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Processor or Ram?

Awiggerzz

Awiggerzz

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 9, 2016
4
1
Manchester, England
Hello all!

I will be purchasing the new MacBook Pro 2016 13inch with the TB in the new year.

I will be purchasing the 256gb model, but I can't decide if I should get improved ram or processor?

My budget is flexible. I can't decide if I should get 16GB Ram or improved processor to 3.2 (boosted to 3.5)... or even 3.3 (boosted to 3.6).

I will be primarily be using it for browsing web, Office 365 for my business, minor video editing and other bits... nothing serious.

I do want it to last me 3-4 years and I hate when laptops start to slow down so hence why I want to spend a bit more.

Which will be best for longevity?

What do all you mac experts recommend:)
 
You are only talking about 100 MHz in speed difference.

If forced to choose between 100 MHz or more memory, I'd go with more memory.

Running out of memory will be more noticeable than a 100 MHz speed difference at this level of speed.
 
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Laptops really don't "slow down" it's the OSs which get bigger and more complicated and needs faster CPUs and resources that slows things down.

Any of the MBP series will work great for the next few years, that is unless Apple makes some huge change, which is highly unlikely.
 
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Awiggerzz said:
Thanks! Looks like the Ram would be more beneficial.

Would I be wasting my money if I upgraded the processor one level from basic?
Click to expand...
With your usage, yes, completely. You'd be hard pressed to notice a performance difference between a mac from 4 years ago with a SSD and the current crop.
 
RAM. The cpu upgrade is negligible. Even if you're doing heavy processing that is maxing out your CPU. you're still only talking a small percentage of a difference.

Think about it this way. If something takes a minute to process, you're saving like 2 seconds of time. Is that 2 seconds worth hundreds of dollars to you? In the end...that's your call.
 
If you want to spend $100 on the bump, go for it. I'm waiting to see benchmarks before I make that decision. If $$ is a big concern, you probably don't need more than 16GB of RAM today. If you want to 'future-proof' the machine a little bit, then yeah, go for the RAM. That's probably more cost effective than the processor. I don't think $300 bump to the i7 is worth it with this generation of CPUs, but $100 for the small bump might be worth it.
 
I don't know about the obsession with stronger CPUs are because most users never ever push the CPU to the max now a days...short answer more RAM is better but I doubt you'll even surpass the 8GB need anyway.
 
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JTK28 I like that analogy.

I think your all right with the RAM which I will be going for.

The processor does now seem worth the extra ££.

I want to make it future proof, with that a big key point as I will be using it for my business.

Changing the story slightly, I am new to Mac's having endured windows for the last decade which I now hate as the updates and slow speeds which occur due to the newest version of windows make me suicidal ha. Do mac's feel quicker and do you get much less slow down with the IOS?
 
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Awiggerzz said:
Changing the story slightly, I am new to Mac's having endured windows for the last decade which I now hate as the updates and slow speeds which occur due to the newest version of windows make me suicidal ha. Do mac's feel quicker and do you get much less slow down with the IOS?
Click to expand...


Personally i hate it when people say mac is better or say windows is better. (i'm not saying you're doing that...it was just a side note)

They both have their positives and negatives. Saying one is better than the other is like saying vanilla is better than chocolate. Its just preference.

I use windows and osx, and to me they're just both operating systems. OSX lags and slows down too. For example, i hate safari now. Its become the apple version of internet explorer.

Also want to say get ready for a bit of a learning curve when using a mac. when i originally switched over from using windows i had to re-learn the way i did things.
 
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leman said:
Stock CPU and 8GB RAM will be sufficient for your needs in the next 3-4 years, unless your needs change.
Click to expand...

The thing about computers and software is that needs do change. Either because you start doing new things, or because updated versions of your software have new system requirements.

That said, I still put priority on more memory over a 100 MHz difference in CPU speed.

In an ideal world, perhaps one could afford both. But the RAM will make a bigger difference than 100 MHz.

If a program needs more CPU power, it will be because it needs a much larger jump than just 100 MHz.
 
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99% of the time the answer is always RAM. The speed difference between the processor options given is so small it's not even worth mentioning lol.
 
In your case it's Ram for sure. For me a more heavy lifter power user it's both. I run some programs that are more processor hungry than programs like Photoshop are more Ram hungry. I have to go fo it to the Max and you do not have to do that. Second biggest issue for you maybe storage 512 seems to be a good balance and a worthy upgrade.
 
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