What are the difference between a 2014 and 2015 MBP? 15

The 2015 has a faster SSD, but a worse dGPU (although both have 2 GB vRAM). It also has the Force Touch trackpad.

Also, the 2015 cannot run Windows 7 in Boot Camp (only 8 and 10).

 

Why did they put in a worse dGPU? Also are the CPUs the exact same or slightly better on the 2015?

 

It's a worse GPU for gaming, the AMD GPU is specifically chosen since it can handle a 5K display and has significantly improved importance for Apple Professional software like Final Cut Pro X. CPU is otherwise identical.

 

So it is better for video editing but not for gaming, correct?

 

Yes especially if the program utilized OpenCL. Though a number of games seem to show improved graphic performance over the 750m. It seems highly dependent though. For example, the AMD card is able to play Witcher 3 according to a few users while the 750m struggle.

 

If the 2016 MBPs are underwhelming, is the 2015 MBP still worth it?

 

You won't be able to tell the difference in speed unless you're moving HUGE files. Both SSDs are lightning fast. My 2014 boots up and is ready for login in less than 5 seconds.

Yes, the base 15" features Iris Pro graphics that are integrated. They're really capable graphics, too.

Parallels can run Win 10 easily on a 15" model. Even though the 2015 doesn't support Win 7 via Boot Camp, you can still run it just fine in Parallels or VMware.

 

That's a huge "if". I think the odds of a 2016 MBP being "underwhelming" are small. I also think that it really depends on what the customer's expected usage would be.

Some other "if's":

If they don't use anything that would really take advantage of any new tech that may be introduced with a 2016, then yes the 2015 will probably still be worth it (refurb, of course.) (and such a scenario would have the 2016 be "underwhelming" to that person.)

If any new tech that is introduced has a significant positive impact on their use, then the comparative worth of a 2015 will appropriately diminished. (And such a scenario would probably have the 2016 be "overwhelming" to that person.)

 

Edit: My thoughts are regarding the dGPU models as you mentioned that the price doesn't increase by much when adding 512GB to the 15". I also saw discourse in regards to the 750m vs R9 370x, I must have glossed over your second post. If you are considering the base models, only the 2014 and 2015 are available in the refurb store so jump down to the last paragraph and ignore the bits about the dGPU.

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If you are considering the Mid 2014 15.4” MacBook Pro for the purpose of savings than you should really take a look at the Late 2013 models in the Refurb store which offer even further savings. They are the same computer. With that said the Mid 2015 has key upgrades over the 2014 you should consider.

Mid 2015 > Mid 2014

Mid 2014 = Late 2013

Late 2013 > Early 2013

The Late 2013 was a substantial upgrade to the 15.4” MacBook Pro. The processors were upgraded to “Haswell” architecture, The graphics cards were upgraded to the more powerful NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M graphics processor with dedicated GDDR5 memory alongside the "integrated" Iris Pro 5200 graphics processor. "Early 2013" models have 3-stream 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi and two "Thunderbolt" ports whereas the "Late 2013" models have faster 802.11ac Wi-Fi and two faster "Thunderbolt 2" ports. Storage was upgraded from SATA 6Gb/s to the significantly faster PCIe interface.

The Late 2013 and Mid 2014 are the same computer, both using the 11,3 identifier. Both using the Intel quad core “Haswell” processors and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M graphics processor with dedicated GDDR5 memory alongside the "integrated" Iris Pro 5200 graphics processor. Other than the differing clockspeed, they are one and the same computer.

The differences between the Mid 2014 and the Mid 2015 are more subtle than those between the Early 2013 and Late 2013 but there were key upgrades made. The Intel quad core “Haswell” processors remained. The graphics card was upgraded to the AMD Radeon R9 M370X with 2 GB of dedicated GDDR5 SDRAM which is notably faster in OpenCL hardware accelerated tasks. The newer models can support a larger external display up to 5120x2160 at 60 Hz via Thunderbolt 2. A notable difference is that across all capacities the SSD was upgraded from PCIe 2.0 x2 to PCIe 2.0 x4, delivering literally double the throughput. The "Mid-2014" models (as well as earlier ones) have a "no button" trackpad with "inertial scrolling" support, whereas the "Mid-2015" models have a more advanced "Force Touch" trackpad. The battery was increased from 95W Hr to 99.5 W Hr, with Apple claiming an additional hour of battery life.

 

Worse is subjective. AMD is stronger on GPU compute. Unless you're running CUDA. Which Apple is actively trying to kill and replace with OpenCL as OpenCL is cross platform.

 

I'm only asking because I'm worried Apple is going to remove all USB A ports, and all my devices will be useless without an adapter. If this happens I would be forced to buy the 2015

 

It should be important to note the 5K external display support is only with the AMD graphic card, the Iris Pro only has support for 4K, though I'm getting conflicting information whether it supports 60 Hz as the 5100 doesn't while the 6100 does. Though technically the 5200 should be able to due to the 128 MB eDRAM.

 

USB-C to USB-B cables are probably more appropriate for hooking up old devices. In the original USB design, the A connector was generally meant to be the host end, and the B is the accessory device.

(A USB-C to USB-A cable would be more for hooking a new device to an old computer.)