The best Macbook Pro ever made

[UBS28]

The late 2013 Haswell 15" Retina Macbook Pro is the best Macbook Pro Apple had ever created.

It's almost 2017 and it's CPU is as fast as the latest Macbook Pro. Read and Write speeds of 1gb/s and 16 gb of RAM is still very competitive too.

The only reason why someone wants to upgrade is for the 460 GPU, the need for USB-C ports, the touch bar or simply the need of having the latest.

Also the 2013 15" Haswell Macbook Pro has zero issues unlike the other models.

I don't think there has ever been a Macbook Pro that has been able to stay so close in performance (excluding GPU performance. If you need GPU performance you should buy a PC) to the latest models after 3 years of age.

 

[Steve121178]

In terms of hardware, the late 2016 models are the best ever made. They will be even better once the internals get upgraded with Kaby Lake/Cannonlake CPU's next year which should make them a much better purchase (power, battery life etc).

As always with Apple, always try to avoid v1.0 if you can. Having said that, if I needed a new computer right now, I'd buy one in an instant. There is nothing better.

 

[UBS28]

In terms of hardware, the late 2016 models are the best ever made. They will be even better once the internals get upgraded with Kaby Lake/Cannonlake CPU's next year which should make them a much better purchase (power, battery life etc).

As always with Apple, always try to avoid v1.0 if you can. Having said that, if I needed a new computer right now, I'd buy one in an instant. There is nothing better.

We shall see after 3 years how the 2016 rMBP performs against the 2019 rMBP. So far no MBP has hold it's performance so well after 3 years like the 2013 15" Haswell rMBP.

 

[Trixs]

We shall see after 3 years how the 2016 rMBP performs against the 2019 rMBP. So far no MBP has hold it's performance so well after 3 years like the 2013 15" Haswell rMBP.

That's just because hardware isn't evolving as fast as it used to, especially processors... Even my macbook air 11 inch from 2013 still works well, but that doesn't mean it's the best macbook air Apple ever made.

 

[maflynn]

I think my 2012 rMBP is the best one ever made, perfect balance of features, power, size and weight.

 

[monkeydax]

We shall see after 3 years how the 2016 rMBP performs against the 2019 rMBP. So far no MBP has hold it's performance so well after 3 years like the 2013 15" Haswell rMBP.

Yes, that's because CPU performance has really topped out, and we're past exponential growth, with growth rates of cpu processing power starting to flatten.

 

[David58117]

The late 2013 Haswell 15" Retina Macbook Pro is the best Macbook Pro Apple had ever created.

It's almost 2017 and it's CPU is as fast as the latest Macbook Pro. Read and Write speeds of 1gb/s and 16 gb of RAM is still very competitive too.

The only reason why someone wants to upgrade is for the 460 GPU, the need for USB-C ports, the touch bar or simply the need of having the latest.

Also the 2013 15" Haswell Macbook Pro has zero issues unlike the other models.

I don't think there has ever been a Macbook Pro that has been able to stay so close in performance (excluding GPU performance. If you need GPU performance you should buy a PC) to the latest models after 3 years of age.

Is this the one with stain-gate or the dGPU failure?

 

[SoyCapitanSoyCapitan]

I agree. 2013-2015 was the pinnacle of the design in terms of getting the keyboard right, build quality and some upgradablility. Apple only needed to keep specs fresh, have upgradable memory, and make a gradual transition to TB3-USB C.

Instead they transformed the MBP into an expensive iPad laptop in one step.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

The late 2013 Haswell 15" Retina Macbook Pro is the best Macbook Pro Apple had ever created.

It's almost 2017 and it's CPU is as fast as the latest Macbook Pro. Read and Write speeds of 1gb/s and 16 gb of RAM is still very competitive too.

The only reason why someone wants to upgrade is for the 460 GPU, the need for USB-C ports, the touch bar or simply the need of having the latest.

Also the 2013 15" Haswell Macbook Pro has zero issues unlike the other models.

I don't think there has ever been a Macbook Pro that has been able to stay so close in performance (excluding GPU performance. If you need GPU performance you should buy a PC) to the latest models after 3 years of age.

Of course you have left out the fantastic bonus for those that actually buy a laptop for use on the go that the 2016 has far better portability, the fastest and most flexible ports ever to be available. The ability to dock to a 5k screen with one cable, the ability to use an external GPU to its full capabilities, better wifi, better screen with increased brightness and colour gamut. And that the new ones are faster in every metric.

That's ok though we'll just gloss over these things in favour of you subjective nonsense.

