I need some opinions as I am going to replace my 2012 macbook air with something new. I am a computer science major and right now am doing mostly website design but would like to get into app development and eventually full game development. There is a student discount, plus trade-in discount with the purchase of a new macbook right now. So is it worth it to get the new 15" macbook pro without the touch bar, the 13" macbook pro with the touch bar, spec up the 13" macbook pro without the touch bar to have the i7 processor and 512GB storage, or spec up the 13" macbook pro without the touch bar to have the i7 processor and 16GB RAM? They are all right around the same price. Thanks in advance
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Which should I get?
- Thread starter eeevooo
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The question is, do you prefer the 13" or the 15" size? And do you need 512 GB of storage?
I think you should, for now, forget about the price and think about what you want in terms of size, RAM and storage. Once you know that, the right machine for you should be easy to find
I think you should, for now, forget about the price and think about what you want in terms of size, RAM and storage. Once you know that, the right machine for you should be easy to find
As a game/app developer, TB gets in the way. I love all other features of new MBP, but TB is a complete gimmick. But bare in mind, this is my subjective view on the matter. Everyone has their own preferences.
But it all depends on what work you will be doing. 3D games? How intensive?
But all in all, you can't go wrong with 15" from 2015.
But it all depends on what work you will be doing. 3D games? How intensive?
But all in all, you can't go wrong with 15" from 2015.
I don't know how much storage I'll need, my air has 128GB storage and I didn't fill it until after having it for about 5 years so I'm guessing I wouldn't need 512GB. I wouldn't be doing anything too intensive yet that's for sure but I'd like to get there soon. Ill look into the 2015
When I wasn't sure if I wanted the macbook air or the macbook pro, I ordered both from Amazon and tried them out (glad I did as I needed the pro).
If they still allow you to return a used laptop within 30 days (check with their support), this could be one way to try both out and decide which is best.
If you're going into game development, depending on the type of games you may need a system with a dedicated GPU.
If they still allow you to return a used laptop within 30 days (check with their support), this could be one way to try both out and decide which is best.
If you're going into game development, depending on the type of games you may need a system with a dedicated GPU.
So the 2015 15" is about the same price as the 2017 13" with the i7 upgrade but less RAM and a worse graphics card. It seems like the 2015 15" is the better choice. I'm just worried that it will end up being dated much faster. I also started looking into the new razer blade stealth but I am not too familiar with windows
If you like/don't mind the size of the 15" it is, objectively, a better machine with faster internals. What you miss out on is Thunderbolt 3 and, depending on how you look at it, the Touchbar.
Personally, I don't really like the Touchbar nor the new keyboard. But that is entirely subjective. But for those reasons alone, I would, personally, not consider a Touchbar MacBook Pro. So from the options given, I would go for the 2015 15".
If you don't have a very good idea of what specific specs you will require for your future game development plans I think the 2015 would be the best choice. You will have enough power to at least start to explore different aspects of game development to find out what you find most interesting to pursue further.
It's only at that point that you can make a much more comfortable decision about what specs will serve your future needs. If you decide to head down the AR/VR path you may well find that you will want desktop specs. Put money aside and plan to sell the 2015 to put towards something that you will know for a fact that will have have appropriate specs when you reach that point in time.
i think u should go
1) 512GB
2) 16GB
before considering 3) i7.
realife performance difference between i5 and i7 is not significant since both are dual-core afterall.
but storage (working space on ur SSD) can become a bottleneck easily.
16GB is not a big deal since 8gb is really capable enough for most ppl. but of course 16gb is nice to have and more future proof.
if u need i7, i guess you should go for 15-inch instead.
1) 512GB
2) 16GB
before considering 3) i7.
realife performance difference between i5 and i7 is not significant since both are dual-core afterall.
but storage (working space on ur SSD) can become a bottleneck easily.
16GB is not a big deal since 8gb is really capable enough for most ppl. but of course 16gb is nice to have and more future proof.
if u need i7, i guess you should go for 15-inch instead.
I cannot recommend Razer they easily dying because overeating problems, and warranty is only 1 year without possible upgrade
MBP 15 2015 with Iris Pro has similar GPU performance comparing to MBP 13 TB 2016/2017 with Iris 550/650, MBP 13 nTB has little slower GPU
CPU is much better in MBP 15 than MBP 13, 4 cores vs 2 cores
if u want performance, go for 15-inch is a better choice.
to me, i find that no point to upgrade 13-inch to i7 since it is not going to match even the base model 15-inch processor anytime.
2015 15" is not a bad choice for its price, but the processor is 3 generations behind the current processor in 2017 15-inch. and it is heavy, display is not as good as 2017, there is no thunderbot 3 for future proof too.