be happy to hear suggestions.

 

[watchthesky]

the biggest difference i'm aware of between your current machine (which is also my current machine) and going to a 13" is that 13" machines do not come with dedicated graphics cards on top of the integrated graphics, only 15" macbook pros do. however considering even the dedicated graphics in a 2012 are five years old, you may not notice a whole lot of difference with integrated 13" graphics depending what you do with it. from what i've checked the current intel graphics used are slightly more powerful than the nvidia used in mid 2012s. so if you've never maxed out the graphics capabilities in your current machine you'll probably be fine. processor (for the most part, i'm not up on how much cores matter tbh), memory, ssd, etc are all upgrades regardless of what model you choose.

 

[khabboub]

honestly any machine will be an upgrade to your current one. you are comparing a 3rd generation intel processor to one of the 7th generation ones, with are a significant improvement. even the base 13 inch device has better graphics capabilities than the one that you own.

just get the one you can afford, and the one that you feel will last you the longest for your needs, they will all be an upgrade. the 15 inch MacBook all have the dedicated graphics, which will be a huge step up from the one you currently own, but the integrated graphics in the 13 inch computers are still an upgrade as well.

 

[JumpToTheMoon]

Thanks for the advice. I can get the last option on this list (option 4) for $1982 with no tax or shipping right now from AAFES. I can also get the others for around ~17% off list price with no tax or shipping Is this a good deal? How fast do prices for the latest version of Macbooks go down? Would it be worth waiting until Black Friday?

 

[Timmy D]

Thanks for the advice. I can get the last option on this list (option 4) for $1982 with no tax or shipping right now from AAFES. I can also get the others for around ~17% off list price with no tax or shipping Is this a good deal? How fast do prices for the latest version of Macbooks go down? Would it be worth waiting until Black Friday?

Prices don't drop fast nor are there really any Black Friday specials that can beat the Army Air Force Exchange Center. There are cases here or there but get it while you can

Edit: I should say that they do drop but not 17%

 

[XrAdEr]

This may not answer your question fully but my new 2017 13" MBP with touch bar (maxed out specs) edits and renders video faster than my 2012 i7 (maxed out specs with 16gb ram & Nvidia 650). (both on SSDs)

My 2012 MacBook Pro also cannot edit 4k videos without lagging when my 2017 MacBook Pro CAN edit 4k videos flawlessly without a dedicated graphics card. So the age difference of the technology are substanctial.