New product purchase

[Cjamesw89]

Before I get too much hate for posting about this, I know Apple hardware is greatly overpriced for what you get, but here is my delima. I have a discount of Apple hardware that will make the purchase much more affordable and I’m wondering if the extra price tag for the 3.1GHz I7 is worth considering, or is there a similarly speced laptop in this price range?

 

For background the pricing I am looking at is for the 15 inch, 2017, 16GB, 512 SSD, Radeon Pro 560 4GB.

 

The 2.9GB i7 will cost me $1,599

The 3.1GB i7 will cost me $1,749

 

I will be doing light video editing and maybe brief gaming, nothing intensive, mostly Starcraft/Starcraft 2. Also I already own a copy of Final Cut X

[Zando_]

Macs are awesome! 

[Zando_]

Just had to say that before someone fulfilled your fears and hated on you for liking Macs. What's your use case?

[TheSneakinSpider]

4 minutes ago, Cjamesw89 said:

I will be doing light video editing and maybe brief gaming, nothing intensive, mostly Starcraft/Starcraft 2. Also I already own a copy of Final Cut X

that is the use case

[Zando_]

Just now, TheSneakinSpider said:

that is the use case

My bad.  And OP, if you can afford it, I'd always get the fastest CPU possible. FCP X is well optimized and balanced, but a faster CPU will make it even smoother. Not to mention, it makes the resale value much higher if you ever want to sell it to upgrade or something.

[TheSneakinSpider]

9 minutes ago, Cjamesw89 said:

The 2.9GB i7 will cost me $1,599

The 3.1GB i7 will cost me $1,749

thats not a lot of storage get something else

[Cjamesw89]

1 minute ago, Zando Bob said:

My bad.  And OP, if you can afford it, I'd always get the fastest CPU possible. FCP X is well optimized and balanced, but a faster CPU will make it even smoother. Not to mention, it makes the resale value much higher if you ever want to sell it to upgrade or something.

Excellent point on the resale value. Would you think the performance boost would be noticeable?

[Cjamesw89]

2 minutes ago, TheSneakinSpider said:

thats not a lot of storage get something else

 

3 minutes ago, TheSneakinSpider said:

thats not a lot of storage get something else

Storage space isn’t too much of a concern for me. I’m going to be setting up a NAS in the near future to keep my work on. I just need enough for while I’m at work or school

[Zando_]

5 minutes ago, Cjamesw89 said:

Excellent point on the resale value. Would you think the performance boost would be noticeable?

Is the faster one only a 3.1? Or 3.5GHz? 

 

EDIT: It's only 200MHz on both the CPU and boost, so it may not be worth it. IIRC, the 2016 (not the newest, the older one with no USB-C) one is a 3.5GHz CPU. 

[TheSneakinSpider]

 the joke went over your head 2.9GB i7 did you mean 2.9Ghz i7

[Cjamesw89]

2 minutes ago, TheSneakinSpider said:

 the joke went over your head 2.9GB i7 did you mean 2.9Ghz i7

Lmfao! I did miss that. I’m on the phone at work. Probably not the best time to be shopping and asking for help! 

[Cjamesw89]

7 minutes ago, Zando Bob said:

Is the faster one only a 3.1? Or 3.5GHz? 

 

EDIT: It's only 200MHz on both the CPU and boost, so it may not be worth it. IIRC, the 2016 (not the newest, the older one with no USB-C) one is a 3.5GHz CPU. 

It’s a 2.9GHz for the base and a 3.1 for an additional $150

[Zando_]

3 minutes ago, Cjamesw89 said:

It’s a 2.9GHz for the base and a 3.1 for an additional $150

I'd get the 3.1 if I could afford it, but it probs won't make a noticeable difference. It's 200MHz, and you'll lose that when the more powerful CPU throttles under heavy load. 

[Cjamesw89]

3 minutes ago, Zando Bob said:

I'd get the 3.1 if I could afford it, but it probs won't make a noticeable difference. It's 200MHz, and you'll lose that when the more powerful CPU throttles under heavy load. 

I’m thinking I’ll order the 3.1. Thank you very much for the input! 

[Zando_]

Just now, Cjamesw89 said:

I’m thinking I’ll order the 3.1. Thank you very much for the input! 

Your welcome! And enjoy your new Mac (whatever people say about their specs, the real-world experience is super smooth). 

[Cjamesw89]

12 minutes ago, Zando Bob said:

Your welcome! And enjoy your new Mac (whatever people say about their specs, the real-world experience is super smooth). 

I was always a windows guy before and never thought I’d convert, but after getting my first MacBook I loved it! I still have a PC I use but my daily driver is my Mac and I don’t think that’s going to change

[Zando_]

Just now, Cjamesw89 said:

I was always a windows guy before and never thought I’d convert, but after getting my first MacBook I loved it! I still have a PC I use but my daily driver is my Mac and I don’t think that’s going to change

Yup. I use Mac for work, and Windows for tinkering and gaming, on my PC at home. Mac is awesome for Photoshop and video editing, since it looks good (And most video editors and photographers want their computer and OS to look nice as well), performs well, and they have great battery life for mobility. To go back the the classic Mac vs. PC ads, Macs are great for designers and artists, basically hip people who want a beautiful product that just works, so they can focus on creating awesome stuff. They're also good for office work since they don't have many stability issues like Windows (Office 365 hates Mac though, it works, but is missing stuff Windows has). And also good for old people, since they can't really break it on accident. 

[Cjamesw89]

10 minutes ago, Zando Bob said:

Yup. I use Mac for work, and Windows for tinkering and gaming, on my PC at home. Mac is awesome for Photoshop and video editing, since it looks good (And most video editors and photographers want their computer and OS to look nice as well), performs well, and they have great battery life for mobility. To go back the the classic Mac vs. PC ads, Macs are great for designers and artists, basically hip people who want a beautiful product that just works, so they can focus on creating awesome stuff. They're also good for office work since they don't have many stability issues like Windows (Office 365 hates Mac though, it works, but is missing stuff Windows has). And also good for old people, since they can't really break it on accident. 

I made that mistake with office, tried installing it on my last Mac and quickly switched back to pages. Still keep excel though, even with the reduced features as compared to windows it’s much more powerful than numbers, just harder to use.

[Zando_]

Just now, Cjamesw89 said:

I made that mistake with office, tried installing it on my last Mac and quickly switched back to pages. Still keep excel though, even with the reduced features as compared to windows it’s much more powerful than numbers, just harder to use.

Yup. Though Pages and Sheets are actually harder for me, since I'm used to Office and do a lot of spreadsheets with complicated formulas and stuff. iWork is still mush smoother and nicer looking.