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MacBook VS MacBook Pro - Help me decide!

vmflapem said:
I am thinking of buying either a 12" MacBook Retina or the New 13" touch-bar MacBook Pro but I can't decide which one to get!

Price-wise, the ones I'm interested in had only $350 difference, which I do not mind at all.

I have to take the laptop to school everyday and type a lot in class and after school. Also, I'd like to have ~10 chrome tabs open while looking at PDF files. Occasionally, I also watch videos on the internet (e.g. YouTube). I don't play games on my laptop because I already have an imac.

Could someone help me decide which laptop to get?
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I have both. The 12" MacBook is noticeably lighter, so if you will be carrying a bag of textbooks or other items, keep that in mind. The keyboard is slightly better on the MacBook Pro, but both are definitely different from older models and so will require a little getting used to. I don't use Chrome but have had several tabs open in Safari in both notebooks. It's early on, but for now the Touch Bar is more of a nice-to-have rather than a necessity (it's helpful for switching between tabs in Safari, and I think the predictive text feature will become more useful over time. Touch ID is a bigger convenience for me so far. That may change as other developers start taking advantage of the Touch Bar.

To me, the idea MacBook would be a 12" model with a Touch Bar. I very much prefer the smaller size, but think the Touch Bar will become more useful over time. Since that model doesn't exist, hopefully you find this helpful.
 
I called up the local Apple Premium Reseller here to ask about stock and demo, and he said both are available now. So I went, and checked the rMB m3 and nTB MBP 13 side by side. Here are my observations:


The Notebooks Themselves

Both notebooks feel solid, look great. I could pick any. But the devil is in the details.


The Keyboard

Here is a major differentiator. I am totally open to keyboards, mind. I will not go expecting something, I just wanted to have a feel and see if I like the feel.

rMB was the one I tried first because this was supposed to have a worse keyboard, so I will feel anything getting better on the gen 2 keyboard. I found I could work with it, albeit little cramped for my current muscle memory.

nTB MBP 13 is DEFINITELY better feeling than the rMB. DEFINITELY. I am not going to say travel is more or something. it just feels better than the rMB. It is a happy in-between the rMB and our old keyboards. My muscle memory was happier on this one.


The Speakers

Played the nTB MBP 13 first because this was supposed to have better sound, so I will know if sound deteriorates on the other. The speakers are really good, and ample. That is all I will say. They are notebook speakers after all, and they are much better than my 2011.

Playing the rMB speakers, the first thing apparent was lack of detail and clarity. Loudness is fine, I don't need them at full boost ever. Speakers are very good, heard in isolation.

But, competing with 2016 nTB MBP 13, they fall some. The HDR speakers on the MacBook Pro are definitely better.


The Display

I looked at the P3 display of the nTB MBP 13 first, and felt very much at home. Very good display, very good.

Went to rMB, the display is slightly less, in rendition, definitely. Felt ever so slightly washed out in comparison with the P3. Screen size is fine on the rMB, but the nTB MBP 13 screen size felt very good and much more easier on the eyes.


Portability and Weight

I took my camera bag, Retrospective 7 along with me to check if the MBP fit in the back pocket with zipper. MBP does not fit. rMB fits, obviously.

Next up, the weight difference is rather minuscule for me, considering the serious advantages of the Pro over the rMB. Both notebooks felt within spitting distance of each other in the hand, even though the numbers say 1 full pound (450 grams).


Thermals

Lastly, heat. I downloaded the Intel Power Gadget on the rMB and loaded a youtube video actively running on it along with all the hogging tabs of TripAdvisor, Yahoo, Apple, and the other defaults amounting to 6-7. In the back I opened Word and Keynote and Notes. The temps never went beyond 55 degrees Celsius, and the CPU never went beyond 2.17 GHz, that too for only a second of burst. This really feels a better thermal management than my 2011!

On the nTB MBP 13, I did not check the thermals as this machine has fans and I know this will definitely be okay.


Conclusions

I believe I am more inclined towards the new MacBook Pro 13" without Touch Bar. The extra port is good to have, along with the Intel 540 graphics that should future-proof me adequately for next 5 years. I love the form factor of the rMB and it will be a perfect fit in the Retrospective 7 camera bag I have, but I can carry the new nTB MacBook Pro in the bag also, just not the zipper compartment. So, I think I will be picking up a Space Grey nTB MBP 13 tomorrow.

