Ultimate 12" MacBook

[mrmister]

Yesterday I got myself the ultimate edition of one of my most favorite Macs of all time—a 2017 12" MacBook, with the fastest processor, 16GB of RAM, and a 512 GB SSD.

I've had a 2016 i5 MacBook for the last 4 years, and it has been an incredible machine. I always had different MBPs as my primary, but the MacBook stole my heart—I think I spend more time on the MacBook than anything else. I love the tiny size, the great screen, and the utter simplicity of a fanless laptop that is *still* lighter than Apple's own ipad + keyboard combinations it keeps trying to sell.

I can tell this one is faster than the 2016—more than I would have expected it to be. It's more responsive, and the 16 GB RAM has become my ground floor for all my Macs, it really removes all memory issues from anything I do. What I didn't expect is that the second generation butterfly keyboard is so much better than the 1st gen in the 2016—it is a real pleasure to type on.

I figure getting the fastest best version of the last MacBook will help me last until the MacBook returns, if it does, with an ARM processor. And if it does not, this one should last a long, long time.

Finally: is this the maximum? I think the SSD is soldered to the board as a chip, so I don't think anyone can reasonably upgrade the storage. I would *love* to get 1 TB in this form factor.

Finally, does anyone here need a 2016 i5 Macbook with 512 GB SSD in mint condition? I'll be selling it, but if someone in this forum who loves MacBooks wants to ask after it, I'm happy to help enthusiasts out.

 

[KPOM]

Congrats! I have a 2017 MacBook with the i5/16/512 configuration, so almost the “ultimate.” It is a great Mac and I still use it even though I also have a 2020 13” MacBook Pro. If Apple doesn’t release a 12” ARM MacBook, I’ll probably keep the 2017 for a few more years.

The SSD is soldered, so the only way to add storage is through an external drive.

 

[EugW]

I bought the 2017 12" Core m3 with 16 GB and 256 GB storage. I won't be updating this for many more years, as the m3 is decent and the 16 GB will last me a long, long time in a laptop.

However, to be honest, these days I use my iPad Pro 2017 much more than I do the MacBook.

Here is my 2017 MacBook performance thread:

This is how the 2017 MacBook Core m3, i5, i7 behave during sustained CPU load: 10+ runs of Cinebench

As I suspected, the table material makes a difference. The first time I ran the test on my 2017 MacBook Core m3, I ran it on a granite counter, and turned off WiFi and Bluetooth. I just ran it again, but this time ran it on a wood table (which would act more as an insulator, keeping the heat...

forums.macrumors.com

"wood" is the m3 sitting on a wood table, and "granite" is on a granite counter (which wicks away heat better).

This is the performance graph of the m3 (granite) vs a different i7, with the full y-axis displayed:

What this tells us is that for boost speed, the i7 has an advantage, but for sustained performance, the i7 will be limited somewhat by the thermals, perhaps proportionally a bit more than the m3. Makes sense, as there is no fan, and the i7 runs a bit hotter.

I think the main reason to get something more than the m3 in the 2017 model MacBook is to get the 512 GB storage.

 

[mrmister]

Yes, for me the 512 SSD is non-negotiable—I need that at a minimum. If I’m doing anything seriously sustained I suspect I’d be on the MBP...and in truth, I don’t really do anything that is all that taxing on my computers, ever, as I’m a writer.

 

[nph]

i second this. I used to have a 2017 15 MBP but switched last year to a 2017 Macbook, basic model (kind of wished i would have gone for the upgraded one but price was too good to pass up, 40% discount) but so far I love it! So portable and it is fast enough for what i want to do. I have an iMac for the heavy lifting but I still do tons on my Macbook. Looked at the new 13" but I love the batterylife I get, actually 10 hours!
I can defintely wait for the ARM Macbook (Pro) next year that I hope will be as power efficient as my current one but with more processing power.

 

[oneMadRssn]

What this tells us is that for boost speed, the i7 has an advantage, but for sustained performance, the i7 will be limited somewhat by the thermals, perhaps proportionally a bit more than the m3. Makes sense, as there is no fan, and the i7 runs a bit hotter.

I think the main reason to get something more than the m3 in the 2017 model MacBook is to get the 512 GB storage.

I have the 2017 i7/16GB/512GB and my wife has the 2017 m3/8GB/256GB. We've had them since last fall.

This summer we're noticing they're overheating every so often. Not in usual environments granted, but still worrying.

The m3 overheated and shut down the other day while being used in the sun on our patio while it was 80/85F outside sunny weather. Obviously it got hot in the sun and couldn't keep itself cold, added to the heat generated by the CPU.

The i7 overheated and shut down while being used indoors for a long zoom call and browsing with many tabs open while the MB was on a pillow on my lap. Obviously the pillow prevented heat from dissipating from the bottom case a bit.

In both instances we ignored the heat warnings before the shutdown, but still. These two overheating episodes have me wondering whether fanless is all that great. Sure sitting on a desk in an ACed room its fine, but there is no mechanism for it to dump heat faster when needed.

