Buy MBPro 15' or new MBPro 13' Broadwell? Super confused!

[renatoaraujoc]

Hello folks,

This last Apple presentation was terrible news to me, let me explain why.

I'm going to USA for vacation in May 16th and will return on May 27th. My return will be ~20 days before WWDC.

I was pretty much expecting Apple to launch the MBPro 15-inch Retina with Broadwell i7 processor but they ended leaving their 15' models behind and upgrading the rest, claming that its Intel's fault (ok, we believe right?).

I was targeting to buy the MBPro 15' with discrete VGA (the 2499 USD model) but now that Apple released the MBPro 13' Broadwell (upgradable to i7 and 16GB ram), these are my questions:

1. How different will the 2014 MBPro 15' be against the 2015 15' model that is scheduled to launch after WWDC?

2. How good is the new i7 Iris Graphics 6100 released on that MBPro 13' 2015? Sources claim its as good as a Nvidia 820M, proceed?

3. BY ANY CHANCE, would a miracle happen for Apple to release this 15inch MBPro by May?

4. If 3 is not happening, should I pick the new MBPro 13inch (upgraded to i7 and 16GB Ram) or go for the actual MBPro 15 inch with discrete VGA? Consider that I'll game on this machine as well as develop and proccess images.

Thank you!

Renato C

 

[JAG87]

1. We don't really know, but we can almost certainly predict that the refresh will be faster, or longer battery life.

2. I haven't checked benchmarks but even if it is, the nvidia GPU will provide much better game compatibility and features.

3. Personally I doubt it, but it could be possible...

4. This is really up to you. You have to decide whether you want to carry around a 13" or 15" laptop and how much you want to spend. If you are okay with the size of the 15" and its cost, then there is no reason to get the 13". The 15 will be much better for what you are going to use it for.

 

[renatoaraujoc]

1. We don't really know, but we can almost certainly predict that the refresh will be faster, or longer battery life.

2. I haven't checked benchmarks but even if it is, the nvidia GPU will provide much better game compatibility and features.

3. Personally I doubt it, but it could be possible...

4. This is really up to you. You have to decide whether you want to carry around a 13" or 15" laptop and how much you want to spend. If you are okay with the size of the 15" and its cost, then there is no reason to get the 13". The 15 will be much better for what you are going to use it for.

The real question is: Is the new MBPro 13' 2015 Broadwell Iris 6100 (upgraded to i7 and 16GB RAM) better as in graphics, processing and such than the 2014 MBPro 15' with discrete VGA? They price the same in the end. Idc about the screen size.

 

[JAG87]

The real question is: Is the new MBPro 13' 2015 Broadwell Iris 6100 (upgraded to i7 and 16GB RAM) better as in graphics, processing and such than the 2014 MBPro 15' with discrete VGA? They price the same in the end. Idc about the screen size.

I would say no, it's not better in graphics.

The cost is not the same as far as I know, the 15" with discrete GPU is more money. But even assuming cost is the same, you are getting less for your money with the 13".

Unless of course you value the smaller form factor, and the slightly longer battery life. Which is a question only you can answer

 

[renatoaraujoc]

I would say no, it's not better in graphics.

The cost is not the same as far as I know, the 15" with discrete GPU is more money. But even assuming cost is the same, you are getting less for your money with the 13".

Unless of course you value the smaller form factor, and the slightly longer battery life. Which is a question only you can answer

Feels like that I will actually miss slight better performance by not waiting for the rMBPro 15' 2015 (with discrete VGA). Both versions should perform very close, I bet (2014 vs 2015 models). I wish that my trip was scheduled 1 month later, but anyway... I shouldnt be doing a bad purchase, and yea, the 15' screen size is a plus for me as well.

Miracles can happen though, I've seen Apple release stuff without prior notice.

 

[manly]

I'm in the same boat as you are (buy now, or wait) but I think you're asking the wrong questions.

Ask yourself if you want a 15" MBP or a 13" MBP. The answer will tell you which model to buy.

The GeekBench numbers I've seen for the new 13" MBP indicate CPU-wise, it's no faster than Haswell (since it's just a process shrink). So I wouldn't assume the Broadwell 15" MBP will be faster than the current model. Besides the faster integrated GPU and flash storage, you're looking at a little better battery life and the new force click pad. Not exactly a bevy of large improvements.

Since you and I both seem to agree the next 15" MBP this year is unlikely to be significantly better than the current model, I think you're considering way too many unessential questions. Pick the screen size first, then the configuration.

 

[Qbah]

13" use dual core i7s
15" use quad core i7s

The difference is quite substantial in performance.

 

[Rakehellion]

The real question is: Is the new MBPro 13' 2015 Broadwell Iris 6100 (upgraded to i7 and 16GB RAM) better as in graphics, processing and such than the 2014 MBPro 15' with discrete VGA? They price the same in the end. Idc about the screen size.

