The No Touch Bar 13 Macbook Version

[Milan777]

Just cancelled my order for my TB 16gb Macbook Pro yesterday. Going in today after work to pick up base model non-touch bar.

I'm gonna try it out for a bit and see how it goes. I don't see the need to spend an extra $800.

That $800 can go towards apple pay, bluetooth mouse, monitor etc...

I'll only be using it for media consumption, Hearthstone, and casual photo and video editing.

I'm thinking I should be good.

 

[deepdishstar]

Just cancelled my order for my TB 16gb Macbook Pro yesterday. Going in today after work to pick up base model non-touch bar.

I'm gonna try it out for a bit and see how it goes. I don't see the need to spend an extra $800.

That $800 can go towards apple pay, bluetooth mouse, monitor etc...

I'll only be using it for media consumption, Hearthstone, and casual photo and video editing.

I'm thinking I should be good.

I did the same. Ordered a non-touch from bhphotovideo.com, saved a bundle and will get it much sooner. Couldn't be happier!

 

[Wowereit]

Did some of you check your battery capacity?
Mine started with 4732 mAh (design capacity is 4790)
It kept going constantly down, not jumping up and down, just constantly decreasing a little bit.
Now I'm at 6 battery cycles and left with 4668 mAh

 

[Hyloba]

Hmm I could get a 2015 second hand for 1500 euro, 100 euro less than the base 2016. But I get 2.9ghz, 16gb ram, 512gb ssd and all the ports. This might be worth it.

 

[Milan777]

Hmm I could get a 2015 second hand for 1500 euro, 100 euro less than the base 2016. But I get 2.9ghz, 16gb ram, 512gb ssd and all the ports. This might be worth it.

I probably would just get the newest one.

The design is way better, keyboard is better and USB-C is the future.

Thats just my opinion though.

 

[manny88]

Did some of you check your battery capacity?
Mine started with 4732 mAh (design capacity is 4790)
It kept going constantly down, not jumping up and down, just constantly decreasing a little bit.
Now I'm at 6 battery cycles and left with 4668 mAh

According to coconut battery, my current charge is 4662 mAh, or 98.2%. And its been on plugged in with 100% charge for the last 2 hours, so it seems thats my battery capacity.

Oddly the full capcity is 4746, but never reaches it. And the design is 4790.

 

[vddobrev]

Uninstall coconut battery, enjoy your laptop!

 

[xraydoc]

If one's a monitor, it's really worth investing in a good TB3 dock. That's my plan anyways -- one USBC plug into my laptop for monitor/keyboard/mouse/charging/everything else. That's the beauty of TB3 and why 2 ports can really be enough.

Or a monitor that connects via USB-C and supplies power.

 

[Wowereit]

Uninstall coconut battery, enjoy your laptop!

Sorry, can't uninstall System Profiler.
I know it's somewhat like having OCD, but I have never seen any Mac getting down to 97.5% of design capacity after one week.

Just trying to see if there is a pattern or it's my device only.

 

[GZR]

Mine has 97% capacity after a little over 2 weeks and 9 cycles. 4656mah

 

[vddobrev]

Sorry, can't uninstall System Profiler.
I know it's somewhat like having OCD, but I have never seen any Mac getting down to 97.5% of design capacity after one week.

Just trying to see if there is a pattern or it's my device only.

Mine has 97% capacity after a little over 2 weeks and 9 cycles. 4656mah

It's chemistry. Some batteries are 103% and some are 97%. My 2015 13" is 97% from the start, and my daughter's 2015 13" is 102%.

 

[coopercoop]

Question: is the non-touchbar MBP 2016 better than the 2015 MBP (performance wise)

 

[Garage Battle]

Just joined this group today. Got Best Buy to price match to MicroCenter on the space gray base model for $1299 (and lol - don't even have a MicroCenter in this state).


Also a heads up - Best Buy will have the base NTB MacBook Pro in silver on sale (early Black Friday sale - 9am this Saturday) for $1299. Check the Best Buy add.

Anyone else - might be worth checking into a price match if thats the sale price coming up.

Also shows you how much dickbhead profit is built into the new MacBook if it can be discounted $200 in like 2-3 weeks after launch.

 

[Milan777]

Latest video comparing the two models. Doesn't go indepth about battery life though.

 

[Apple_Robert]

For those like me who purchased the base model, you can use the MacID app to lock and unlock your Mac using the Touch ID from your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch. It also has some other features that work very well. I have been using it since it first came out and have really enjoyed it.

