Performance MacBook Pro 16"

[Adler1887]

Hi,

I am willing to buy the new 16" but I have to admit that I am not a Pro user in that sense, nevertheless it is worth the money to me.
However, I wonder whether all the fast processors, chips etc. are still used when using the MBP for easy things, such as browsing the web or Microsoft office apps?
I somewhere read that the 15" was actually slower compared to the 13" when doing non-Pro stuff, despite the fact that its hardware was actually better. It was said to use only parts of the power whereas the 13" always "worked with all it has" which made the 15" slower in "normal things" as a consequence.

Is that the case with the 16" or does it have these "processors for non-pro work" as well which prevent the use of its actual power?

Thank you

 

[PROFESS0R]

In general, when not using multi-threaded applications, the faster the cpu clock speed, the faster the computer will be. Typically, multi-cpu devices will run at slower clock speeds because of power considerations, allowing computers with fewer processors to run faster... on average, all else equal.
Joe

 

[gplusplus]

If you’re a light user, the base model 16 inch MBP will feel like the fastest thing on Earth for at least 4 years.

 

[interbear]

If you’re a light user, the base model 16 inch MBP will feel like the fastest thing on Earth for at least 4 years.

How do you define "light user"? Genuinely interested. I use my MBP 13 inch (2017, 8GB RAM, dual-core i5) for work every day, all day. Just typical Office work (yep, MS Office, all apps always running), emails, multiple web pages always on (Safari and Chrome) and constant Skype or Teams video calls. Plus personal use for photos app, music, podcasts etc. Which is probably a "light user" when compared to those who use their MacBook Pro for virtual machines or coding or graphics work, I don't do any of that, other than some occasional video editing. I've convinced myself that I want to get a MBP 16 inch, just not sure what spec to go for. One of the base models perhaps with 32GB RAM is my current thinking but I'm not yet sure I need the extra RAM other than to extend the life of the machine, or the resale value in a few years.

 

[gplusplus]

How do you define "light user"? Genuinely interested. I use my MBP 13 inch (2017, 8GB RAM, dual-core i5) for work every day, all day. Just typical Office work (yep, MS Office, all apps always running), emails, multiple web pages always on (Safari and Chrome) and constant Skype or Teams video calls. Plus personal use for photos app, music, podcasts etc. Which is probably a "light user" when compared to those who use their MacBook Pro for virtual machines or coding or graphics work, I don't do any of that, other than some occasional video editing. I've convinced myself that I want to get a MBP 16 inch, just not sure what spec to go for. One of the base models perhaps with 32GB RAM is my current thinking but I'm not yet sure I need the extra RAM other than to extend the life of the machine, or the resale value in a few years.

That’s the definition of light user, right there. The only possible exception would be if you’re opening massive, 8 gb Excel spreadsheets for work. But if you are, the Mac version of Excel would choke, anyways.

I think you’d be fine with the base model. I don’t even think you’ll need the 32 gb for at least 4 years in your use case. But that’s just my opinion, some guy on the internet.

I work on distributed software for data processing, machine learning, and image processing. Extremely memory and CPU intensive stuff. Being able to still be productive on a plane, or even just being able to be productive without a fat internet connection to a cloud provider, is a major advantage for me. With that said, I still don’t max out 32 GB today under realistic conditions. I could see myself breaching 32 gb in a year or two, which is why I went with the 64 gb configuration for my purchase.

For you, I think you’ll exceed the limits of 8 gb in a year or two, so 16 will serve you very well for years to come.

Again, I’m just some dude on the interwebs, so take that as you will.
[automerge]1574364069[/automerge]
By the way, don’t let the fact that you’re a light user deter you from getting a big 16 inch “Pro” laptop. There’s a lot to be said about form factor. The way you interact with your computer is, in my opinion, more important that specs. So if the bigger screen, better keyboard, and improved speakers make a worthwhile difference to you, it makes total sense. Yea, it’s a lot of money to pay for it, but it does accomplish what you want. So I’m actually quite a proponent for going ahead and paying for it, as much as it may hurt, if it improves your quality of life. As long as you responsibility spend your money, of course. But that’s another topic.

 

[interbear]

That’s the definition of light user, right there. The only possible exception would be if you’re opening massive, 8 gb Excel spreadsheets for work. But if you are, the Mac version of Excel would choke, anyways.

I think you’d be fine with the base model. I don’t even think you’ll need the 32 gb for at least 4 years in your use case. But that’s just my opinion, some guy on the internet.

I work on distributed software for data processing, machine learning, and image processing. Extremely memory and CPU intensive stuff. Being able to still be productive on a plane, or even just being able to be productive without a fat internet connection to a cloud provider, is a major advantage for me. With that said, I still don’t max out 32 GB today under realistic conditions. I could see myself breaching 32 gb in a year or two, which is why I went with the 64 gb configuration for my purchase.

For you, I think you’ll exceed the limits of 8 gb in a year or two, so 16 will serve you very well for years to come.

Again, I’m just some dude on the interwebs, so take that as you will.
[automerge]1574364069[/automerge]
By the way, don’t let the fact that you’re a light user deter you from getting a big 16 inch “Pro” laptop. There’s a lot to be said about form factor. The way you interact with your computer is, in my opinion, more important that specs. So if the bigger screen, better keyboard, and improved speakers make a worthwhile difference to you, it makes total sense. Yea, it’s a lot of money to pay for it, but it does accomplish what you want. So I’m actually quite a proponent for going ahead and paying for it, as much as it may hurt, if it improves your quality of life. As long as you responsibility spend your money, of course. But that’s another topic.

