Since Final Cut Pro is so efficient, is there any point in getting a Pro 13 nTB over a MacBook?

[raymanh]

I'm currently debating whether to get a MacBook or a MacBook Pro 13 nTB. For the same price second hand I could get either a 2016 Pro or a 2017 MacBook.

I'm not a heavy user or gamer, but I do like to make movies once in a while after holidays. Recently I've been using an old XPS and premier pro for this and I have to use proxies that are 1/4 size of 1080p.

I've seen videos and read articles that show that the MacBook Pro 13 nTB is quite capable of editing 4K in final cut, more amazingly the MacBook (even the 2015 model) is capable as well. Seems to be the efficiency of final cut because premier pro performance on both macs is poor.

With that in mind, in terms of power requirements, I don't see any drawbacks to getting a 2017 MacBook over a 2016 MacBook Pro 13 nTB except a few things. Supposedly the screen quality is better on the Pros, so are the speakers and the Pros actually have thunderbolt 3 ports.

I would like to hear your 2 cents worth about this.

 

[Gpulvi]

I own a 2016 M5 MacBook and use premiere occasionally with no hiccups or lags, I edit 1080p short videos. But let me tell you something, battery won't last when rendering and working with some workspaces is a pain down there with a 12 inch screen...

 

[Samuelsan2001]

I'm currently debating whether to get a MacBook or a MacBook Pro 13 nTB. For the same price second hand I could get either a 2016 Pro or a 2017 MacBook.

I'm not a heavy user or gamer, but I do like to make movies once in a while after holidays. Recently I've been using an old XPS and premier pro for this and I have to use proxies that are 1/4 size of 1080p.

I've seen videos and read articles that show that the MacBook Pro 13 nTB is quite capable of editing 4K in final cut, more amazingly the MacBook (even the 2015 model) is capable as well. Seems to be the efficiency of final cut because premier pro performance on both macs is poor.

With that in mind, in terms of power requirements, I don't see any drawbacks to getting a 2017 MacBook over a 2016 MacBook Pro 13 nTB except a few things. Supposedly the screen quality is better on the Pros, so are the speakers and the Pros actually have thunderbolt 3 ports.

I would like to hear your 2 cents worth about this.

The bigger screen more and better ports And far faster iGPU with 64mb cache.

 

[pika2000]

Sustainable performance. Yes, the MacBook can run FCPX, but when encoding videos for extended amount of time, the MacBook Pro will be able to sustain its higher performance longer since the MacBook is very limited thermally.

 

[ZapNZs]

I can only speak to using the MacBook as a second computer, as my workstation is a 15-inch MacBook Pro. I replaced my 2016 nTB with a 2017 rMB as my portable machine and I am happy with my decision.

I like the keyboard much more, I get slightly better battery life, and I am very happy with the performance. I use virtual machines frequently. The rMB's sustained performance is far better than I expected, and it runs the Win 7 VM I use almost as well as my 2016 nTB. Obviously, the nTB has advantages with sustained performance (and the touch bar model has advantages over the nTB.) But for me those performance tradeoffs were justifiable as this is my mobile machine and so the mobility over power was desired. The battery life under load is outstanding - I get 6-8 hours when running a virtual machine!

With only one port that is legacy USB, IMO the MacBook has more limitations if it is your only computer and you wish to use it with multiple accessories, given the bandwidth limitation of legacy USB can be significant when using external SSDs. The MacBook Pro also has more flexibility when it comes to external display options. This was not a concern for me as my wired devices and external displays are all hooked up to my 15-inch MBP, and files made on the rMB are wireless saved to iCloud Drive.

I can't personally tell a huge differences between the screens, other than the MacBook Pro having a slightly brighter display. The speakers aren't bad for something so tiny - although the MBP is quite a bit better here IMO.

If the pricing difference between the two means a new 2017 rMB over a used 2016 nTB, I would take the new 2017 rMB in a heartbeat rather than risking purchasing someone else's problems. The 2017s are also now available from the refurb store.

 

[Fishrrman]

My opinion only, but when presented with a choice between a MacBook and a MacBook Pro -- the Pro is always the better one...

 

[killawat]

For cutting Video the 13" MB shouldn't even be in your view. I mean, it's a capable device, but as you mention, the 13" MBP has TB3. Maybe you want to add a stupid fast storage array in the future? OR perhaps you want to deploy an eGPU so you can drop in 2x 5k displays and cut feature length films. The sky is the limit.

I'm not saying TB3 is a panacea for everyone, but you just have so many more options available to you with the technology.