Shall I buy 2017 MBP 15" or wait for the 2018 or even 2020 one?

[jerryk]

My 2 cents is that hex core will come to the 15 inch next year. But 32 GB will not happen until later.

Intel has already published a road map for the 8th generation that show a CoffeeLake-H 45 W processor. But Apple has said nothing about a 32 GB option.

 

[OriginalAppleGuy]

There were no major updates since 2012. My old 2012 machine has practically the same speed as 2017 machine, if we exclude the SSD speed

What do you consider Major? The performance over 5 years has improved significantly:

2012 max proc spec: 2.7 GHz quad with boost to 3.7 GHz
2017 max proc spec: 3.1 GHz quad with boost to 4.1 GHz
(Smaller increment increases have higher influence than the larger increments of years previous)

2012 RAM: 8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
2017 RAM: 16 GB 2133 LPDDR3
(RAM bus improvements are more important than Proc speed - this is a HUGE improvement in ability to do work. Additionally the lower voltage required in 2017 RAM equates to longer battery run times and cooler temps)

The 2017 claims 3 more hours of use on battery than 2012. That, with a 1.5 watt hour smaller battery.

You can't exclude the SSD by comparison. That's just crazy.

 

[Ambitions]

Personally? No. I don't think Apple will be the first to adopt even when it becomes available, and who knows when Intel will be able to deliver on this in sufficient volume.

But Apple adopted Thunderbolt ports back in 2011 which was designed by Apple and Intel. Apple started to provide Thunderbolt in its laptops before other brands.

If dual core is fine for u than u r just wasting money. I doubt that u'll feel much difference for coding with hexacore.

What does ur RAM usage says now in activity monitor?

I know that I will not notice the difference but it is nice to get the top specs. My RAM usage is 5.75GB out of 8GB, I am browsing only. I think Google Chrome is a consuming a lot of memory.

I’m sorry, I found it a bit confusing with the different generations and what year they might launch.



If you buy one now you’ll get a new design compared to your current one. Than maybe the next big redesign comes too soon for your liking but you don’t have to buy one right away...

Coffee Lake was launched in Q3'17 which has a standard of 6-cores, however, we don't know whether Apple will adopt this family of processors or not.

I suggest just going into the apple store and working there. That way youll always have access to the newest MBP with the best specs. Wont ever fall behind!!!!!111!

I am not trying to have access to the newest MBP, I am just trying to buy it whenever a major update happens, i.e. 32GB of RAM and 6-cores.

Currently, I'm using a Early 2015 13 inch MBP and it more than meets my needs. I won't be in the market for new Mac for a while. The fact that I am still using a 2012 Acer Aspire, 2011 HP Elitebook and a 2014 Surface Pro 3 shows that I am willing to stick with technology for a while. When I do decide to upgrade, it will probably be in 2019 before the next major revision comes out.

We are just in the second generation of the new revision. That means, we probably won't see a new overhaul until 2019 or 2020. What I am looking for in a 2019 or 2020 MacBook Pro are several significant upgrades:

- 32 GB DDR4 - no real benefit except for running more VMs
- 512 GBs SSD should be standard by then.
- OLED Display - will be going 15 inch this time - if Apple pulls a surprise and re-introduces a 17 inch, I will go that route.
- integrated graphics - I honestly want to avoid discrete graphics
- return of a keyboard with significantly better travel
- the processor these days shouldn't be much a big deal either, but by 2019, we should be on 10 NM - so, better performance, better battery life.

Honestly, I probably don't need it, but I want it to be significant enough splurge. I have been impressed with my 2015 with exception for the display lamination peeling. But, I will get that fixed for free, so it makes up for it.

To tide me over, I'll be picking up a iPad Pro 12.9 until then so, that is likely to push my purchase of a Mac out until fall 2020. Things might even change where my investment might be towards an iMac or updated Mac Mini. I have a display that could make use of it.

Why do you want to avoid discrete graphics?

The main reason of upgrade from previous MBP to new MBP is the "Screen",which support P3 with new type red phosphor to prevent over cold color (blue).

I don't thing OLED is good for display as it with endurance and color stable problem, as Apple tend to use the microLED technology for next generated display as hard to apply in MacBook Pro within next 5 years.

Otherwise the CPU and GPU will not with dramatic improvement in future 5 years because of heat and without new revolutionary silicone technology, and most of the improvement by tuning for Benchmark, may be need to wait 10nm technology stable.

Also, i tend not to purchase latest CPU technology because of unstable of manufacturing, some with high temperature problem, luckily is Apple tend to wait a moment and require Intel improve their stable before launch of new model, but i will not purchase any IT product that only launch in market within a quarter of year.

What is the expected time that 10nm processors will be stable?

What do you consider Major? The performance over 5 years has improved significantly:

2012 max proc spec: 2.7 GHz quad with boost to 3.7 GHz
2017 max proc spec: 3.1 GHz quad with boost to 4.1 GHz
(Smaller increment increases have higher influence than the larger increments of years previous)

2012 RAM: 8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
2017 RAM: 16 GB 2133 LPDDR3
(RAM bus improvements are more important than Proc speed - this is a HUGE improvement in ability to do work. Additionally the lower voltage required in 2017 RAM equates to longer battery run times and cooler temps)

The 2017 claims 3 more hours of use on battery than 2012. That, with a 1.5 watt hour smaller battery.