I think the new keyboard along with the Intel 540 sealed it for me more than the speakers and display and CPU or the extra port. These other four are excellent bonuses to have. I would have loved 512GB on it, but I am right now on 256GB anyway, and my disk only has iTunes library and documents and some downloads. I have my Photos library on another disk anyway, albeit built-in. I might just move to other software as I am now going to start using my DSLR and have files from there in RAW format.
 
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macintoshmac said:
1. By any chance, is your SSD near full?
2. Check the memory pressure graph in Activity Monitor. Post a shot here, too. :)
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Just saw the response for my post.
I have returned my rMB already. The SSD was at 78% full, and I have checked the activity monitor, the CPU and RAM were not even 50% utilized.
Not sure why it is the case, but I can't really justify buying this laptop compare to my existing 2013 late Oct rMBP 13"
The portability alone is not going to cut it for me.
 
Reporting here as well. Finally brought home a touch bar 13" mid level with 4 ports, in space grey. :)
 
protoxx said:
How long does the OP expect to use it.

Buy something that barely meets current usage is a recipe for buying another expensive computer all to soon. You should always buy something that more than meets current usage. After a few years of updates and software upgrades with associated software bloat the performance likely will disappoint.
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I agree. If OP is heading to college next and this will his main computer, he should spend the extra $$$ and get the new MBP

The TB3 ports and Touchbar will future proof his investment for the next 5-6 years.
 
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I saw the rose gold MacBook the other day and oh my, it's the most beautiful Mac that i've ever seen. I was not impressed with the new MacBook Pro's sadly - not a patch on the MacBook with its awesome design. Definitely my favourite Mac of all time!
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ryanwarsaw said:
I just bought the rMB with a m5. I do similar things with my laptop as you describe and it is perfectly fine. Both machines you describe will do the same thing for you but the form factor on the rmb is out of this world. It is hard to put a price on something like that but this is my favorite machine coming from a 13" 2015 MBP.

Only had it a few days but it is my favorite laptop I have ever owned. It will feel tiny at first because it is tiny but as far as the screen goes it isn't much different from the 13" MBP. Even though it has no fan the thing doesn't ever really even get hot with the use you describe.

As far as the ports go just plug your iPhone into the wall or power strip and get one USB adapter for when you have to time machine or back up things. I don't mind the fact that I can't charge it when I use a hard drive because I don't do it often and only for short periods. The only nuisance I had in this regard is when I brought mine home new and had to restore from back up. The machine only had 30% power on it and I don't have a through cable adapter for using a drive and charging. So I had to charge it up before I could use time machine to make sure it had enough juice. Slightly annoying but this is a one off thing.

My iPhone syncs over the air anyway so I don't need to hook it up. So what i am left with is a tiny laptop with a mind blowing form factor and one single cable coming out of it for power. The 'pro' users complain but this laptop is designed exactly with people like you in mind. If you need all the ports just get a hub. As people have noted this works great because you just pull one cable and leave everything hooked up when you go.

You could probably get by with an m3 but I am not certain. I bought the m5 because the extra storage was icing on the cake. Although upping the storage and cpu made it closer in price to a mbp, if you think of it like this you are thinking about it wrong. Part of what you are paying for is the light footprint and form factor. You are not getting less for the money in my opinion if you are using it in the way you suggest. There is no need to drive a dump truck to school.

Can you tell that I love this thing? :)

Oh and you can't get rose gold in the mbp line. Yes, i am a dude rocking a rose gold mb.
Click to expand...

Totally agree, for me, it's the best Mac ever. There's nothing like it for design! It's beautiful!
 
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vmflapem said:
I am thinking of buying either a 12" MacBook Retina or the New 13" touch-bar MacBook Pro but I can't decide which one to get!

Price-wise, the ones I'm interested in had only $350 difference, which I do not mind at all.

I have to take the laptop to school everyday and type a lot in class and after school. Also, I'd like to have ~10 chrome tabs open while looking at PDF files. Occasionally, I also watch videos on the internet (e.g. YouTube). I don't play games on my laptop because I already have an imac.

Could someone help me decide which laptop to get?
Click to expand...

Did you make a decision yet?

I was having the same dilemma. I think based on your needs, the MacBook is more than capable.

