Macbook Pro 2017 15-inch Processor

[phillyindc]

Hello all-

Long time listener, first time caller here. I am going to buy the new Macbook Pro but I need some help in deciding which one to get.

What I currently have

• Macbook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012)
• 2.9 GHz Intel Core i7
• 16 GB RAM
• 2- 1 TB SSD drives from OWC (I removed the SuperDrive long ago and replaced it with a second SSD, and replaced the original HDD with an SSD for a total of 2TB)

What I use it for

I am in music production, so 90% of my professional use of my computer is using Finale, Sibelius, and Logic Pro. I dabble in graphic design with Adobe CC (but more of a hobby to help non-profits I volunteer with). I rarely do video work and when I do it's mainly in syncing the music, never video editing.

My personal use is mainly Netflix. I'm not a gamer (I do have the Nintendo Switch though which I LOVE!)

When I working in my home studio I use dual monitors (my monitors are older so I will probably be upgrading them in near future)

What I have decided on so far

• 15-inch MBP (the extra 2 inch for my aging eyes is a definite need)

What I need help with

• Storage - I am spoiled with my 2TB SSD. I do have all of my archives in Google Drive now, so I don't need as much space, but when I'm in a studio having space on my computer is a necessity since audio files are big. Is it worth upgrading to 1 TB (my current applications folder is under 50 GB and my photo and music libraries I already store on an external drive)
• Processor - I have to admit that I am not very knowledgeable in processors. My current MBP has 2.9, and I know any option will be drastically better with quad core. Is there any value to upgrading to 2.9 or 3.1 over the base model 2.8?

As far as price, I'm not saying money isn't an option, but I will be writing this off since most of my income is 1099 base, I can depreciate this on my taxes. However, I do still have to shell out the money up front. (My wife and I aren't big fans of credit cards, so I will pay for this out of my savings, so my wife wants me to not deplete our account!)

Thank you so much for helping out!

Keith

 

[Patcell]

Hello all-

Long time listener, first time caller here. I am going to buy the new Macbook Pro but I need some help in deciding which one to get.

What I currently have

• Macbook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012)
• 2.9 GHz Intel Core i7
• 16 GB RAM
• 2- 1 TB SSD drives from OWC (I removed the SuperDrive long ago and replaced it with a second SSD, and replaced the original HDD with an SSD for a total of 2TB)

What I use it for

I am in music production, so 90% of my professional use of my computer is using Finale, Sibelius, and Logic Pro. I dabble in graphic design with Adobe CC (but more of a hobby to help non-profits I volunteer with). I rarely do video work and when I do it's mainly in syncing the music, never video editing.

My personal use is mainly Netflix. I'm not a gamer (I do have the Nintendo Switch though which I LOVE!)

When I working in my home studio I use dual monitors (my monitors are older so I will probably be upgrading them in near future)

What I have decided on so far

• 15-inch MBP (the extra 2 inch for my aging eyes is a definite need)

What I need help with

• Storage - I am spoiled with my 2TB SSD. I do have all of my archives in Google Drive now, so I don't need as much space, but when I'm in a studio having space on my computer is a necessity since audio files are big. Is it worth upgrading to 1 TB (my current applications folder is under 50 GB and my photo and music libraries I already store on an external drive)
• Processor - I have to admit that I am not very knowledgeable in processors. My current MBP has 2.9, and I know any option will be drastically better with quad core. Is there any value to upgrading to 2.9 or 3.1 over the base model 2.8?

As far as price, I'm not saying money isn't an option, but I will be writing this off since most of my income is 1099 base, I can depreciate this on my taxes. However, I do still have to shell out the money up front. (My wife and I aren't big fans of credit cards, so I will pay for this out of my savings, so my wife wants me to not deplete our account!)

Thank you so much for helping out!

Keith

Congrats on the decision to upgrade! For your purposes, I would say that there is little purpose to upgrade from the base 2.8Ghz CPU in the 15" Pro. The performance of the Kaby Lake quad-core chip will run circles around your dual-core 2012 machine (even in single-core tasks). It also doesn't sound like you will make much use of the graphics capabilities, so I am tempted to say skip the GPU upgrade also. The Radeon Pro 555 in the base model is a very capable GPU - especially coming from the mediocre integrated graphics from your 2012. For music production - and because you currently have 2TB of onboard storage - I would say to upgrade to the 1TB SSD in the new machine. It is a very expensive upgrade at purchase, but it is a very fast drive and it is impossible to upgrade internal storage at a later date. The SSDs in the new Pros are soldered onto the logic board; what you buy at the time of purchase is what you have for the service life of the machine.

