I need help deciding on what Macbook is better value.

[gilby101]

Number 1 has: Core i7-7820HQ for CPU
Number 2 has: Core i7-8850H for CPU

Just to add to comments on CPU. Base frequency (2.9 and 2.6 GHz) is not a good measure of performance, rather that lower base frequency may translate to using less power and so better battery life. You also need to look at peak Turbo boost (3.9 and 4.3 GHz). So number 2 is better because a) newer generation of processor, b) faster peak GHz, c) 6 cores and possibly d) lower base frequency leading to better battery life.
From Intel:

Intel® Core™ i7-7820HQ Processor (8M Cache, up to 3.90 GHz) Product Specifications

Intel® Core™ i7-7820HQ Processor (8M Cache, up to 3.90 GHz) quick reference guide including specifications, features, pricing, compatibility, design documentation, ordering codes, spec codes and more.

ark.intel.com

Intel® Core™ i7-8850H Processor (9M Cache, up to 4.30 GHz) - Product Specifications | Intel

Intel® Core™ i7-8850H Processor (9M Cache, up to 4.30 GHz) quick reference with specifications, features, and technologies.

www.intel.com

Edits:
Number 2 has slightly large Cache - another marginal improvement.
But I would not choose based just on CPU. There are other important factors that others have touched on.

Graphics: Both models had a choice of Intel (on chip) graphics or a discrete AMD graphics card. That might affect your game play. That is one area where option 1 might be better if it has AMD graphics and option 2 does not.

macOS: Both support the latest macOS 13 (Ventura), but it is likely(?) that option 1 will not be supported for macOS 14. This is probably not an issue for you, except that Macs not supported by latest macOS will only get security fixes for a further 2 years.

 

[jdoll021]

View attachment 2190497 View attachment 2190495 I should have actually just posted the whole keyboard layout for you to see.

Huh. I think I actually like the English (UK) keyboard better than the US keyboard.

 

[TehFalcon]

you're better off saving up another $50-100 and getting an M1 MacBook Air

 

[JustAnExpat]

I agree with people who suggest getting an M1 MacBook Air cheaply.

1. The Butterfly Keyboards are a ticking time bomb. It's true the latest version is better, but honestly, I tried one out before and I couldn't stand it.The M1 MacBook Air are extremely similar to the Magic Keyboard Apple sells. '

2. Better battery life. I'm stunned at the battery life of my M1 machine. I had a MacBook Air 2017 before, for what it's worth.

3. Might work better for YouTube, if you watch 4K videos, or use external monitors.

4. Supported longer. Apple is killing support for the Intel models extremely fast.

However...

1. No Touch Bar. I noticed that's something you like. I don't expect the Touch Bar to be supported for too much longer though, since the M1 Mac Book Pro 13" is the only machine that still has them.

2. More external monitor options. A MacBook Pro 2018 can support three external monitors. A MacBook Air M1 can only support 1 external monitor (if my memory serves me right).

3. More expensive. A MacBook Air M1 will be slightly more expensive than a used MacBook Pro.

4. It's Intel. You can run Windows 10 on it, either on the hardware itself, or via a virtualization program (supported until 2025, according to Microsoft).

 

[mmkerc]

Agree with the majority of the posts, but thought I would add my 2 pence. Both machines will do what you want and frankly you would not see any performance difference between the two, but as most noted the 2018 is technically the better computer. In terms of the butterfly keyboard issue given its been 5+ years if the keyboard was bad it would have failed by now unless the user rarely used the computer. In terms of the UK or US keyboard you change the software configuration for which keyboard you want and as you noted you can buy stickers to change the icons on the keys but I do not think that is it is needed. The price you mentioned is in the correct range for those computers given normal wear and tear so unless you don't trust your coworker not sure it is worth the time to continue searching for lower price.

Lastly you mention one of the uses is schoolwork, so you should be able to get an education discount on a new or refurbish Mac from Apple. A new Mini starts at ~$499 but you would need to add a monitor if you do not have one, and you would lose mobility use.

 

[h.gilbert]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I think the 2017 models were still prone to the same keyboard problems and short display/camera cables that the 2016 models had.

My 2016 13" had to have a new keyboard and display because of broken keys and a flickering display and broken camera caused by the short cables breaking. That was a couple of years ago and was free, but now my camera has once again broken and my screen might be next, all while Apple has stopped the free fixes.

Either way, I think if you can stretch to an M1 Air that would be much better.

 

[ilikewhey]

Is the probability of the keyboard breaking high?

statically no one knows, since only apple has that figure and i highly doubt they would disclose such information.

however the downside here heavily outweighs any savings you might be getting, to repair a single broken key you looking at replacing the entire top case, which apple would quote you 700 bucks at least. i recommend getting a 2019 16inch as the bare minimum.

 

[one more]

To simplify things, unless you are buying your MacBook for a very specific task with rigid tech specs, then the cheapest one will offer a better value, as both of your described options are old anyway.

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

So, I'm looking at 2 different MacBook Pros.

1. 15" 2017 Macbook Pro - Core i7 - 2.9 GHz - SSD 512 GB - RAM 16GB
2. 15" 2018 Macbook Pro - Core i7 - 2.6 GHz - SSD 512 GB - RAM 16GB

I'm not too good with tech specs, but it appears the 2017 has a higher ghz than the 2017. Would the 1st choice be better value? It's cheaper than the 2nd choice, but seems like a better one. I'm going to be using this MacBook primarily for schoolwork, maybe some light games occasionally, and watching YouTube etc.

After diving in:
Number 1 has: Processor core: 4
Number 2 has: Processor core: 6

Number 1 has: Core i7-7820HQ for CPU
Number 2 has: Core i7-8850H for CPU

Number 1 has: AMD Radeon Pro 560 for GPU
Number 2 has: AMD Radeon Pro 560X

Neither are a better value. They both have the same problems: Ultra thin design that causes thermal throttling, no physical escape key, and most of all the god awful butterfly keyboard that is a ticking time bomb.

If you're wanting a Macbook for schoolwork and light games, just get an M1 Macbook Air. It's on sale for $800 right now on Amazon and there's loads of them in the Apple Refurbish Store. It'll last you longer, and it's more powerful and better built than these old butterfly 15 inch Macbook Pros

Apple 2020 MacBook Air Laptop M1 Chip, 13” Retina Display, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Storage, Backlit Keyboard, FaceTime HD Camera, Touch ID. Works with iPhone/iPad; Silver

Apple’s thinnest and lightest notebook gets supercharged with the Apple M1 chip. Tackle your projects with the blazing-fast 8-core CPU. Take graphics-intensive apps and games to the next level with an up to 8-core GPU. And accelerate machine learning tasks with the 16-core Neural Engine. All with...

www.amazon.com

Refurbished Mac - MacBook Air

Save up to 15% on a refurbished MacBook Air. Tested and certified by Apple including a 1-year warranty. Free delivery and returns.

www.apple.com

Is the probability of the keyboard breaking high?

Yes it is. Even after the revisions the butterfly keyboard still broke easily. All it takes is a speck of dust and now a whole key is unusable.

It's not an understatement how absolutely awful the butterfly era Macbook Pros were. These computers set the Mac back five years.