Need Advice on MB As Option

[PBz]

As some background, I have been through multiple repairs with 2016 13" MBP keyboard. I even had a 2017 15" start to show signs that were similar to my 2016 13" so I returned it. FWIW, Apple has been very good in helping me. The Repair Depot did leave tests running on one of my repaired machines. I was and am very gun-shy of the Butterfly keyboard. WTS, I am open to giving the MB 12" a shot based on changes to my current setup.

The MBP was my power machine but now I am buying the family a 27" iMac and I can use that for more intense photo and video editing. I also have an iPad Pro 10.5 with LTE that I take a lot of places.

However, after years of using only an iPad I have learned that I cannot rely on an iPad for total use. What I am needing now is a less powerful machine that can still run basic programs like Excel, Word, Photoshop and Lightroom for basic work. The MB seems perfect.

A few questions I have.. if anyone can help me out..

Have keyboards been an issue and I am specifically referring to the 2017 as that is the model I would buy?

Is 16GB even worth it with a machine that will throttle with any significant work/heat?

For guys with bigger hands, is the keyboard an issue? .. it seems so small when I test at the store.

I would likely get the i5/512 version of the 2017 as I have gift card $ and can cover it.

Is battery life over 10 hours with basic web use?

Thank you for your help.. I am ready to get settled with a working machine again.
[doublepost=1504632490][/doublepost]If it helps, the other option I am considering is the 2015 13" MBP as that takes care of the keyboard issue and has good power.

 

[EugW]

The 2017's keyboard is much more pleasant to type on. I don't know if it lasts longer or not though.

They keyboard is a full-sized keyboard. The key spacing is exactly the same for the main keys as it is for a Mac Pro, an iMac, and a MacBook Pro. Apple doesn't sell any Macs with reduced key spacing for their keyboards.

Stuff like what you described doesn't necessarily tax the CPU that much on a sustained basis, but can use up a lot of RAM, so depending your usage patterns, 16 GB could be of benefit. Plus, there is no way to add memory later. I have similar usage to you plus PowerPoint (sometimes with 3-digit MB files), and I like to keep my laptops for a long time, so I went with 16 GB. Truthfully though, most of the time I only need 6-8 GB. However, if I need 6-8 GB in 2017, I figure I'll need closer to 9-12 GB in 5 years, so 16 GB it is.

The i5 isn't much faster than the m3 this year, as the m3 has seen a vast improvement, but obviously the 512 GB is a big bonus over the 256 GB. (I went with the 256 GB m3 though since I don't need a lot of storage.)

I'm not sure it really gets 10 hours with basic surfing with my usage, but then again, reviews have it at 9+ hours, so it's close.

 

[PBz]

Thank you EugW.
I am looking at the 512 version as the lack of multiple ports makes it tough to have external plus power hooked up. TBH, this would be a 90% away from the office machine. I think as long as I can do basic edits in LR/PS I will be happy and then can do any real work on the iMac when I get home. I think I could get away with 8GB of RAM from what I have seen over the past few months testing devices. I also don't mind closing everything when working in LR/PS. The 512 comes with the i5 so would get that by default. I have a hard time spending more than $1,600 on this. I also hope no one has had the keyboard issues of that I have had on the MBP. From all I have seen and read, it is a really powerful device.

 

[EugW]

Thank you EugW.
I am looking at the 512 version as the lack of multiple ports makes it tough to have external plus power hooked up. TBH, this would be a 90% away from the office machine. I think as long as I can do basic edits in LR/PS I will be happy and then can do any real work on the iMac when I get home. I think I could get away with 8GB of RAM from what I have seen over the past few months testing devices. I also don't mind closing everything when working in LR/PS. The 512 comes with the i5 so would get that by default. I have a hard time spending more than $1,600 on this. I also hope no one has had the keyboard issues of that I have had on the MBP. From all I have seen and read, it is a really powerful device.

I have a USB-C hub that provides two USB 3 ports, a SD Card slot, Gigabit Ethernet, and HDMI, plus a USB-C port for power input. Works fine to charge my 2017 MacBook while I have a USB drive plugged in.