Now, when I spec the machines on Apple's website, the base model upgraded to 1TB SSD is $2,999. Not cheap by any stretch, but a potent machine to be sure. On the flip side though... when you step up to the high-end stock configuration and bump the storage to 1TB, you are only at $3,199. For an extra $200 bucks you get an upgraded CPU and a significantly more powerful dedicated GPU (Radeon Pro 555 2GB to Radeon Pro 560 4GB). If you plan to keep this machine for the next 5 years, the extra $200 is $40/ year. Again, for your use, the other upgrades over stock are probably not going to make much of a difference, but you are getting some decent upgrades for $200 over base (assuming both are configured with 1TB SSD, which I think you will appreciate).

Good luck and let us know what you decide!

 

[PBG4 Dude]

Honestly, I think you should start with the 2,799 model and then decide whether or not 512GB SSD is enough for you.

The $2,799 model gives you GPU with 4GB RAM instead of 2GB, and the 2.9GHz CPU will have the larger L3 cache that is shared with the 3.1GHz CPU (8MB L3 vs 6MB on base CPU).

At these prices, you want to future-proof as much as possible. You can't upgrade a thing in these models once you've bought it.

 

[Trey M]

I'd agree with what some of the others have stated...starting with the processor, you're never really going to get bang for your buck on processor upgrades, especially those as insignificant as .1GHz. I did go ahead with the 2.9 on my 2017 but honestly regret doing so....I just said what the heck I was already dropping $3k. In real world usage you will never ever notice that difference.

The SSD is where it gets interesting...I'm someone who probably only needs 512GB but as others have said you can never upgrade after the fact...personally I've always wanted a 1TB internal SSD and I thought it'd make sense for me given I plan to own this machine for a long time. Only you can truly know your storage needs, and it does sound like you need a lot of space. I guess it's worth weighing the cost/benefit analysis for how much an extra 500GB is worth to you (worth the extra $400)? You can always get an external SSD (i.e Samsung T5) but personally I would never want to have to rely on an external drive on a daily basis.

 

[phillyindc]

Thank you everyone for your help! I decided to go with:

15-inch MacBook Pro - Space Gray
With the following configuration:
Touch Bar and Touch ID
3.1GHz quad-core 7th-generation Intel Core i7 processor, Turbo Boost up to 4.1GHz
16GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 memory
1TB SSD storage
Radeon Pro 560 with 4GB memory

I figured in the end, I plan on having this for a few years, and I might as well invest now. Can't wait to start playing with it!

-Keith

 

[Patcell]

Thank you everyone for your help! I decided to go with:

15-inch MacBook Pro - Space Gray
With the following configuration:
Touch Bar and Touch ID
3.1GHz quad-core 7th-generation Intel Core i7 processor, Turbo Boost up to 4.1GHz
16GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 memory
1TB SSD storage
Radeon Pro 560 with 4GB memory

I figured in the end, I plan on having this for a few years, and I might as well invest now. Can't wait to start playing with it!

-Keith

Good luck with your new machine!

 

[Frankfurt]

Thank you everyone for your help! I decided to go with:

15-inch MacBook Pro - Space Gray
With the following configuration:
Touch Bar and Touch ID
3.1GHz quad-core 7th-generation Intel Core i7 processor, Turbo Boost up to 4.1GHz
16GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 memory
1TB SSD storage
Radeon Pro 560 with 4GB memory

I figured in the end, I plan on having this for a few years, and I might as well invest now. Can't wait to start playing with it!

-Keith

I have exactly the same configuration in Silver. Great machine! Enjoy!

 

[KUKitch]

Thank you everyone for your help! I decided to go with:

15-inch MacBook Pro - Space Gray
With the following configuration:
Touch Bar and Touch ID
3.1GHz quad-core 7th-generation Intel Core i7 processor, Turbo Boost up to 4.1GHz
16GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 memory
1TB SSD storage
Radeon Pro 560 with 4GB memory

I figured in the end, I plan on having this for a few years, and I might as well invest now. Can't wait to start playing with it!

-Keith

Nice, I have the same machine and it is great!

 

[enigmaS5]

Thank you everyone for your help! I decided to go with:

15-inch MacBook Pro - Space Gray
With the following configuration:
Touch Bar and Touch ID
3.1GHz quad-core 7th-generation Intel Core i7 processor, Turbo Boost up to 4.1GHz
16GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 memory
1TB SSD storage
Radeon Pro 560 with 4GB memory

I figured in the end, I plan on having this for a few years, and I might as well invest now. Can't wait to start playing with it!

