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Which should I buy - mid 2015 Macbook Pro 15' with M370X or Refurbished mid-2014 with 750M?

yguan

yguan

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 15, 2015
1
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Hi : )

I'm an UI/UX designer and an interactive art programmer. I'm thinking about getting a mbp for a long time and finally I saved enough for one. I actually got a mid-2014 one with 2.8GHz and GeForce GT 750M on April, but I returned it after 2 weeks coz I heard there probably gonna be a refreshment on June.

Then now here comes the refreshed mid-2015 15' with AMD r9 M370X... I've read through most of the reviews and specs test results I can find online but still...don't know which one I should go with.

Here are my options:
new mid 2015 MBPr configured to 2.8GHz and 512GB drive
or
refurbished mid 2014 MBPr configured to 2.8GHz and 1TB drive


I'm mostly using Adobe creative suites, especially Illustrator and Photoshop for work, and I use Unity3D for VR and AR project development (I also want to try Unreal in future, but probably gonna do it with desktop later...after I save enough for a desktop). I'm still a student so currently mobility is quite important to me.

Considering the applications (AI, PS, Unity3D), which one you think I should get? I will be really appreciated to your suggestions and comments!

Thank you very much for reading!
 
I'd go for a new 2015 model. You will have a more modern GPU and an updated processor, as well as other features like ForceTouch.

Considering these points, it seems more appealing than doubling your internal storage, but that is a preference matter. If you don't see yourself benefitting from the newer hardware, perhaps you would rather have that storage. It's up to you to decide if that is something that you want, or if you would be okay with carrying around an external if you had to. Nobody can tell you one of these choices is "better" than the other.

I'd personally go for the newer one as mentioned, however, especially if you see 512GB being plenty of internal storage for you, or don't mind carrying a 2.5'' external if necessary.

I hope this helps.
 
I'm usually not a fan of buying the latest and the greatest because I like to know that if I experience an issue I have a greater likelihood of Googling it and finding a fix or at least more details on possible fixes.

However, when I saw the SSD speed benchmarks I changed my standing order for a mid 2014 15" rMBP—which I placed just two days prior to the most recent refresh—to the 2015 model.

Even though @Dark Void mentioned that the 2015 rMBP has an "updated processor" I'm 95% sure it's the same as the mid 2014 model's.

I do HTML, Javascript, PHP, and Node development along with some UI/UX design and (coming from a mid 2010 MBP without Retina but with an SSD upgrade) I can say that this thing absolutely flies. Illustrator is up and running after about 3 bounces in the dock and Photoshop is up after 0 bounces.

Force Touch is pretty cool but I don't use any apps that utilize it so I hardly even notice it (which imho is a good thing). In fact, when I first fired everything up I thought they may have shipped me an older version because it felt so much like the mechanical trackpad. I shutdown and tried clicking and sure enough it didn't budge! It's neat to be able to configure just how sensitive it is.

It makes me sad that Apple charges $500 for an additional 512gb of storage but I'm fine using a stack of external spinning drives as my backups. In my opinion the price point for the added storage is not worth it; I've always had 500-512gb as my main hdd so I'm accustomed to archiving completed projects to my backups.

Overall I'd say go with the 2015 if speed and quick workflow matter most. If storage capacity is a higher priority for you then I'm sure the 2014 will get the job done. You won't even notice the speed difference unless you're literally using the two machines side-by-side.
 
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I am currently using the 2014 MBPr with 2.5ghz and I personally feel it does a great job with Illustrator and Photoshop (using the CC version).

I was mainly using a 2013 Macbook Air with a 1.3ghz i5 for my mobility with work, and it was giving me issues handling Illustrator files with layers of photos, vectors and effects - as well as 1+ gb Photoshop files that would take forever to load/save.

I immediately felt the speed with my 2014 MBPr, and personally, don't feel the lag I used to feel with the 2013 Air.

yguan said:
Hi : )

I'm an UI/UX designer and an interactive art programmer. I'm thinking about getting a mbp for a long time and finally I saved enough for one. I actually got a mid-2014 one with 2.8GHz and GeForce GT 750M on April, but I returned it after 2 weeks coz I heard there probably gonna be a refreshment on June.