 

[NickPhamUK]

Question: is the non-touchbar MBP 2016 better than the 2015 MBP (performance wise)

CPU: 5% more in 2016, not sugnificant
GPU: nearly double
SSD speed: nearly double

For $100 more. Thinner & lighter, better speaker, 67% brighter screen, about the same battery.

Get the base non-TB, it's worth it

 

[vishavg]

CPU: 5% more in 2016, not sugnificant
GPU: nearly double
SSD speed: nearly double

For $100 more. Thinner & lighter, better speaker, 67% brighter screen, about the same battery.

Get the base non-TB, it's worth it

But what about when comparing a
Refurbished 13.3-inch MacBook Pro 3.1GHz Dual-core Intel i7, 16gb, 512 SSD, @ 2249$
vs non-TB 16gb 256gb @ 2055$

Canadian pricing.

 

[NickPhamUK]

But what about when comparing a
Refurbished 13.3-inch MacBook Pro 3.1GHz Dual-core Intel i7, 16gb, 512 SSD, @ 2249$
vs non-TB 16gb 256gb @ 2055$

Canadian pricing.

Don't upgrade the CPUs, they give you diminishing returns. If you needed that much CPU power (for video editing/rendering) you should have looked at the 15" models or desktops.

For the majority of tasks, the dual core i5 on either 2015 or 2016 are fast enough.

You can upgrade the 2016 to 512 GB SSD too - and the price is sinilar to that of refurbished model, but you still get the benefits of more powerful GPU, faster SSD, brighter screen, thinner and lighter.

Get the 2016 version, unless you desperately need the legacy ports.

 

[vishavg]

I don't need that much CPU power, I would just like 16GB of RAM. Currently, all the 16GB refurbished models come with the upgraded CPU or 512/1TB of SSD.

So the more powerful GPU and SSD on the 2016 trumps the i7 on the 2015?

 

[Acronyc]

I don't need that much CPU power, I would just like 16GB of RAM. Currently, all the 16GB refurbished models come with the upgraded CPU or 512/1TB of SSD.

So the more powerful GPU and SSD on the 2016 trumps the i7 on the 2015?

I would say so. I've been very impressed with both so far in the non TB MBP. Especially the GPU, which so far I've found to be better than the dGPU in my 2012 15 inch rMBP for my uses. I upgraded the non TB to 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, and you could upgrade the RAM if it's really a concern. I decided I'd rather have the upgraded RAM, SSD, and better battery life instead of a base TB model.

 

[coopercoop]

I would say so. I've been very impressed with both so far in the non TB MBP. Especially the GPU, which so far I've found to be better than the dGPU in my 2012 15 inch rMBP for my uses. I upgraded the non TB to 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD, and you could upgrade the RAM if it's really a concern. I decided I'd rather have the upgraded RAM, SSD, and better battery life instead of a base TB model.

Yea im about to pull the trigger on this setup, seems like the best bang for buck. The CPU upgrade just doesn't seem worth it imo.

 

[honoringveterans1000]

for i7/16gb owners
after 1+ week of using it, how you feels the machine? how it behaves under heavy load?

Its my mvp, since i’m not interesed in TB.
It will be used as my main computer, for heavy Ableton and Logic sessions, light PS and Illustrator editing, browsing 10+ tab, word processing.

I am skeptical as regards the 15w processore and the lower speed of the RAM.

I’d like to hear more detailed reviews by the owners, not only benchmarks.

 

[Ma2k5]

for i7/16gb owners
after 1+ week of using it, how you feels the machine? how it behaves under heavy load?

Its my mvp, since i’m not interesed in TB.
It will be used as my main computer, for heavy Ableton and Logic sessions, light PS and Illustrator editing, browsing 10+ tab, word processing.

I am skeptical as regards the 15w processore and the lower speed of the RAM.

I’d like to hear more detailed reviews by the owners, not only benchmarks.

If it helps, people have managed to do all those tasks on even 4.5w processors on the 12" MacBook, and prior to that, on the MacBook Air. It just takes a bit longer.

 

[CyHawk60]

Hello -
I'm new to the forums and am looking at getting my first MacBook. I'm interested in the non TB model. I will be doing some video encoding, but only during football season. My question, is 8gb memory sufficient for video encoding? Has anyone with 8gb wished they had 16gb?

Thanks!

 

[HoosBruce]

I did an unboxing/overview of this version