 

[JohnnyGo]

Of course you have left out the fantastic bonus for those that actually buy a laptop for use on the go that the 2016 has far better portability, the fastest and most flexible ports ever to be available. The ability to dock to a 5k screen with one cable, the ability to use an external GPU to its full capabilities, better wifi, better screen with increased brightness and colour gamut. And that the new ones are faster in every metric.

That's ok though we'll just gloss over these things in favour of you subjective nonsense.

You forgot the best screen for a laptop under 3lbs and the fastest storage by a mile for ANY laptop.

But who's counting???

 

[leman]

I don't think there has ever been a Macbook Pro that has been able to stay so close in performance (excluding GPU performance. If you need GPU performance you should buy a PC) to the latest models after 3 years of age.

And what does this has to do with the MacBook Pro per se? The issue is the overall stagnation of the CPU industry.

For me, there is no question that the 2016 models are indeed the best MBP ever, if one looks at it from the engineering standpoint. They made the thing thinner and lighter, put one of the best displays in the industry into it, fastest storage, and faster I/O than any laptop before that, and all that while retaining the performance class and the battery life. Its really not too shabby.

 

[UBS28]

Of course you have left out the fantastic bonus for those that actually buy a laptop for use on the go that the 2016 has far better portability, the fastest and most flexible ports ever to be available. The ability to dock to a 5k screen with one cable, the ability to use an external GPU to its full capabilities, better wifi, better screen with increased brightness and colour gamut. And that the new ones are faster in every metric.

That's ok though we'll just gloss over these things in favour of you subjective nonsense.

Not according to geekbench. It's even slower than last year model.

Maybe USB-C is nice for you, but others find it not so great having to use dongles. I don't see how USB-C is factually better.

Thunderbolt 2 bottlenecks external GPU's? Even if that is the case, it's a very niche market. Most people don't
even use Thunderbolt 2.

The main reason why people upgrade their laptop is that their laptop becomes too slow rather for some Thunderbolt 3, USB-C or better WIFI which performed good already.

 

[ccglows]

I had issues with that one, lines began forming across the screen slowly with like 1 new line added every week. The trackpad also became unresponsive at times and the hinge creaked very loudly.

The 2015 I have at the moment is far better

 

[skids929]

Not according to geekbench. It's even slower than last year model.

Maybe USB-C is nice for you, but others find it not so great having to use dongles. I don't see how USB-C is factually better.

Thunderbolt 2 bottlenecks external GPU's? Even if that is the case, it's a very niche market. Most people don't
even use Thunderbolt 2.

The main reason why people upgrade their laptop is that their laptop becomes too slow rather for some Thunderbolt 3, USB-C or better WIFI which performed good already.

Geekbench is crap and I don't even think it's configured yet to read these new MBP properly.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Not according to geekbench. It's even slower than last year model.

Maybe USB-C is nice for you, but others find it not so great having to use dongles. I don't see how USB-C is factually better.

Thunderbolt 2 bottlenecks external GPU's? Even if that is the case, it's a very niche market. Most people don't
even use Thunderbolt 2.

The main reason why people upgrade their laptop is that their laptop becomes too slow rather for some Thunderbolt 3, USB-C or better WIFI which performed good already.

Those USBc are a universal all ways port that are very small and compact and have DP 1.3 thunderbolt 3 and power all built in they will all do everything basically, can't see why anyone would have a problem with that 2or 3 dongles and one cable is better than six different cables for different products surely??

No the Geekbench results only measure CPU and in many apps (especially those where it's going to make any bloody difference) the GPU Is also leveraged , you pointed out yourself how much better the Radeon in the 15 inch is (at a much lower TDP for quieter cooler operation at that). Benchmarks mean nothing however all the reviews I have read have shown the new machine to be faster in every metric I have seen tested.

Yes thunderbolt 2 throttles eGPU's, and egpus will become more mainstream as people want to use their mobile computers with VR without having to lug around an 8lb dual GPU hot loud crap battery life monster.

Actually as far as I can tell the main Reason that most people buy something new is because they want something new and faster their old computer is doing just fine their expectations have changed. And all the things you don't think are important are the main things that improve the perception of speed in day to day computing tasks, as you point out yourself the actual CPU speed is not much different, but that's hardly apples fault Intel still haven't shipped any iris pro graphics processors for skylake, and the skylake change from haswell is not that great anyway.

You are contradicting yourself and putting forth a poor argument for your own bias, that's fine just expect to be called out in it.

 

[Mr. Bean]

Maybe USB-C is nice for you, but others find it not so great having to use dongles. I don't see how USB-C is factually better.

I think this statement is doing you a disservice. It's an emotive argument rather than factual.

