McBook Pro 2016 Retina 2.9 / 16GB / 2TB Performance

[fskywalker]

Hi folks I currently own a late 2013 13 inch Retina i7 2.8 Ghz / 16 GB Ram / 1 TB SSD unit and am considering buying a 15 inch model, but don’t want to pay msrp for a new one. Someone offered me a 15 inch 2016 edition I7 2.9 Ghz / 16 GB Ram / 2 TB SSD with touchbar (A1707) in mint conditions (2 cycles on battery, supposedly used very little since new) for $1500 and wonder if:

1-The performance would be really superior to mine or would just get a bigger screen and a bigger SSD and

2- If the price would be reasonable or not for an used machine in mint conditions (but no warranty). Any other good options on that budget (other used configurations to look for)?

3- Recall on 2012 15 retina laptops there were LG and Samsung (better) screens; are all 2015 15 inch units using the same screen manufacturer? If not is there a way to tell which one it has (like on the older ones)?

Thanks,

Francisco

 

[ruslan120]

The 2016 ones are notorious for keyboard failures.

I would not buy 2016 for this reason alone (unless you want to carry a bluetooth keyboard with you in the future, 1-2 years).

If I had to buy touchbar it would only be 2019 (because they improved the bad mechanism for the keyboards and it's the best in 2019) so maybe 13" 2019 Macbook Pro is a good option for you. New + AppleCare Plus + 3 years keyboard program enrollment.

1-The performance would be really superior to mine or would just get a bigger screen and a bigger SSD

CPU would be about 10% faster. I grabbed the typical processors for the 15 inch 2013 and 15 inch 2016.

[1] https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-6920HQ-vs-Intel-Core-i7-4960HQ/m56225vsm9629
[2] https://browser.geekbench.com/macs/284

2- If the price would be reasonable or not for an used machine in mint conditions (but no warranty). Any other good options on that budget (other used configurations to look for)

I would check [2] above for all Macbook Pros compared in Geekbench.

It should be mentioned though that Geekbench is not the best benchmark - it's peak speed vs sustained performance (which is important, 2016-present Macbook Pros have worse cooling solutions. I would personally recommend the 2019 13" or 15" if at all because they seem to have better voltages / thermals than 2016-2018 by a large margin).

3- Recall on 2012 15 retina laptops there were LG and Samsung (better) screens; are all 2015 15 inch units using the same screen manufacturer? If not is there a way to tell which one it has (like on the older ones)?

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4990702

Hope it's been helpful. Good luck with the purchase!

Best,
Ruslan

 

[ruslan120]

P.S. I would also keep your old Macbook Pro. In case the keyboard does fail, you have to take it to Apple, and the repair takes at least a few days. Investing in a Time Machine drive and always copying your files to it, and then restoring your old Macbook Pro to the newest files when the keyboard fails might be a good backup solution to not lose productivity.

 

[fskywalker]

P.S. I would also keep your old Macbook Pro. In case the keyboard does fail, you have to take it to Apple, and the repair takes at least a few days. Investing in a Time Machine drive and always copying your files to it, and then restoring your old Macbook Pro to the newest files when the keyboard fails might be a good backup solution to not lose productivity.

Thanks for the comments! Will look into the 2019 models, perhaps an open box deal

 

[Howard2k]

If you have a 13" 2013, the 15" will spank it in CPU performance. Way older dual core vs a newer quad core, it's not even going to be close unless you have some very demanding single threaded apps.

 

[fskywalker]

If you have a 13" 2013, the 15" will spank it in CPU performance. Way older dual core vs a newer quad core, it's not even going to be close unless you have some very demanding single threaded apps.

That’s true! I will check online to see whats the best can get on a $1500 budget; at least want a 1 TB SSD and 16GB of memory and will like to avoid models which are known for the keyboard issue.

On the screens, any tips on which one to try to locate?

 

[alias99]

You got given the wrong benchmark above comparing your machine and the one you are looking at.

Below are the correct scores.

Your machine:
Single Core - 3,609
Multi Core - 6,890

New machine:
Single Core - 4,323
Multi Core - 14,318

 

[smbu2000]

Well it does depend on what you want to do with the machine. I was previously using that same MBP 2016 15" (2.9 i7/16GB/460/2TB). Performance was fine and the 2TB SSD was good for having a lot of files. I had different versions of macOS installed and Win10 and didn't have to worry about a lack of space.

The 2 battery cycles is probably because the keyboard was changed out. When they replace the topcase it includes the keyboard/trackpad and battery, so you receive a new battery as well.

My geekbench score for the system was:
Single Core - 4681
Multi Core - 15751
https://browser.geekbench.com/v4/cpu/12850955

I would've kept the system, but I found a great deal on a 2018 15" (2.9 i9/32GB/560X/2TB) with a brand new warranty. My 2016 was also out of warranty. I also sold the 2016 for more than the offer you are getting.

 

[fskywalker]

Thanks for the reply, the low cycle battery probably is related to a replaced keyboard as you said. I think will look for an used one with Applecare coverage to play safe (will probably be newer than 2016 as such as well)

 

[fskywalker]

I came across a good deal for a 2018, 13 inch Retina (Touchbar / I7 quad core 2.7 Ghz / 16GB RAM / 1 TB SSD) and bought it; thanks everyone for your comments!