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MBP 2015 Vs 2016 Which one to buy

Help!! MBP 2015 Vs 2016 Which one to buy

  • Total voters
    48
dariosaurusrex

dariosaurusrex

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 15, 2016
14
1
Houston, TX
I was a mac user for years but the last several years i had a windows machine. Now I am thinking to purchase a MacBook Pro 15". I have been waiting for some times now, i was ready to preorder the 2016 model when the October Event started but I stopped when i saw the price and whole "oh we dropped every single ports you can possibly use and you've got to get an adapter now!"

So I am thinking to get a good deal on the 2015 model instead.. any suggestions?!?
 
having the same struggle.. i'm going to use it for 4k editing but i'm really wondering how much better the 2016 is.. for that same amount of money you can buy a imac but thats not portable..
 
Buy the computer that meets your needs and fits your budget.

If you need the ports and the adapters aren't an acceptable solution for you, then get the 2015. If the touch bar will improve your workflow and you don't mind using adapters, get the 2016.

For the record, I bought my 13" 2015 rMBP in early 2015. It's an awesome computer.
 
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This is the only thing I'd say to people going for that 2015. Dongles may suck in the short term but not having USB C is going to suck more. You aren't going to have a dongle that can make your ports faster or more adaptable. If the idea is to buy one and wait, the value of non USB C laptops is going to drop sharply when USB C becomes the norm. Like selling a USB 2 laptops when USB 3 was prevalent. So I'd just suck it up and get one $60 travel adapter that has every port you'd need. The other thing I'd point out about the new laptop is for everyone's complaining they pretty much made every component of the computer faster. The memory, the SSD, the ports, the GPU. People like to harp on this or that stat but I think these things are going to add up to something significant in actual general use. That's my opinion at least, I'm still waiting for one.
 
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I know a lot of people are struggling with the same decision. The 2016 is an upgrade in every single way sans the ports (currently an issue, not in a year or two). If you can make the ports work and money is a non-issue, there is no reason to get a 2015 over 2016.
 
In the same shoes. I've already ordered a 15" MBP 2016 but I'm also actively looking for a 15" MBP 2015/2014.
I think for me it really depends on how cheap I can get the older versions...
 
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Earlier this year I picked up a 2015 refurb and if I was on the market today I'd almost certainly do the same.
 
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Thank you guys, so far nothing available on the refurbished link from apple, scouting ebay and amazon right now
i am looking for the 2.5 with AMD graphic card, either 256 or 512 will do (can always pick up a Passport)
 
Karnicopia said:
This is the only thing I'd say to people going for that 2015. Dongles may suck in the short term but not having USB C is going to suck more. You aren't going to have a dongle that can make your ports faster or more adaptable. If the idea is to buy one and wait, the value of non USB C laptops is going to drop sharply when USB C becomes the norm. Like selling a USB 2 laptops when USB 3 was prevalent. So I'd just suck it up and get one $60 travel adapter that has every port you'd need. The other thing I'd point out about the new laptop is for everyone's complaining they pretty much made every component of the computer faster. The memory, the SSD, the ports, the GPU. People like to harp on this or that stat but I think these things are going to add up to something significant in actual general use. That's my opinion at least, I'm still waiting for one.
Click to expand...
There is no USB C with the 2015 15'
Didn't even no that! Can't you buy an adapater that has a USB C port
 
Uh, the 2016's are NOT and upgrade in every way, regardless of what some people in this thread have said. Just look at some of the benchmarks.

2015 is without a doubt the best bang for your buck, in my opinion. I just bought a new one on ebay, 2.5 GHz, AMD graphics, 512MB for $1900.
 
jmebbk said:
There is no USB C with the 2015 15'
Didn't even no that! Can't you buy an adapater that has a USB C port
Click to expand...

Yep you can buy a cable to connect to a USB C device but you wouldn't get the speed benefits of USB C. It would be like if you plug a USB 3 device into a USB 2 port.
 
Dude at this point you have to have some screws loose if you are going to opt for the new models. They are overpriced, and worse than last years models in a lot of ways, with some marginal upgrades. If you are at all rational, you will realize that you are just throwing money away.

Last years mbp's are excellent machines with a great design, nice keyboard and all the ports. They offer an excellent smooth mac OS experience at a much cheaper price. They are also a matured produce with a lot of revisions behind them, all the problems have been ironed out. Why on earth would you buy the new models? USB isn't going to become mainstream for another 2 years. Apple should have at least included one legacy usb port.

In any case, I would recommend you wait for the next upgrade, you can always sell last years model and upgrade if you feel the next offering is worth while. This launch was quite bad, save your money and you can invest in last years macbook plus have enough left over to buy a really nice monitor or two. It really is a no brainer.
 
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I went with the 2015 model and am pretty pleased with it. I suspect the 2017 MBP might correct a lot of the little niggles with the new systems, but right now those 2016 MBPS look too expensive for what they offer IMHO.
 
motime said:
Dude at this point you have to have some screws loose if you are going to opt for the new models. They are overpriced, and worse than last years models in a lot of ways, with some marginal upgrades. If you are at all rational, you will realize that you are just throwing money away.

Last years mbp's are excellent machines with a great design, nice keyboard and all the ports. They offer an excellent smooth mac OS experience at a much cheaper price. They are also a matured produce with a lot of revisions behind them, all the problems have been ironed out. Why on earth would you buy the new models? USB isn't going to become mainstream for another 2 years. Apple should have at least included one legacy usb port.

In any case, I would recommend you wait for the next upgrade, you can always sell last years model and upgrade if you feel the next offering is worth while. This launch was quite bad, save your money and you can invest in last years macbook plus have enough left over to buy a really nice monitor or two. It really is a no brainer.
Click to expand...

THIS. I just bought a 2015 15" (2.5, 1 TB, M370X) for $3000 CAD from the refurb store and will hope to make it last until the next MAJOR internal overhaul (not necessarily chassis revision). I suspect that will happen in several possible ways:
  • Intel Coffee Lake / Cannon Lake+ to enable quad core 13" and 6 core 15"
  • Intel Optane RAM / SSD
  • OLED displays
  • Touch Bar with Taptic Engine
  • Maybe a migration away from Intel to Apple'a own in-house ARM processors.
 
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I am also kinda in the same boat. I've ordered mine 2016 MBP, and will first try it out before i decide. If i can't get on board with the keyboard and the touchbar i'm definitely returning it and getting a 2015 MBP 2.5, 512SSD and M370X, and it will cost me 1000 Euro less.
 
I was in the same boat and I decided to purchase the 2015 15 inch model.

I made my decision based on the ports. I would have purchased the 2016 model if Apple would have kept the legacy ports like USB - 3, HDMI, SDXC Card Slot and Magsafe.

I have no regrets with my new 2015 MBP.
 
After a few days of struggling, I ended up buying a used 2014 15inch base model for $1300 @_@
 
I was on board to buy a new 2016 15" MBP. With all the video card issues people are able to recreate with the 460.. I decided to buy a 2015 15" MBP off amazon (with the m370x)

It was just over $2k and in a year when the issues have been sorted out, i'll get the updated 2017 version.
Trying not to bash apple.. but when multiple different people are having the same GPU issue.. And since this is replacing a 2011 iMac (multiple time GPU issue itself) I'm going to steer clear of it, for now.

I have a beast of a PC Game rig.. I just need a reliable Laptop for everything else I do, and I want to run a 4k external monitor when home with a laptop that isn't going to chug along while hooked up to it.
 
it's literally impossible to advise someone on a computer purchase without knowing the intended use case
 
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