New Larger MBP or New Monitor .. Help!

[LD Curb]

I would love to get your input to help me make a big decision.

In October 2015 I got a 13" MacBook Pro. Specs: 2.9 GHz Intel Core i5, RAM - 8 GB 1867 MHz DDR3 and Intel Iris Graphics 6100 1536 MB. I got the 13" because it is lightweight and easy to take to meetings, etc.

I do a lot of Photoshop work and doing it on this teeny screen is a pain. The screen is too small for other work I do such as Excel and more. I need a larger monitor. Soooo, I can't decide between these two options:

1. Buy the new MacBook Pro 15". Since it is smaller than the 2015 model I think it would be portable enough for me. BUT is the 15" large enough for Photoshop. Will I see a noticeable improvement over the 13"?

2. OR should I stick with my 13" and buy the new LG/Apple 27" monitor? I am little concerned about this though as I really want more RAM. Sometimes Photoshop will just stop for a few seconds. Other programs do that too. I wish I would have gotten more RAM and better graphics card when I bought it.

I would love to hear your thoughts on what is my best bet. I am a senior citizen, new to Macs and not up on all the ins and outs of what is the best set up. The 13" was my first Mac computer. If I get a 15" Mac I would sell the 13" to Gazelle or maybe on eBay, so that would help pay for the new one.

Thank you so much for your help!

 

[WoodyVuko]

I would love to get your input to help me make a big decision.

In October 2015 I got a 13" MacBook Pro. Specs: 2.9 GHz Intel Core i5, RAM - 8 GB 1867 MHz DDR3 and Intel Iris Graphics 6100 1536 MB. I got the 13" because it is lightweight and easy to take to meetings, etc.

I do a lot of Photoshop work and doing it on this teeny screen is a pain. The screen is too small for other work I do such as Excel and more. I need a larger monitor. Soooo, I can't decide between these two options:

1. Buy the new MacBook Pro 15". Since it is smaller than the 2015 model I think it would be portable enough for me. BUT is the 15" large enough for Photoshop. Will I see a noticeable improvement over the 13"?

2. OR should I stick with my 13" and buy the new LG/Apple 27" monitor? I am little concerned about this though as I really want more RAM. Sometimes Photoshop will just stop for a few seconds. Other programs do that too. I wish I would have gotten more RAM and better graphics card when I bought it.

I would love to hear your thoughts on what is my best bet. I am a senior citizen, new to Macs and not up on all the ins and outs of what is the best set up. The 13" was my first Mac computer. If I get a 15" Mac I would sell the 13" to Gazelle or maybe on eBay, so that would help pay for the new one.

Thank you so much for your help!

do you really NEED a 5k display right now? especially if you're still working on a 13"
there are plenty of other awesome monitors out there for way less than the 5k.

honestly it sounds like you already chose the 15" and are simply trying to get a better feeling about the decision.
there is a different between i need and i want. both is fine and you just need to stick to your guts
greetz

 

[Floris]

The 15" isn't much of an upgrade when it comes to photoshop. For 200 bucks you can have a ok-enough external monitor that's 24"

For a bit more you can get a quality 4k monitor, certainly under 1000, the 4k lg one for example is 750.

Your macbook pro is new enough, it's not years old. I don't know why it needs replacing, if you are happy with it.
And a good quality external monitor will breath life into it and up your photoshop game tenfold. And a lot cheaper solution than 3000 for a 15" replacement.

 

[LD Curb]

do you really NEED a 5k display right now? especially if you're still working on a 13"
there are plenty of other awesome monitors out there for way less than the 5k.

honestly it sounds like you already chose the 15" and are simply trying to get a better feeling about the decision.
there is a different between i need and i want. both is fine and you just need to stick to your guts
greetz

True, true .. I don't NEED the 5K!! But if i get a monitor I was thinking that I should get one that I will keep a while. That's what happened on the 13". I thought I'd go for economy and now it isn't serving my needs. If I were using a monitor for only Excel, etc. anything would be fine. But I do so much image work that I need accurate color, etc. Thank you so much for your advice!!
[doublepost=1477783739][/doublepost]

The 15" isn't much of an upgrade when it comes to photoshop. For 200 bucks you can have a ok-enough external monitor that's 24"

For a bit more you can get a quality 4k monitor, certainly under 1000, the 4k lg one for example is 750.

Your macbook pro is new enough, it's not years old. I don't know why it needs replacing, if you are happy with it.
And a good quality external monitor will breath life into it and up your photoshop game tenfold. And a lot cheaper solution than 3000 for a 15" replacement.

Thanks so much for your thoughts on this. I was a little concerned that my 13" isn't powerful enough for the monitor and PS work. I don't know why it freezes for a few seconds when using Excel and Photoshop. Thanks again!!

 

[Floris]

LG has a few monitors that are proper 10bit, great for adobe

 

[JTToft]

I think the clear choice is a good external monitor. The LG UltraFine 5K won't work, though. Your machine can't drive resolutions that high, and it's incompatible with the monitor's Thunderbolt 3 input.

I'd get a nice 4K one instead.

 

[Floris]

True, true .. I don't NEED the 5K!! But if i get a monitor I was thinking that I should get one that I will keep a while. That's what happened on the 13". I thought I'd go for economy and now it isn't serving my needs. If I were using a monitor for only Excel, etc. anything would be fine. But I do so much image work that I need accurate color, etc. Thank you so much for your advice!!
[doublepost=1477783739][/doublepost]
Thanks so much for your thoughts on this. I was a little concerned that my 13" isn't powerful enough for the monitor and PS work. I don't know why it freezes for a few seconds when using Excel and Photoshop. Thanks again!!