The 15" is quad core with discrete graphics, the 13" dual with integrated graphics. Big difference.

The new 15" MacBook Pros will probably be released in June and might have USB 3.1, GTX 950M, Force Touch trackpads, and there are rumors of a 4K display. Maybe they'll even throw in more surprises.


This is really the worst time to buy a 15", but I just bought one because I needed it.

 

[asendra]

I'm in the same camp. I bought a MBAir 13" in 2012 thinking of replacing it in 2 years for a rMBp (the original 13" rMBp hadn't been released yet, just 15", and was too expensive)

But last year, they didn't update the laptops due to intel so I decided to wait 1 more year.

Now, I REALLY need to update to a faster rMBP for work, and I've decided to go for the 15" because I don't need that much portability (if it fits in my bag that's good enough). But they keep not updating the 15"!! so now I'm thinking maybe going with the 13". It doesn't help that they raised the prices in Europe quite a bit with the update, so the 15", when updated, would cost quite a bit more..

Would be a great reward by Apple if they ended up going straight to skylake with the 15" lol

 

[JAG87]

Feels like that I will actually miss slight better performance by not waiting for the rMBPro 15' 2015 (with discrete VGA). Both versions should perform very close, I bet (2014 vs 2015 models). I wish that my trip was scheduled 1 month later, but anyway... I shouldnt be doing a bad purchase, and yea, the 15' screen size is a plus for me as well.

Miracles can happen though, I've seen Apple release stuff without prior notice.

If they updated it only with Broadwell, you're going to miss little. If they update it with the 950M (which they most likely will), then you're going to miss out on substantially improved graphics performance and features. Force touch and all the other minor stuff are not that important.

Since it's near the end of it's refresh cycle, it's definitely not a good time to buy the 15". But that doesn't make the 13" a better buy. They are two different machines and if your work benefits from the 15" display and performance, then that's the one you should get.

My advice is to try to buy a refurb unit, there should be plenty on the Apple website and you can have it shipped to where you are staying during your trip. They come with the same 1yr warranty. At least that way you will save a little bit of money and not have paid full price for a machine that's going to be superseded in a few months.

 

[renatoaraujoc]

If they updated it only with Broadwell, you're going to miss little. If they update it with the 950M (which they most likely will), then you're going to miss out on substantially improved graphics performance and features. Force touch and all the other minor stuff are not that important.

Since it's near the end of it's refresh cycle, it's definitely not a good time to buy the 15". But that doesn't make the 13" a better buy. They are two different machines and if your work benefits from the 15" display and performance, then that's the one you should get.

My advice is to try to buy a refurb unit, there should be plenty on the Apple website and you can have it shipped to where you are staying during your trip. They come with the same 1yr warranty. At least that way you will save a little bit of money and not have paid full price for a machine that's going to be superseded in a few months.

You made my mind. I looks defeating to buy something that will be greatly improved within 1 month. If it confirms to come with:

1. Touch ID Login
2. NVidia GT 950M

Then I will wait.

Else if Apple decides to mantain the NVidia GT 750M and only replace the processor, then I don't see a reason to wait.

Any chance the iPhone 6s will be released on WWDC as well?

 

[TheStu]

You made my mind. I looks defeating to buy something that will be greatly improved within 1 month. If it confirms to come with:

1. Touch ID Login
2. NVidia GT 950M

Then I will wait.

Else if Apple decides to mantain the NVidia GT 750M and only replace the processor, then I don't see a reason to wait.

Any chance the iPhone 6s will be released on WWDC as well?

No one said anything about TouchID on Macs. They mentioned ForceTouch, Apple's new trackpad tech that's in the new MacBook, and the refreshed rMBP13.

 

[renatoaraujoc]

No one said anything about TouchID on Macs. They mentioned ForceTouch, Apple's new trackpad tech that's in the new MacBook, and the refreshed rMBP13.

About this Touch ID thing I read it could be implemented on the new 15inch models on some rumour website.

 

[Sushisamurai]

I agree with JAG87, he gave some good advice there.

Broadwell's only going to give 5-15% increase in performance, which is extremely marginal, but it's the dGPU that you'll be missing out on big time. I'm pretty confident they'll upgrade to at least the 950M, making that a 2 "generational" jump. Performance and battery life should increase substantially.

iPhones are usually announced at WWDC, but sold around september, so that the new iOS and iPhone are released about the same time. Mac's are usually updated for form factors in September/October, with announcements around WWDC or September (looks like the trend is now september, since WWDC 2014), with processor bumps in March (2012-2014).