I am thinking about maybe replacing the thermal paste as a start, couldn't hurt. Otherwise, I am thinking of selling the two Macbooks and getting a new MBA. Same style low power CPU, but with a fan to help things out a bit more.

 

[mrmister]

"I am thinking about maybe replacing the thermal paste as a start, couldn't hurt."

Has anyone actually done this with a 12" MacBook? Was it hard?

 

[KPOM]

I have the 2017 i7/16GB/512GB and my wife has the 2017 m3/8GB/256GB. We've had them since last fall.

This summer we're noticing they're overheating every so often. Not in usual environments granted, but still worrying.

The m3 overheated and shut down the other day while being used in the sun on our patio while it was 80/85F outside sunny weather. Obviously it got hot in the sun and couldn't keep itself cold, added to the heat generated by the CPU.

The i7 overheated and shut down while being used indoors for a long zoom call and browsing with many tabs open while the MB was on a pillow on my lap. Obviously the pillow prevented heat from dissipating from the bottom case a bit.

I got the warning once last week on my 2017 i5 MacBook. My apartment gets hot in the afternoon (something that’s been readily apparent since I’ve been working from home), and the sun was beating down on it directly. I closed it for a few minutes and it was back to normal.

I also notice that the 13” MacBook Pro tends to slow down a bit from its peak when the sun is shining directly on it for an extended period of time, but when it cools off it speeds back up.

 

[mrmister]

I’ve had both the heat warnings and the shutdown with my 2016. I’m sure this puts me in the minority, but for me having that happen very rarely is a better problem than hearing the fans on too loudly often.

 

[oneMadRssn]

"I am thinking about maybe replacing the thermal paste as a start, couldn't hurt."

Has anyone actually done this with a 12" MacBook? Was it hard?

I came across a reddit thread yesterday where a guy did it but experienced hotter feeling lower case. It was stupid for two reasons: First, he didn't actually take any temperature data before doing it, so there was no objective comparison. Second, he used the wrong kind of thermal paste. Macs usually need thicker paste as there is a larger gap between the CPU and heatsink than on custom-built PCs that have the heatsink squeezed onto the CPU tight, which is what most "performance" thermal paste is geared towards.

But on some level it makes sense - if the heat transfer from CPU to the little heatsink in there is more efficient, then that area of the case will feel hotter.

The process looks pretty straight forward though. If I tried it, I would use Tuniq TX-4. It's much thicker than the stuff those PC gaming guys use, and its non-conductive; but still very high performance.

 

[mrmister]

Hmmmm, this is intriguing. I know people have seen thermal improvements with MBPs and MBAs, but I have never actually seen anyone do this to a MacBook. With no fans does improving the heat sink help that much? It would get the heat off the CPU, but it’s still basically inside the computer, or as you pointed out, radiated through the aluminum unibody.

 

[EugW]

Hmmmm, this is intriguing. I know people have seen thermal improvements with MBPs and MBAs, but I have never actually seen anyone do this to a MacBook. With no fans does improving the heat sink help that much? It would get the heat off the CPU, but it’s still basically inside the computer, or as you pointed out, radiated through the aluminum unibody.

Well, that’s the whole point of a CPU heatsink, to move the heat away from the CPU.

From the CPU’s point of view, it doesn’t care if the SSD or keyboard or case or whatever else heats up.

I came across a reddit thread yesterday where a guy did it but experienced hotter feeling lower case. It was stupid for two reasons: First, he didn't actually take any temperature data before doing it, so there was no objective comparison. Second, he used the wrong kind of thermal paste. Macs usually need thicker paste as there is a larger gap between the CPU and heatsink than on custom-built PCs that have the heatsink squeezed onto the CPU tight, which is what most "performance" thermal paste is geared towards.

But on some level it makes sense - if the heat transfer from CPU to the little heatsink in there is more efficient, then that area of the case will feel hotter.

The process looks pretty straight forward though. If I tried it, I would use Tuniq TX-4. It's much thicker than the stuff those PC gaming guys use, and its non-conductive; but still very high performance.

View attachment 923361

Do you have a link?

 

[oneMadRssn]

Well, that’s the whole point of a CPU heatsink, to move the heat away from the CPU.

From the CPU’s point of view, it doesn’t care if the SSD or keyboard or case or whatever else heats up.



Do you have a link?

I was wrong, it was on this forum: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/macbook-a1534-thermal-paste-replaced-runs-a-bit-hotter.1951343/

 

[EugW]

I never had shutdowns due to overheating on my 2017 m3, but I keep my house air conditioned to 22-23 C. Yes, I have high electricity bills. 🙃

I don’t generally use it in the sun either, mainly because of the glare.

 

[oneMadRssn]

Hmmmm, this is intriguing. I know people have seen thermal improvements with MBPs and MBAs, but I have never actually seen anyone do this to a MacBook. With no fans does improving the heat sink help that much? It would get the heat off the CPU, but it’s still basically inside the computer, or as you pointed out, radiated through the aluminum unibody.

