MBP for basic use - 128GB Storage, 8GB RAM, i5 Processor?

[whatsinamac]

Hello People,

I've never used a Mac in my life and this would be my first switch from PC to Mac. My usage would be limited to basic navigation, use of office tools, surfing etc. I just want to try my hands on Mac and witness the experience. Do you think for my limited usage 128 Gigs of storage with 8GB Ram and i5 processor is an ideal config. Any advise is appreciated.

Cheers.

 

[leon771]

I’d buy a 2012 13” MBP non retina with replaceable RAM and HDD.

Perfect system to dabble with OS X.
If you need more RAM or HDD space you can easily upgrade the machine if need be.

I wouldn’t buy one of the newer machines as they’re overkill for your use case.

 

[maflynn]

in 2018, I think 128GB is going to be too small, I recommend at least a 256GB, even for light usage. The ram and chip selection is fine for light usage imo.

 

[Hater]

Why would you buy a Pro over an Air or normal MacBook if you're only doing basic things?

 

[Sterkenburg]

For your usage specs aren't really relevant, even a 12" MacBook (or anything released by Apple in the last 5 years, for that matter) would be perfectly sufficient. But I second the comment above that a 128GB drive might be very anemic these days, even for very basic usage.

The 2018 MBP is overkill, but if money is not an issue then the config you described with 256GB SSD would be perfect. Otherwise, if you just want to try out the macOS experience and see how you like it, I'd look for a cheaper refurbished machine.

 

[bkends35]

Why would you buy a Pro over an Air or normal MacBook if you're only doing basic things?

Air - screen sucks

Macbook - questionable reliability

MBP retina 2012-2015 - sweet spot

 

[whatsinamac]

I thought most likely I would be keeping it for a while so why not go for Retina Display haha
[doublepost=1533562710][/doublepost]Yeah I chose MBP only for the Retina Display since the last laptop I bought is 10 yrs old and if I buy a new MBP, another 5-7 yrs is sorted

 

[MBAir2010]

My macbook air 2010 screen is great, i was watching streamed baseball yesterday and was marveling how crisp the picture was, good as the samsung HDTV.
anyways
those RAM & HD GB specs will do for general everyday use, and more!
kinda what i have now.

 

[maflynn]

My macbook air 2010 screen is great,

But its not retina

 

[AppleHaterLover]

If you’re going to use the usual Word and Excel, doesn’t store movies or music (who does anyway with Netflix and Spotify) and most of your iPhone/iPad stuff is backed up on iCloud, then 128GB is enough.

Of course more space is always better, but I had a 128GB MacBook Air for 3 years and space was litterally never an issue.

 

[TechZeke]

My macbook air 2010 screen is great, i was watching streamed baseball yesterday and was marveling how crisp the picture was, good as the samsung HDTV.
anyways
those RAM & HD GB specs will do for general everyday use, and more!
kinda what i have now.

After you own a retina Mac, a 2010 MBA screen will seem anything but great.

 

[Fishrrman]

The i5 CPU and 8gb of RAM will be fine. I predict you'll have no trouble from either.

But you might want to consider 256gb for the SSD, unless you are sure that you will manage space effectively and have no intentions of storing many large files or libraries on it.

I personally could probably live with 128gb on a laptop, because all my "main stuff" is done on a desktop Mac.

 

[jerryk]

I thought most likely I would be keeping it for a while so why not go for Retina Display haha

Go to an Apple store and try them out. Check out the machines side by side.

 

[nameless_tee]

Seems like you are talking about the non touch bar 2017 model. 128gb is enough, but I wouldn't feel myself comfortable if I didn't buy an external 256gb ssd (samsung t5). Also, if you are limited in money, 128gb + external ssd will cost much cheaper for more memory.

 

[whatsinamac]

Looks like 128GB, i5 and 8GB RAM should do for my limited usage. I could buy an external SSD if required. I’ve seen Retina display and it’s amazing + I won’t be changing my laptop anytime soon.

 

[mcaswell]

Out of the box, with the OS and pre-installed apps, I believe the 128gb has about 90-95gb free, which is plenty if you won't be loading up a bunch of photos and videos. You can free up even more space by deleting apps you won't need... for instance, if you'll just be doing office-ish tasks, keep Pages, Numbers, etc., and delete Garage Band and iMovie to gain a few more GB.

 

[haruhiko]

I think for future proof at least 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSD is needed.

 

[IngerMan]

Why not look at the Apple refurbished section. You can get a 2016 at a good price.

 

[whatsinamac]

Is it on the Apple website?

 

[Rocko99991]

Why not look at the Apple refurbished section. You can get a 2016 at a good price.

Bad keyboard.

 

[sakurarain]

if you do not need to move it all around from home to office, i would suggest an iMac, but wait until next update, maybe this fall.

 

[IngerMan]

Is it on the Apple website?

Yes at the bottom