Bought the wrong 15" MBP (oops)

[dfee]

While browsing Geekbench scores, I realized that I'd just bought the wrong 15" MBP (1 hour before).

So here's what happened: on the checkout page (https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-mac/macbook-pro/15-inch) it lets you select which base MBP you want to configure. I selected the one on the right, and left the processor choice at the lowest setting (2.6 GHz), upgraded the RAM to 32GB, and stuck with a 512GB SDD.

Turns out, that I spent an extra $350 on an additional 0.4GHz of clock speed and the Radeon 560X (vs the 555X). However, the Geebench scores don't do much to help me justify this 10-15% price premium: https://browser.geekbench.com/macs/431

Is there any reason why I shouldn't cancel my order right now and place an order for the 2.2GHz with the Radeon 555X? My question is ultimately about "value". I don't know that I'd notice or miss either of those changes.

as for the about me and my needs: I write a lot of software (python and js) and use tools like docker heavily. this beast is going to be my daily driver for 4-6 years.

 

[mdnz]

I've found bumping up the processor speed is pretty much never worth it. If you think the $350 is worth more than the marginal performance increasement I'd return it and get a new one.

 

[mr.anthonyramos]

This is a bit of a loaded discussion because the 0.4GHZ difference could impact your workflow one way or another depending on what you do.

In the long run, if I were you, I would keep it. a 5-10% increase in speed of workflows is a whole lot especially if you are talking about using it for a 4-6 year period.

 

[maflynn]

Turns out, that I spent an extra $350 on an additional 0.4GHz of clock speed and the Radeon 560X (vs the 555X)

The mid tier model's CPU upgrade isn't really much of an upgrade, though from what I hear the 560x vs the 555x is a nice upgrade and you get a 512GB SSD vs the stock 256GB. You have 14 days to return the laptop if you feel you made a mistake.

I opted for the 2.2 with a 512GB upgrade and I couldn't be happier (well I would be happier if I hit the lottery ). My workflow isn't the same as yours, but I don't need a powerful GPU

 

[smbu2000]

Well it is actually a $200 difference. The base model only has a 256GB drive and if you upgrade that to 512GB like the upper tier model then there is a $200 difference ($2600 w/512GB vs. $2800) for the slightly upgraded cpu and 560X.

There doesn’t seem to be much of a difference between the cpus. As for the you it is just up to you. I upgraded from my 2016 15” (2.7/512/R455) to a 2017 15” (2.9/512/R560) and one of the reasons was for the upgraded GPU. (And I got it for a really good price!)

 

[MacGizmo]

2.2 GHz i7, 1TB SSD, 32 GB RAM, Radeon Pro 560X 4GB VRAM

I've had my MBP18 for a few weeks now and have been quite happy with the results thus far. I'm really struggling with the Touch Bar though. My fingers rest on the ESC button too often while I'm not typing... the rest of the time I have a hard time forcing myself to use it.

As to the OP, I personally would either cancel the order before it ships, or return it. But then again, I tend to try to get the closest to the top of the line in all specs other than processor speed (which in my world, is the least important factor).

Given that a we don't know what you're using your Mac for, who can say what's right for you? But if you've looked at the numbers and are concerned enough to have doubts, then you should probably cancel the order.

 

[DaveMike11]

Most people in this group seems to have got the base model (i7/16GB/555x/256ssd) upgraded to the 512 SSD.

 

[Painter2002]

While browsing Geekbench scores, I realized that I'd just bought the wrong 15" MBP (1 hour before).

So here's what happened: on the checkout page (https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-mac/macbook-pro/15-inch) it lets you select which base MBP you want to configure. I selected the one on the right, and left the processor choice at the lowest setting (2.6 GHz), upgraded the RAM to 32GB, and stuck with a 512GB SDD.

Turns out, that I spent an extra $350 on an additional 0.4GHz of clock speed and the Radeon 560X (vs the 555X). However, the Geebench scores don't do much to help me justify this 10-15% price premium: https://browser.geekbench.com/macs/431

Is there any reason why I shouldn't cancel my order right now and place an order for the 2.2GHz with the Radeon 555X? My question is ultimately about "value". I don't know that I'd notice or miss either of those changes.

as for the about me and my needs: I write a lot of software (python and js) and use tools like docker heavily. this beast is going to be my daily driver for 4-6 years.

