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Need a new 15" Macbook Pro, can't decide which year?

R

robodelfy

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 13, 2018
100
16
Hi

I have a late 2011 Macbook Pro, 2.5 i7, 16gb ram, Intel hd graphics. I have a 128gb SSD and a 750 hdd where the cd drive was.

I do a lot of video editing and music and feel its time to upgrade as the screen isn't great. I also travel a lot and it weighs a ton and the battery is fairly useless.

I used someones new macbook pro the other day, and absolutely hated the keyboard, no travel and it felt horrible! I also don't care for the touch bar at all. I'm looking for the simplest most powerful laptop I can get.

I also would prefer to have USB ports as most of my equipment is USB. I don't know if everyone is just using converters for all their equipment on these new MBP's, seems frustrating!

Can anyone give any advice what 15 inch MBP might suit me? Also, do you know if a dedicated graphics card will give much of an edge over integrated graphics for video editing?

Thanks in advance :)
 
2015 15" was the best of the older style keyboard machines. Had all the traditional ports and magsafe connector. Still a bit heavy, but better than the 2011

I suspect the dGPU will help with your video editing, but will defer to others with more experience in that area.
 
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jerryk said:
2015 15" was the best of the older style keyboard machines. Had all the traditional ports and magsafe connector. Still a bit heavy, but better than the 2011

I suspect the dGPU will help with your video editing, but will defer to others with more experience in that area.
Click to expand...

version with dGPU is no longer available at Apple Store
 
Thanks guys

I would be buying used if I went for the 2015 model, not new. Thats good to know that was the last of the good keyboards and connections. I thought the 2016 model was too, maybe Im wrong.

So I just need to find one that has the max specs. It seems on ebay they dont go for that much less than the newer models!
 
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check out Amazon for used and refurb. I just got a 2015 13 inch in perfect shape for a great price.
 
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robodelfy said:
Thanks guys

I would be buying used if I went for the 2015 model, not new. Thats good to know that was the last of the good keyboards and connections. I thought the 2016 model was too, maybe Im wrong.

So I just need to find one that has the max specs. It seems on ebay they dont go for that much less than the newer models!
Click to expand...

If you looking at a 1 TB model they are going to be pricey. The big disk was a custom order. The 512 GB model was a pre-configured off the shelf unit so a lot were sold.

The 2015 model was sold until being replaced by the 2016 in Fall of 2016, so that may be part of the confusion.
 
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jerryk said:
If you looking at a TB model they are going to be pricey. The big disk was a custom order. The 512 GB model was a pre-configured off the shelf unit so a lot were sold.

The 2015 model was sold until being replaced by the 2016 in Fall of 2016, so that may be part of the confusion.
Click to expand...

Thanks, so any 2015 model will be good if I want the older keyboard style and legacy connections? But 2016 model was when that changed?

Yes I would love a 1tb hard drive. I've always had 1TB in my laptops and then used 2tb backup drives with time machine. It just makes backing up so much easier, as I dont have to think about multiple disks. But if its going to be a big price difference maybe I need to consider the 512 and how I can make it work.

Are the 2015 models all glued together, so you cant change the SSD yourself?
 
amazon has a
Apple Macbook Pro 15.4 inch Laptop with Retina Display and Force Touch (Intel Quad-Core i7 2.8GHz, 16GB DDR3 Memory, 1TB Flash Storage, AMD Radeon R9 M370X Graphics with 2GB Memory, Mac OS X
[doublepost=1528311649][/doublepost]the seller is very reputable and it has extended applecare+ till sept 2019, but it will run $2000.00
 
robodelfy said:
Thanks, so any 2015 model will be good if I want the older keyboard style and legacy connections? But 2016 model was when that changed?

Yes I would love a 1tb hard drive. I've always had 1TB in my laptops and then used 2tb backup drives with time machine. It just makes backing up so much easier, as I dont have to think about multiple disks. But if its going to be a big price difference maybe I need to consider the 512 and how I can make it work.

Are the 2015 models all glued together, so you cant change the SSD yourself?
Click to expand...

You are correct on the 2015 to 2016 changes.

You can change the SSD, but the SSDs are proprietary. There is a massive thread, https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...ssd-to-m-2-nvme.2034976/page-57#post-26115558, on upgrading the SSD with off the shelf drives. It is not easy and there have been issues as described in the thread.

My 2 cents is to get what size you need. But, like I said the 512 is going to be more plentiful and likely considerably cheaper.
 
Thanks, so it looks like a 2015 model is what i need.

As for the SSD I dont want to mess around with anything that might cause problems. I will have to look at prices

How do you find out what the very highest spec models, cpu, ram, gpu etc. are for specific years?
 
Thanks.

