Pimped out 2015 i7 15'' rMBP vs base 2016 15'' rMBP model

[Vegasm]

'Sup guys,

I'm in the market for a new MacBook after planning to sell my 2 month old Asus for 700 euros. The trackpad annoys the hell out of me and everything just doesn't work as well as on a Mac, so that's why I'm switching.

I'm pretty sick of switching (done a lot of Windows > OSX > Windows switches in the last 3 years) so I want to do it right for once and for all and spend some of my savings together with the 700 euros from my Asus on a new MacBook. My budget is around 2000 euros, but it can be a bit higher if the extra cost is worth it.

What I do with my Mac is standard webbrowsing, Netflix/Youtube, light gaming (Hearthstone, Stardew Valley), programming and some Photoshop.

As I see it now I have 2 choices:
- Buy the new tMBP base model for ~2100 euros
- Buy a ''used'' 2015 rMBP model with 2.5ghz i7, 1TB SSD (!) and 2 graphics cards with 42 battery cycles and Apple Care until April 2019 for 2250 euros.

I'm unsure if the touch bar is really for me, and the extra benefits (i.e. BIG SSD, 2 graphics cards and relatively low battery cycles) make it seem like the extra 150 euros are probably worth it. Apart from that the 2015 has more ports.

What do you guys think?

Kind regards,

Dan

 

[casperes1996]

I'm unsure if the touch bar is really for me, and the extra benefits (i.e. BIG SSD, 2 graphics cards and relatively low battery cycles) make it seem like the extra 150 euros are probably worth it. Apart from that the 2015 has more ports.

Regarding these benefits, aside from the SSD, they're all beaten by the 2016 base. The Iris Pro in the 2015 is better than the HD in the 2016, but the Radeon Pro 450 in the 2016 is better than the R9 M370X from the 2015. And obviously a new 2016 will have no battery cycles spent. Aside from that the screen and speakers are better on the 2016 - keyboard and trackpad being more subjective.

 

[leman]

Performance-wise, there are about the same (the 2016 model will probably have a slight edge here). Of course, the 2015 model has a definite advantage of having a much larger SSD. Would I pay 150 euro more to have a heavier and older computer with an inferior screen with the only advantage being the large SSD? Probably not. Should you? I honestly can't say I guess it depends on how important storage space is for you.

 

[Naimfan]

Get the 2015. 4x storage alone makes that a no-brainer.

 

[casperes1996]

Get the 2015. 4x storage alone makes that a no-brainer.

Storage only helps if you need the space. If you have no more than 64GB of data, it won't matter one bit if your SSD is 256GB or 2TB.

 

[Sanpete]

The 2016 has a lot of advantages, but only you know how much they might matter to you. I've got a comparison here, with details in the comments:

https://www.amazon.com/review/R27MBWO99H5LZJ/

 

[Naimfan]

Storage only helps if you need the space. If you have no more than 64GB of data, it won't matter one bit if your SSD is 256GB or 2TB.

Capability and resale. The 2016 will depreciate a lot faster; the 2015 will hold its value better because it has already depreciated some. Hence, the 2015 is a substantially better choice financially.

 

[Vegasm]

I need at least 256gb. Not sure if the 1tb ssd is really neccesary. I've got a 2tb external ssd as backup.

Thanks for the replies so far. It's a pretty hard choice tbh :/

 

[casperes1996]

Capability and resale. The 2016 will depreciate a lot faster; the 2015 will hold its value better because it has already depreciated some. Hence, the 2015 is a substantially better choice financially.

Now I don't know much about how that goes in the way of the US market, but here, it isn't like that actually. Not when the new one's got a new design anyway. Then that design retains value for longer on the used market.

I need at least 256gb. Not sure if the 1tb ssd is really neccesary. I've got a 2tb external ssd as backup.

Thanks for the replies so far. It's a pretty hard choice tbh :/

Well, what's important to you in a computer? Give me a list of the 5 most important factors.

 

[CaptRB]

You're getting some honest good advice and, in my opinion, advice from folks with an agenda of one sort or another.

I picked up a Touch Bar 15" and within a SINGLE day put my less-than-a-year-old 15" rMBP on Craigslist. And yeah, it had a bigger drive. Out it went.

The new Touch Bar Macs are just better in virtually every way. Make no mistake, older machines will remain useful tools for some time to come, but ignore the noise that suggests the new machines are a modest upgrade.

You get...

1) Faster machine
2) Better brighter screen
3) Better battery life
4) Better larger trackpad
5) Hugely better keyboard (You'll know it after a week)
6) Touchbar (useful with some apps)
7) Much better speakers
8) More versatile connection and charging options
9) Thinner/lighter
10) Better looking machine overall
11) Faster SSD

I mean...are people joking or what? The new tMBP has the most improvements of any revision in many years. Naturally this caused growing pains, but they'll fade fast (and already are).

Skip the older model. In many ways it's 3 or 4 years old and you're overpaying for fairly old design work. The new machine is a joy to work on, so treat yourself.


Cheers,


R.

 

[casperes1996]

I agree with a lot of what you said, mate, but the following points, not quite.