It is generally accepted that USB-C is the future. The only reason you have to use dongles now is because not many devices out there have adopted the technology. I'm willing to bet that within the next year, more USB-C devices will show up, therefore reducing the need for dongles. As for using dongles now, that's the price you pay for being an early adopter.

One quirk about Apple is that they like to lead, change, and revolutionise whenever they can. Remember one of Jobs' philosophy: Apple doesn't make things that the consumers already know they need. Apple make things consumers do not yet know that they need. Is Apple making the right move with this MBP? Only time will tell. You need to remember that Apple is still a company that answers to shareholders, so as long as its shareholders are happy, then that is an indication it has made the correct business decision, regardless of any of our opinions.

 

[Wowereit]

I think the problem for most people isn't that Apple's products are bad or anything.
Take a look at Windows notebooks 2008 vs Mac 2008.
Take a look at Windows notebooks 2012 vs Mac 2012.
Take a look at Windows notebooks 2016 vs Mac 2016.

Apple's designs, battery life and reliability were far ahead, but competition has caught up.
It's closer than it has been for a long time and what did Apple do? Bumping up prices and TB models with the same battery life as the old design.

I'm happy with my non TB 13", but if you've considered switching before, now seems to be the right time.

 

[Mr. Bean]

I think the problem for most people isn't that Apple's products are bad or anything.
Take a look at Windows notebooks 2008 vs Mac 2008.
Take a look at Windows notebooks 2012 vs Mac 2012.
Take a look at Windows notebooks 2016 vs Mac 2016.

Apple's designs, battery life and reliability were far ahead, but competition has caught up.
It's closer than it has been for a long time and what did Apple do? Bumping up prices and TB models with the same battery life as the old design.

I'm happy with my non TB 13", but if you've considered switching before, now seems to be the right time.

I agree with your statement that the competition has closed the gap on most fronts, but from a wider point of view, we're at a very interesting point in the history of computing. We are pretty much close to the ceilings on the computing aspects, so there's really not much you can do to differentiate with the competitors. At this point in time, it really comes down to experience and needs. Which device provide a better user experience for you, and which device meets your needs? Of course Apple has chosen the path of portability and looks over computing power with the new MBPs, but linking up to my statement above, they've grown too big with such a huge market share, they're preparing to satisfy the majority of their customers rather than making the minority happy.

 

[stockscalper]

The best Macbook Pro ever made was the Macbook Air

 

[repairshacklubbock]

Those USBc are a universal all ways port that are very small and compact and have DP 1.3 thunderbolt 3 and power all built in they will all do everything basically, can't see why anyone would have a problem with that 2or 3 dongles and one cable is better than six different cables for different products surely??

No the Geekbench results only measure CPU and in many apps (especially those where it's going to make any bloody difference) the GPU Is also leveraged , you pointed out yourself how much better the Radeon in the 15 inch is (at a much lower TDP for quieter cooler operation at that). Benchmarks mean nothing however all the reviews I have read have shown the new machine to be faster in every metric I have seen tested.

Yes thunderbolt 2 throttles eGPU's, and egpus will become more mainstream as people want to use their mobile computers with VR without having to lug around an 8lb dual GPU hot loud crap battery life monster.

Actually as far as I can tell the main Reason that most people buy something new is because they want something new and faster their old computer is doing just fine their expectations have changed. And all the things you don't think are important are the main things that improve the perception of speed in day to day computing tasks, as you point out yourself the actual CPU speed is not much different, but that's hardly apples fault Intel still haven't shipped any iris pro graphics processors for skylake, and the skylake change from haswell is not that great anyway.

You are contradicting yourself and putting forth a poor argument for your own bias, that's fine just expect to be called out in it.

[doublepost=1501434722][/doublepost]Not to mention, just because the clock speed is the same (everyone is obsessed with GHz) doesn't mean that the cpu isn't MUCH more efficient at processing data per clock cycle.

 

[Fthree]

2015 15 maxed, with the MAGSAFE

 

[DHagan4755]

A month after Yosemite was released, I was going to install it on my late 2013 15 MBP. I remember first checking the uptime in terminal. It was 190 days. So I decided play a game to see how long I could go without needing to reboot. I made it over a year. I was using Photoshop, FCP, Office, browsers, etc, and didn't need to reboot or feel any speed decrease that would make me want to reboot. When I finally had to reboot because the keyboard stopped responding, I upgraded to Yosemite because I really wanted the new features. 3 years later, the late 2013 15 MBP has been very reliable. I'm finding that Sierra is very reliable from an OS standpoint (Yosemite & El Cap not so much). With Sierra I've only had to reboot when I do the point updates.

