Which macbook pro should I buy? 2016 vs 2017

[jdowney88]

I am deciding on which macbook pro to get:

refurbished 2016 model 256gb / 8gb ram with no touch bar for $1300 tax included OR
refurbished 2016 model 256gb / 8gb ram with touch bar for $1500 tax included OR
new 2017 model 256 gb / 8gb ram with no touch bar for 1650 tax included

Please help me decide...price is important but getting the most value out of it is even more important.

 

[jksu]

2017

 

[Adamantoise]

2017

 

[jdowney88]

So, 2017 is worth paying the extra money over a refurbished 2016?

 

[Floris]

What's your budget, how much is their 'pro' model worth you?
I don't know the US prices, for $1700 you can't get a high end macbook pro here in the netherlands, no matter what i pick the config i'd like is almost double that.

If you want to get more ram and more storage, then why not refurbished with better specs so you can invest having a good system for a few years, or get the 2017 model and try to get 16gb.

The touch bar is a personal preference, there's no added value there as far as I am concerned, unless you know why it's important to you personally. If you rather have 16gb ram over the touch bar, that might help you narrow down your options. Mind you - you can't upgrade the SSD and ram later.

Oh, go with ssd, it's really worth it

 

[jksu]

So, 2017 is worth paying the extra money over a refurbished 2016?

yes

 

[jdowney88]

What's your budget, how much is their 'pro' model worth you?
I don't know the US prices, for $1700 you can't get a high end macbook pro here in the netherlands, no matter what i pick the config i'd like is almost double that.

If you want to get more ram and more storage, then why not refurbished with better specs so you can invest having a good system for a few years, or get the 2017 model and try to get 16gb.

The touch bar is a personal preference, there's no added value there as far as I am concerned, unless you know why it's important to you personally. If you rather have 16gb ram over the touch bar, that might help you narrow down your options. Mind you - you can't upgrade the SSD and ram later.

Oh, go with ssd, it's really worth it

I've tested out the macbook and immediately knew I like the pro model much better. My budget is simply to spend the least and get the most value. I am a student in software development so I would like it as low as possible. Basically, it comes down to whether the Kabylake in 2017 is worth $350 when I can get a refurbished 2016 for a lot less. I could use that extra $350 on quite a lot of things. Hence, I even save when opting for 2016 with touch bar. Not sure if that touch bar is even worth an extra $200 but just throwing it out there as one of my options.

 

[Floris]

I've tested out the macbook and immediately knew I like the pro model much better. My budget is simply to spend the least and get the most value. I am a student in software development so I would like it as low as possible. Basically, it comes down to whether the Kabylake in 2017 is worth $350 when I can get a refurbished 2016 for a lot less. I could use that extra $350 on quite a lot of things. Hence, I even save when opting for 2016 with touch bar. Not sure if that touch bar is even worth an extra $200 but just throwing it out there as one of my options.

If it was just student stuff and development, the no-touchbar and refurbished is just fine. it gives you a great machine that might have a few more hardware upgrades, which helps you with maybe running virtual setups/sandbox situations and test environments for your development.

 

[EugW]

Hmmm... Normally, I’d just say 2017 but that’s a big price difference between 2016 refurb and 2017 new.

If you can wait, perhaps you can get a refurb 2017 in a few months. Either that or try to get an education-priced 2017 if possible.

 

[jdowney88]

Hmmm... Normally, I’d just say 2017 but that’s a big price difference between 2016 refurb and 2017 new.

If you can wait, perhaps you can get a refurb 2017 in a few months. Either that or try to get an education-priced 2017 if possible.

Right? The price difference is pretty significant. With an extra $300, I can get an adapter, a case, backpack, keyboard cover and even some clothes shopping.

Education price is only $50 off so it's not much and I can't wait for a refurb 2017 since I need one in the next two weeks.

Sigh, deciding is really hard....

 

[mcpryon2]

Go with your gut. I have a 2016 1TB/460 refurb that I got three months ago. I use it at work for audio and video production and I'll be taking it on the road for a week long shoot using Creative Cloud with my iPad Pro, which is a sweet combo, along with an iPhone, for shooting in the field and syncing files. Though I prefer to edit with FCPX, but the job demands CC. I can edit, do some After Effects or Motion, and transcode (I prefer Media Encoder) with ease with that machine...but part of me still feels the upgrade-itis and wants the 2017.

I would be there's not much that the 2017 does that the 2016 doesn't allow, but maybe it depends on the job you need it to do. But if you are wanting that sweet, sweet, newer 2017 you may later regret not getting it now.

 

[ElCidRo]

I am in the same dillema - "upgrading" from a mid-2012 15 rMBP.

I will go with the refurb 2016 - with no touchbar. It's not that I couldn't afford the 2017 model - but it's just not worth the price difference in my opinion. The CPU upgrade is insignificant. And the touchbar - while I really like how it looks and I will like one - has one big downside: a smaller battery (and a higher price tag).

So I'm pretty certain I'll go with the 2016 refurb option. I just wish I had a 512 GB SSD option.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

For your stated use case they will all work just the same, buy with your budget in mind, it really will make bog all difference to you.

 

[jdowney88]

I am in the same dillema - "upgrading" from a mid-2012 15 rMBP.

I will go with the refurb 2016 - with no touchbar. It's not that I couldn't afford the 2017 model - but it's just not worth the price difference in my opinion. The CPU upgrade is insignificant. And the touchbar - while I really like how it looks and I will like one - has one big downside: a smaller battery (and a higher price tag).

So I'm pretty certain I'll go with the 2016 refurb option. I just wish I had a 512 GB SSD option.

You know, that's what I planned also in the beginning until I started watching reviews saying that there's 10-20% boost in performance.

 

[aevan]

TB model has double the ports (if you use the nTB plugged in that leaves you with just one port), has the faster CPU (28W vs 15W) and has the Touch Bar. With all that it costs 150$ less.

I don't know how people can recommend the 2017 model in this case.
[doublepost=1499172542][/doublepost]

yes

TB 2016 model >> nTB 2017 (faster, more ports, has TB) - and it costs less. Please explain how is the 2017 worth it (in this specific instance).