MBP 13” 16GB 1TB or MBP 15” 16GB 1TB for Data Analytics and Coding

[fb3]

Hi all.

I’m debating if I should go 13” or 15” for my new MacBook. I come from a 27” iMac and also habe the 10” iPad Pro w/ keyboard.
I will mostly do programming (Python, C++), stats and data analysis. I never had a 15” since I feared that it’s just to large for traveling, but now I mostly have the iPad Pro with me (and love it for mail, text)... At home I do have a 27” USB-C monitor and external keyboard setup...

So, I wonder:
- Are there any benchmarks for the new models yet?
- Does the system benefit from the dGPU in the 15” much? I won’t need it for graphics or games. Would love a dGPU for CUDA, but since they are AMD no go anyway...
- Will I have better battery live with the integrated graphics in the 13”?

My biggest issues right now: price. The 13” in my conf. (I7, 1TB, 16GB) already exceed 3000 Euro with edu pricing...

Cheers,
FB

 

[jerryk]

Hi all.

I’m debating if I should go 13” or 15” for my new MacBook. I come from a 27” iMac and also habe the 10” iPad Pro w/ keyboard.
I will mostly do programming (Python, C++), stats and data analysis. I never had a 15” since I feared that it’s just to large for traveling, but now I mostly have the iPad Pro with me (and love it for mail, text)... At home I do have a 27” USB-C monitor and external keyboard setup...

So, I wonder:
- Are there any benchmarks for the new models yet?
- Does the system benefit from the dGPU in the 15” much? I won’t need it for graphics or games. Would love a dGPU for CUDA, but since they are AMD no go anyway...
- Will I have better battery live with the integrated graphics in the 13”?

My biggest issues right now: price. The 13” in my conf. (I7, 1TB, 16GB) already exceed 3000 Euro with edu pricing...

Cheers,
FB

Apple has some performance "metrics" up on their site showing that the new quad core 13" is twice as fast as the dual cores in computer bound jobs like ML. The new 15" with hex core was also faster, but I don't remember the difference.

As far as ML goes, CUDA is exclusive to Nvidia, so the AMD GPU will be of no help.

FWIW, I do ML/AI work and teaching, and am currently using a 15" 2015 rmbp. I am considering the new quad core 13" because I want something smaller and easier to carry. I find myself more and more using cloud services (ex. AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) to do training of my models since they all have GPUs that are many times more powerful that any laptop possess.

 

[fb3]

Apple has some performance "metrics" up on their site showing that the new quad core 13" is twice as fast as the dual cores in computer bound jobs like ML. The new 15" with hex core was also faster, but I don't remember the difference.

As far as ML goes, CUDA is exclusive to Nvidia, so the AMD GPU will be of no help.

FWIW, I do ML/AI work and teaching, and am currently using a 15" 2015 rmbp. I am considering the new quad core 13" because I want something smaller and easier to carry. I find myself more and more using cloud services (ex. AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) to do training of my models since they all have GPUs that are many times more powerful that any laptop possess.

Hi.

Yeah, that’s what I thought, too. I currently have an iMac 27, MacBook 12 combo from work. Since Apple denies us CUDA I wonder what good the 15” does for my work. Probably nothing... Would you go i7 on the 13” though? I think thats another 300 bucks...

I also move Keras & PyTorch stuff to our servers or potentially AWS in the future. I am a sucker for small laptops (this the current 2016 12”), but it’s really too weak for any code... Fine for text though and great on the train...

So I currently think I’d go 13” 1TB i5 (or i7 ?)... and potentially some eGPU GFX 1080Ti enclosure once driver support is better

Also: I’m super picky regarding noise! Would any of the two options be quieter in day-to-day use (not 2h calculation marathons but rather interactive analysis and short computations? Do they have similar cooling systems?

Hm

 

[jerryk]

Hi.

Yeah, that’s what I thought, too. I currently have an iMac 27, MacBook 12 combo from work. Since Apple denies us CUDA I wonder what good the 15” does for my work. Probably nothing... Would you go i7 on the 13” though? I think thats another 300 bucks...

I also move Keras & PyTorch stuff to our servers or potentially AWS in the future. I am a sucker for small laptops (this the current 2016 12”), but it’s really too weak for any code... Fine for text though and great on the train...

So I currently think I’d go 13” 1TB i5 (or i7 ?)... and potentially some eGPU GFX 1080Ti enclosure once driver support is better

Also: I’m super picky regarding noise! Would any of the two options be quieter in day-to-day use (not 2h calculation marathons but rather interactive analysis and short computations? Do they have similar cooling systems?

Hm

I am leaning to the i7 quad core simply because it is a relatively cheap upgrade and provides power (more threads) that many apps can use. I will go with just 512 GB of storage, since I have that on my 15" and have only used about 1/2 of it. I can use the money I save on that to upgrade the RAM to 16 GB.

