MacBook (m3, m5, m7) Performance Compared to Recent Airs and Pros (Chart)

[Leon88]

Glad to hear it's performing well. Would you be able to do a short test for us? Do a Handbrake video conversion (720p or 1080p) while having Intel Power Gadget open. So that we can see what speed it throttles down to after a couple of minutes. Another user did this and the m5 version went down to 2.0-2.2 ghz (Intel states 2.4 ghz max 2 core boost), and it would be interesting to see how the m7 compares when throttled!

Sorry, I don't really deal with videos in my workflow. Perhaps someone else on the forums with an m7 could do this test. I will be batch processing a couple photos from a photoshoot over the weekend, I can comment on how those go in the day or two.

 

[deeddawg]

Right now I don't have any smaller laptop. Got a 15.4" Asus laptop with a good dGPU but sitting with that is not nice. My needs for a laptop aren't that big to begin with. The trouble is trying to judge if a m3 is good enough to fulfill my requirements. What I know is that my old 13" rMBP Late 2013 was more than I really needed, never felt that to be a bottleneck but apart from that it is hard to judge.

The big selling point of the rMB isn't so much in "sitting with it" but in easily carrying it with you.

IMHO if you think there's any reasonable chance that an updated rMBP13 might be better suited it'd be wise to wait until WWDC before making a decision.

Especially so if you don't have a pressing need to make a decision today. We're talking what, six weeks now?

As for the m3 being sufficient -- that's why Apple's return policy is handy. You make you best guess, and if it turns out to be wrong you have an out. (I don't condone abusing the return policy, of course, but use it if you need to)

 

[keviig]

Sorry, I don't really deal with videos in my workflow. Perhaps someone else on the forums with an m7 could do this test. I will be batch processing a couple photos from a photoshoot over the weekend, I can comment on how those go in the day or two.

Alright, no worries. Could you see what speed the m7 Turbo Boosts to while batch processing them? Intel power gadget is a great, lightweight tool for this. I'm unsure whether to go m5 or m7. But if the m7 can sustain a higher boost speed, i'll probably go with that.

 

[Davidkoh]

The big selling point of the rMB isn't so much in "sitting with it" but in easily carrying it with you.

IMHO if you think there's any reasonable chance that an updated rMBP13 might be better suited it'd be wise to wait until WWDC before making a decision.

Especially so if you don't have a pressing need to make a decision today. We're talking what, six weeks now?

As for the m3 being sufficient -- that's why Apple's return policy is handy. You make you best guess, and if it turns out to be wrong you have an out. (I don't condone abusing the return policy, of course, but use it if you need to)

Well the 13" rMBP is only better suited if the Macbook can't handle what I want to do and waiting is not something I like to do. I guess I will just have to take a leap of faith, worst case I just have to sell it. Over here we can only return stuff if we order it online, and have to pay for the shipping back and such.

 

[PatrickNSF]

I was in quite a similar position as you were several weeks back. Constantly tossing back and forth whether I should wait for WWDC or get the m7. Ultimately, I decided that I would appreciate it's portability and I am certainly not regretting it so far- especially since the performance penalty appears to be minimal. It's likely the 2016 MBP line will be lighter and see a departure from the current chassis design (based on recent rumors), but they certainly still wouldn't be as thin/light as the MB. I feel the updated 2016 MBP will strike a nice balance between portability and performance though. I have a full desktop rig at home for any heavy duty work so that was also a factor supporting my decision to go for the m7 MB.

I use a 2015 iMac (fully maxed out, I think) for the heavy lifting at home, which is what prompted me to switch from the rMBP to the rMB. I'm pretty sure I'll join you with a m7 rMB soon. In fact, if I could have easily picked one up at the store I'd probably be typing on it now...

 

[iam117]

I have been carrying a Macbook Pro 15inch 2010 around for 6 years now and finally decided to get the macbook on size and portability alone. Only ever use it for Office products, Email, Browsing, light imaging and video work and no gaming.

what type of video work you are working on?

Sorry, I don't really deal with videos in my workflow. Perhaps someone else on the forums with an m7 could do this test. I will be batch processing a couple photos from a photoshoot over the weekend, I can comment on how those go in the day or two.

bro.. looking forward to your feedback.. i wonder how the rMB m7 perform on Lightroom if:
1) importing about 500 or more raw files from camera like Canon 5D3 (i dont mind to wait for 1:1 preview time)
2) editing the exposure, WB, apply preset like VSCO on each picture, or maybe do a sync to all and minor tweak one by one
I usually create one catalog for each project, so my catalog will be very light.