 

[iregret]

The VA just bought me a 2017 15" MacBook Pro base model. I currently have a 2013 15" MacBook Pro, almost ultimate model (missing the largest hard drive).

I'm still using my 2013. There's not much of a day to day improvement for me and I haven't figured out I want to how to hook up my 2 4K monitors yet. I have had zero issues with my late 2013 MacBook Pro. I've used it daily since I bought it. It's just been great.

Now, I'm sure the processor in this new one is miles faster. I do like Touch ID quite a bit, but my 2013 unlocks with my watch, so I don't really need it. The thunderbolt 3 ports have been a bigger pain in the ass more than anything.

I don't hate either laptop. I think they're both great, but I do feel like I really got my money's worth out of the 2013. It still works as good as the day I bought it. I honestly don't really know what to do with it now that I have a replacement. I almost hate to sell it since it works so well...

 

[tylerjasonj]

The best Macbook Pro ever made was the Macbook Air

THE MACBOOK AIR ROCKS! THERE IS NOTHING LIKE IT, IN TERMS OF BATTERY LIFE ON A MAC COMPUTER.
[doublepost=1510345715][/doublepost]The MacBook air rocks! There is nothing like it, in terms of battery life on a mac computer. I think the question asked was which is the best MacBook ever made. This is a matter of opinion because each owner of an apple product thinks theirs is the best. End of the day the one that worked for you is the best of them all. To those with less money to spend the best is the 2015 MacBook pro and to those who love burning holes in their pockets because they can afford to, the 2017 MacBook pro is by far the best provided you don't get a defective one with a broken keyboard or clicky keys or with unresolved issues.

To the latter, its best to check your new 2017 MacBook pro properly the first two week so you can return it if there are any issues because apple with give you a hard time when it comes to the keyboard after your two weeks is over. To those buying the old 2015 MacBook, most of them still run perfectly with no issues and buy second hand is far safer than trying to buy a 2016 MacBook pro second hand.

9 times out of ten the 2016 and 2017 MacBook sold on eBay and other sites have keyboard issues and defects that have not or just could not be resolved so you will find yourself buying someone else’s problems unless you buy refurbished - certified refurbished - not user refurbished. Now it's a known fact that from 2012 tO late 2015 99 % of buyers of used MacBook pros were very happy with their purchase but in 2017 those opting to buy used 2016 and 2017 MacBook pros are shocked to discover the inevitable outcome which for many has brought with it much heart break.

All said and done, from the above mentioned I would say the 2015 MacBook pro is by far the best MacBook ever made. Really now - what's the use of new tech in 2017 when you sitting with a defective machine - but there is a grand surprise on its way for 2018 as apple decides to scrap the new keyboard all together and to give their devoted fans an android like glass panel with keys under the glass that vibrate when your fingers find them. So, if you must have the last MacBook pro with actual key you better go out and grab one because pretty soon the physical keys will be dinosaurs in the museum of apples past history.
[doublepost=1510345819][/doublepost]

Of course you have left out the fantastic bonus for those that actually buy a laptop for use on the go that the 2016 has far better portability, the fastest and most flexible ports ever to be available. The ability to dock to a 5k screen with one cable, the ability to use an external GPU to its full capabilities, better wifi, better screen with increased brightness and colour gamut. And that the new ones are faster in every metric.

That's ok though we'll just gloss over these things in favour of you subjective nonsense.

The MacBook air rocks! There is nothing like it, in terms of battery life on a mac computer. I think the question asked was which is the best MacBook ever made. This is a matter of opinion because each owner of an apple product thinks theirs is the best. End of the day the one that worked for you is the best of them all. To those with less money to spend the best is the 2015 MacBook pro and to those who love burning holes in their pockets because they can afford to, the 2017 MacBook pro is by far the best provided you don't get a defective one with a broken keyboard or clicky keys or with unresolved issues.

To the latter, its best to check your new 2017 MacBook pro properly the first two week so you can return it if there are any issues because apple with give you a hard time when it comes to the keyboard after your two weeks is over. To those buying the old 2015 MacBook, most of them still run perfectly with no issues and buy second hand is far safer than trying to buy a 2016 MacBook pro second hand.

9 times out of ten the 2016 and 2017 MacBook sold on eBay and other sites have keyboard issues and defects that have not or just could not be resolved so you will find yourself buying someone else’s problems unless you buy refurbished - certified refurbished - not user refurbished. Now it's a known fact that from 2012 to late 2015 99 % of buyers of used MacBook pros were very happy with their purchase but in 2017 those opting to buy used 2016 and 2017 MacBook pros are shocked to discover the inevitable outcome which for many has brought with it much heart break.