Law of thermodynamics, energy is always conserved, it cannot be created or destroyed. Right? In this case, we're just moving heat (energy) from one thing to another. From CPU to heatsink to unibody to ambient air. In theory, the quicker and more efficient each step takes, the better. We cannot really improve the transfer from heatsink to unibody*, nor from unibody to ambient air**, but the thermal paste can improve the rate of transfer from CPU to heatsink.

* Or can we? Looking at the ifixit teardown, there is a gap of what looks like a few millimeters between the heatsink and the edge of the body. I wonder if you put a graphite pad between the heatsink and body, if it would transfer the heat to the body quicker. This might result in the case becoming too hot to comfortably hold, but on the flip side the CPU would be slightly lower temperature.

** I mean, we can. Fans would do this easily, but that would defeat the whole fanless thing.

To be clear, I'm not proposing to do any of this other than the paste. Just a fun thought experiment. And I'm sorry for hijacking and derailing OPs thread.

 

[madat42]

Had a chance to compare a 2017 i7/16GB/512 to my base 2017 m3/8Gb/256. I'd say I do notice a snappier response with the i7 running Catalina and regular tasks when opening apps and browsing in Safari. Not sure if it's the difference in CPU or the SSD. Didn't run any benchmarks.

 

[mbdownunder]

I have a 2017 m3/8GB/256GB that I bought used about a year and a half ago. It's a great little machine. The power is sufficient for my usage, and I really notice the lighter weight in my backpack compared to my old 13" Air. I live in a hot climate and I've never seen a heat warning on it. I plan to keep it for a few more years, at which point I will hopefully replace it with a similarly compact ARM MacBook.

 

[playtech1]

I picked up the 'ultimate' MacBook (2017 i7/16/512) a couple of months ago as an Apple Store refurb. It replaced a 2017 i5/8/512 and the speed improvement from the i7 and extra RAM in day to day use is noticeable when moving from one to the other, but not dramatic.

The main benefit seems to be that the extra RAM means it can cope with my many Chrome tabs plus other Apps running while retaining that responsiveness.

The thing that shocked me was how comparable the speed was in daily use compared to the legendary 2015 13 inch MBP. I'm sure the bigger machine would do better in graphics tasks and sustained performance, but for casual use they are basically the same.

Really hoping 12 inch form factor returns with an ARM MacBook

 

[mk313]

Just had to chime in on mine. Congrats to those who found the ultimate versions. I bought a 2015 Macbook several years ago on sale (the one with the 1.3 processor) fully expecting to give that one to my wife & continuing to use my MacBook Pro. (we were sharing a personal computer at the time). I thought the MacBook would be too slow for my needs. I've always purchased the high end models of Mac laptops, but only up to 13", as I value the portability.

After setting up the Macbook, I fell in love with it & gave my wife the Pro. It's been a fantastic computer & I still use it as a secondary computer today. The only reason I upgraded was that once Apple announced they discontinued them, I wanted to future proof myself as much as possible. I ended up with an ultimate minus 512 SSD. I could only find 256, but that's what was on my 2015 and truth be told, I never filled that up, so I'm completely fine with it.

I love that laptop & hope that Apple comes out with an ARM based one in a similar package. If not, I'll keep on using the 2017 Macbook. For my uses, the 2015 is still good enough, so I think I can get many more years out of mine. This is the greatest laptop I've ever owned. It has replaced the Powerbook 2400 as my all time favorite.

 

[nph]

I love my 2017, wish I had gone for the ultimate edition with i7 and 512Gig... It would have lasted me years to come but on the other hand I expect we will see a really compelling new Macbook with the new ARM next year so I might want to upgrade sooner rather than later.

 

[playtech1]

I love my 2017, wish I had gone for the ultimate edition with i7 and 512Gig... It would have lasted me years to come but on the other hand I expect we will see a really compelling new Macbook with the new ARM next year so I might want to upgrade sooner rather than later.

Honestly, don't have too many regrets - I have both the i5 8GB and the i7 16GB and the difference is pretty small - I think it small enough that it wouldn't factor into an upgrade decision. Apple Silicon should really deliver the goods if Apple produce another machine with the 12 inch form factor.

 

[nph]

True but I got the 2017 i3/8/256 not the i5/8/512 not sure how much difference i3 vs i5 was back in 2017.

 

[unphased]

Take a gander at this post guys:

https://www.reddit.com/r/macbookrepair/comments/ldbye3

It would appear that thermally connecting the case to the heatsink could allow these 12 inch MacBooks to trade off skin-contact-comfortable case temperature for less throttling.

I am interested in doing this with my 2017 A1534 which has the i7, it really is pretty peppy when doing something transient (opening an app etc) but it thermally soaks the tiny heatsink plate rapidly and can never maintain its 3ghz boost for any appreciable amount of time. Temp can shoot to 100C in a matter of two seconds. I think it is exacerbated by the fact that this is the top spec i7 chip.

 

[JiggyJaggy]

What is the hierarchy on the 12" MacBooks? Trying to understand the difference between the i5 / i7 / M3...

 

[Longplays]

What is the hierarchy on the 12" MacBooks? Trying to understand the difference between the i5 / i7 / M3...

Year model nearer to year 2023 are faster.

The higher the chip number the faster it should be for specific use cases.