MacBook Pro 13" - i5 2.0ghz vs i7 2.4ghz

[Faded]

So I was looking to pull the trigger on the non touch MacBook Pro and was wondering how much of a difference there would be in the two CPU choices.
It would be for general day to day usage of web/iTunes/remote work in Windows 10.

Also, will this make much of a difference in future proofing the machine?
I'm already looking at getting the upgraded 16gb RAM and 512gb SSD drive in it.

Finally, is now a really bad time to buy? Do people think that new models are imminent?
I'm currently using a 2011 base model which has a cracked screen, cracked trackpad and just generally seems to be on its way out performance wise.

Thanks for any advice on this.

 

[DanF]

The cpu and memory speed give a small increase in performance considering the price uplift. Check the cpu turbo speeds to get a better picture of peak performance (3.1 vs 3.4ghz). They also both affect the battery life so by getting a small increase to speed you'll get a small decrease in battery life. Up to you really.

16gb memory for normal use is also a bit overkill. I regularly use my base spec non-touch for work stuff. It'll have the following running with zero lag or memory issues

2 x chrome with 6-8 tabs each
iTerm
1-2 x ms rdp clients
atom
AV etc

So pretty light stuff really.

Personally I'd get a base spec with 2.0ghz/8gb/256gb on sale and pocket the difference, then when a new one comes out in say 2-3 years you can swap out to it with way less financial hit.

base spec from popular shop with current discount £1349
custom spec from apple (2.4/16/512) £2079

money saved £730

Buy a usb-c memory stick if you want to carry around really large files as well, that's say £30-60 and gets rid of the 256gb ssd issue if you have one.

 

[Deleted member 138126]

The cpu and memory speed give a small increase in performance considering the price uplift. Check the cpu turbo speeds to get a better picture of peak performance (3.1 vs 3.4ghz). They also both affect the battery life so by getting a small increase to speed you'll get a small decrease in battery life. Up to you really.

16gb memory for normal use is also a bit overkill. I regularly use my base spec non-touch for work stuff. It'll have the following running with zero lag or memory issues

2 x chrome with 6-8 tabs each
iTerm
1-2 x ms rdp clients
atom
AV etc

So pretty light stuff really.

Personally I'd get a base spec with 2.0ghz/8gb/256gb on sale and pocket the difference, then when a new one comes out in say 2-3 years you can swap out to it with way less financial hit.

base spec from popular shop with current discount £1349
custom spec from apple (2.4/16/512) £2079

money saved £730

Buy a usb-c memory stick if you want to carry around really large files as well, that's say £30-60 and gets rid of the 256gb ssd issue if you have one.

Yep, agree with everything here. £730 is a whole new laptop (not an Apple one, but still), and 8GB is fine for general use when combined with a very fast SSD.

 

[Faded]

Thanks for the advice. I was actually looking at the refurb units. The i5 16/512 is available for £1,499, so not much of an increase in price over the base model really.
I think i will definitely go for the i5 over the i7 if it comes up again then.

Just looking again and they have an 8/512 option abvailable for £1,339. Would I really not see much of a benefit with 16gb instead of 8gb then? My main concern was future proofing. My current MBP has lasted since 2011, although it has had a HD upgrade in that time.

 

[Fallen god]

Apple introduced memory compression and it goes a long way, my personally laptop used to struggle with my work stuff (8gb ram) but now I get by just fine. I think for £150~ more I would get 16/512 though, 512 is mainly the gain here has I can imagine that more storage well be very helpful the longer you keep the machine.

 

[DanF]

£1339 for the 8/512 sounds really good.

With the memory, you'll only benefit from it if you are using some memory hungry apps. What kinda stuff will you be doing on it?

 

[glenimp617]

Where are you looking? Apples prices are usually the same no matter where you order from.

 

[welshrat]

Really depends on what your work load will be on the mac, I went with a 2015 model and 16gb Ram as I have many IDEs and apps open a the same time, couldn't go back to 8gb, if you do lots of dev work and need Xcode and other IDE's at the same time I would Defo pick the 16gb. Just my 2 pence worth.