10) Better looking machine overall

I personally agree, but this is a subjective one.

8) More versatile connection and charging options

USB-C is indeed more versatile than USB-A for instance, but the old one had a variety of ports for different things. Some things will just flat out switch to USB-C connections in the future, but some things most likely won't like RJ45 (Ethernet) that'll still need an adapter down the road. Versatility comes down to what you need out of your ports, as in some cases the old model wins here. You're also losing MagSafe, which makes me quite sad.

3) Better battery life
4) Better larger trackpad
5) Hugely better keyboard (You'll know it after a week)
6) Touchbar (useful with some apps)

We'll take this in one go
Battery life has been hugely debated, and a lot of reports claim it's a lot worse than it should be, but even going by Apple's own numbers it's not really better than the last gen. On par or ever so slightly better depending on 13" or 15", but really nothing to speak of.
Whether the trackpad is better or not is again something that comes down to taste. I've heard people complaining about the size.
Again with the keyboard, subjective. And there are reports of people who have huge differences in feel and sound between different keys. My only personal issue with the keyboard is the spacing between keys, but I'm used to the Apple Extended Keyboard - speaking of which, the next point
The TouchBar. Now again it's a subjective matter, and I appreciate that to some it may be useful, but quite honestly, I like my Function Keys. With the TB, you have to look away from your content on screen, to see the buttons on the TB and then back up on the screen, versus the lovely programmable F keys that can do anything! Now I know I'm probably a rare case, but I bought Apple's Extended Keyboard, cause I like my F keys, and having 19 of them is wonderful! The TouchBar takes your eyes off the display and your mucle-memory away from its position on the keyboard.

Anyway, I overall agree that the 2016 is probably the better pick of the two. I come with no agenda and is simply giving an opinion.

 

[CaptRB]

I agree with a lot of what you said, mate, but the following points, not quite.



I personally agree, but this is a subjective one.



USB-C is indeed more versatile than USB-A for instance, but the old one had a variety of ports for different things. Some things will just flat out switch to USB-C connections in the future, but some things most likely won't like RJ45 (Ethernet) that'll still need an adapter down the road. Versatility comes down to what you need out of your ports, as in some cases the old model wins here. You're also losing MagSafe, which makes me quite sad.



We'll take this in one go
Battery life has been hugely debated, and a lot of reports claim it's a lot worse than it should be, but even going by Apple's own numbers it's not really better than the last gen. On par or ever so slightly better depending on 13" or 15", but really nothing to speak of.
Whether the trackpad is better or not is again something that comes down to taste. I've heard people complaining about the size.
Again with the keyboard, subjective. And there are reports of people who have huge differences in feel and sound between different keys. My only personal issue with the keyboard is the spacing between keys, but I'm used to the Apple Extended Keyboard - speaking of which, the next point
The TouchBar. Now again it's a subjective matter, and I appreciate that to some it may be useful, but quite honestly, I like my Function Keys. With the TB, you have to look away from your content on screen, to see the buttons on the TB and then back up on the screen, versus the lovely programmable F keys that can do anything! Now I know I'm probably a rare case, but I bought Apple's Extended Keyboard, cause I like my F keys, and having 19 of them is wonderful! The TouchBar takes your eyes off the display and your mucle-memory away from its position on the keyboard.

Anyway, I overall agree that the 2016 is probably the better pick of the two. I come with no agenda and is simply giving an opinion.

On the keyboard, yeah, personal taste, but keys that wobble vs. keys that don't seems pretty obvious. Key travel is something most will adapt to and most OWNERS are actually reporting faster typing speeds.

On the trackpad, whether you're selecting text or working in photoshop, the larger trackpad means being able to do things that previously demanded a mouse. It's kinda of a no-brainer.

The faster speed of these machines is well documented, but specific to certain tasks, so some folks will note the improvement and others won't. My 2015 rMBP was very fast, so I wasn't looking or expecting a huge jump in speed anyway. Having a powerful system already in place, Apple sought to improve and update the user interface components (screen, keyboard, trackpad, speakers, ports) and make a portable system more portable.

To what extent users find these updates successful remains to be seen, but thus far it does seem like the bugs have been worked out and these are Apple's best machines to date. So NO WAY would I pay real money for an older machine. The momentary panic over the new systems is ending and I feel sorry for people who ran out and bought the older models (though Apple is thrilled!). Those buyers fell prey to internet buzzing and bought truly dated tools.


R.

 

[jerryk]

The keyboard is highly debatable. Frankly I hate it because I like keyboards with travel, and am very picky about it since I spend 5+ hours a day at my keyboard. I only use MX Brown switches with are long travel and not very clickly, just the opposite of the 2016 MBP.

The trackpad is also a huge question mark for me. I never felt the old trackpad was too small. And now there are palm rejection issues with the new one. Not quite sure why there went with the bigger one. Hopefully it is not try something dumb like writing on it with an Apple Pencil.

 

[casperes1996]

On the keyboard, yeah, personal taste, but keys that wobble vs. keys that don't seems pretty obvious. Key travel is something most will adapt to and most OWNERS are actually reporting faster typing speeds.

