Trying to decide between 2013, 2014 or 2015 MBPs on Craigslist

[Captain America]

Hi guys,

TL;DR - Skip past the below text to the spot where I pasted the Macs, if you're not here for background info

Maybe it's because my brain is fried from doing so much searching for the right MBP to buy, maybe I'm just dumb, but for some reason I can't decisively decide between these few options for an MBP. This is my first ever venture into the world of Mac computers, so I'm eager and nervous about it all. I'm currently "renting" (purchased MBP w/ intent to return [as it's a more expensive model than I could actually keep]) 2015 15" MBP from a store, so I could see what I'd think about it. I like it quite a bit so far, and I certainly think I'd like to have one.

I'm known for having powerful computers, two gaming laptops (both well-aged now) and so I like having some oomph. I certainly know well enough to not look for any sort of useful video card in these things, at least.



Also, possibly dumb question: All the MBPs of the last few years can handle 4K video, right?

So here are the contenders:

Mid (maybe late?) 2013 13" --- $1200
i5 2.4GHz -- 8GB RAM -- 512GBSSD
The thing I like about this the most is the storage. I hear storage on the newer ones is significantly faster on the newer stuff, so maybe it's not quite worth it there? And I'm guessing the CPU is kind of weak sauce now?

Mid 2014 - 15" - $1400
i7 2.2GHz -- 16GB RAM -- 256GB SSD
So this is bigger, which is nice (I'm used to 17" laptops, but these do feel bigger than they actually are, somehow) and a nice helping of RAM.

2015 13" - $1400
i7 3.1GHz -- 16GB RAM -- 256GB SSD
Latest generation of CPU which I hear is more power efficient, and as I think I might be remembering right, faster storage and whatnot too. Not sure of other differences.

All friendly helpful advice/tips/etc is appreciated

Thanks.

---

Please throw a comment in with your reasoning if you select a poll choice too. And even if you go for "it depends", I'm fine with learning your personal preference.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Unless you indicate what you use your computer for no one can give you any advice on the best model for the job.
Do remember that all the 13 inch rMBP's are dual core and that if you need quad core oomph you will have to buy the 15 inch.

They can all run 4K video but if you want to output to a 4K screen at 60hz you'll need the 2014 or later and there are connection issues that may make a TV a poor output choice. Despite what most people assume 4K video is not in any way mainstream and there are actually very few laptops that run it and output it well. If you want to edit 4K video then you will need a quad core and a good graphics card minimum 15 inch rMBP preferably with a dGPU however as the chips in all these 15 inches ('13,'14,'15) are the same haswell versions that have been in for 2 1/2 years then you are probably better off waiting a few months for skylake.

 

[Captain America]

Unless you induicate what you use your computer for no one can give you any advice. Do remember that all the 13 inch rMBP's are dual core and that if you need quad core oomph you will have to buy the 15 inch.

Shoot, good point. Apologies. I don't have specific planned uses per se, but things like: general web browsing, video/audio streaming, some VM likely, borderline rare video editing, maybe über light gaming. Unable to think of other stuff atm.

I also just read that some people mention laggy UI on the 13" MBP. How true is that? I get the feeling that might really irritate me. That's just absurd.

Edit: Didn't see your edit at the time of the post. I don't currently plan on 4K video editing, and I could probably keep that for my desktop's 4770K if needed, but I suppose that's something to think about.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

Shoot, good point. Apologies. I don't have specific planned uses per se, but things like: general web browsing, video/audio streaming, some VM likely, borderline rare video editing, maybe über light gaming. Unable to think of other stuff atm.

I also just read that some people mention laggy UI on the 13" MBP. How true is that? I get the feeling that might really irritate me. That's just absurd.

I have had a 2013 13 inch macbook pro for 2 years and it has never skipped a beat so while I understand some people have had "issues" I pay them no mind, the lag was more a framerate drop due to coding in very specific operations, this wasn't a hardware problem, and while it may be a little irritating it would hardly mean the computer wasn't performing fine. This seems to have been just about eliminated by El capitan in any case.

To be honest that use case sounds like just about anything modern could run it, depending on how many VM's you run concurrently you may well want 16Gb RAM for that.

 

[Captain America]

Ended up going with the 2015 13". Haven't had much time with it, but I can say I'm immensely disappointed by the speaker quality relative to the 15"

 

[David58117]

Ended up going with the 2015 13". Haven't had much time with it, but I can say I'm immensely disappointed by the speaker quality relative to the 15"

Ha.

The funny thing is, is that the 12" rMB puts both the 13" and 15" to shame.

I had both the 2015 15" rMBP and 12" rMB side by side, and the difference was huge.

 

[Captain America]

Ha.

The funny thing is, is that the 12" rMB puts both the 13" and 15" to shame.

I had both the 2015 15" rMBP and 12" rMB side by side, and the difference was huge.

Puts them to shame how so? via audio? If I remember correctly, my biggest beefs with the 12" were the lack of non USB C ports, and the size. I used to be of the opinion where I'd never want less than a 17" laptop, but could tolerate a 15", to owning a 13". 12 is just insane to me.

 

[David58117]

Puts them to shame how so? via audio? If I remember correctly, my biggest beefs with the 12" were the lack of non USB C ports, and the size. I used to be of the opinion where I'd never want less than a 17" laptop, but could tolerate a 15", to owning a 13". 12 is just insane to me.

Speaker wise.

The 12" is louder and more balanced, more like the iPad Pro. Also, the bass isn't as anemic as it is on the 15".

 

[Captain America]

Speaker wise.

The 12" is louder and more balanced, more like the iPad Pro. Also, the bass isn't as anemic as it is on the 15".

Wow, I'm surprised. And that second sentence, did you meant to say it's not as anemic as the 13 inch? I feel like the 15 has some of the most solid sound I've heard from a MBP.

Well, if I could go back and get the 2014 15", I would.

 

[David58117]

Wow, I'm surprised. And that second sentence, did you meant to say it's not as anemic as the 13 inch? I feel like the 15 has some of the most solid sound I've heard from a MBP.

Well, if I could go back and get the 2014 15", I would.

Nope - the 15" was the one I compared it to. Sound from the 12" is both louder and more balanced, with the bass also extending further.

I'm assuming Apple will use the tech in the 12" on the redesigned macbook pro line, hopefully soon.