I don’t have a 2018 model, but from experience that small bump in performance isn’t worth it when getting the same class processors within the same model. There is a performance bump, but typically not enough to be paying the extra money for. Now if you are talking about upgrading to different classes, like going from an i5 to i7, that’s could be a different story.

If you already know or are questioning it, I’d cancel the order, order the other base model as you said and save $350.

 

[jerryk]

I went for the middle model for a couple of reasons.

1. I wanted 512 GB
2. I wanted a unit that could be replace in a day or so.

The only way to achieve these was to get the model they stock in the store with 512GB and that was the 2.6GHz/560 GPU/512 GB.

With that said, the slight performance boast is nice and the graphics performance is pretty good. I think this model is a great value for the money.

 

[Conutz]

as for the about me and my needs: I write a lot of software (python and js) and use tools like docker heavily. this beast is going to be my daily driver for 4-6 years.

In 4-6 years, a 1TB SSD will serve you better. It’s pricey, but you get something a lot more substantial and better resale IMO. For dev work, I don’t see how a better GPU would help and the benchmark delta between the 2.2 and 2.6 is so small as you say... My money’s on the bigger SSD or in my pocket, not the 2.6 560. (I’ve just ordered the 2.2 555 32GB 1TB).

Good luck.

 

[Hieveryone]

I have a 2018 15” 2.2 GHz 6 core with 16GB RAM and a 256GB SSD.

As far as speed I have no issues. I use it mainly for safari, YouTube, numbers, email, calendar, calculator, notes, and other light tasks

Btw, that True Tone is so awesome to have especially at night if all you have is a desk lamp on. Really helps my eyes IMO.

 

[RaceTripper]

While browsing Geekbench scores, I realized that I'd just bought the wrong 15" MBP (1 hour before).

So here's what happened: on the checkout page (https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-mac/macbook-pro/15-inch) it lets you select which base MBP you want to configure. I selected the one on the right, and left the processor choice at the lowest setting (2.6 GHz), upgraded the RAM to 32GB, and stuck with a 512GB SDD....

I'm a software engineer (mostly Java) and bought what you bought (2.6GHz, 512GB SSD, 32 GB RAM). I don't think the extra few hundred bucks is enough to worry about when you consider the life of the machine. Admittedly I didn't have to pay for mine, but if I did I wouldn't have changed anything. If it gives me slightly faster build times over the next four years that's good enough for me.

 

[Fishrrman]

Conutz wrote:
"In 4-6 years, a 1TB SSD will serve you better. It’s pricey, but you get something a lot more substantial and better resale IMO."

This makes no sense.

It depends on the user.
Some folks use lots of space (often, out of carelessness).
Others use very little.
There's no point in paying Apple's exorbitant price for a 1tb SSD if over the life of the computer, the owner is only going to "use up" 400-450gb.

Example:
A friend bought an iMac back in 2008 (with a 350gb HDD).
By the time he replaced it a couple of months ago -- AFTER TEN YEARS -- the total amount of disk space he had used up was..... 80gb.

I advised him to buy a 2017 iMac with a 256gb SSD.
That should last him as long as he lives...!

 

[Painter2002]

Conutz wrote:
"In 4-6 years, a 1TB SSD will serve you better. It’s pricey, but you get something a lot more substantial and better resale IMO."

This makes no sense.

It depends on the user.
Some folks use lots of space (often, out of carelessness).
Others use very little.
There's no point in paying Apple's exorbitant price for a 1tb SSD if over the life of the computer, the owner is only going to "use up" 400-450gb.

Example:
A friend bought an iMac back in 2008 (with a 350gb HDD).
By the time he replaced it a couple of months ago -- AFTER TEN YEARS -- the total amount of disk space he had used up was..... 80gb.

I advised him to buy a 2017 iMac with a 256gb SSD.
That should last him as long as he lives...!