It freezes up when using excell/photoshop? It shouldn't.. your GPU might be the bottleneck then?
It can't be the ssd, the ram or that i5 cpu ..

 

[LD Curb]

Oh, thank you for that info!! That's what I was afraid of ... that the 13" wasn't powerful enough for the 5K. I'm sure I'd be fine with 4K! After reading the posts here I am seriously leaning toward the monitor and keeping my 13" "baby" longer. That is easier, too... no files to move, email to set up etc. Everything stays the same .. just have a larger monitor for image work. Thanks again!!!

 

[Floris]

Apple has a few pages that will display what your particular laptop can do.

It will say things like, hdmi port, to power 1x 4k monitor.
or display port to connect up to 1 5k .. etc.

I just don't know what your model, etc is. So hard to google for.

 

[LD Curb]

It freezes up when using excell/photoshop? It shouldn't.. your GPU might be the bottleneck then?
It can't be the ssd, the ram or that i5 cpu ..

Yep, it does freeze. I was thinking that Photoshop takes a lot of RAM and maybe that is what it was. I click to "save" and nothing happens for a while and then it releases itself. With Excel I will be in a cell and it won't move to the next cell for a few seconds.
[doublepost=1477784186][/doublepost]

Apple has a few pages that will display what your particular laptop can do.

It will say things like, hdmi port, to power 1x 4k monitor.
or display port to connect up to 1 5k .. etc.

I just don't know what your model, etc is. So hard to google for.

Hi, Here is my model: Specs: 2.9 GHz Intel Core i5, RAM - 8 GB 1867 MHz DDR3 and Intel Iris Graphics 6100 1536 MB. And the 500-ish hard drive storage. Thanks!!

 

[WoodyVuko]

True, true .. I don't NEED the 5K!! But if i get a monitor I was thinking that I should get one that I will keep a while. That's what happened on the 13". I thought I'd go for economy and now it isn't serving my needs. If I were using a monitor for only Excel, etc. anything would be fine. But I do so much image work that I need accurate color, etc. Thank you so much for your advice!!
[doublepost=1477783739][/doublepost]
Thanks so much for your thoughts on this. I was a little concerned that my 13" isn't powerful enough for the monitor and PS work. I don't know why it freezes for a few seconds when using Excel and Photoshop. Thanks again!!

like the other guys said, there are great monitors out there and "even a" 4k will stick a while.
your computer is great. my best friend is still working on a 13" 2013 and doing her thing on her job(design)
never complained about it and 99% of the time closed on her desk.
you can easily spend less than 800€ (or $) in a new monitor and your pro will feel like new.

 

[Floris]

when it does it on safe, i can imagine that.. but shouldn't do it during usage.

 

[JTToft]

Yep, it does freeze. I was thinking that Photoshop takes a lot of RAM and maybe that is what it was. I click to "save" and nothing happens for a while and then it releases itself. With Excel I will be in a cell and it won't move to the next cell for a few seconds.

- This could possibly be a software issue. Consider reinstalling macOS. Should take 30 minutes.

Hi, Here is my model: Specs: 2.9 GHz Intel Core i5, RAM - 8 GB 1867 MHz DDR3 and Intel Iris Graphics 6100 1536 MB. And the 500-ish hard drive storage. Thanks!!

- It's one 4K at 60 Hz max. Here's the article referenced:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206587

 

[LD Curb]

like the other guys said, there are great monitors out there and "even a" 4k will stick a while.
your computer is great. my best friend is still working on a 13" 2013 and doing her thing on her job(design)
never complained about it and 99% of the time closed on her desk.
you can easily spend less than 800€ (or $) in a new monitor and your pro will feel like new.

Thanks so much!! I think a monitor is the way to go! So glad I checked with the pros here!!
[doublepost=1477784546][/doublepost]

- This could possibly be a software issue. Consider reinstalling macOS. Should take 30 minutes.


- It's one 4K at 60 Hz max. Here's the article referenced:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206587

Oh, Yikes .. reinstalling OS !! That sounds scary!! Thanks for the link ... will check it out!!!

 

[WoodyVuko]

Yep, it does freeze. I was thinking that Photoshop takes a lot of RAM and maybe that is what it was. I click to "save" and nothing happens for a while and then it releases itself. With Excel I will be in a cell and it won't move to the next cell for a few seconds.
[doublepost=1477784186][/doublepost]
Hi, Here is my model: Specs: 2.9 GHz Intel Core i5, RAM - 8 GB 1867 MHz DDR3 and Intel Iris Graphics 6100 1536 MB. And the 500-ish hard drive storage. Thanks!!

check your whole system and do a hardwaretest

it could be easily your ssd or ram (oooor a software error -> reinstall your os)

if nothing works, just go to the apple store.

 

[LD Curb]

I would like to thank each and every one of you who took the time to help me make the decision of whether to get a new 15" MacBook Pro or keep my early 2015 13" version. I was leaning toward a new MacBook Pro but your wise counsel helped me make the right decision. I got a 27" ViewSonic 2780 Ultra HD 4K monitor and I LOVE it!! I just wasn't sure how a monitor worked with a laptop, so I was sort of afraid of trying it. But is is wonderful and I thank you for helping me make the right decision! (Excuse the bad lighting in the photo!)