Macbook Pro: how is noise? Replace SSD? Speaker quality?

[omega3]

I'm considering getting a Macbook Pro 15 for the first time, so had a couple of questions:

1. can you just buy the 256 gig SSD model and replace it with a bigger SSD yourself?

2. How good are the speakers on this laptop? Bass decent? Does it rumble when placed on a desktop?

3. How noisy overall is it?

4. Is it true this model has heat issues like how?

5. anything else i need to know before buying this? Thanks alot!

 

[Eug]

1. Not a standard SSD. If you want 256, then buy it configured that way from Apple.

2. Don't expect great speaker sound.

3. Not noisy.

4. Not a significant heat issue but YMMV.

5. Many people expect a form factor update within 3 months. I'm hoping for a slimmer and lighter design.

 

[omega3]

1. Not a standard SSD. If you want 256, then buy it configured that way from Apple.

2. Don't expect great speaker sound.

3. Not noisy.

4. Not a significant heat issue but YMMV.

5. Many people expect a form factor update within 3 months. I'm hoping for a slimmer and lighter design.

Regarding point 1, can a pc shop not install a larger SSD in there and format is correctly? Is the SSD perhaps not removable?

 

[Beer4Me]

The SSDs in the newer Retina MBP's are all proprietary to Apple (firmware locked). Smart business decision, but bad for customers like you and me. By more than what you need so you can grow into it, or buy used. I, myself, bought a used one.

 

[postmortemIA]

Regarding point 1, can a pc shop not install a larger SSD in there and format is correctly? Is the SSD perhaps not removable?

SSD is custom as said, but standard PCIe based, OWC claims that they have upgrades available.

 

[Commodus]

First things first: buy now if you need it, but see if you can hold out until Apple's WWDC keynote (June 13th). There's talk of a possible new MacBook Pro then.

Check out Other World Computing's SSDs if you're determined to upgrade the storage yourself.

Having said that: as a general rule, buy a laptop with enough storage to last you through the life of the system, not the bare minimum with hopes of upgrading later. You won't risk voiding your warranty or shedding performance (Apple is good at picking very fast SSDs). Besides, springing for the higher-end MacBook Pro with 512GB standard will also get you dedicated graphics and a faster processor... those will go a long way toward future proofing your system.

 

[Eug]

If you want to future proof your system, wait until the next model, likely coming in the next couple of months. In fact if you really want to future proof it, wait until Intel's Kaby Lake chips are used in it. That would be 2017, and the new form factor would have already arrived too.

Kaby Lake provides both HEVC 10-bit and VP9 10-bit decode support in hardware, even if you don't have a discrete GPU. That's what I'm waiting for, for a slim 13" model, although I'm sure that's way too long of a wait for you.

 

[rugby]

Don't put an OWC SSD in any machine you want to boot up consistently. We put 6 of them in some MacBook Airs that customers had bought with super small SSD drives in them. Out of the 6 drives we installed, 4 had to be replaced due to failure. Not a great %.

 

[Commodus]

If you want to future proof your system, wait until the next model, likely coming in the next couple of months. In fact if you really want to future proof it, wait until Intel's Kaby Lake chips are used in it. That would be 2017, and the new form factor would have already arrived too.

Kaby Lake provides both HEVC 10-bit and VP9 10-bit decode support in hardware, even if you don't have a discrete GPU. That's what I'm waiting for, for a slim 13" model, although I'm sure that's way too long of a wait for you.

Kaby Lake ships in the second half of this year, not 2017, and there's a suspicion that Apple might not have to wait very long to use it!

 

[Eug]

Kaby Lake ships in the second half of this year, not 2017, and there's a suspicion that Apple might not have to wait very long to use it!

That would be ideal. Sometimes Apple does get the chips early. But then again, Apple sometimes does the exact opposite and sticks with older chips for way too long.

 

[HiroThreading]

I'm considering getting a Macbook Pro 15 for the first time, so had a couple of questions:

1. can you just buy the 256 gig SSD model and replace it with a bigger SSD yourself?

2. How good are the speakers on this laptop? Bass decent? Does it rumble when placed on a desktop?

3. How noisy overall is it?

4. Is it true this model has heat issues like how?

5. anything else i need to know before buying this? Thanks alot!

1. Yes, you can buy third-party SSDs. However, as far as I know, the only company to offer compatible SSDs are OWC. It's probably a better idea to buy a bigger capacity SSD from Apple at the date of purchase.

2. The speakers are very good -- for a laptop. Yes, it produces pretty good bass. If you're an audio enthusiast, or need the laptop to playback music for a large room, then obviously you should invest in headphones or a proper audio solution.

3. Not noisy at all. Not unless you're running intensive tasks. The only time my MBP 15" is audible is when I run multiple statistical simulations, encode videos or when I play games through BootCamp. Otherwise it's whisper quiet, even when playing back HD content.

4. No heat issues that I'm aware of. I have the 2014 model with the GeForce 750M, so obviously dissipating the CPU and GPU when they're running at full load is a bit of a challenge. But the same could be said for any laptop.

5. They're fantastic machines. I do not regret splurging the money on the 15" RMBP, as it's fantastically built and will last me for quite a while (well, the dGPU is probably going to start showing its age first).

My advice would be to try and wait for Apple's WWDC event this year. There's a good chance that Apple will refresh the entire Mac lineup. In particular, there's quite a big expectation that the RMBP will be updated with Skylake and AMD's Polaris, so there should be a big jump in perf/w for GPU intensive tasks.

My other piece of advice would be to carefully consider if you need the 15" Pro over the 13" Pro. While I don't mind the extra weight of the 15" Pro, if I have a busy day at work and end up taking a lot of documents home, then I really start to appreciate the lighter weight of the smaller models. But, if you have a backpack or your work/study is fairly paperless, then 15" Pro's weight shouldn't be a problem.

 

[postmortemIA]

Good review from Hiro, I find 13" more mobile and good enough as a secondary development machine. And there is always clamshell mode to make it work like a desktop.

 

[HiroThreading]

Oh, I forgot to add that Apple is expected to update its RMBP lineup with TB3 at the WWDC!

Hopefully they update the Thunderbolt Display too. That thing is pathetically ancient and has quite a quite a lot of reliability issues. It's a huge shame because it has huge potential to be a great RMBP/MB (when it finally gets TB3) dock.

 

[Lyfer]

If your getting the 15" I think it's an easy decision to spend the extra $500 on the higher end model. You are getting so much more in addition to a 512gb SSD. Definitely worth it over the headaches down the road. Plus they have great resale value.

 

[nerp]

I recommend using one in person before buying. Many excited buyers are finding that the keyboard and trackapad are a major downgrade from previous versions. Expect almost no key travel. It's as if apple is trying to make the keyboard feel as close to typing on an on screen keyboard as possible. It's no biggie for many casual users but if you plan on doing any serious writing on it, prepare to be miserable.

 

[Eug]

I recommend using one in person before buying. Many excited buyers are finding that the keyboard and trackapad are a major downgrade from previous versions. Expect almost no key travel. It's as if apple is trying to make the keyboard feel as close to typing on an on screen keyboard as possible. It's no biggie for many casual users but if you plan on doing any serious writing on it, prepare to be miserable.

?

Are you talking about the MacBook 12" or the MacBook Pros? I wasn't aware they changed the keyboard significantly for the 2015 MacBook Pros.

I agree the keyboard and trackpad are downgrades on the MacBook 12" though. I just hope they don't do the same for 2016 slimmer MacBook Pros.

 

[nerp]

I'm sorry, I was talking about the MacBook 12". My bad.