The best year to buy high-end 15" MBP (need it to last for 7+ years)

[Samuelsan2001]

I do some really demanding stuff like 4k editing, photoshop, I also learn programming and play Blizzard games + I will want to play the newest Blizzard games which come out in near future (a big fan of Diablo franchise here). I will also want to use the MBP for business related stuff.

Thus,
What will be the best year to buy high-end 15" MBP? (I need it to last 7 or more years, as I do not sell & buy new computers faster. Processor-related technological progress is slow and processor-related substantial, technological jumps are very rare. The case is way different with iOS devices where one can justify a purchase of a new iPhone/iPad every 2 years).

I guess 32GB of RAM might be a minimum in this case.

So,
2018 - probably still 16GB of RAM and 6-core processor.
2019 - probably 32GB of RAM and 6-core processor.
2020 - redesign and 32GB-64GB of RAM and 8-core processor + some new technology from apple (like face ID and something that replaces the touchbar or makes it more useful).

I know, I know, one could wait forever as something new comes out every year. However, current MacBooks Pro are not much different from the old ones which also have 16GB of ram and not much slower processor than the current ones, which makes the devices not a valid purchase in my case.

Reassuming - which year might bring a technological jump good enough to justify a purchase in this scenario? (I do not want to wait long but I also do not want to make a bad decission as I will use the device daily and for a very long period of time).

Kind regards!

PS. Sometimes I think that other solution could be better:

plan b) buying an iMac this or next year and a 12" MacBook when the redesign comes

plan c) buying a 12" MacBook this or next year and an iMac when the redesign comes

I think about these solutions also, because I need mobility and medicore power only when I am away from home. As for the demanding stuff as Blizzard gaming, 4k editing and photoshop - I only do so when I'm at home. However, it would be nice to have a single powerful and mobile device for business work and fun.

Help

Unless you buy a gaming laptop, then currently you have a choice between a maxed out 15 inch and an external monitor or an iMac and a cheaper solution for on the go (a non touch bar mbp maybe best for you here). Any laptop makes compromises on performance for battery life and portability so while the 15 inch will game fine and do your 4K video editing with aplomb it’s never going to Match a desktop with far better graphics for gaming and 4K editing, simple as that.

 

[jsnuff1]

I'd not say that you need a minimum of 32GB of ram, I think people have an unhealthy facination with memory beyond 16GB for some reason and in the majority of cases imo, its really not needed.

Im a hardware and software engineer, and people that say these things is what is more concerning than the "unhealthy fascination" as you put it.

Im currently sitting on 22mb of free ram with 6 out of 7GB used in swap space, and thats with just a few of my productivity apps opened with a bunch of safari tabs.

16GB of ram was introduced to the MBP line in 2011...thats SEVEN years ago. To tell someone that wants their MBP to last at least 5 years that 16GB is fine for "majority of cases" and be stuck with 16GB max ram into the 2020's is ridiculous.

Now if you changed your argument to 16GB of RAM if utilized correctly by Apple and software developers *should* be enough RAM years to come, then I would agree with you. This though is just not the case, app developers don't know anything about conserving memory space these days, and everyone codes with the mindset that you have unlimited ram (via paging).

I wont touch another MBP until 32GB comes out. I was just giving a "free" 2017 MBP when I replaced my 2012 MBP battery...I have seen zero performance increases in this laptop, and most of it is because of its 16GB maxed ram and constant disk paging.

 

[greywolfe]

OP, if you're near a Micro Center, they have new IMac pro on sale for $1000 off right now.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Im a hardware and software engineer, and people that say these things is what is more concerning than the "unhealthy fascination" as you put it.

Im currently sitting on 22mb of free ram with 6 out of 7GB used in swap space, and thats with just a few of my productivity apps opened with a bunch of safari tabs.

16GB of ram was introduced to the MBP line in 2011...thats SEVEN years ago. To tell someone that wants their MBP to last at least 5 years that 16GB is fine for "majority of cases" and be stuck with 16GB max ram into the 2020's is ridiculous.

Now if you changed your argument to 16GB of RAM if utilized correctly by Apple and software developers *should* be enough RAM years to come, then I would agree with you. This though is just not the case, app developers don't know anything about conserving memory space these days, and everyone codes with the mindset that you have unlimited ram (via paging).