I ended up coming across an 'open-box' deal on a 2016 MacBook 12" base model in space grey for $1000 ($299 less than full retail) so I pulled the trigger and figured if it wasn't enough for my needs, I'd return it and spring for the new Pro non-touch bar. (On a side note: The new touch-bar didn't impress me -- it feels a bit like a gimmick, and other than touch ID, I don't see how it enhances the user's experience other than looking cool. I wish Touch ID was something built into the trackpad and existed on all macs.)

It's been a month and I absolutely love this little MacBook. My needs are pretty basic -- web browsing, writing documents, e-mail, streaming video, iTunes, Spotify, social media, and some light video editing on Final Cut X (I don't cut very often though, and when I do it's a short video.)

Coming from a 2011 13" MacBook Pro (i5 320 HDD, 4 GB Ram), I noticed a huge leap in terms of speed. The retina display is also gorgeous!

The weight is nice. I don't even feel it in my backpack, yet the machine feels solid and substantial when I use it (where as the Air feels a bit flimsy to me by comparison.)

The single port has not been a problem. It gets plenty of battery life -- I unplug it in the morning, use it on and off all day, and then charge it at night. I hardly ever have to connect any peripherals (other than my backup hard drive when I first bought it, and my iPhone a few times.) Right now, I only have the USB-C to USB-A dongle -- which has been used sparingly.

I'm happy with my purchase, glad I saved some money, and yet to feel like I need more out of my machine. If you're still looking, I suggest hunting for a better deal than the $1299 starting price at the Apple Store, though.
 
I have the m3 MacBook and I used it this past semester for lots of Xcode and game programming with Unreal Editor 4. It handled both tasks just fine, so I think for your uses, the MacBook would do wonders! I usually view PDFs with mine too and have a couple of Safari tabs open (about 5-6) and it runs just fine. I say go for the 12" MacBook!
 
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I have the m3 also. I really like this little machine which is close to perfect to my needs (I have both a maxed out iMac and 15'' MacBook Pro for heavy lifting).
The single issue is the screen size. Being 40 years old and hating any glasses, I prefer the 13.3'' screen size :)
 
I've been using my open box certified 2016 12" rMB m5 for about 3 weeks now and love this thing. Coming from a 2011 11" mba was a major upgrade. I wanted the new touch bar rMBP but tested it out and felt that it wasn't for me because the price was nuts.
 
The only reasons why I didn't go the MacBook route were the better keyboard in the new Pro and the lack of fan in the MacBook. In India with summers reaching 35-38 degrees ambient inside, I think I would like my computer to have a fan. In the end, it did not boil down to anything but cooling and keyboard for me. Both displays are great, both sound better than my old 2011 MBP, so anyway everything was to be an upgrade.
 
Eggtastic said:
I've been using my open box certified 2016 12" rMB m5 for about 3 weeks now and love this thing. Coming from a 2011 11" mba was a major upgrade. I wanted the new touch bar rMBP but tested it out and felt that it wasn't for me because the price was nuts.
Click to expand...

Open-Box is definitely the way to go! You save a fortunate on a mac that's as good as new!
 
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if you want to take the 12" Macbook, better wait for the upcoming model...i think that kaby lake with native TB3 is nice to have if you hold your mac for 2-3 years at least
 
fokmik said:
if you want to take the 12" Macbook, better wait for the upcoming model...i think that kaby lake with native TB3 is nice to have if you hold your mac for 2-3 years at least
Click to expand...
Indeed. It seems quite late in its life cycle now if we assume we'll see an update in the spring. Also believe that playing back 4K video is more efficient with KL.
 
I've tried the Pro's. They are nice, but the 12 is better for certain things. The screens on the Pro's are brighter now, but it's not like the 12 is dim. They need to put another port on the 12 and make it actually thunderbolt (instead of UBS /displayport, and stop treating the 12 like some black sheep cousin).

The 12 is the best machine i've ever owned. They should make it in more sizes. The thing is, the vast majority of users do not need anything more powerful. This is a win/win situation, as the saving in components, power, weight, shape, and cost, make it the ideal platform.

I have the 1.3ghz Broadwell which is fast enough. I was thinking of upgrading to Skylake, but will now wait until spring. Should be fun.
 
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Macalway said:
I've tried the Pro's. They are nice, but the 12 is better for certain things. The screens on the Pro's are brighter now, but it's not like the 12 is dim. They need to put another port on the 12 and make it actually thunderbolt (instead of UBS /displayport, and stop treating the 12 like some black sheep cousin).

