Requesting help deciding on my first MBP to be bought used - a 2013, 2014 & 2015

[Captain America]

Hi guys,

TL;DR - Skip past the below text to the spot where I pasted the Macs, if you're not here for background info

Maybe it's because my brain is fried from doing so much searching for the right MBP to buy, maybe I'm just dumb, but for some reason I can't decisively decide between these few options for an MBP. This is my first ever venture into the world of Mac computers, so I'm eager and nervous about it all. I'm currently "renting" (purchased MBP w/ intent to return [as it's a more expensive model than I could actually keep]) 2015 15" MBP from a store, so I could see what I'd think about it. I like it quite a bit so far, and I certainly think I'd like to have one.

I'm known for having powerful computers, two gaming laptops (both well-aged now) and so I like having some oomph. I certainly know well enough to not look for any sort of useful video card in these things, at least.



Also, possibly dumb question: All the MBPs of the last few years can handle 4K video, right?

So here are the contenders:

Mid (maybe late?) 2013 13" --- $1200
i5 2.4GHz -- 8GB RAM -- 512GBSSD
The thing I like about this the most is the storage. I hear storage on the newer ones is significantly faster on the newer stuff, so maybe it's not quite worth it there? And I'm guessing the CPU is kind of weak sauce now?

Mid 2014 - 15" - $1400
i7 2.2GHz -- 16GB RAM -- 256GB SSD
So this is bigger, which is nice (I'm used to 17" laptops, but these do feel bigger than they actually are, somehow) and a nice helping of RAM.

2015 13" - $1400
i7 3.1GHz -- 16GB RAM -- 256GB SSD
Latest generation of CPU which I hear is more power efficient, and as I think I might be remembering right, faster storage and whatnot too. Not sure of other differences.

All friendly helpful advice/tips/etc is appreciated

Thanks.

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Please throw a comment in with your reasoning if you select a poll choice too. And even if you go for "it depends", I'm fine with learning your personal preference.

 

[Aneef]

If I were in your place, and I had to get something powerful, I'd go with Mid 2014 15" as it has QuadCore i7 unlike the 2015 13" which only has dual-core. However, if portability mattered more to be, I would have gotten the 2015 13" one.

And btw, I was in the same situation as you are 7-8 months ago. The 15" 2015 was not out there yet and I had to choose between the 13" 2015 or the 15" 2014 and I decided to go with the 15" and I don't regret it at all. I love the screen estate and the power of QuadCore Processors. However, (sometimes) I miss having ForceTouch Trackpad(not a big deal of-course) and a little bit on the portability side (though I don't move my laptop a lot).
So the final say is yours if you prefer portability over power or vice versa.

 

[SSD-GUY]

I would only get the 2013 or 2014 models if it had sufficient AppleCare remaining. In my opinion, you're spending over a thousand, so should have some warranty etc just in case.

 

[Captain America]

I ended up going with the 2015 13". The RAM and CPU are nice. Haven't had much time with it. The biggest comment I have about it so far is how disappointing the speakers are compared to the 15". :-/