I wont touch another MBP until 32GB comes out. I was just giving a "free" 2017 MBP when I replaced my 2012 MBP battery...I have seen zero performance increases in this laptop, and most of it is because of its 16GB maxed ram and constant disk paging.

I disagree here firstly ram and swap and everything on your MacBook means literally nothing, the only thing that counts is the ram pressure graph if that’s green you are golden if it’s not you need more ram that simple. If you need more ram you have the wrong computer for the job.

Yes and 16gb of ram was an outrageous amount 7years ago and is still a hell of a lot of ram, as the only way to produce these things seems to be doubling every time it’s way more than ram usage is actually going up over time. Apple are actually very good at ram usage in their software and so are developers developing for Apple OSX on the whole can’t say the same for windows and android though.

I would imagine that the reason the 16gb of ram in a new mbp made no difference because you are using basic single threaded apps and no dgpu in other words your software made no use of the increased hardware and even 128gb of ram will make no difference to this.

I often run 2 or 3 different productivity apps have 20pdfs open over 10 virtual desktops and a bunch of safari tabs open for studying and my 2013 mbp with 8gb of ram runs it just fine.

 

[shaunp]

I'd not say that you need a minimum of 32GB of ram, I think people have an unhealthy facination with memory beyond 16GB for some reason and in the majority of cases imo, its really not needed.

True, most don't but a lot of us do testing with VM's and they require RAM. Pushing these workloads out to cloud is an option, but only if you know you will have connectivity. Sometimes it's just cheaper and more reliable to run it locally. The fact that Apple doesn't give users the choice is an issue.

 

[maflynn]

True, most don't but a lot of us do

I'm not saying the need isn't there, but I do find it odd, that once the 16GB ram limitation started gaining traction, people came out of the woodwork, complaining they can't deal with such a limited machine, yet most of the stated uses needs no where near 32GB of ram.

 

[shaunp]

I'm not saying the need isn't there, but I do find it odd, that once the 16GB ram limitation started gaining traction, people came out of the woodwork, complaining they can't deal with such a limited machine, yet most of the stated uses needs no where near 32GB of ram.

I don't disagree, but it would be nice to have an option for those of us that do. Currently writing this on a Lenovo P51 with 32GB - can be expanded to 64GB when I need it, but I don't have to buy the extra RAM at time of purchase. I know most people can make do with 8GB these days, and some can even manage on 4GB but the absence of choice from Apple is an issue.

 

[Queen6]

I'm not saying the need isn't there, but I do find it odd, that once the 16GB ram limitation started gaining traction, people came out of the woodwork, complaining they can't deal with such a limited machine, yet most of the stated uses needs no where near 32GB of ram.

True, however demands are ever increasing nor am I speaking generally. I personally believe the average Mac user is still fine with 8Gb of RAM, however more and more use cases require more RAM. With Apple your strictly limited to 16Gb in the portable format. Apple desperately wants the "Halo effect" equally Apple needs to step up and deliver the portable equivalent of the iMac Pro if it wants to be remotely taken seriously; performance, ports, above all stability & reliability.

I don't want a portable Mac that's crushed by it's counterparts, I want a MacBook Pro that dominates the completion, sadly we're stuck with thinner is better at all cost. Resultantly I've given up on Apple as a provider of serious hardware...

Having 32Gb/64Gb in your notebook wont make an iota of difference to performance if you don't need it, however needing and not having will significantly impact productivity...

n.b written on a notebook with 32Gb "scalable" to 64Gb.

Q-6

 

[New_Mac_Smell]

Most people who need the RAM need a lot more than 32GB, having that would make little difference in reality, what they want is 64-128GB which you'll not see in a notebook till 256GB is available in a desktop. Most of those people have never been able to use a notebook as a primary computer and have always used desktops/workstations. Just because we have a max 16GB of RAM today there suddenly seems to be far more than usual convinced they need more, and the worry is that it's not based on anything a lot of the time other than their previous computer also had 16GB of RAM. Like my old car was 2Ltr therefore the new one must be at least 3Ltr.