The 12 is the best machine i've ever owned. They should make it in more sizes. The thing is, the vast majority of users do not need anything more powerful. This is a win/win situation, as the saving in components, power, weight, shape, and cost, make it the ideal platform.

I have the 1.3ghz Broadwell which is fast enough. I was thinking of upgrading to Skylake, but will now wait until spring. Should be fun.
Click to expand...

I was prepared to deal with the lack of fan and change my lifestyle a bit, but not having one more port was really a deal breaker for me with my current setup. I have an external HDD connected to my computer when at home, it downloads stuff. I really needed two ports.

The MB is a fantastic machine and surpasses all reasonable expectations from that machine. I'd say, those disappointed with it are *really* using it wrong. :D
 
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vmflapem said:
Is there any throttling or heating issues with the m7 MacBook Retina? I've had some opportunity to compare both the rMB and the MBP but I honestly couldn't make a decision :(

In what way is i5 better than m7?
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You will have thermal throttling regardless of the core m you get, there's no active but passive cooling so for any sustained task (video encoding, games, etc) you won't reach the peace of 3.1 GHz but probably about 2.5 or 2.6.

Beau10 said:
I have a 2014 13" rMBP, just spent 2 weeks with a rMB m5, and have tried out the new 13" non-TB in a store.

I really like the rMB. I'm a software dev and didn't really sense it break much of a sweat compared to my slightly older MBP. I'm mulling over whether or not to get the new non-TB MBP or the M7 rMP. I think I'm going for the MBP for these reasons

- Better (contrast, color, brightness) screen, which will be more workable when used outside. The extra screen size and real estate is also a boon
- Better keyboard. This is neither here not there though -- the v2 butterfly mechanism feels much better to me, but it also is louder. This could be distracting in a classroom/meeting room environment, but I work remotely so it's not much of an issue.
- While I'm on the move some of the time, it's not enough that I would really care much about the extra pound. The extra footprint, for me, is more comfortable for a machine that is in use 8+ hours a day.
- Performance is about 15% better per geekbench (~6300 vs. 7200). Not a huge thing, but it is enough to be notable.

If I were a student, I probably would opt for the rMP. The pound will make a difference when moving about, the quieter keyboard will work in more situations, and the footprint will be better when using on a desk. The only thing I would think might be truly in the MBP's favor is the performance of the screen, which is a real thing if you plan to use it outside much.
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Sustained performance is not like burst performance. Geekbench only tests the latter one which is why you will see it ranked that highly. The MBP has better performance for any sustain thing like I have previously said.

Besides, if you do anything that involves graphics processing, the one on the MBP is gonna be much better.

That being said, the rMB is probably what you need. Check the refurb store, you can pretty much get the m7 or m5 upgrade for the base price.
 
vmflapem said:
I am thinking of buying either a 12" MacBook Retina or the New 13" touch-bar MacBook Pro but I can't decide which one to get!

Price-wise, the ones I'm interested in had only $350 difference, which I do not mind at all.

I have to take the laptop to school everyday and type a lot in class and after school. Also, I'd like to have ~10 chrome tabs open while looking at PDF files. Occasionally, I also watch videos on the internet (e.g. YouTube). I don't play games on my laptop because I already have an imac.

Could someone help me decide which laptop to get?
Click to expand...

I'd go for the pro as it has a more comfortable keyboard, larger screen, extra USB C port, more processing power (fan does not run during basic tasks) and can push a 4k/5k external monitor... also more bandwidth through the lightning ports (2 vs 1).

As a student (working on a third degree), I'm rocking a 2016 15" MacBook Pro, I like my screen Realestate when working on stuff. The extra weight and size is not a bother to me. When I'm at home, I hook the laptop up to a 27" 4k monitor and use a wireless mouse and keyboard. I did try the NTB MBP 13", but realized I like a larger screen when out and about... I feel more productive. It's a non-issue being carried around in my backpack... in hand may be a different story.

The rMB is just as nice though and considering you have an iMac that may be your best option. Personally, I don't like to use multiple computers. I like to have one main system and not have to worry about whether or not I have a file I'm working with on me when I need it... I don't want to be constantly jumping between two different systems. In your predicament, I'd have a 13" on the go with an external screen I can hook up for heavy lifting at home (like I do now as mentioned).

Also, incase you weren't aware, the rMB cannot push a 4K @60hz if that's important to you. It was for me obviously. The MBP can push two 4k@60hz monitors at once... just my thoughts, I think you'll be happy with either system.
 
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