Which MBP to Buy Now?

[Acronyc]

Well, unfortunately I need a new MBP. After 5 years of reliable use, my 2016 MBP screen is flickering badly and Apple asked for $600 to replace it. There's no way I'm putting that money into a machine this old.

I was thinking about getting the upcoming more powerful version of an Apple Silicon MBP at the end of this year and normally I would be able to hold out because I use my MBP docked at home. But, I will be traveling for 5 weeks starting in July and need a Mac. So I have to buy one before I leave.

I'm really not sure what MBP to buy, because I'm unsure if I will keep it again for 5 years or sell it to upgrade sooner than I usually do.

My needs are basic overall, except: (1) I need Windows for some work apps and (2) I need some decent graphical power for some of my work. I have been using an 8GB RX580 desktop eGPU for the past four years with my MBP and it has met my graphical needs well.

Right now I'm debating between getting:

• a 16GB/1TB M1 MBP;
• a refurb 16-inch MBP (for extra GPU power and Windows apps); or
• a refurb 16/512 2020 13-inch MBP (to keep using my eGPU and Windows apps).

The M1 really appeals to me, but I have bought first-gen refreshes before and wanted to avoid it this time around. I also like the flexibility of my eGPU setup, and while the M1 is powerful, the eGPU allows me to upgrade my GPU whenever I want in the future. I can't do this with an M1 MBP. Plus with the M1 I'm limited to Parallels and the ARM version of Windows.

The 16-inch or 2020 13-inch Intel MBP will let me keep my eGPU and Windows apps easily, but also I feel like buying an Intel MBP now isn't the best move if I plan on keeping it long term.

I'm also thinking of resale value among my choices, because no matter what I get, I might upgrade later this year or next year.

So, with the above in mind, any advice on what machine to get?

 

[adib]

Whatever you buy,

• Only buy refurbs from Apple.
• Ensure that it can run Monterey.

Also if your “needs are basic”, consider a non-pro iPad coupled with an Intel compute stick for the “10% Windows” workload. Or rent a Windows virtual PC from AWS for cheap.

Besides, you can probably repurpose your 2016 MBP as a desktop — it should be supported for another two macOS releases and a year of security updates afterwards.

 

[ascender]

If I were in your shoes, I'd buy a used 16" from eBay - there's some decent bargains to be had. Anything else, even a refurb from Apple, is going to lose a fair chunk of money if you decide to move to the new MBPs when they come out.

 

[Acronyc]

Thanks for your comments, they were helpful.

I needed to make a decision soon so ended up getting the M1 MBP in the 16/1TB configuration. I really wanted more storage space this time around and for me 16GB of RAM is the minimum I would like to have.

I decided to get the M1 instead of an Intel 13-inch MBP because it seems to be faster overall and the Intel refurb I was looking for the specs I wanted was just about the same price, so I thought to give the M1 a try.

The 16-inch was really something I was thinking about more than the 13-inch Intel because of the screen size and dedicated GPU, but in the end I decided against it mostly because I will be traveling for 5 weeks and don't want to lug it around, plus it is more expensive than the M1.

I'll miss my eGPU, but I can still use it if I need to with my old machine.

Also I may upgrade very soon depending on what Apple releases later this year or next year. This could just be a stopgap machine for me for now, but I'll wait and see a bit how the next machines are.

Whatever you buy,

• Only buy refurbs from Apple.
• Ensure that it can run Monterey.

Also if your “needs are basic”, consider a non-pro iPad coupled with an Intel compute stick for the “10% Windows” workload. Or rent a Windows virtual PC from AWS for cheap.

Besides, you can probably repurpose your 2016 MBP as a desktop — it should be supported for another two macOS releases and a year of security updates afterwards.

Yes, definitely only refurbs from Apple! Repurposing my 2016 MBP is a good idea, and I've decided to do this for when I need Windows apps. I'll set it up on my local network and then just remote access it when I need to. Unfortunately an iPad won't work for me, as I have some critical apps I need that just don't work on the iPad.

If I were in your shoes, I'd buy a used 16" from eBay - there's some decent bargains to be had. Anything else, even a refurb from Apple, is going to lose a fair chunk of money if you decide to move to the new MBPs when they come out.

That's a good point about the resale value. Unfortunately eBay isn't available where I live and international shipping can be problematic, so I was sticking to the Apple refurb store.