It would be great if you can share with me your workflow and your opinion on this rMB

thanks!

 

[0983275]

Thanks for the chart, with m2/512, I'm not losing too much performance compared to 2015 13" rMBP I just sold, and I get the double the storage and extra portability.

 

[KPOM]

I really cant decide which one I should go for, this is annoying . I usually always go for the base version and upgrade it in a year, but I don't know if the m3 is too slow for me. might be annoying enough just to wait until WWDC and see what is launched there.

Note that the m3 vs last year's base may be very similar because the lower turbo boost speed (2.2GHz this year vs 2.4GHz) may offset the increase from Broadwell to Skylake. Intel culled the Core M lineup this year, and so the m3 is effectively an update to a "lesser" Broadwell M chip from what Apple used last year.

 

[keviig]

If anyone could run any of the new ones, m3, m5 or m7 through the Firestrike benchmark, that would be greatly appreciated! I'm interested to see how it compares to my base model 2015 13" rMBP.

 

[izzyfanto]

As for the m3 being sufficient -- that's why Apple's return policy is handy. You make you best guess, and if it turns out to be wrong you have an out. (I don't condone abusing the return policy, of course, but use it if you need to)

I really cant decide which one I should go for, this is annoying. I usually always go for the base version and upgrade it in a year, but I don't know if the m3 is too slow for me. might be annoying enough just to wait until WWDC and see what is launched there.

The m3 has been fantastic for me. I don't do videos or gaming though

 

[GoldfishRT]

I'm super impressed with what I'm seeing from the M7 model (and even the M5). Might have to pick up a 2016 instead of a refurb 2015.

 

[PittAir]

Just received my m7 today, it will replace my Late 2013 13" MBP (i7 CPU/16GB/512 SSD). Its noticeable to me that the m7 is a tad slower. Here are some performance hiccups i've come across on the m7 so far, which I rarely experienced on my 13" MBP:

- some scroll lag on graphic heavy webpages
- opening certain apps (first-go) will occasionally result in a delay of several seconds
- installing multiple programs while also downloading large files simultaneously dramatically reduced its performance (I suspect throttling is to blame). During this period, minor beach balling ensued while operating my day-to-day programs. That being said, I do understand this puts a lot of stress on the system.

Is it slow enough, to disrupt my workflow? So far i'd say no. It's portability easily makes up for any performance shortcomings that it may have. I'm mostly responding to emails, word processing, Excel and reading through PDFs.

I will try to do some photo editing later in the day via Lightroom and see how it fares. I deal with RAW files from 18, 24 and 42 megapixel cameras. My Late 2013 MBP struggles with 42MP images so I probably will not subject the rMB to those.

You have to let the computer finish indexing for a few hours. That usually settles things down. Did you do that?

 

[izzyfanto]

You have to let the computer finish indexing for a few hours. That usually settles things down. Did you do that?

Yeah I spent a full day setting up, loading from backups, customizing, waiting and then backing up. Now everything is extremely smooth on my m3 with fantastic battery life

 

[Leon88]

You have to let the computer finish indexing for a few hours. That usually settles things down. Did you do that?

Not sure if it had finished indexing but after setting the MB up I let it sit for about 2 hours before I went on a program installation spree. Its been a day now since I've received it and overall it feels just as snappy as my 2013 MBP. The only consistent difference in which i've mentioned previously is a greater degree of scroll lag in graphic heavy webpages, but nothing major as of yet to cause annoyance.

 

[catalyst07]

This chart is missing 2013 macbook air i7

 

[freddiecable]

thank you for the comparison! I will wait until WWDC 2016 to see what Apple has in store for the next update to MBP. I was waiting for this update but without 2 USB-C and 480-camera I hope they do a more dramatic overhaul on MBP's.

 

[TigerMSTR]

Just received my m7 today, it will replace my Late 2013 13" MBP (i7 CPU/16GB/512 SSD). Its noticeable to me that the m7 is a tad slower. Here are some performance hiccups i've come across on the m7 so far, which I rarely experienced on my 13" MBP:

- some scroll lag on graphic heavy webpages
- opening certain apps (first-go) will occasionally result in a delay of several seconds
- installing multiple programs while also downloading large files simultaneously dramatically reduced its performance (I suspect throttling is to blame). During this period, minor beach balling ensued while operating my day-to-day programs. That being said, I do understand this puts a lot of stress on the system.

