MBP 2016 13" vs 15" questions

[lexmorky]

Hello everyone,

I m planning on buying my first mbp ever and I have a really hard time deciding which model to get, because my hardware knowledge game is not on point.

I m gonna use the mbp as the only computer (for work) as a desktop replacement and as a mobile device.

I wanna run 2 4k external screens with it and it is gonna be used for regular office stuff (ms office, e mail etc) as well as 4k video editing and picture editing (not a lot though) and in the future to run some CAD software and virtual reality headmounts (hopefully apple brings a device)

I wanna use this computer for min 4 years, i hope it will last 5 years plus

I m basically deciding between the 13 inch and 15 inch model: my ideas are

1) 13 inch model, 16 gig ram, 512 ssd and either the i7 or the quicker i5
2) 15 inch model, 512 ssd, 16 ram, the medium i7 (2.7 ghz i think) and the 4 gb graphics card


I really like the size and portability (and price =)) of the 13 inch model more, but i am afraid that with AMD ryzen, the softwares are gonna be optimized for 4 cores minimum and that the 13 inch with no discrete gpu simple has not enough power in the long run (but I can t really tell if i need this power.


Any thoughts on this ?

thanks in advance
alex

 

[Sanpete]

For 4K video (and probably CAD) you'll want all the power you can get: definitely 2.

 

[doitdada]

I wanna run 2 4k external screens with it and it is gonna be used for regular office stuff (ms office, e mail etc) as well as 4k video editing and picture editing (not a lot though) and in the future to run some CAD software and virtual reality headmounts (hopefully apple brings a device)

MS office on mac is single core, so go for a 13". Buy a computer for your main purpose rather than trying to jack all trades.

If you are an aspiring picture taker and likes to do some 4k video on the side, there is power enough in the 13". The same for CAD experimenting.

Don't care about the future, it hasn't yet arrived and when it does along with virtual reality head mounts, there will be new standards that aren't supported on the setups sold today. Gaming is the fastest decreasing specification, so get a Windows desktop for the 1000 dollars you can easily upgrade instead of locking yourself into a laptop.

Most people on this forum have a thing for big numbers, but most of them are spec bigots who boast more than they inform. I just got the 13", nTB, 8GB ram, 256 and it is good enough for my use. I develop, edit a few large RAWs from trips and once in a while edit a video or two. In a laptop my priority is ... "Do I want to move it?", and with a 15" the answer is no. It usually stays on my desk hooked up to an external monitor and a hub waiting for me to sit down. The new 13" is the first portable computer because of the smaller footprint and weight.

There will be moments where I may miss a 15" screen for long sit downs, but then I can just hook up my 13" and kill off large sets of data or long lines of code.

 

[Altis]

Two 4K monitors, CAD stuff, 5+ years...

Get the 15", no contest.

 

[ZapNZs]

My vote is for the 15 as well, preferably with one of the two higher level GPUs. The quad core and discrete GPU will both be of benefit.

If the pricing on the current 2016 model is a little high, you might want to check out the higher-level tier refurbished 15-inch 2015s, which are also tremendously capable computers, and can be found for hundreds less.

 

[sn0warmy]

"2 4k external screens", "4k video editing" and "CAD software" should be the clear indicators that you're going to need the better graphics and quad core processor found in the 15".

I see where you're coming from though. I initially purchased a 15" 2016 MBP. However, I much prefer the size of the 13" and my needs are much less demanding than yours. So I ended up swapping the 15" out for the 13". But if I had the same requirements as you, I'd absolutely have kept the 15".

 

[Sanpete]

MS office on mac is single core, so go for a 13". Buy a computer for your main purpose rather than trying to jack all trades.

If you are an aspiring picture taker and likes to do some 4k video on the side, there is power enough in the 13". The same for CAD experimenting.

Don't care about the future, it hasn't yet arrived and when it does along with virtual reality head mounts, there will be new standards that aren't supported on the setups sold today. Gaming is the fastest decreasing specification, so get a Windows desktop for the 1000 dollars you can easily upgrade instead of locking yourself into a laptop.

Most people on this forum have a thing for big numbers, but most of them are spec bigots who boast more than they inform. I just got the 13", nTB, 8GB ram, 256 and it is good enough for my use. I develop, edit a few large RAWs from trips and once in a while edit a video or two. In a laptop my priority is ... "Do I want to move it?", and with a 15" the answer is no. It usually stays on my desk hooked up to an external monitor and a hub waiting for me to sit down. The new 13" is the first portable computer because of the smaller footprint and weight.

There will be moments where I may miss a 15" screen for long sit downs, but then I can just hook up my 13" and kill off large sets of data or long lines of code.

My! I think you may have a point in a limited way. The 13" can handle 4K video, in FCPX, though as a boastful uninformative spec bigot like most of us here, I'll point out that the 15" is a lot faster and can handle more without balking.

But if one tries to use Premiere, it's not a good idea to do it on the 13", which really struggles, while the 15" sails along for moderate tasks. Even the 15" can easily be pushed to its limits in that program, though.

More broadly, though you suggest not caring about the future, as the OP observes, more and more programs will be optimized for more than two cores, so if efficiency matters, the 15" will have important advantages.

 

[lexmorky]

Thanks for all the replies, the used programm s gonna be premiere (simply because i have it available and don t wanna pay extra for final cut)

 

[doitdada]

Thanks for all the replies, the used programm s gonna be premiere (simply because i have it available and don t wanna pay extra for final cut)

299 dollars for Final Cut versus 1000 dollars MacBook Pro 15".

 

[dapork]

the 15" is actually pretty portable. I came from a 2009 13" Macbook and I'm still blown away by how thin and light it is.

 

[lexmorky]

thanks for all the help, I decided to get the 15inch model , so far I am pretty happy. Portability is not a strong point but it is still ok to carry around.

 

[doitdada]

thanks for all the help, I decided to get the 15inch model , so far I am pretty happy. Portability is not a strong point but it is still ok to carry around.

I got to the same conclusion. With such a high price on the 13" with Touch Bar, it's easy to "upgrade" and the weight is no longer such a big difference.

 

[TrueBlou]

For that duration and for some of your use case I'd definitely vote for your second option. It's a more powerful machine that would better suit your needs across that many years.