If I buy a MacBook 12" with Core i7 rather than Core m3 processor, would it get too hot? When I said too hot, I mean you could feel the heat on the palmrest, the touch pad or the keyboard.
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Would a MacBook with Core i7 get too hot?
- Thread starter Sodium Chloride
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I have the i7 Macbook as my travel buddy - it's often running Win10 in Parallels too. It does get a bit warm, but no more so than my MBP really. It's certainly not uncomfortably hot, no.
I, too, have the i7 MacBook with 512 GB SSD and 16 GB RAM. She doesn't get too hot at all; warm, yes, but never really hot to the point I notice it on the palmrest, the touchpad or keyboard. Nor do I notice it on the bottom part of the machine when using her on my lap. That said, I will admit that I don't use this machine for super-extensive tasks and I don't push her all that hard. I have another machine for that purpose. The MacBook is my travel machine, my casually-toting around the house or out on the deck from time to time machine, my lightweight machine that still fulfills what I need from a "real" computer as opposed to using my iPad.
My 2017 i7, 16GB with 256 SSD only gets even a little warm during OS updates. You should be good!
Can I ask do you think the 16GB upgrade is worth it on the MacBook? Only asking for future reference as I’m in the market for a new Mac but waiting until Apple announce this years version.
Do you need 16 GB?
How long do you keep your laptops?
Do you foresee a need for 16 GB in the future on your laptop?
I went with 16 GB, but that's because I tend to keep my laptops for 5+ years (really) and because I'm already at the point where 6 GB is tight, and sometimes 8 GB really is only just enough.
FWIW, I bought my MacBook Pro in 2009 with 2 GB RAM. I now have 8 GB RAM in it. 2 GB is almost unusable, and 4 GB is OK but not ideal. 8 GB is the sweet spot on that secondary machine even for just up to moderate Office type usage.
Yes, for me it is definitely worth it; when I still had both machines (the 2016 MB with 8 GB RAM and the 2017 with 16 GB RAM) I saw a noticeable difference in how the 2017 seemed more responsive, quicker to load apps, etc., and just perkier all the way around. Some of that, of course, can be attributed to the faster processor as well. I also prefer having 512 GB RAM to the smaller-capacity SSDs so that there is plenty of room for current storage, space to grow and space to breathe.
As EugW mentions above, I usually tend to keep my machines for a fair amount of time -- it was highly unusual for me to swap out a one-year-old machine for a new one! -- and as we all know, software tends to become more and more bloated and demanding over time, and I wanted to have 16 GB already in place. Unless something changes drastically I intend to keep using my 2017 MB for several years. I also have 16 GB RAM in my 15" 2015 MBP. That one is my "workhorse" machine and I intend to keep it for at least two more years before the time comes to begin thinking about replacing it.
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Ok thanks, I think if I do go for this years Macbook (depending if they release a 13” version) I’ll get the 16GB, I also like to keep my Mac’s for many years, for example I’m still using a 2011 MacBook Pro and a 2012 iMac. I do some light editing but my main work is writing which I think the MacBook would be great for.
FWIW, the better performance characteristics that you describe with the 2017 over the 2016 could be more attributed to the faster SSD storage in the 2017, rather than the extra 8GB of RAM.
I think it is definitely attributable to that, too, actually......the differences in the processor, the SSD and the increase in RAM. Both machines were m7/i7, 512 GB SSD, while the 2016 had just 8 GB RAM and the 2017 has the 16 GB RAM. Anyway, I am very happy with the 2017 MB and the keyboard feels better, too.