When considering which 13” MacBook Pro to buy I was wondering whether the base model without Touch Bar with 2.3GHz i5, 16GB RAM and 256GB SSD would be better than the base Touch Bar model (3.1GHzi5, 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD)? Any thoughts regarding general performance as well as future proofing and even maybe gaming performance?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Which MacBook Pro is better?
- Thread starter BenB17
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
For my needs would the 2.3GHz with 8GB RAM be sufficient or would the 16GB be better especially for future proofing as I hope to keep the computer for a while?
I would mainly use it for Microsoft Office, Spotify, Chrome and then occasional video (4K) editing using FCPX and photo editing using Abobe Photoshop and Lightroom. (Also the ability to run some basic games would be a nice addition)
Depende penda on usage. The TB one has better. CPU, GPU and cooling. But ram means more if you utilize it all. If you don’t use more than 8gb, having 16 will not really make any difference.
If you are going to edit large 4K videos then get the 16GB RAM. For the other things you mentioned 8GB should be enough. I view the TB as a gimmick so the only upgrade it offers is the slightly faster CPU and 2 additional ports. The TB also has a smaller battery.
If I were you and unless you think you'll benefit from the TB then go with the nTB and the additional RAM.
If I were you and unless you think you'll benefit from the TB then go with the nTB and the additional RAM.
Thanks for that, really helpful. Will the 16GB RAM also help future proof the computer, considering I won't often be video editing and the projects won't be massive projects. (i.e. is the 16GB even worth the price for me?!)
It has much, much better cooling, the iGPU is faster and the entire GPU/CPU package is 28W rather than 15W.
Read the original post and respond to what the OP asked.......;.;
I'm sorry, I can't find your usage specified?
You can check your RAM usage on your current Mac with Activity Monitor.
[doublepost=1517615803][/doublepost]
Didn't I?
Not really... For the Op's usage the minor bump in the CPU is almost meaningless as it the minor additional cooling the TB offers. If the OP is going to be dealing with 4K video then the RAM will be more important than the minor bump in the CPU.
My .02
You accidentally misquoted in your post btw. You said the OP said one of the things I said. The "Didn't I" part.
But yes, I generally agree with you. Aside from the video part. 8GB is fine for 4k if you're not multitasking with loads of other things. In that specific case I actually would say the GPU bump would be more impactful. For everything else, the extra RAM would be more meaningful. Aside from games, but if they aren't complex titles, the difference between the two is likely negligible anyways.
FCP X will probably run fairly well on both configurations. Lovely program. The Adobe stuff likely also won't see that substantial a difference, because Adobe apps never utilise the system fully, and in that case the RAM would be the most beneficial upgrade
I don’t really understand the difference between the two CPUs (2.3GHz i5 on nTB vs. 3.1GHz i5 on TB.) Can someone please explain and provide some real-world examples of the difference as well please!
[doublepost=1517641383][/doublepost]
I don’t really understand the difference between the two CPUs (2.3GHz i5 on nTB vs. 3.1GHz i5 on TB.) Can someone please explain and provide some real-world examples of the difference as well please!
[doublepost=1517641450][/doublepost]
I don’t really understand the difference between the two CPUs (2.3GHz i5 on nTB vs. 3.1GHz i5 on TB.) Can someone please explain and provide some real-world examples of the difference as well please!
Last edited:
The main difference lies in the TDP; Thermal design point. This is how much power each of the two CPUs is allowed to use basically. The TDP in the TB model is 28W and the one in the nTB one is 15W. This is both CPU and GPU combined. Now as is evident by the 2.3GHz vs. 3.1GHz you list yourself, this of course shows in the clock speeds. The GPU clock speeds are not listed on the spec but they are also affected, especially when both CPU and GPU are under load.
Real world differences aren't easy to quantify, but on paper, there's probably somewhere between a 25% and a 38% difference between the two chips. I'd assume somewhere around 10-15% in GPU workloads.
Those numbers of course don't necessarily reflect much with respect to smoothness of operation, but in that case they should be pretty indistinguishable and only in tasks that do longer computations over time should the jump really be seen (for the most part - games and certain workloads are exceptions).
With RAM, it generally works such that if you have enough you don't benefit from more. macOS does do intelligent caching which means that it tries to utilise the unused RAM to ready things from your SSD that may become useful, but even then, if you have enough RAM there's not much benefit to more. That said, apps and the OS will continue to demand more and more RAM, so enough today may not be enough tomorrow.
With respect to future-proofing, RAM is the biggest factor, although I never recommend focussing too much on future-proofing, since what you get extra for $500 more today, could've been gotten for $5 at the point the computer would've been useless without that, and the performance/cost ratio is much worse when trying to future proof the machine you buy today than if you buy a machine for what you need now, and spend the money saved from not future proofing on a similarly spec'd machine 3-5 years later, or whenever the computer no longer serves your need.
That said, this is of course only relevant when there's a price increase to the future-proofing. In this case, if you won't really benefit from a faster CPU/GPU and the TB, you may see a longer lifespan with more RAM: If the extra CPU and GPU power would be useful to you, I'd take that as a priority. But with your stated use case, I wouldn't worry too much about that extra CPUU/GPU performance.
You probably don’t need 16Gb RAM and the TB has more ports and better internals. Also, raqball really doesn’t like the Touch Bar and the whole direction Apple is going in. I love it, for example. So, don’t take anyone’s word for it. The best way to know is to do a little research, watch a few videos, etc and decide for yourself. Me? I’d probably get the TB model, but both are good options so go for what feels better to you.
For once we can agree..
- I do in fact view the TB as a gimmick! The only benefit to me that it offers is the print reader. Other than that? Pure gimmick in my opinion and for my use. Other may disagree and find it useful.
- My issue with the new design (2016-2017) is the removal of every port in existence and the KB failure rates. I get they want to go all in o USB C and that's fine but removal of the SD card slot? Meh!
- I agree that light video editing, even 4K video, can be handled with 8GB of RAM. I can easily get by on 8GB RAM and I edit 4K video all the time. My videos are small though and any extensive 4K editing would probably require more RAM.
- Also agree that each person needs to decide for themselves about the TB. Me? I would not waste my money on it. I really wish Apple would offer the nTB with an additional USB C on the headphone jack side (for 3 total) and bring back the SD card reader.
Last edited:
Thee print reader? What's that?
That'd be brill. Puzzling to me they removed it. Apple likes to market their pro machines to video producers, and of all the ports a video maker would want, an SD card reader is among the most fundamental, for getting your footage on the machine. Now of course you can get an external reader, but it's not as slick and it takes up a USB C port.
Ask yourself, do you need the performance bump?
Touchbar vesion is superior performance wise. I personally don't like the touch bar, so obviously this is up to your personal preference. I can sacrifice a little bit of power to retain the function keys that I want. Some like the touchbar as well so this can factor in.
Thinking of getting this from Best Buy today: Please help before I head out the door.
It is $200 cheaper than the Apple Store. Is there any disadvantage of buying this at Best Buy and saving $200? It is the same laptop right?
Apple - MacBook Pro® - 13" Display - Intel Core i5 - 8 GB Memory - 512GB Flash Storage (Latest Model) - Space Gray
It is $200 cheaper than the Apple Store. Is there any disadvantage of buying this at Best Buy and saving $200? It is the same laptop right?
Apple - MacBook Pro® - 13" Display - Intel Core i5 - 8 GB Memory - 512GB Flash Storage (Latest Model) - Space Gray
It's the same as the one from the Apple Store. Best Buy has sales like this all the time. You'll generally always be able to find Macbook's on sale from retailers like Best Buy and other but rarely direct from Apple.