You can't exclude the SSD by comparison. That's just crazy.

In my opinion, it is still quad core and DDR3, and by the way you can upgrade 2011's RAM to 16GB so the maximum memory is still the same for almost 7 years.

 

[Mr. Dee]

Why do you want to avoid discrete graphics?

The tend to cause heating issues, usually the first part to fail and usually makes the whole system useless requiring an entirely new logic board. Hopefully Intel and AMDs surprise announcement of the integrated GPU with their silicon is a sign of a better more reliable design. To be honest, I don't really need discrete either and I don't want to purchase an expensive model just get 15 inch. I think if Apple introduces a non-discrete gpu model, it could easily slice of $500 off the price tag. Also, charging the Touch bar is not necessary.

Hopefully by the time I need it, you can get a 15 inch MacBook Pro for at least 1699 to 1799.

 

[ZapNZs]

Hopefully by the time I need it, you can get a 15 inch MacBook Pro for at least 1699 to 1799.

We can dream, my friend. We can dream.

 

[Ambitions]

The tend to cause heating issues, usually the first part to fail and usually makes the whole system useless requiring an entirely new logic board. Hopefully Intel and AMDs surprise announcement of the integrated GPU with their silicon is a sign of a better more reliable design. To be honest, I don't really need discrete either and I don't want to purchase an expensive model just get 15 inch. I think if Apple introduces a non-discrete gpu model, it could easily slice of $500 off the price tag. Also, charging the Touch bar is not necessary.

Hopefully by the time I need it, you can get a 15 inch MacBook Pro for at least 1699 to 1799.

That's weird, why do we need to replace the whole logic board? It is discrete which means we can throw it and install a new one.

 

[gobikerider]

I’m in the same boat I’m going to buy a 2018 the moment they announce them, and the recent article about faster logic boards is an exciting peek into what they will be.

 

[oldtime]

If your current laptop is performing well and meeting all your needs currently, just wait. Most likely we'll see a new MBP in March or June (less likely, Autumn). I'm betting on some sort of keyboard improvements at the very least, and for someone that types a lot you'd be better off waiting if only for that (unless you're one of the minority that prefers the current keyboard over the last one).

 

[TheTruth101]

Do not waste your money in things you do not need.

 

[jerryk]

I’m in the same boat I’m going to buy a 2018 the moment they announce them, and the recent article about faster logic boards is an exciting peek into what they will be.

Not me. Given Apple's recent history with the MBPs, I am waiting a few months to see what issues surface and Apple's response.

 

[gobikerider]

Not me. Given Apple's recent history with the MBPs, I am waiting a few months to see what issues surface and Apple's response.

Great now I’m having doubts too, that new dell XPS 2018 looks so nice too. Decisions decisions.

 

[mvtm]

Great now I’m having doubts too, that new dell XPS 2018 looks so nice too. Decisions decisions.

I think the more interesting upgrade this year will be the update to the Precision 5520. The Precision is the brother to the XPS 15” looks identical. So later, some months 5-6 months when the XPS 15” gets updated to the 2018 version. Then we can expect a Precision 5520 2018 update. That would be very interesting!!!

If you need 13” form factor , then go ahead if you can use Ubuntu/Windows go for the just unveiled 13” XPS 2018. I like my Macs, matter of OS. But, very nice option!! Certainly like it too.

 

[OriginalAppleGuy]

Don't have doubts, the 2017 MBP has worked very well for me over the past few weeks. I waited for years to upgrade my late 2008 MBP because I didn't like the direction Apple was going either. Didn't like that everything was soldered in and no user replaceable. Then, a nuclear engineer told me they prefer everything to be soldered as it multitudes more reliable. After that discussion, I felt better about it. Perhaps the reason RAM was failing in the past was because it WASN'T soldered. I tried using other manufacturers products but the smoothness of the late 2008, even up to this past November when I finally upgraded, just was too hard to pass up.

I beginning to view MacRumors forum as a train wreck. It's hard to stop reading the crap and participate in idiotic discussions. If Apple products were REALLY bad, they wouldn't be in the financial position they are today. Period.

 

[gobikerider]

I think the more interesting upgrade this year will be the update to the Precision 5520. The Precision is the brother to the XPS 15” looks identical. So later, some months 5-6 months when the XPS 15” gets updated to the 2018 version. Then we can expect a Precision 5520 2018 update. That would be very interesting!!!

If you need 13” form factor , then go ahead if you can use Ubuntu/Windows go for the just unveiled 13” XPS 2018. I like my Macs, matter of OS. But, very nice option!! Certainly like it too.

Yah I love a lot of Windows hardware but then I look at Windows 10 and am turned away...

