MBP now or wait for Kabi Lake ?

TechLarry

TechLarry

RIP [H] Brother - June 1, 2022
Joined
Aug 9, 2005
Messages
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I want to buy myself a new MBP, but can't decide on whether to wait for Kabi Lake or not. DDR4 could have big benefits.

Plus, what I really want is a high end 13.3. Having to pay $700 + just to get hith r end discrete graphics is such bullshit.

Ditto for being limited to a dual-core processor, and fen in the optional i7 !!!

Maybe a high end Mac Mini AND a cheAper MB-Air instead ?

If it's MBP all the way I want 1TB, 16G. But with 13.3 screen and decent enough screen for games like World Of Warships.

I haven't looked at AIRs or Mini's yet.

I do have a Mini but it is an old 2012 model or thereabouts.
 
There is little to no improvements with Kaby Lake. Buy now if you want it now.
They updated the laptop late last year, it is very unlikely we'll see something else for at least another 3-6 months. And even if they do an update, it is unlikely that it will warrant an increased or decreased amount of consideration. This is especially true since you're not interested in buying an MBP with a discreet GPU, arguably the one thing that would receive the biggest upgrade generation to generation.
 
The only possible benefit I saw was possibly better battery life with DDR4, but even that I think is negligible since apple is so damn good at power management anyway.

I think maybe (not verified) Kabi may also fix the Thunderbolt 3 thru-put issue Skylake has . It only affects 13" models WITH the touch bar, and causes the right hand ports to run at somewhat diminished Thunderbolt 3 speeds. I never found a hard number, but it's there.

This does not affect the 13" non touch bar or any of the 15" models. I don't have a clue why :)

Anyway, I pulled the Plug.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/apple-m...el-space-gray/4260600.p?skuId=4260600&cmp=RMX

Apple - MacBook Pro® with Touch Bar - 15" Display - Intel Core i7 - 16 GB Memory - 512GB Flash Storage (latest model) - Space Gray

$2699 after getting them to price match Amazon/

This thing is 4 pounds of utter awesomeness. The new track pad, touchid, and yes even the touch bar are useful, well designed tech you just don't see others doing.

I'm really diggin' it :)
 
You find the touch bar useful?

I'm glad somebody likes it.
 
Congrats, but you could have gotten a much better laptop for a lot less once you moved up to the 15" form factor.

Of course, if you're all in with the Mac ecosystem, MBP was the right/only choice.
 
Commander Shepard said:
Congrats, but you could have gotten a much better laptop for a lot less once you moved up to the 15" form factor.

Of course, if you're all in with the Mac ecosystem, MBP was the right/only choice.
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I do all ecosystemms. I have multiple high end desktops, an HP x365 i7 Skylake based laptop,

I also have a 2012 Mac Mini.
 
-Strelok- said:
$2700 for integrated graphics? :sick:
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No, it also has AMD Descrete Graphics (Radeon Pro 455x 2GB). While not the most powerful card in the world, it handles the games i want to play fine.

Intel graphics do not.

It auto switches based on load.
 
I also have the 2016 MBP with 512GB & 455 Radeon Pro 2GB card. It's a blazing fast machine for everyday use, and the Radeon Pro 455 is surprisingly good! Plays games fine and I even boot camped the machine and it performs very well under Win10. Very happy with this laptop. The build quality is outstanding and the display is stunning.
 
It's also the little things. iTouch. The touch bar. I like the simplified ports (people need to get with the future and stop whining). Now that Apple's done it, so will everyone else.

Apple's push to USB C has caused the creation of some dynamite gadgets and peripherals that all platforms will be able to enjoy once they are on the ball with it.

The new Asus Tuf Mk 1 Motherboard i just ordered has a USB 3.1 Type C port on it.

Is there anything in particular needed to get the 455x working under Parallels ?
 
Sprayingmango said:
I also have the 2016 MBP with 512GB & 455 Radeon Pro 2GB card. It's a blazing fast machine for everyday use, and the Radeon Pro 455 is surprisingly good! Plays games fine and I even boot camped the machine and it performs very well under Win10. Very happy with this laptop. The build quality is outstanding and the display is stunning.
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Most sub $1000 PC are blazing fast for everyday use ~.~. For a couple hundred more dollars you can get a even better laptop with a 1060.
 
vegeta535 said:
Most sub $1000 PC are blazing fast for everyday use ~.~. For a couple hundred more dollars you can get a even better laptop with a 1060.
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Yes this is obvious, but we are talking about OS X machines in an Apple subforum..... For what the MBP costs you could build a blazing fast desktop but that's not the point.... For those of us that live in the Apple universe for both everyday use and work plus we like nicely built things....the MBP is fantastic. :)
 
UnknownSouljer said:
Machines are not just their specs. If you think they are, then a Mac will never make sense to you.
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You are right I will never understand why people would buy inferior machines that cost twice as much. I used OS9 and 10 and never found anything special about them. I Just find spending 2k+ on a laptop that basic only useful for basic day to day use which a $400 laptop can do. Even if Had a money tree I wouldn't buy a MBP just on the principle of feeling ripped off buying one. What ever makes you happy I guess.
 