 

[fb3]

I am leaning to the i7 quad core simply because it is a relatively cheap upgrade and provides power (more threads) that many apps can use. I will go with just 512 GB of storage, since I have that on my 15" and have only used about 1/2 of it. I can use the money I save on that to upgrade the RAM to 16 GB.

Right. Thanks for your opinion there. The extra storage price is eye-watering... maybe I’d rather stick to 512, too... I mean, I see the high-end speeds of their storage, but man!
I might have to sell a little $AAPL stock to afford one of these suckers ;-)

 

[jerryk]

Right. Thanks for your opinion there. The extra storage price is eye-watering... maybe I’d rather stick to 512, too... I mean, I see the high-end speeds of their storage, but man!
I might have to sell a little $AAPL stock to afford one of these suckers ;-)

I think I would rather sell a kidney than my Appl stock. Had some shares since the mid 90s/2000s. They have really earned their keep.

 

[fb3]

I think I would rather sell a kidney than my Appl stock. Had some shares since the mid 90s/2000s. They have really earned their keep.

Ha ha. In since the iPhone run up myself. Yeah, probably should sell some turds instead ;-)

 

[roland.g]

I am looking at the same and my considerations are weight v screen size. I am going 16 even if I go 15 as I don’t need 32 but I do plan to go 1TB. For me it is a $400 price difference and for that you get larger screen, 6 core v 4, dGPU, DDR4. Only downside is extra 1LB weight.

 

[fb3]

I am looking at the same and my considerations are weight v screen size. I am going 16 even if I go 15 as I don’t need 32 but I do plan to go 1TB. For me it is a $400 price difference and for that you get larger screen, 6 core v 4, dGPU, DDR4. Only downside is extra 1LB weight.

Do you have experience with the previous version 13” and 15” i7 units? I’m mostly concerned about heat & fan noise...
That’s the two things I love about my 2016 MB 12”: dead silence & weight... Hate the lack of power though ;-)

6 Cores sound nice, but I’m not sure I’d see any benefit in the dGPU... Larger screen would also be nice, but I’d probably rather have a lighter unit...

Decisions, decisions...
[doublepost=1531505123][/doublepost]Just did some new configurations in the German edu store:

13” 2.7 GHz 4-Core i7, 16GB, 1TB: 3014 Euros

15” 2.2 GHz 6-Core i7, 16GB, 1TB: 3168 Euros

Wow. Only 150 Euros difference (but less GHz in the 15” config)

 

[fb3]

Ok,

just replying to self ;-)... After reading some early benchmarks, I think I will be fine with the i5 13" for my compute requirements... (and the i7 might thermo-throttle anyways)? Saves some money, too...

I'm now down to 2250 Euros for the 13" 16GB 512GB 2.3 GHz model. I figure, I will shift to a more rapid upgrade cycle and probably get the next one in 2-3 years time (I was holding out with my private iMac 2009 for far too long - but with an aftermarket SSD upgrade).

I'm still intrigued by the 15" screen estate, but I always valued portability very much (I have a 12" from work as a 2nd machine but is too weak unfortunately)... I might have to visit the Store and ask them of they let me lift/ carry it around the 15" in the show room ;-)

Also, the entry into 6-core heaven (512GB) sets you back a cool 2736 Euros. However, the difference of 500 Euros gives you 2 more cores, a bigger screen, a i7 and a dGPU (which I do not need - Nvidia or bust)...

Anyone here with experience of using recent 13" and 15" units? Did you regret getting a 15" regarding portability/ handling/ weight?

[all prices german edu store incl. tax]

 

[poorcody]

Anyone here with experience of using recent 13" and 15" units? Did you regret getting a 15" regarding portability/ handling/ weight?

In 2016, I went from a 2013 MBA to a 15" MBP. I had found the 15" laptops just a little too big/heavy prior to 2016. But I found the 2016 15" MBP was only slightly larger and heavier than my MBA, so I took the plunge. I haven't regretted the decision, in part because I found the jump in screen real estate to be even more valuable than I had anticipated (I do development work on it). Xcode and Visual Studio were just too cramped for me on a 13", but on 15" I find I don't even miss an external monitor while on the road.

 

[cavtastic]

Anyone here with experience of using recent 13" and 15" units? Did you regret getting a 15" regarding portability/ handling/ weight?

I went from 12" to 15" to 13" and back to 15". There's not enough difference in portability between the 13" and the 15" MacBook Pros to justify the loss of performance for me. At home or at the office the laptop is in clamshell mode anyway and I need all the processing power I can get.

During my commute, it's in the backpack where I don't really feel any difference between 13" and 15".

I loved the 12" Powerbook, but there's no way we're going to see such a small pro-model again.

 

[robvas]

Screen size is the big deciding factor now, or integrated vs AMD graphics

The quad core is enough for almost everyone. And the 6 core isn’t much of a boost in most programs - and it’s not double the performance like the jump from dual to quad was in the earlier macs

 

[jackcoke]

13” screen real estate is too cramped for me when coding in R, not enough visibility IMO. I’ll be moving to a 15” this time, so computing power should not be your only consideration.