I think I need to replace my battery, as my touch pad has been acting up. It doesnt respond all the time, and people say it could be a swollen battery
 
Get Apple care and get one of the newer ones. Honestly 2015 is quite dated at this point unless you can find one super cheap. You’ll get used to the keyboard, espacially if you’re not a full time writer, and they are way way lighter and smaller and video editing will feel much faster too thanks to much improved performance. The 2015 is around 4 generations of cpu behind and about the same for graphics and it’s much heavier than even most pc laptops at this point too.
 
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Thanks, but I use my keyboard all the time. I've tried a friends and it just feels horrible, it really makes my fingers feel weird! It just feels so hard and rigid! I dont care to shave of a few mm in depth.

But its also going to be much more expensive. If I get a new maxed out 15" MBP from apple with 1TB ssd it will be over £2500. Or I can get a used 2015 model with similar specs for hopefully about £1500.

I'm really trying to work out the best performance to price balance. Its tough
 
robodelfy said:
Thanks, but I use my keyboard all the time. I've tried a friends and it just feels horrible, it really makes my fingers feel weird! It just feels so hard and rigid! I dont care to shave of a few mm in depth.

But its also going to be much more expensive. If I get a new maxed out 15" MBP from apple with 1TB ssd it will be over £2500. Or I can get a used 2015 model with similar specs for hopefully about £1500.

I'm really trying to work out the best performance to price balance. Its tough
Click to expand...
Yeah I get it, just wanted to share my 2 cents. But keep in mind, "2015 with similar specs" isn't really all that similar in specs to the 2017 in terms of performance. Also, the new 15" has slimmer bezels so it's almost the size of the old 13", which is also worth considering.
 
robodelfy said:
If I get a new maxed out 15" MBP from apple with 1TB ssd it will be over £2500. Or I can get a used 2015 model with similar specs for hopefully about £1500.
Click to expand...
I'd say give the price difference getting the 2015 model for £1500 is your best bet imo. I too am considering the 2015 model, and I've been poking around the online sales to see if I should or not.

Good luck
 
Yeah its hard to decide, I generally dont buy the newest models as it seem like a waste of money. But really those keyboards just feel terrible to me, I used one for a few hours and I just didnt like it at all. And thats without any of the other problems you read everywhere about them breaking or going wrong!
 
robodelfy said:
But really those keyboards just feel terrible to me, I used one for a few hours and I just didnt like it at all. And thats without any of the other problems you read everywhere about them breaking or going wrong!
Click to expand...
People tell me that you get used to the travel, and I'll not dispute your body will generate the muscle memory to easily type on it, but the other issue (the quality) is more important. You don't want to deal with a defective keyboard.
 
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If the feel of the keyboard is the only reason you're turned off, give it a chance or carry a bluetooth keyboard around when you're using the keyboard heavily.

I hated the keyboard at first too, but I rather like it now. It feels awful at first. You need time to adjust to the short travel. I type almost as fast on my 2016 MBP as I do with my external mechanical keyboards and I can type 120+ wpm. At that speed, feel is very important. The only part of the keyboard I absolutely hate are the arrow keys. I have a hard time finding them by touch.

Otherwise, it's time to go to Windows unless you plan on hanging onto that 2015 forever. The old style keyboard ain't coming back... at least not anytime soon.
 
I find that the new keyboard feels cheap. I know its all made of one piece, and I kind of feel that. I may get used to it, but my first impression was horrible. I still like it when I get on a non laptop keyboard with big keys that click a bit. I want to feel like I'm actually pressing something!!

I have no idea why apple or so hell bent on getting it 2mm thinner or 5g's lighter. Not at the expense of usability!
[doublepost=1528370746][/doublepost]
smirking said:
If the feel of the keyboard is the only reason you're turned off, give it a chance or carry a bluetooth keyboard around when you're using the keyboard heavily.

I hated the keyboard at first too, but I rather like it now. It feels awful at first. You need time to adjust to the short travel. I type almost as fast on my 2016 MBP as I do with my external mechanical keyboards and I can type 120+ wpm. At that speed, feel is very important. The only part of the keyboard I absolutely hate are the arrow keys. I have a hard time finding them by touch.

Otherwise, it's time to go to Windows unless you plan on hanging onto that 2015 forever. The old style keyboard ain't coming back... at least not anytime soon.
Click to expand...


Thanks. Well my 2011 MBP lasted until now, I hope I could get a good few years out of a 2015 model. There are so many complaints about the new keyboards, they will have to do something. I know they wont go back maybe, but they might find a way to make them better.

I came from windows. I was an avid PC user my whole life, but found I needed a mac to be compatible with everything when I went to Uni and all my friends. I've grown to like my current MBP, i'd struggle to go back to windows now I think!
 
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