If you're honestly looking for a OS X laptop and had absolutely no space for a desktop, then by all means, the 15" is the best desktop replacement you can get in terms of mobility. I had one a long time ago, extremely satisfied until it died on me. However, in today's day and age, building your desktop is the best bang for your buck. You could potentially get a 13" rMBP and use the difference from the 15" and build a pretty good computer that could game and develop images. I myself am using a 13" fat MBP and built my own desktop. Couldn't be happier. I love the 13" fat MBP for it's user replaceable parts, and my desktop is a beast on its own for $1200.

 

[Sushisamurai]

I agree with JAG87, he gave some good advice there.

Broadwell's only going to give 5-15% increase in performance, which is extremely marginal, but it's the dGPU that you'll be missing out on big time. I'm pretty confident they'll upgrade to at least the 950M, making that a 2 "generational" jump. Performance and battery life should increase substantially.

iPhones are usually announced at WWDC, but sold around september, so that the new iOS and iPhone are released about the same time. Mac's are usually updated for form factors in September/October, with announcements around WWDC or September (looks like the trend is now september, since WWDC 2014), with processor bumps in March (2012-2014).

If you're honestly looking for a OS X laptop and had absolutely no space for a desktop, then by all means, the 15" is the best desktop replacement you can get in terms of mobility. I had one a long time ago, extremely satisfied until it died on me. However, in today's day and age, building your desktop is the best bang for your buck. You could potentially get a 13" rMBP and use the difference from the 15" and build a pretty good computer that could game and develop images. I myself am using a 13" fat MBP and built my own desktop. Couldn't be happier. I love the 13" fat MBP for it's user replaceable parts, and my desktop is a beast on its own for $1200.

 

[JAG87]

About this Touch ID thing I read it could be implemented on the new 15inch models on some rumour website.

It could be, but it would be very odd for Apple to throw it into the 15" rMBP first instead of the just announced MB. That would have been a huge selling point. And I'm still waiting for it...

Come on Apple, MAKE MOAR SAPPHIRE

 

[Sushisamurai]

derp, it would seem Nvidia just released the 950M, and... it's not that great of a rebadge, but going from 750M isn't something to scoff at either. That sucks. I highly doubt the 15" is going to have a 970M.

 

[StinkyPinky]

Hello folks,

This last Apple presentation was terrible news to me, let me explain why.

I'm going to USA for vacation in May 16th and will return on May 27th. My return will be ~20 days before WWDC.

I was pretty much expecting Apple to launch the MBPro 15-inch Retina with Broadwell i7 processor but they ended leaving their 15' models behind and upgrading the rest, claming that its Intel's fault (ok, we believe right?).

I was targeting to buy the MBPro 15' with discrete VGA (the 2499 USD model) but now that Apple released the MBPro 13' Broadwell (upgradable to i7 and 16GB ram), these are my questions:

1. How different will the 2014 MBPro 15' be against the 2015 15' model that is scheduled to launch after WWDC?

2. How good is the new i7 Iris Graphics 6100 released on that MBPro 13' 2015? Sources claim its as good as a Nvidia 820M, proceed?

3. BY ANY CHANCE, would a miracle happen for Apple to release this 15inch MBPro by May?

4. If 3 is not happening, should I pick the new MBPro 13inch (upgraded to i7 and 16GB Ram) or go for the actual MBPro 15 inch with discrete VGA? Consider that I'll game on this machine as well as develop and proccess images.

Thank you!

Renato C

Are prices so bad in Brazil you cannot wait until July? Why not just order from the US store and use some postal service to send it on to you? The warranty is universal

 

[renatoaraujoc]

Are prices so bad in Brazil you cannot wait until July? Why not just order from the US store and use some postal service to send it on to you? The warranty is universal

The 2499 USD MacBook Pro in USA costs the equivalent of ~ 4200 USD if I buy in Brazil. It's priced here as 14.999 BRL and 1 USD = 3.25 BRL. Put it in simple words, it's the double. that's why I'm pissed off at this event cuz my trip is scheduled to May 16-27. I may not buy it there, I made lots of research and seems like Nvidia 750M can barely stand any game. I might buy a MSI Nvidia 980M laptop for gaming (around 2499USD) and the new 13inch MacBook Pro for work, I'm not sure...

 

[Koing]

Don't get a Mac for gaming. It will probably just about do okay on older games but on newer stuff it won't cope that well.

Koing

 

[Emulex]

you can run external graphics cards with thunderbolt2 easy way to stretch that laptop for semi-permanent gaming!

 

[renatoaraujoc]

you can run external graphics cards with thunderbolt2 easy way to stretch that laptop for semi-permanent gaming!

I heard that you need to spend major money to be able to do that.

 

[gochi123]

basically apple updated from a 650m to a 750m not worth it....just wait till they release a newer model with an 8xx or 9xx series.