Really appreciate the input, thanks. Definitely useful to me, another guy on the internet, who needs plenty of advice on this topic before splurging some cash on a new MBP. I‘m definitely sold on the form factor, it’ll suit my mostly working at home with occasional travel working practices. Perhaps I need to avoid all of the upgrades and pick one of the base models, I do want a 1TB SSD for photo library etc.

 

[gplusplus]

Really appreciate the input, thanks. Definitely useful to me, another guy on the internet, who needs plenty of advice on this topic before splurging some cash on a new MBP. I‘m definitely sold on the form factor, it’ll suit my mostly working at home with occasional travel working practices. Perhaps I need to avoid all of the upgrades and pick one of the base models, I do want a 1TB SSD for photo library etc.

I’d challenge your need for the 1TB for your photo library. You don’t want to store your photos on the laptop as the primary resting place. Instead, store them on a cloud provider. They will make sure it’s backed up with redundancy so that you never lose your life’s moments. Money is better spent on iCloud, OneDrive, Google Drive, etc, than the 1 TB upgrade if your goal is to keep your photos.

Think of the built in SSD as “semi temporary” storage, kind of like a suit case. You don’t need to put all your clothes in a suitcase, just what you need for the trip and maybe a little extra, but certainly not your whole wardrobe. Even if you could, what if you lost your bag? You’d lose your whole wardrobe!

Travel light with your stored media. Unlike a suitcase, you only need an Internet connection to change your mind.

All that said, a 1 TB upgrade is not a waste of money, by any means. Just make an informed decision. You know your usage patterns better than I do, but making a guess here, I’d rather see you pay for some bigger iCloud storage (or whatever your favorite provider is) than the SSD upgrade.

I specced to 2 TB because my data sets are regularly 500gb at a time. So if I can travel around with two or three data sets, I’m a happy camper and it will pay for itself. Otherwise, my personal photos and documents and stuff are on OneDrive. Yes, people like to poopoo on Microsoft, especially around these parts, but Office 365 + OneDrive is a fantastic suite with better iOS/Mac integration than Google, plus they have a better track record of giving a crap about your privacy.

 

[leman]

In general, when not using multi-threaded applications, the faster the cpu clock speed, the faster the computer will be. Typically, multi-cpu devices will run at slower clock speeds because of power considerations, allowing computers with fewer processors to run faster... on average, all else equal.
Joe

This is not quite correct.

Max clock speed of the fastest 13" CPU - 4.7 Ghz
Max clock speed of the fastest 15" CPU - 5.0 Ghz

But honestly, for bursty work there is not going to be that much difference between any of them.

 

[gplusplus]

In this day and age, single threaded performance almost doesn’t even matter in the real world. Even if you are running something that’s single threaded, it won’t be anything critical because if it were, it would already be multi threaded or even GPU accelerated.

So in short, if something is single threaded, there’s a 99.9% chance that it doesn’t NEED to be any faster.

 

[interbear]

I’d challenge your need for the 1TB for your photo library. You don’t want to store your photos on the laptop as the primary resting place. Instead, store them on a cloud provider. They will make sure it’s backed up with redundancy so that you never lose your life’s moments. Money is better spent on iCloud, OneDrive, Google Drive, etc, than the 1 TB upgrade if your goal is to keep your photos.

Think of the built in SSD as “semi temporary” storage, kind of like a suit case. You don’t need to put all your clothes in a suitcase, just what you need for the trip and maybe a little extra, but certainly not your whole wardrobe. Even if you could, what if you lost your bag? You’d lose your whole wardrobe!

Travel light with your stored media. Unlike a suitcase, you only need an Internet connection to change your mind.

All that said, a 1 TB upgrade is not a waste of money, by any means. Just make an informed decision. You know your usage patterns better than I do, but making a guess here, I’d rather see you pay for some bigger iCloud storage (or whatever your favorite provider is) than the SSD upgrade.

I specced to 2 TB because my data sets are regularly 500gb at a time. So if I can travel around with two or three data sets, I’m a happy camper and it will pay for itself. Otherwise, my personal photos and documents and stuff are on OneDrive. Yes, people like to poopoo on Microsoft, especially around these parts, but Office 365 + OneDrive is a fantastic suite with better iOS/Mac integration than Google, plus they have a better track record of giving a crap about your privacy.

I agree re cloud storage and I do pay for iCloud already. I use iCloud Photo library so original photos are stored in iCloud. I also choose to download originals on the family iMac, which in turn has an external drive connected for time machine back up. Likewise with the MacBook Pro. Bit of a paranoid multiple copies strategy.

And, while iCloud works superbly for photos, music etc, I also have a personal Office 365 subscription as I much prefer the MS Office suite for word, excel, etc. So I choose to store documents on the OneDrive cloud storage that comes with the Office 365 subscription, rather than on iCloud. And again, I sync those OneDrive files locally to the MacBook Pro so I have offline copies of everything.

So, I like both cloud and local copies of everything as a security measure, which is why I prefer a decent size SSD. Happy to pay for both cloud and local storage.