 

[mehdijobs]

Don't have doubts, the 2017 MBP has worked very well for me over the past few weeks. I waited for years to upgrade my late 2008 MBP because I didn't like the direction Apple was going either. Didn't like that everything was soldered in and no user replaceable. Then, a nuclear engineer told me they prefer everything to be soldered as it multitudes more reliable. After that discussion, I felt better about it. Perhaps the reason RAM was failing in the past was because it WASN'T soldered. I tried using other manufacturers products but the smoothness of the late 2008, even up to this past November when I finally upgraded, just was too hard to pass up.

I beginning to view MacRumors forum as a train wreck. It's hard to stop reading the crap and participate in idiotic discussions. If Apple products were REALLY bad, they wouldn't be in the financial position they are today. Period.

If McDonalds' products were REALLY bad, they wouldn't be in the financial position they are today. Period.

 

[OriginalAppleGuy]

If McDonalds' products were REALLY bad, they wouldn't be in the financial position they are today. Period.

Nice try - And illustrative of the 7th word (contractions included as one word) my second sentence of that same paragraph. You know what I meant.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I'd wait at this point..

 

[anthorumor]

I heard the 2023 model will be faster than the 2018 model.

 

[oldtime]

If Apple products were REALLY bad, they wouldn't be in the financial position they are today. Period.

The quality of one's product is not the biggest factor in a company's success.

 

[ToroidalZeus]

What do you consider Major? The performance over 5 years has improved significantly:

2012 max proc spec: 2.7 GHz quad with boost to 3.7 GHz
2017 max proc spec: 3.1 GHz quad with boost to 4.1 GHz
(Smaller increment increases have higher influence than the larger increments of years previous)

2012 RAM: 8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
2017 RAM: 16 GB 2133 LPDDR3
(RAM bus improvements are more important than Proc speed - this is a HUGE improvement in ability to do work. Additionally the lower voltage required in 2017 RAM equates to longer battery run times and cooler temps)

The 2017 claims 3 more hours of use on battery than 2012. That, with a 1.5 watt hour smaller battery.

You can't exclude the SSD by comparison. That's just crazy.

In my opinion, it is still quad core and DDR3, and by the way you can upgrade 2011's RAM to 16GB so the maximum memory is still the same for almost 7 years.

CPU
I want to point out that processor performance is determined by IPC (instructions per clock) * Cycle rate (clock cycle per second, usually in GHz).
Although the cycle rate has only increased by 10%, the true performance increase is closer to 35% because of the IPC increase.

GPU
The Radeon 560 in a new macbook pro is about 4-5x more powerful than the GeForce 650m in the original MacBook Pro Retina.

RAM
I agree the 16GB of RAM is a weakness of the current MacBook Pro.

Display
I really want to see a 4K display in MacBook Pro 15"

CPU Cores
More CPU cores decrease battery life and generate more heat so it's not clear if Apple will want go from 6 cores in the immediate future. This is why so many MacBooks still use dual core processors.

 

[ZapNZs]

imagine the awesomeness of 16k porn in 2027. Winning!

 

[macnewbieee]

Hello,

TL; DR: My 2013 machine is working fine but I want to upgrade. I can wait, but also I can not resist the temptation to buy a new one. I am afraid that they will release a major update like hexa cores and 32GB LPDDR4 of RAM. I am thinking of buying one now, and waiting for Cannon Lake to upgrade again in 2020 or 2022.

First of all, my 2013 laptop is working great without any issues so I don't have any problems with waiting, however, I am thinking for upgrading just to have better specs. My LCD failed which is the reason that I decided to upgrade. However, I have replaced it yesterday which means I am not in urgent anymore. I know that as long as I don't need it, it is better to wait. But you know, I like to buy electronics, I am wasting a lot money on them. It is a hobby like collecting cars. I know that every year will have its own updates, but there are major updates and there are minor ones. In my opinion, the processor and RAM did not change since 2011 because it is quad core and 16GB of maximum memory since then which is long time ago, so in my opinion they should have a major update soon. If they will change to hexa core and 32GB LPDDR4 it will be great and I will wait. I know that nobody has an accurate answer, but everybody has his own facts that his opinion is based on them, so I would like to hear some opinions and the reasons behind these opinions, please. Some people are saying that the major update will be on 2020 or 2022, so I had an idea of upgrading now, and waiting for Cannon Lake to upgrade again, is it a good idea?

I am afraid that I wait and then no major updates will happen, then I am wasting time. Also, I am afraid that I buy it now and then I will regret it because they are planning to enhance the keyboard, doing a major update, or even a totally redesign. If I bought it now and upgraded in 2020, there will be 3 years between the two upgrades which is acceptable somehow. However, if I waited until 2018 and nothing is new and I bought one, there will be 2 years between the upgrades which is less acceptable. I know that this thread is pointless regarding to some of you, I was trying to think loudly, maybe somebody can correct me. Sorry for wasting your time if I already did.

Thanks,

but your post is like

Buy now
Wait
But maybe buy now
Worth the wait?
But buying now maybe ok
But should i wait?
But i really want to waste my money
Wait, maybe wasting time?