I'd have to agree with this. A prospective buyer should only buy what their needs dictate they will need within the foreseeable future. There is no reason to buy the larger SSD if you don't plan on using that full space, and it is a misconception that it adds value on resale in 3-5 years. Even if you get a tiny bit more resale value, you are losing way more on the premium of Apple's SSD upgrade cost.

As a rule of thumb, look at what you are using now, and buy a drive that is about double that usage. So if you use under 120 GB, buy the 256 GB, if you use under 250 GB currently, buy the 500 GB. There ensures you have a comfortable headroom for any projects or needs that you may have.

Remember, you can always buy more memory with an external SSD (for a LOT less), but you can't take back the money wasted on buying too large of an internal SSD. Again, it all depends on the user, but I never suggest buyers should buy something just because.

 

[RaceTripper]

Yeah, most people don't need huge 1 TB storage devices, unless they deal with large amounts of media. I develop software and haven't needed 512 GB. I have a Sandisk 512GB USB-C SSD to offload stuff if I need to. Right now I just use it as an extra, portable TM backup.

 

[kre62]

I'd have to agree with this. A prospective buyer should only buy what their needs dictate they will need within the foreseeable future. There is no reason to buy the larger SSD if you don't plan on using that full space, and it is a misconception that it adds value on resale in 3-5 years. Even if you get a tiny bit more resale value, you are losing way more on the premium of Apple's SSD upgrade cost.

As a rule of thumb, look at what you are using now, and buy a drive that is about double that usage. So if you use under 120 GB, buy the 256 GB, if you use under 250 GB currently, buy the 500 GB. There ensures you have a comfortable headroom for any projects or needs that you may have.

Remember, you can always buy more memory with an external SSD (for a LOT less), but you can't take back the money wasted on buying too large of an internal SSD. Again, it all depends on the user, but I never suggest buyers should buy something just because.

I typically agree, but I just canceled my 512gb macbook and am going for 1tb due to one thing:

Different vendors/performance for different SSD capacities

Seems Apple is using slower Samsung SSDs for 512gb and below, and you only get the super fast Toshiba SSDs at 1TB and up. The difference is 2600mb/sec vs 3600-3800mb/sec for Toshiba. Write speeds are an even bigger gap.

Sucks cause i dont need the space. But I want the performance Im paying for.

 

[Howard2k]

Conutz wrote:
"In 4-6 years, a 1TB SSD will serve you better. It’s pricey, but you get something a lot more substantial and better resale IMO."

This makes no sense.

It depends on the user.
Some folks use lots of space (often, out of carelessness).
Others use very little.
There's no point in paying Apple's exorbitant price for a 1tb SSD if over the life of the computer, the owner is only going to "use up" 400-450gb.

Example:
A friend bought an iMac back in 2008 (with a 350gb HDD).
By the time he replaced it a couple of months ago -- AFTER TEN YEARS -- the total amount of disk space he had used up was..... 80gb.

I advised him to buy a 2017 iMac with a 256gb SSD.
That should last him as long as he lives...!

Seconded. I use NAS since it's far, far, far cheaper than Apple's laughable storage rates. Performance takes a very significant hit obviously, but for my uses that's a non-issue. Non time sensitive data stays on the NAS, time sensitive data stays local.

 

[Painter2002]

I typically agree, but I just canceled my 512gb macbook and am going for 1tb due to one thing:

Different vendors/performance for different SSD capacities

Seems Apple is using slower Samsung SSDs for 512gb and below, and you only get the super fast Toshiba SSDs at 1TB and up. The difference is 2600mb/sec vs 3600-3800mb/sec for Toshiba. Write speeds are an even bigger gap.

Sucks cause i dont need the space. But I want the performance Im paying for.

If you need those speeds, I can totally understand that reasoning for upgrading, but that all depends on the user needs are. People who need that lightning fast speeds know who they are and will buy accordingly.

Honestly, I have a 256 GB 2017 MBP, and I get about 2400MB/sec read speeds, and can copy 148 GB of data from my MBP to my external Samsung T5 in about 6 minutes flat. Honestly that is more than fast enough for most people, and won't justify the upgrade for speed.

Having said all that, if you need the speed, or have the extra cash, the 1 TB is a nice option. I unfortunately have a more conservative budget and can't justify the 1 TB option, as I can buy much cheaper external drives.