Then now here comes the refreshed mid-2015 15' with AMD r9 M370X... I've read through most of the reviews and specs test results I can find online but still...don't know which one I should go with.

Here are my options:
new mid 2015 MBPr configured to 2.8GHz and 512GB drive
or
refurbished mid 2014 MBPr configured to 2.8GHz and 1TB drive


I'm mostly using Adobe creative suites, especially Illustrator and Photoshop for work, and I use Unity3D for VR and AR project development (I also want to try Unreal in future, but probably gonna do it with desktop later...after I save enough for a desktop). I'm still a student so currently mobility is quite important to me.

Considering the applications (AI, PS, Unity3D), which one you think I should get? I will be really appreciated to your suggestions and comments!

Thank you very much for reading!
Click to expand...
 
I originally purchased a refurbished 2014 2.5ghz rMBP, but it arrived with a broken plastic seal, (opened?) so I returned it to the Apple Store. Since that same model is no longer available refurbished, I bumped up to a new 2015 2.5 GHz which I was able to purchase at an educator discount.

People really shouldn't discount the Force touch trackpad. I'm blown away that in Pixelmator I'm able to vary the thickness of lines as I draw them by pressing harder on the trackpad. This is going to be a major art/design/desktop pub tool going forward. Especially when Adobe updates their software to take advantage of it.
 
As a graphic designer, I usually use a mouse or a tablet. I'm not very familiar at all with the Force Touch trackpad as I rarely use my trackpad at all when working - would Force Touch benefit me you think? I ask because while I see no use for it now, would be good to know if it would benefit me in the future :) Thanks!

prospervic said:
I originally purchased a refurbished 2014 2.5ghz rMBP, but it arrived with a broken plastic seal, (opened?) so I returned it to the Apple Store. Since that same model is no longer available refurbished, I bumped up to a new 2015 2.5 GHz which I was able to purchase at an educator discount.

People really shouldn't discount the Force touch trackpad. I'm blown away that in Pixelmator I'm able to vary the thickness of lines as I draw them by pressing harder on the trackpad. This is going to be a major art/design/desktop pub tool going forward. Especially when Adobe updates their software to take advantage of it.
Click to expand...
 
illippinno said:
As a graphic designer, I usually use a mouse or a tablet. I'm not very familiar at all with the Force Touch trackpad as I rarely use my trackpad at all when working - would Force Touch benefit me you think? I ask because while I see no use for it now, would be good to know if it would benefit me in the future :) Thanks!
Click to expand...
Compared to a mouse and tablet, Force touch does not remove the limitations of space (for hand movements) or accuracy (a tablet and stylus enables has more). However, what you gain is a new tactile feedback not available with those input devices.

Having said that, it may be awhile before software applications catch up to Force touch, and you would probably do well to stick to your current methods. The recent 12" Macbook sports what appears to be a wider trackpad, which points the way to similar changes in next year's anticipated MacBook Pro redesign. It's fascinating to imagine how much better drawing on a laptop will be then.
 
If you don't have any intention of hooking up a 5k external monitor, I'd go with the 2014 model. In particular, the 512GB 2.5Gghz 2014 models are available at several online retailers for $1999 brand new (as opposed to refurbished). If you don't have a particular need for the 1TB SSD or the 2.8Ghz processor, that's definitely a nice deal for a computer that's in most cases identical in performance to the newer $2499 model.
 
Me personally i'd get the refurb but if you have the money to spend get the 2015. The flash storage speeds were already insane now they're just nuts! Either machine will serve you very well.
 
As a proud owner of the 2015 model with dGPU, I say go for the 15. You get the force touch and it will hold its resale much longer. It's worth it to me
 
I'd say you have a stark choice, You can either have more on board storage, or up to 80% faster graphical processing with the new GPU.

The rest of it is all just nitpicking.

I'd go for the graphical power myself for your use case, external storage is cheap and small these days and thats discounting cloud storage.
 
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