Even keys that don't wobble is of course a positive. But on the extended keyboard that I use on a day to day basis, there's no wobbling either, and I prefer the travel and feel of those keys to the MacBook Pro.

On the trackpad, whether you're selecting text or working in photoshop, the larger trackpad means being able to do things that previously demanded a mouse. It's kinda of a no-brainer.

As someone else said, palm rejection doesn't always work perfectly for everyone, and with a massive trackpad, it can be quite important. I've always felt like I could do anything with the trackpad, and even with my iMac, I use the Trackpad (not the new big one, but the older smaller one). If you reach the edge, you just bring in another finger to continue the movement.

 

[Babu Life]

Having played around with the tb model and having the 2015 MPB, i would say the 2015 is better, getting the 2016, you probably will be spending another 100 in adaptors and what not, plus the Apple care alone is worth getting it, the touch bar problems I've heard from a family member is that it is buggy and doesn't work all the time, but man does the 2016 look nice in my opinion

 

[CaptRB]

Folks who own the new Touch Bar are pointing out facts and experience.

The rest are reporting what they read, heard or saw in a store.

The new machine is better and if you can afford it, don't waste time on older tech.



R.

 

[maflynn]

I'm unsure if the touch bar is really for me, and the extra benefits (i.e. BIG SSD, 2 graphics cards and relatively low battery cycles) make it seem like the extra 150 euros are probably worth it. Apart from that the 2015 has more ports.

Yeah, I agree the touch bar seems a bit gimmicky, most of what it does, can easily be done by keyboard shortcut keys.

I think the 2015 represents a better deal, you get a larger SSD, battery and apple care.

I'd definitely go for the 2015 over the 2016 given your deal

 

[AYNOM]

Yeah, I agree the touch bar seems a bit gimmicky, most of what it does, can easily be done by keyboard shortcut keys.

I think the 2015 represents a better deal, you get a larger SSD, battery and apple care.

I'd definitely go for the 2015 over the 2016 given your deal

What bothers me about the criticism of the touchbar being gimmicky is that you can literally set the touchbar/reveal the original function row on it if you want lol.

It's literally the best both worlds imo. And as a disclaimer I moved from Windows and the 15"/1TB/460 is my first MacBook so perhaps the open mindedness about using the touchbar in my transition was easier.

And as you mentioned most shortcuts have nothing to do with the function row in many mainstream programs

 

[maflynn]

What bothers me about the criticism of the touchbar being gimmicky is that you can literally set the touchbar/reveal the original function row on it if you want lol.

Perhaps, but unlike the original f-keys you don't have any tactile feedback, meaning you need to look down to see where the f5 key.

I like the thought behind Apple trying something different, but I think the execution seems more like a solution in search of a problem.

 

[CaptRB]

What bothers me about the criticism of the touchbar being gimmicky is that you can literally set the touchbar/reveal the original function row on it if you want lol.

It's literally the best both worlds imo. And as a disclaimer I moved from Windows and the 15"/1TB/460 is my first MacBook so perhaps the open mindedness about using the touchbar in my transition was easier.

And as you mentioned most shortcuts have nothing to do with the function row in many mainstream programs

Exactly.

Those talking about "having to look down" are simply not willing to see how the TB could work for them.

Also, who's working on these systems? Don't your eyes work? Glancing down at the TB is not going to effect workflow in any appreciable way. It's NOT part of touch typing.

All of the worries about the TB are just like when Apple first brought out their chicklet keyboard. At the time it seemed that no one on the planet could work with it!


R.

 

[casperes1996]

Also, who's working on these systems? Don't your eyes work? Glancing down at the TB is not going to effect workflow in any appreciable way. It's NOT part of touch typing.

Actually, not that well. I use Zoom and Text to Speech a lot on my Mac, and love how well it works for the visually impaired, as opposed to Windows.
As someone else said, you lose tactile feedback with the TB, and the most used functions of the F row are now buried in submenus. I.e. if you want to change the volume of speakers, it's not just tapping up or down (F12, F11), it's clicking the volume button, then up or down. Or alternatively (much better IMO), holding it and sliding. But you still have to look down to find it. And then there's screen brightness, Keyboard backlight controls, F4 for Launchpad (used to only use Spotlight, but starting to use this more and more) and so on. I'm not saying I couldn't get used to it, but it's not a positive for me either. I'm pretty neutral towards it.

 

[jerryk]

Exactly.

Those talking about "having to look down" are simply not willing to see how the TB could work for them.

Also, who's working on these systems? Don't your eyes work? Glancing down at the TB is not going to effect workflow in any appreciable way. It's NOT part of touch typing.

All of the worries about the TB are just like when Apple first brought out their chicklet keyboard. At the time it seemed that no one on the planet could work with it!

R.

Having to look at the touchbar slows you down when using a product that use function key sequences. When I edit images, sound, or code I may need to command-f3, alt-command-f8 or some other command sequence, and I need to be able to hit that by touch so I can keep my eyes on the screen to see the effect.