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This has to be the year all Pros get a quad core and a good GPU right?

S

scaramoosh

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Nov 30, 2014
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I need to upgrade, all the mid ranged Windows Laptops now are coming with a 8250u/150mx or now the new Ryzen 2500u... which are all really graphically capable now and quad cores.

So I’m hoping Apple cannot get away with putting a dual core and intergrated graphic as from intel in any of their Pros. Surely this year has to be the year even the base models have a Ryzen GPU or the mx150 which are now in $600 laptops.

I’ve held off on getting a MacBook Pro because their specs are always mediocre, then if you want to get a Windows equivalent model, you have to pay £2300.... it’s crazy. The Acer Aspire E 15 has a 8250 + mx150 and it’s £539 right now including VAT and international shipping.

So this has to be the year right? We cannot have another year of mediocre specs at s premium price. At least their other products are top of their class for the high price.
 
Don't see a reason why Apple would choose not to put in the 8th gen.
Whether the 13" will get a GPU or not...that is anybody's guess.
 
macjunk(ie) said:
Don't see a reason why Apple would choose not to put in the 8th gen.
Whether the 13" will get a GPU or not...that is anybody's guess.
Click to expand...

Apple seems to be serious with eGPu’s, so it wouldn’t surprise me if they release 13 MacBook pros with Integrated Graphics only.
 
Yep, pretty sure Apple will stick with the Iris Plus 655 in the 13“ MBP. It‘s only about 20% slower than the MX 150, so it‘s not too bad especially considering the improvements to fan noise and battery life due to not having a dedicated GPU.
 
scaramoosh said:
Yeah MX150 or the Ryzen GPU in the 2500/2700u
Click to expand...

The 10W MX150 is actually roughly 10% slower than the Iris Plus Apple is using - no point to use that chip. The 25W MX150 is like 20% faster, but it would also double the CPU+GPU TDP of the Touch Bar 13" MacBook Pro, or triple it in the case of the nTB MBP. That's not gonna happen.

The Vega 11 in the higher end Ryzen Mobile is actually almost twice as fast as the Iris Plus, so this would be an option. However, the CPU performance is actually a lot slower than Intel's 8th generation 28W CPUs, so I doubt Apple would go this route. With the availability of eGPUs, you can after all improve graphics performance by simply connecting an external GPU, but you can not improve CPU performance.
 
Poki said:
The 10W MX150 is actually roughly 10% slower than the Iris Plus Apple is using - no point to use that chip. The 25W MX150 is like 20% faster, but it would also double the CPU+GPU TDP of the Touch Bar 13" MacBook Pro, or triple it in the case of the nTB MBP. That's not gonna happen.

The Vega 11 in the higher end Ryzen Mobile is actually almost twice as fast as the Iris Plus, so this would be an option. However, the CPU performance is actually a lot slower than Intel's 8th generation 28W CPUs, so I doubt Apple would go this route. With the availability of eGPUs, you can after all improve graphics performance by simply connecting an external GPU, but you can not improve CPU performance.
Click to expand...

You’re acting like it’s 65w... do Apple put 2000mah batteries in their laptops or something? Also the MX150 is massively more powerful than the intel iris...

Everyone else manages to pack it into a 13 inch laptop, why not Apple?
 
scaramoosh said:
You’re acting like it’s 65w... do Apple put 2000mah batteries in their laptops or something? Also the MX150 is massively more powerful than the intel iris...

Everyone else manages to pack it into a 13 inch laptop, why not Apple?
Click to expand...

Undoubtedly Apple wants you purchase yet another piece of hardware to accomplish what others do internally. eGPU's made a lot of sense when mobile dGPU's were way behind their desktop counterparts. Spin forward to 2018 not so much the case, equally if you want a portable Mac with a decent dGPU Apple is highly likely going to make you pay royally for the privilege.

To me the purpose of a notebook is to be portable, not require a bunch of dongles and adaptors, let alone a eGPU just to get work done and or attain basic connectivity...

Q-6
 
scaramoosh said:
You’re acting like it’s 65w... do Apple put 2000mah batteries in their laptops or something? Also the MX150 is massively more powerful than the intel iris...

Everyone else manages to pack it into a 13 inch laptop, why not Apple?
Click to expand...
Are everyone else's 13" as small as Apple's?
I suspect this might not be the case cause Apple is devoted to small in the laptops and big in the profit margins.
So Apple gets to maintain the smallness of the 13" as an excuse for not getting the dedicated GPU in there.

On the flip side, if they do include it, then they will be forced to increase prices cause of their unwillingness to compromise on their margins. I am hoping that at least now, someone who matters in Apple thinks that the prices of the MBPs are already too high. So that might be another reason why the 13" will not get a DGPU
 
scaramoosh said:
You’re acting like it’s 65w... do Apple put 2000mah batteries in their laptops or something? Also the MX150 is massively more powerful than the intel iris...

Everyone else manages to pack it into a 13 inch laptop, why not Apple?
Click to expand...

The MX150 is not "massively more powerful" than the Iris Plus. As I stated, the 10W variant is actually slower than the Iris, while the standard 25W variant is just about 20% faster. Is 20% GPU speed increase actually worth doubling the TDP, thous increasing fan noise and reducing battery life? It's certainly not for a lot of users, and I do not consider the MX150 to be an advantage compared to the Iris Plus.

