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I'm using Photoshop and Indesign on daily basis for a week on hard multitasking on two external monitors: not a single lag (2.0/16/512)
 
I'm using Photoshop and Indesign on daily basis for a week on hard multitasking on two external monitors: not a single lag (2.0/16/512)

I might get the same specs as you then- so do you think the 16gb is worth it? And I'm looking to keep this for ~5 years so obviously need to pick a processor that will do me good for that long.
 
I might get the same specs as you then- so do you think the 16gb is worth it? And I'm looking to keep this for ~5 years so obviously need to pick a processor that will do me good for that long.
I think you should get 16gb as first choice, then if you have the money upgrade the SSD to 512. And that's it.
 
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I think you should get 16gb as first choice, then if you have the money upgrade the SSD to 512. And that's it.

Already getting 512GB :) so looks like I'll go for 2.0GHz i5/16GB/512GB. Just need to decide on the colour, worried about it looking really bad after 5 yrs if I get the space grey..
 
Thanks so much, both really helpful answers!

Would I be compromising at all on battery life with the upgraded processor option?

And yes I will be getting 16GB of RAM as many people have advised me to! So just deciding between processor and colour now.

like everything in life there's trade offs.

so yes, faster processor, more ram = more battery usage. depending on how often you're away and need to be unplugged the trade off maybe worth it
 
I think you should get 16gb as first choice, then if you have the money upgrade the SSD to 512. And that's it.

What is the value in upgrading the SSD other than simply having more space to store my files? At the moment I have a 255(ish) Hard Drive and have no issues with storage space. Is there a benefit to performance from having a larger hard drive?

Sorry if this is a really beginner question.
 
Gaming, image processing, data analysis, programming. Maybe video?

I'll be using Adobe Photoshop and illustrator. I've been told that a RAM upgrade would really show 3 years down the line (I aim to keep this machine for 5/6 years).
 
What is the value in upgrading the SSD other than simply having more space to store my files? At the moment I have a 255(ish) Hard Drive and have no issues with storage space. Is there a benefit to performance from having a larger hard drive?

Sorry if this is a really beginner question.
Usually bigger capacities can lead to faster speeds. Anyway the main reason for upgrading it is having more space. I have 256GB on my old white mb and it has been always full, so I went for 512GB this time.
 
What is the value in upgrading the SSD other than simply having more space to store my files? At the moment I have a 255(ish) Hard Drive and have no issues with storage space. Is there a benefit to performance from having a larger hard drive?

Sorry if this is a really beginner question.

I don't have the specifics on these latest MacBook ssds, but often when benchmarking, a higher-capacity SSD of the same product line is faster than a lower-capacity one. Has to do with the ssd being made of modules, and a larger ssd having more of those modules.

See for instance also the reports on the difference in the storage speed between a 16 GB iPhone 7 and a 256 GB iPhone 7.

As a side note, I wish I could manage 256 GB as main storage. I don't know how I'd do it. My current mac mini has a 2 TB SSD and I'm using a whole bunch of external storage on top of that. Different strokes for different folks I guess ;)
 
Interesting thanks! Still would like to see if this holds true (not saying it doesn't) for this current generation, or how much they differ exactly.
 
I'll be using Adobe Photoshop and illustrator. I've been told that a RAM upgrade would really show 3 years down the line (I aim to keep this machine for 5/6 years).

If you can afford it, do it. Over the 5 years, $200 for additional ram is not much. Same with the SSD. CPU, I'm not so sure about.
 
Ok, I finally went to the local Apple Store and checked out a non touch bar 13 MBP. Yes it is a beautiful machine, I almost thought i was looking at the 12" MB as it was so thin and pretty.

But:

1) the space grey version seems very prone to scratches
2) I cannot digest the price tag (£1449 for 8GB of RAM and 256GB - my current MBP from 2010 non retina has 8GB and SSD 512GB upgraded it myself in 2012).
3) Currys have an offer - such model can be had for £1300. Even at that price I cannot justify this machine.
4) I read its battery is quite bad. Seems like my 6 yo has still a better battery than this new machine - I can easily get 6 hours. Where is the new battery going to be in 5 years time from now? 2 hours?!?

As a rule of thumb I buy laptops every 5-6 years and the new laptop has to be considerably faster/better than the one it replaces (and not just prettier / lighter).

On that note, it's a defer purchase for me. When time comes, I might have to resort to a Lenovo for 1/3 of the price.
 
I believe you are reading about the TB version rather than NTB. From what I read so far, NTB MacBook Pro has excellent battery life.

I see, thanks for the clarification, with so many negative threads I must have mixed a few things up.

Pity because I really like the design, it feels like something very precious...but my rule about technological advancement still stands as after all it is a computer so its primary purpose is to perform.
 
Still deciding..

What specs would you pick for a student in graphic design (adobe photoshop/illustrator) and also does all the usual word processing, web browsing, watching things etc. I have the budget to buy whatever is worth having but I don't want to throw away money for the sake of it.
 
Ok, I finally went to the local Apple Store and checked out a non touch bar 13 MBP. Yes it is a beautiful machine, I almost thought i was looking at the 12" MB as it was so thin and pretty.

But:

1) the space grey version seems very prone to scratches
2) I cannot digest the price tag (£1449 for 8GB of RAM and 256GB - my current MBP from 2010 non retina has 8GB and SSD 512GB upgraded it myself in 2012).
3) Currys have an offer - such model can be had for £1300. Even at that price I cannot justify this machine.
4) I read its battery is quite bad. Seems like my 6 yo has still a better battery than this new machine - I can easily get 6 hours. Where is the new battery going to be in 5 years time from now? 2 hours?!?

As a rule of thumb I buy laptops every 5-6 years and the new laptop has to be considerably faster/better than the one it replaces (and not just prettier / lighter).

On that note, it's a defer purchase for me. When time comes, I might have to resort to a Lenovo for 1/3 of the price.

1) can always buy silver if paranoid
2) you're getting faster ram and ssd and architecture
4) you're in the ntb thread which has consistent reports of 10hrs battery life
5) future prepared with usb3

so i would say it is a great upgrade. but you could always get the 2015 and feel more comfortable. great value if not cutting edge
 
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