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...and-accessories.1884706/page-41#post-24948927

 

[Lenin1917]

As some background, I have been through multiple repairs with 2016 13" MBP keyboard. I even had a 2017 15" start to show signs that were similar to my 2016 13" so I returned it. FWIW, Apple has been very good in helping me. The Repair Depot did leave tests running on one of my repaired machines. I was and am very gun-shy of the Butterfly keyboard. WTS, I am open to giving the MB 12" a shot based on changes to my current setup.

The MBP was my power machine but now I am buying the family a 27" iMac and I can use that for more intense photo and video editing. I also have an iPad Pro 10.5 with LTE that I take a lot of places.

However, after years of using only an iPad I have learned that I cannot rely on an iPad for total use. What I am needing now is a less powerful machine that can still run basic programs like Excel, Word, Photoshop and Lightroom for basic work. The MB seems perfect.

A few questions I have.. if anyone can help me out..

Have keyboards been an issue and I am specifically referring to the 2017 as that is the model I would buy?

Is 16GB even worth it with a machine that will throttle with any significant work/heat?

For guys with bigger hands, is the keyboard an issue? .. it seems so small when I test at the store.

I would likely get the i5/512 version of the 2017 as I have gift card $ and can cover it.

Is battery life over 10 hours with basic web use?

Thank you for your help.. I am ready to get settled with a working machine again.
[doublepost=1504632490][/doublepost]If it helps, the other option I am considering is the 2015 13" MBP as that takes care of the keyboard issue and has good power.

I just got a 512GB/16GB RAM MacBook last week and couldn't be happier. I travel a lot for work so those 1 1/2 lbs. lighter than my 2015 13" MacBook Pro (256/16) really will make a difference. I far prefer the MacBook's Butterfly Keyboard to the MBP keyboard. I don't notice any appreciable difference between speed, but I don't do any graphics-intensive work. The battery life is great--9+ hours. I did buy the ISB-C multi-port hub, which makes it very easy to charge the iPhone. Good luck!

 

[ZapNZs]

As some background, I have been through multiple repairs with 2016 13" MBP keyboard. I even had a 2017 15" start to show signs that were similar to my 2016 13" so I returned it. FWIW, Apple has been very good in helping me. The Repair Depot did leave tests running on one of my repaired machines. I was and am very gun-shy of the Butterfly keyboard. WTS, I am open to giving the MB 12" a shot based on changes to my current setup.

The MBP was my power machine but now I am buying the family a 27" iMac and I can use that for more intense photo and video editing. I also have an iPad Pro 10.5 with LTE that I take a lot of places.

However, after years of using only an iPad I have learned that I cannot rely on an iPad for total use. What I am needing now is a less powerful machine that can still run basic programs like Excel, Word, Photoshop and Lightroom for basic work. The MB seems perfect.

A few questions I have.. if anyone can help me out..

Have keyboards been an issue and I am specifically referring to the 2017 as that is the model I would buy?

Is 16GB even worth it with a machine that will throttle with any significant work/heat?

For guys with bigger hands, is the keyboard an issue? .. it seems so small when I test at the store.

I would likely get the i5/512 version of the 2017 as I have gift card $ and can cover it.

Is battery life over 10 hours with basic web use?

Thank you for your help.. I am ready to get settled with a working machine again.
[doublepost=1504632490][/doublepost]If it helps, the other option I am considering is the 2015 13" MBP as that takes care of the keyboard issue and has good power.

I am yet to see a 2017 come in for service for a keyboard issue. Some 2015/2016s have come in with flattened keys, and some 2017s probably will too eventually. I can't say at what frequency tho. Mine has had zero issues thus far, but AC+ was a no brainer for these systems. I really disliked the 2016/15 rMB keyboard. I like this new one quite a bit more. I'd go as far to say it is more consistent than the MBP models of 2016. Longevity is a tossup - the butterfly mechanism clearly has some shortcomings in this department, with an uncertain degree of severity and incidence. Like most things in life, buying a Mac with a butterfly keyboard has some risk involved!

IMO 16 GB is a game changer if you use the system in a fashion that is RAM heavy. I have found that the impression that this system throttles heavily is a somewhat dated perspective - it doesn't, and it can hold over twice its base frequency indefinitely under heavy load. I do not notice a very big difference between my 2016 nTB and this 2017 rMB with most tasks - even with virtualizing.

I am currently getting what I would estimate to be 10-13 hours of runtime with the 2017 m3 base with the stated tasks on auto brightness.