And yes, some benchmarks indicate that the MX150 does have a larger advantage. This is mainly due to the dedicated VRAM, and mostly relevant in gaming. The numbers I stated are from the pure number crunching power (floating point operations per second, single precision), and they should represent a more accurate picture for how well these chips fare in GPU accelerated workloads. Gaming is very obviously not a focus of the MacBook Pro.

Also, most other comparable notebooks do not include the Iris Plus either (look at the Razer Blade Stealth or the Dell XPS 13). Those who do compromise in some other ways - the Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air, for example, uses a 20% smaller battery to accomodate the MX150 in a body comparable to the 13" MacBook Pro.
 
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Apple has reason why they have waited for Coffee Lake (Iris Plus with 128MB eDRAM has much better FLOPs/Watts ration than the MX150)... Although they make me mad by (hopefully) waiting for WWDC since Intel has officially released the CPUs needed. :(
 
Queen6 said:
Undoubtedly Apple wants you purchase yet another piece of hardware to accomplish what others do internally.
Click to expand...

Not sure if you realize that Apple does not sell any eGPU enclosures or GPUs. You buy those from third parties; Apple doesn't get any of your money for that. Also, eGPUs are far from an Apple thing. They exist because of Windows laptops and have done for quite some time; Apple is only just now getting around to supporting them.

--Eric
 
Just catch a 2016 (15") model on sale and call it a day.

Apple will never make having the best GPU a priority. They never really have.
 
Last edited:
Eric5h5 said:
Not sure if you realize that Apple does not sell any eGPU enclosures or GPUs. You buy those from third parties; Apple doesn't get any of your money for that. Also, eGPUs are far from an Apple thing. They exist because of Windows laptops and have done for quite some time; Apple is only just now getting around to supporting them.

--Eric
Click to expand...

Apple sells a Dev kit eGPU and I wont be at all surprised if Apple launches a commercial version for the general public. It's simply too much like modern Apple to lock you in and force an additional sales. It's already a done deal with post purchase upgrades and why the new Mac Pro is taking so long. Apple is simply not going to miss a single cent, which is fair enough, although such an aggressive stance is undoubtedly hostile towards the customer.

Q-6
 
Queen6 said:
Apple sells a Dev kit eGPU and I wont be at all surprised if Apple launches a commercial version for the general public. It's simply too much like modern Apple to lock you in and force an additional sales. It's already a done deal with post purchase upgrades and why the new Mac Pro is taking so long. Apple is simply not going to miss a single cent, which is fair enough, although such an aggressive stance is undoubtedly hostile towards the customer.

Q-6
Click to expand...
Yup. I think all that 'engineering flow' talk is BS. All we need is a simple tower and the technology exists right now, rather has existed for years. What does Apple think all the Pros are doing now? Twiddling their thumbs and waiting till 2019 for Apple to release the Pro?

I bet Apple is thinking of devious ways to introduce proprietary artifacts in the new MacPro. It will be modular...yes...but only with Apple licensed devices that are built to Apple's proprietary spec. An over-engineering feat that no one has asked for...just like the damned Touch Bar.

I just hope Apple proves me wrong.
 
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Queen6 said:
Apple sells a Dev kit eGPU and I wont be at all surprised if Apple launches a commercial version for the general public. It's simply too much like modern Apple to lock you in and force an additional sales. It's already a done deal with post purchase upgrades and why the new Mac Pro is taking so long. Apple is simply not going to miss a single cent, which is fair enough, although such an aggressive stance is undoubtedly hostile towards the customer.
Click to expand...

Again: this is not an Apple thing. It's a Windows laptop thing that Apple is late to the party on. Apple doesn't sell any eGPU enclosures or GPUs. Even if they did, unless you're claiming that they will somehow make a proprietary eGPU enclosure, there's no lock-in. (They don't sell the dev kit anymore, plus it was just a standard Sonnet enclosure, not made by Apple.)

--Eric
 
macjunk(ie) said:
Yup. I think all that 'engineering flow' talk is BS. All we need is a simple tower and the technology exists right now, rather has existed for years. What does Apple think all the Pros are doing now? Twiddling their thumbs and waiting till 2019 for Apple to release the Pro?

I bet Apple is thinking of devious ways to introduce proprietary artifacts in the new MacPro. It will be modular...yes...but only with Apple licensed devices that are built to Apple's proprietary spec. An over-engineering feat that no one has asked for...just like the damned Touch Bar.

I just hope Apple proves me wrong.
Click to expand...

That's what I fully expect Apple will ensure that post purchase upgrades will only add to Apple's revenue stream as that will undoubtedly lock down the system. Those hoping for an open system I personally believe are going to be highly disappointed.

Apple wont even throw in a $10 adaptor with a $3K MBP, so picking and choosing an aftermarket GPU is unlikely...

Q-6
 
I'm surprised there's so much bitterness in this forum. Does really nobody here see a huge change in the advancements of eGPUs? An external GTX 1080 Ti is going to be far more powerful than anything Apple could reasonably fit into a notebook. And a well done enclosure does not only connect an eGPU, it also does charge the MacBook Pro, and it potentially adds ports or even hard drive bays. It doesn't get more comfortable than simply plugging in a single cable to do all these things at once.
 
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