Hello! I'm going to university next year and am debating between a 2017 13 inch nTB MBP with 16gb RAM and 512gb SSD, and the base model 2015 15 inch MBP (no dedicated GPU). I'm mainly going to be using this computer for Android Dev, AutoCAD, and Matlab. One concern I have with the 2015 model is how future proof it is going to be. Do you guys think these computer can last for another 5 years? Also, how is the portability with the 2015 15 inch? Is it portable enough to carry to class every day with a bag full of binders and textbooks? Which model should I go with and why?
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Upgraded 2017 13 inch nTB MBP vs base 2015 15 inch MBP
- Thread starter ipeemyself
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I can't afford 2017 inch 15" in my budget
. Would you recommend the 2015 15"? I might be able to scrap up a bit more money for a refurbished 2016 15" but am hesitant cause of all the keyboard issues on that model.
The one I have in my signature which is the Mid 2015 rMBP, just had a battery replacement for around $100 done and is like a brand new machine. I can't notice any difference in day to day use compared to the latest 2017 macbooks besides the missing touchbar, which is not practical at all.
Download the 'Alfred' app and you won't need a touchbar..
Download the 'Alfred' app and you won't need a touchbar..
The 2015 one I'm looking at is the base one without the AMD graphics. Will the Iris GPU suffice? Also, do you think the 2015 model can last at least another 5 years?
Is the refurbished 2015 with the dGPU an option? The 2.5 GHz model with a 512 SSD and discrete GPU in the refurbished flavor is priced slightly lower than the new 2.2/256SSD/iGPU. (You might have to play the waiting game a little and check the website often.)
Unfortunately that's not an option. Apple only offers the base 2015 15". Is the graphics that important?
Considering it is twice the hard drive size, a not-insignificant boost in processing power, and significantly more graphics capability, to me it is.
I often forget the Apple-direct refurbs are not available everywhere. Are you outside of the US?
Yep, I'm in Canada. What do you think of the 2017 nTB? Do you think it could run AutoCAD Smoothly? I'm probably going to hook it up to an external monitor, so the screen size shouldn't be an issue
My advice: Bump up the 2017 nTB from i5 to an i7 to allow hyperthreading. For some reason people are seeing huge gains roughly 10% over the i5. Myself included. If you don't want to do that I would go on https://www.bhphotovideo.com to see if they have a 2015 15in with a dgpu. Remember to use an educational discount. It'll save you 100-200.
On a side side note I heard apple is going to release external powerful gpu's in the next couple of months to a year. Buy a dongle with an additional USB-C port for the 13in, that way you can have the external gpu hooked up, the charger plugged in and a monitor.
I think you will be fine with the 13inch.
The CPU is not bad, 16G RAM and 512SSD will go a long way.
The CPU is not bad, 16G RAM and 512SSD will go a long way.