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Radeon Pro 450 2GB vs 460 4GB

jetho

jetho

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 22, 2016
71
44
Hi there,

I am currently deciding what configuration option for the new 15" MBP I should choose. I have already decided on CPU (2.6GHz i7), RAM (16GB) and the SSD (512GB), but I am still unsure which GPU to buy: the Radeon Pro 450 2GB or the Pro 460 4GB.
I know that currently I don't need the upgrade to the 460. I am coming from a Mid 2012 Air and am mostly pleased with the graphic performance. But since the new MBP should last me al least 4-5yrs, I am not sure that this will be the case in the future.
So my question is basically what possible use cases would take advantage from the better GPU? I know that generally photo/video editing will run faster, but what level of photo editing are we talking about? Are there other scenarios?
I am not looking for any exact answers, just trying to get a general understanding/feeling for the matter.

Also, this is not really a deciding factor, but I would be interested in playing Civ6. Would any GPU option disqualify for that? Or will/won't it run on any of those?

I am grateful for any input on the matter!

Cheers and thanks,
jetho
 
The most obvious use of the GPU is for editing 4k video with multiple effects layered on it. Just clipping the footage together on the timeline only uses the CPU, so that's not a concern, but once you're messing with the grain, the exposure, adding any motion graphics on top, doing in-depth colour adjustments, image stabilization effects, then the GPU comes in. And for 4K video, the extra 2 gigs of vRAM on the 460 is really going to eliminate lag, and the increased clock will mean effects apply faster, and can be done across larger canvasses with ease. Now, we'll have to wait for benchmarks for this specific GPU – but those are some concrete examples in video.

For photo editing, any one will work. We're many years past GPU being a limiting factor in still image editing (if that was ever even a factor. Which, come to think of it, it wasn't. Still images are processed in the CPU.)

The impact of a better GPU will be huge for gaming. But this is not in any way a gaming laptop. If you'relooking for game performance, definitely go with a PC.
 
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Basically, gaming ;)

P.S. I am getting a Pro 460 because I often run prototypes in numerical software which can benefit from utilising the GPU.
 
Thanks for your answers. If you got any more input, feel welcome to reply. I am currently still a bit torn, as I am currently not really falling in any of the use cases you mentioned. Will sleep over it and definitely make a decision tomorrow.

ijoelpod said:
Plus it's only $100 upgrade which to double the ram is a no brainer IMO
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200€ from my point of view. Going with the 2.6GHz base model, because I see no point in investing any money in a 0.1GHz CPU upgrade.

jackoatmon said:
The impact of a better GPU will be huge for gaming. But this is not in any way a gaming laptop. If you'relooking for game performance, definitely go with a PC.
Click to expand...
I have a PS4 for gaming and definitely do not consider the MBP as a gaming laptop at all, but I just read last week that Civ6 was being released for the Mac and was wondering if it is worth getting a look into it with the new MBP.
 
jetho said:
I know that currently I don't need the upgrade to the 460. I am coming from a Mid 2012 Air and am mostly pleased with the graphic performance. But since the new MBP should last me al least 4-5yrs, I am not sure that this will be the case in the future.
Click to expand...

I'm in a similar situation. Coming from a 2013 11" Mac Air that runs fine, but gets too hot with video editing (60p). The laptop fans sound like they're screaming for mercy. I wind up putting a small fan beside the laptop to blow across the bottom when creating the mp4 file.

I chose a 2016 15" MBP for similar reasons. I chose the 2.6 and the 450 because this is going to provide the lowest heat profile. Laptop fans spinning up drive me crazy. My wife runs 10 programs and a dozen browser tabs on her 2011 Mac Air, and the fans irritate me from across the room.
 
I went with the 2.7ghz/455 combo because I mainly use Lightroom and occasionally use Photoshop. I don't play games or edit video, so I didn't think it was worth the $100 to upgrade to the 460. I'm also upgrading from a late '08 MBP. I probably could have gotten away with the base 2.6/450, but I didn't want to regret not upgrading and the 2.7/455 came in $5 less than I was willing to spend including tax and AppleCare.
 
blSwagger said:
but I didn't want to regret not upgrading and the 2.7/455 came in $5 less than I was willing to spend including tax and AppleCare.
Click to expand...

I think that was a good move. Especially if it came under your expected maximum amount. In that case, you're better off having it and not using it than needing it and not having it :).
 
i would go the 460, it really isn't that much more $$$ for the upgrade..

I upgraded it, i also upgraded to the 2.9ghz.... but i think that the graphics upgrade is the most important upgrade over the CPU increase.
 
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anzio said:
That's debatable considering the Polaris chip architecture and all the details that have been released. It may be throttled, but "More now than ever before" is an unjustified assumption
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This also depends of where you live. Running it somewhere near Norway, will be much different than running it in south Spain. In an hotter or humid environment it will probably throttle quicker.
 
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Well while the better graphics chip might not be of immediate benefit to you, if you plan on keeping it for 5 years then it will certainly help down the road.

Upgrades certainly help with longetivity and resale.

They're both low power chips with the same TDP I think so it's not going to be hotter, the main benefit is the extra VRAM. More and more software and OS related things will use the GPU over time so it makes sense to give it as much RAM as possible in the same way you have the system with 16GB.

Plus Civ will run much better with less constraints. Games these days love VRAM to store more textures and stuff, so playing games on the retina screen is going to need as much VRAM as they can take.
 
jetho said:
Thanks for your answers. If you got any more input, feel welcome to reply. I am currently still a bit torn, as I am currently not really falling in any of the use cases you mentioned. Will sleep over it and definitely make a decision tomorrow.


200€ from my point of view. Going with the 2.6GHz base model, because I see no point in investing any money in a 0.1GHz CPU upgrade.


I have a PS4 for gaming and definitely do not consider the MBP as a gaming laptop at all, but I just read last week that Civ6 was being released for the Mac and was wondering if it is worth getting a look into it with the new MBP.
Click to expand...
Speaking of the PS4, the Pro 460 matches the TFLOPS of the PS4 at 1.8! So you should be able to play games at decent settings with it.
 
How would the 460 compare to the GTX 960M? Basically my manager has a dell XPS 15 and runs revit it on it pretty good, so wondering how it would compare.
 
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Robstevo said:
How would the 460 compare to the GTX 960M? Basically my manager has a dell XPS 15 and runs revit it on it pretty good, so wondering how it would compare.
Click to expand...

Theoretically, the Radeon Pro 460's performance should be slightly faster than the GTX 960 and slightly slower than the GTX 965. In the real world - no one knows yet (Apple may even underclock it to make the system cooler), you can only know once the MacBook Pro with the 460 are shipped and we get the hands on it to do the benchmarking.

The Radeon Pro 450 are as fast as the M9 370X that we saw on the MBP 15" maxed out (2015).
 
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On paper the 460 seems more powerfull, but it is unknown how it will throttle when it gets hot. I guess we'll have to wait for the actual release for benchmarks.

I think I'm going for the 460, it's already very expensive so that one upgrade doesn't matter much and will probably give it a longer lifespan.

Coming from a 9400m, which helped me use the late 2008 model for 8 years now, that 460 is almost 40 times as powerfull. :cool:
 
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