 

[PBz]

I am yet to see a 2017 come in for service for a keyboard issue. Some 2015/2016s have come in with flattened keys, and some 2017s probably will too eventually. I can't say at what frequency tho. Mine has had zero issues thus far, but AC+ was a no brainer for these systems. I really disliked the 2016/15 rMB keyboard. I like this new one quite a bit more. I'd go as far to say it is more consistent than the MBP models of 2016. Longevity is a tossup - the butterfly mechanism clearly has some shortcomings in this department, with an uncertain degree of severity and incidence. Like most things in life, buying a Mac with a butterfly keyboard has some risk involved!

IMO 16 GB is a game changer if you use the system in a fashion that is RAM heavy. I have found that the impression that this system throttles heavily is a somewhat dated perspective - it doesn't, and it can hold over twice its base frequency indefinitely under heavy load. I do not notice a very big difference between my 2016 nTB and this 2017 rMB with most tasks - even with virtualizing.

I am currently getting what I would estimate to be 10-13 hours of runtime with the 2017 m3 base with the stated tasks on auto brightness.

I was convinced the base model would be fine.. especially seeing the m3 hold its own in the 2017. Now I'm wondering if 16... maybe I just go get a base and try it out.
[doublepost=1504693352][/doublepost]Fwiw, I did a lot of searching here on the 8 vs 16 debate. Of course I *want* 16 but also would prefer not CTO. There are also arguments that say 16 is held back by CPU in rMB. From what you're saying it sounds like that isn't..or is less of an issue with the 2017.

 

[PBz]

What would be the use-case(s) where 16 would be impactful? I don't see doing a ton of Lightroom/Photoshop work on this machine as I will have iMac and also do some on IPP. I also don't import huge libraries.. usually do a few photos at a time at most. I don't run VM. I don't game.

After seeing the YTY video of the 2017 base rMB 12' editing 4K/8K video I can't think of anything I would do close to that to tax it.

I will say that I plan to buy a GoPro with it and could see doing some basic video work with GoPro videos.

Thank you to everyone.

 

[ZapNZs]

I was convinced the base model would be fine.. especially seeing the m3 hold its own in the 2017. Now I'm wondering if 16... maybe I just go get a base and try it out.
[doublepost=1504693352][/doublepost]Fwiw, I did a lot of searching here on the 8 vs 16 debate. Of course I *want* 16 but also would prefer not CTO. There are also arguments that say 16 is held back by CPU in rMB. From what you're saying it sounds like that isn't..or is less of an issue with the 2017.

With the base 2017 (m3/8/256), I can run a (UI-stripped) Win 10 and Ubuntu VM simultaneously, alternate between the two VMs and the host macOS, use each with standard-use business class software, it be a seamless experience, and still get 6+ hours of battery life. It does not do certain higher intensity Apps or excessive multi-tasking well like my 15-MBPr does, but this platform favors portability over IO connectivity and processing power, plus my 13-in nTB was not capable of doing this well, either.

As you have a primary workstation, IMO the base model, entry level rMB would be fine for your personal needs. It's less expensive, and often easier to service/replace should it require it. You could buy a base model, and just monitor the memory pressure for a few days to see if it is meeting your needs. If not, you could always swap - and with CCC5, restoring an entire image is pretty easy to get set back up with!

 

[PBz]

With the base 2017 (m3/8/256), I can run a (UI-stripped) Win 10 and Ubuntu VM simultaneously, alternate between the two VMs and the host macOS, use each with standard-use business class software, it be a seamless experience, and still get 6+ hours of battery life. It does not do certain higher intensity Apps or excessive multi-tasking well like my 15-MBPr does, but this platform favors portability over IO connectivity and processing power, plus my 13-in nTB was not capable of doing this well, either.

As you have a primary workstation, IMO the base model, entry level rMB would be fine for your personal needs. It's less expensive, and often easier to service/replace should it require it. You could buy a base model, and just monitor the memory pressure for a few days to see if it is meeting your needs. If not, you could always swap - and with CCC5, restoring an entire image is pretty easy to get set back up with!

I picked up the base today but have not had a chance to really use it as I am just setting up accounts and updates. It's crazy.. after several MBP boxes when you carry the new rMB out you wonder if anything is actually in the box...so light.