Is the 2015 MBP with M370x worth it?

[1twojay]

I'm looking to purchase a 2015 Macbook Pro 15". Currently deciding between the 2.2Ghz w/integrated gfx versus the 2.5Ghz model with the M370X.

Question for those with experience, is the M370x dGPU a significant upgrade, and how does it affect the fan noise/heat versus the standard spec. Thanks!

 

[jerryk]

The question is what do you plan on doing with your system. If you work load is graphics heavy, it makes a difference. But it comes at the expense of power and heat, so faster battery consumption and fan noise. I went for the one with the discrete and am happy with the trade-offs for my workload: development, using external monitors, etc.

 

[Nixir]

I'm looking to purchase a 2015 Macbook Pro 15". Currently deciding between the 2.2Ghz w/integrated gfx versus the 2.5Ghz model with the M370X.

Question for those with experience, is the M370x dGPU a significant upgrade, and how does it affect the fan noise/heat versus the standard spec. Thanks!

It's significantly faster than integrated graphics found in the 2015 MBP, but since it was a low-mid range chip 3 years ago, it's also significantly slower than any modern graphics card. Also worth keeping in mind is Apple's poor history with heat dissipation in their notebooks which lead to many troubles with discrete graphics in the past, so unless your work absolutely demands it, I don't think it's recommendable.

 

[smallcoffee]

I'm looking to purchase a 2015 Macbook Pro 15". Currently deciding between the 2.2Ghz w/integrated gfx versus the 2.5Ghz model with the M370X.

Question for those with experience, is the M370x dGPU a significant upgrade, and how does it affect the fan noise/heat versus the standard spec. Thanks!

what's your budget? I'd largely stay away fro the 2015 versions altogether and look for a 2016 or 2017 model.

 

[organicCPU]

Question for those with experience, is the M370x dGPU a significant upgrade, and how does it affect the fan noise/heat versus the standard spec.

There is much fan noise while using the dGPU intensively. Even if you switch to Intel Iris Pro only and use the GPU intensively, that model's fans run much louder than those of an Intel HD Graphics 4000 2012 MBP. Concerning the temperature, I never compared the actual values, but it seems to me that the 2015 MBP doesn't get as hot as the 2012 MBP.
I'm happy with the 2015 dGPU and for me the fan noise doesn't matter so much as I need the extra power of the 2,8 GHz 2015 MBP. There are some advanced functions in apps I use, that aren't available with just an integrated gfx. Like @jerryk said, it depends on your individual use case, if you can benefit from a dGPU.

 

[jdechko]

Seconding (third-ing?) that it depends on your use case. I went with the dGPU for 3D modeling, photography/ editing and to a lesser extent gaming