-Keith

Have been eyeing the same configuration. Now to just place the order

 

[Patcell]

Have been eyeing the same configuration. Now to just place the order

It ain't easy to hit submit after seeing the total... believe me... I know...

But it has been worth it for me so far!

 

[enigmaS5]

It ain't easy to hit submit after seeing the total... believe me... I know...

But it has been worth it for me so far!

Ha! Yup exactly.

 

[SeeHole]

Thank you everyone for your help! I decided to go with:

15-inch MacBook Pro - Space Gray
With the following configuration:
Touch Bar and Touch ID
3.1GHz quad-core 7th-generation Intel Core i7 processor, Turbo Boost up to 4.1GHz
16GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 memory
1TB SSD storage
Radeon Pro 560 with 4GB memory

I figured in the end, I plan on having this for a few years, and I might as well invest now. Can't wait to start playing with it!

-Keith

Congratz Keith! This has been a very helpful thread. Patcell's post is terrific and very informative! I have a late 2011 and have been holding off until a major change happened, but it gets silly and you can wait forever since there are always changes to the MBP line.

I am still undecided as to whether to buy the 1TB or 2TB model. It is a $700 upgrade but I would love to have all my photos of my artwork on it, I'm an artist, along with my music on my MBP and I know this will be it fir me for 5 years.

Why is that extra 1TB so damn expensive?!?

BTW B&H has reduced the price by $200 and $300 respectively on the top of the line 15" models with 1 and 2TBs...

Decisions, decisions.........
[doublepost=1504133250][/doublepost]

Congrats on the decision to upgrade! For your purposes, I would say that there is little purpose to upgrade from the base 2.8Ghz CPU in the 15" Pro. The performance of the Kaby Lake quad-core chip will run circles around your dual-core 2012 machine (even in single-core tasks). It also doesn't sound like you will make much use of the graphics capabilities, so I am tempted to say skip the GPU upgrade also. The Radeon Pro 555 in the base model is a very capable GPU - especially coming from the mediocre integrated graphics from your 2012. For music production - and because you currently have 2TB of onboard storage - I would say to upgrade to the 1TB SSD in the new machine. It is a very expensive upgrade at purchase, but it is a very fast drive and it is impossible to upgrade internal storage at a later date. The SSDs in the new Pros are soldered onto the logic board; what you buy at the time of purchase is what you have for the service life of the machine.

Now, when I spec the machines on Apple's website, the base model upgraded to 1TB SSD is $2,999. Not cheap by any stretch, but a potent machine to be sure. On the flip side though... when you step up to the high-end stock configuration and bump the storage to 1TB, you are only at $3,199. For an extra $200 bucks you get an upgraded CPU and a significantly more powerful dedicated GPU (Radeon Pro 555 2GB to Radeon Pro 560 4GB). If you plan to keep this machine for the next 5 years, the extra $200 is $40/ year. Again, for your use, the other upgrades over stock are probably not going to make much of a difference, but you are getting some decent upgrades for $200 over base (assuming both are configured with 1TB SSD, which I think you will appreciate).

Good luck and let us know what you decide!

Great post!

 

[Patcell]

Congratz Keith! This has been a very helpful thread. Patcell's post is terrific and very informative! I have a late 2011 and have been holding off until a major change happened, but it gets silly and you can wait forever since there are always changes to the MBP line.

I am still undecided as to whether to buy the 1TB or 2TB model. It is a $700 upgrade but I would love to have all my photos of my artwork on it, I'm an artist, along with my music on my MBP and I know this will be it fir me for 5 years.

Why is that extra 1TB so damn expensive?!?

BTW B&H has reduced the price by $200 and $300 respectively on the top of the line 15" models with 1 and 2TBs...

Decisions, decisions.........
[doublepost=1504133250][/doublepost]

Great post!

Thank you! Happy to help.

The 2TB SSD is is indeed a very expensive upgrade, but these are extremely fast drives and NAND flash is still very expensive. There is a steep markup, and not to be an Apple apologist, but the that price for the drive upgrade is actually not that egregious. For example, Samsung's 960 Pro 2TB NVME SSD is about $1200, and Apple's is a proprietary solution soldered to the board.

However justified Apple may be though, it is a big investment... whether or not it makes sense is up to you. There are some very good cloud storage options for relatively cheap if you can count on having and internet connection when your media is needed.