All said and done, from the above mentioned I would say the 2015 MacBook pro is by far the best MacBook ever made. Really now - what's the use of new tech in 2017 when you sitting with a defective machine - but there is a grand surprise on its way for 2018 as apple decides to scrap the new keyboard all together and to give their devoted fans an android like glass panel with keys under the glass that vibrate when your fingers find them. So, if you must have the last MacBook pro with actual keys on the keyboard you better go out and grab one because pretty soon the physical keys will be dinosaurs in the museum of apples past history.
[doublepost=1510346780][/doublepost]

The late 2013 Haswell 15" Retina Macbook Pro is the best Macbook Pro Apple had ever created.

It's almost 2017 and it's CPU is as fast as the latest Macbook Pro. Read and Write speeds of 1gb/s and 16 gb of RAM is still very competitive too.

The only reason why someone wants to upgrade is for the 460 GPU, the need for USB-C ports, the touch bar or simply the need of having the latest.

Also the 2013 15" Haswell Macbook Pro has zero issues unlike the other models.

I don't think there has ever been a Macbook Pro that has been able to stay so close in performance (excluding GPU performance. If you need GPU performance you should buy a PC) to the latest models after 3 years of age.

The MacBook air rocks! There is nothing like it, in terms of battery life on a mac computer. I think the question asked was which is the best MacBook ever made. This is a matter of opinion because each owner of an apple product thinks theirs is the best. End of the day the one that worked for you is the best of them all. To those with less money to spend the best is the 2015 MacBook pro and to those who love burning holes in their pockets because they can afford to, the 2017 MacBook pro is by far the best provided you don't get a defective one with a broken keyboard or clicky keys or with unresolved issues.

To the latter, its best to check your new 2017 MacBook pro properly the first two week so you can return it if there are any issues because apple with give you a hard time when it comes to the keyboard after your two weeks is over. To those buying the old 2015 MacBook, most of them still run perfectly with no issues and buy second hand is far safer than trying to buy a 2016 MacBook pro second hand.

9 times out of ten the 2016 and 2017 MacBook sold on eBay and other sites have keyboard issues and defects that have not or just could not be resolved so you will find yourself buying someone else’s problems unless you buy refurbished - certified refurbished - not user refurbished. Now it's a known fact that from 2012 to late 2015 99 % of buyers of used MacBook pros were very happy with their purchase but in 2017 those opting to buy used 2016 and 2017 MacBook pros are shocked to discover the inevitable outcome which for many has brought with it much heart break.

All said and done, from the above mentioned I would say the 2015 MacBook pro is by far the best MacBook ever made. Really now - what's the use of new tech in 2017 when you sitting with a defective machine - but there is a grand surprise on its way for 2018 as apple decides to scrap the new keyboard all together and to give their devoted fans an android like glass panel with keys under the glass that vibrate when your fingers find them. So, if you must have the last MacBook pro with actual keys you better go out and grab one because pretty soon the physical keys will be dinosaurs in the museum of apples past history.

Personal I feel Apple made a grave error in the naming of the New MacBook Pro 2016 and 2017 - They should have named it the New Mac Ultrabook, that would have gone down much better because the real New MacBook Pro with the new battery giving use outstanding battery life and the new keys will only come out in mid 2018 and that should have been named the all new MacBook Pro but hey who am I - JUST SAYING! LATER Y'ALL...
[doublepost=1510346916][/doublepost]

[doublepost=1501434722][/doublepost]Not to mention, just because the clock speed is the same (everyone is obsessed with GHz) doesn't mean that the cpu isn't MUCH more efficient at processing data per clock cycle.

Personally, I feel Apple made a grave error in the naming of the New MacBook Pro 2016 and 2017 - They should have named it the New Mac Ultrabook, that would have gone down much better because the real New MacBook Pro with the new battery giving use outstanding battery life and the new keys will only come out in mid 2018 and that should have been named the all new MacBook Pro but hey who am I - JUST SAYING! LATER Y'ALL...

 

[Macalicious2011]

Personally, I feel Apple made a grave error in the naming of the New MacBook Pro 2016 and 2017 - They should have named it the New Mac Ultrabook, that would have gone down much better because the real New MacBook Pro with the new battery giving use outstanding battery life and the new keys will only come out in mid 2018 and that should have been named the all new MacBook Pro but hey who am I - JUST SAYING! LATER Y'ALL...

Granted, my 2012 Macbook has been bullet proof and has not had a single problem, but are the 2016 and 2017 Macbooks that bad? I've read the odd complaint about keys getting stuck but am surprised by the wide and loud uproar.