Is it slow enough, to disrupt my workflow? So far i'd say no. It's portability easily makes up for any performance shortcomings that it may have. I'm mostly responding to emails, word processing, Excel and reading through PDFs.

I will try to do some photo editing later in the day via Lightroom and see how it fares. I deal with RAW files from 18, 24 and 42 megapixel cameras. My Late 2013 MBP struggles with 42MP images so I probably will not subject the rMB to those.

I think the slow performance while downloading multiple things in safari might be a software bug. I'm sitting on my MacBook Pro right now, and I can't download more than 3 items at the same time without Safari slowing to a crawl.

 

[kamalds]

Here is a comparison of Macbook 2016 (Core m3-6Y30) vs Macbook 2015 (Core M-5Y51) [Geekbench, CINEBENCH, JetStream, Octane, SSD speed and battery life. ]. The bump in battery life of around 2 hours compared to outgoing model makes the newer model worth more.

 

[Mockenrue]

Here is a comparison of Macbook 2016 (Core m3-6Y30) vs Macbook 2015 (Core M-5Y51) [Geekbench, CINEBENCH, JetStream, Octane, SSD speed and battery life. ]. The bump in battery life of around 2 hours compared to outgoing model makes the newer model worth more.

Is the left column 2016 m3 (1.1 / 2.2GHz) and right column the step-up M from 2015 (1.2 / 2.6GHz)? If I'm reading it correctly, it seems like the m3 compares more favorably than we've seen elsewhere.

 

[izzyfanto]

Is the left column 2016 m3 (1.1 / 2.2GHz) and right column the step-up M from 2015 (1.2 / 2.6GHz)? If I'm reading it correctly, it seems like the m3 compares more favorably than we've seen elsewhere.

Yeah I saw another score chart of the 2015 & 2016 models and the '16 1.1Ghz was slightly better than the '15 1.2Ghz. This chart shows it's a very nice bump considering it's a lower clock speed. I have nothing but good to say about my m3

 

[maerz001]

Hi. I have some issues while scrolling graphic intense PDFs in safari. Tried the 1.2 15' and the 1.1 16'. Both have terrible lag and stuttering.
Don't experience this on my 2012 MBA and the 15" rMBP base model.

Does anyone have this also on a M7 rMB on this file?: http://www.schottdorf-mayr.de/pdf/SM-Luminaires-Leuchten-Catalog-2016-2.pdf

 

[happyslayer]

Thanks for the charts; it makes me even more satisfied that I went ahead and got the m7 instead of the 512 SSD. I don't need the extra space, but more CPU power is always beneficial. (Maybe not always noticeable but still beneficial, I think.)

 

[Jobsian]

Hi. I have some issues while scrolling graphic intense PDFs in safari. Tried the 1.2 15' and the 1.1 16'. Both have terrible lag and stuttering.
Don't experience this on my 2012 MBA and the 15" rMBP base model.

Does anyone have this also on a M7 rMB on this file?: http://www.schottdorf-mayr.de/pdf/SM-Luminaires-Leuchten-Catalog-2016-2.pdf

I'd love the answer to this question too. The little pauses, lags and beachballs are something I don't want.

 

[Davidkoh]

Hi. I have some issues while scrolling graphic intense PDFs in safari. Tried the 1.2 15' and the 1.1 16'. Both have terrible lag and stuttering.
Don't experience this on my 2012 MBA and the 15" rMBP base model.

Does anyone have this also on a M7 rMB on this file?: http://www.schottdorf-mayr.de/pdf/SM-Luminaires-Leuchten-Catalog-2016-2.pdf

I got the 2016 m3 version and I get very little lag scrolling through that file, just above noticable so some lag is present. The CPU usage stayed at 20% while scrolling through it so I dont think it was due to the CPU not being powerful enough really.

 

[headcase]

Hi. I have some issues while scrolling graphic intense PDFs in safari. Tried the 1.2 15' and the 1.1 16'. Both have terrible lag and stuttering.
Don't experience this on my 2012 MBA and the 15" rMBP base model.

Does anyone have this also on a M7 rMB on this file?: http://www.schottdorf-mayr.de/pdf/SM-Luminaires-Leuchten-Catalog-2016-2.pdf

Its a common complaint with the embedded software that enables PDF viewing within more recent versions of Safari. One workaround that many folks do is to view the PDF file in Preview or in something like Skim.