vegeta535 said:
You are right I will never understand why people would buy inferior machines that cost twice as much. I used OS9 and 10 and never found anything special about them. I Just find spending 2k+ on a laptop that basic only useful for basic day to day use which a $400 laptop can do. Even if Had a money tree I wouldn't buy a MBP just on the principle of feeling ripped off buying one. What ever makes you happy I guess.
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They aren't 'inferior'. The money is just placed differently than a machine that is geared towards only one thing.
If your only metric is "horsepower" then you'd never understand why anyone would buy a BMW/Merc over a Ford Mustang/Chevy Corvette. Because obviously dollar per horsepower seriously favors cheap big block American cars. But there are obviously quite a few people that would place higher value on a 2.0L Turbo Audi with 2/3 the HP.

The OS is part of the equation, but there is a lot of other things. Like having the best display from a color standpoint. Better keyboards. Way better trackpads. 2-5x the battery life which also goes hand in hand with being significantly smaller and more lightweight. [MBP's are significantly more travel friendly than any of the $400 options you could bring up]. Better build quality with better materials (although I wouldn't say it's designed to be dropped).

If all you want is clock speed and a massive GPU, yeah, buy a PC. I use my Mac(s) for work, and even with Apple's somewhat recent gaffs, it would still take a huge amount more for me to even consider moving back to Windows. Although there are certain machines worth considering on the Windows side who are willing to give up the OSX workflow like the Surface Studio and the Surface Pro 4 (Wacom also makes some tablet PC's in the $1500-$2000 range). Both of which you will note are much more in line with Apple's pricing. Because guess what? It costs money to make things that small and portable and have good battery life with excellent usability. I'm glad for the competition, which took Microsoft themselves to step in to do. It'll help push innovation on the Mac side. But those are all side notes, with roughly the same point: cost can go to more than one place other than a video card and CPU. And even PC manufacturers are now forced to recognize that, or leave money on the table.
===
Mac's aren't for you. Move on. Just know that there are reasonable, logical reasons why people do buy them. They just don't fit into what you categorize as important, and other people do.
 
You do know you can build a Hackintosh reasonably easy. You can also convert new / older laptops over to a Hackintosh as well.

This will give you the high-end specs you want. Problem is, a MBP has a beautiful build. Only high-end laptops come close but you would still be ahead.
 
SixFootDuo said:
You do know you can build a Hackintosh reasonably easy. You can also convert new / older laptops over to a Hackintosh as well.

This will give you the high-end specs you want. Problem is, a MBP has a beautiful build. Only high-end laptops come close but you would still be ahead.
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#1: Hackintosh discussion isn't allowed on this forum.

#2: Buying a Mac at a premium is worth it for not having the headaches of a hackintosh. One of the biggest reasons to be on OSX is the iron clad, 100% stability. If I loved configuring, tweaking, and troubleshooting, I would have stayed on Windows (I used Windows exclusively for over 10 years, including being an editor on a hardware review site. I've experienced everything you can imagine when it comes to building a PC). Frankly that one "feature" alone is worth the price of admission. My brother who does system admin work and makes a boat load of cash is on a Mac for his personal machine for this one exact reason. Because spending more time configuring a Linux install or dealing with Windows headaches during his off hours isn't worth it. He has to deal with that nonsense enough at work. Paying some money for something that is essentially bulletproof is completely worth it. And between one year of Apple care or 3 years with extended, if it isn't bulletproof then Apple fixes it. Software, hardware, or otherwise. You'll never get that with a Hacintosh.

To me, my time is far more valuable than some money. I've had machines that have NEVER been reformatted and never needed it. That's an impossibility on Windows. That and the hardware in concert, makes no Windows machine or hackintosh remotely attractive.
 
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vegeta535 said:
You are right I will never understand why people would buy inferior machines that cost twice as much. I used OS9 and 10 and never found anything special about them. I Just find spending 2k+ on a laptop that basic only useful for basic day to day use which a $400 laptop can do. Even if Had a money tree I wouldn't buy a MBP just on the principle of feeling ripped off buying one. What ever makes you happy I guess.
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Obviously not your forum then. Good day to you sir.
 
vegeta535 said:
You are right I will never understand why people would buy inferior machines that cost twice as much. I used OS9 and 10 and never found anything special about them. I Just find spending 2k+ on a laptop that basic only useful for basic day to day use which a $400 laptop can do. Even if Had a money tree I wouldn't buy a MBP just on the principle of feeling ripped off buying one. What ever makes you happy I guess.
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Clearly you are here to troll. People who appreciate nice technology and engineeerng can appreciate both macs and PCs
 
Mac trackpad is easily 200 bucks better than most.

Looks $100 better

Screen is $200 better

Software is $200 better

Ecosystem is $100 better.

I just doubled the price of your new windows dell pos.
 
I dislike Macs but a MBP is akin to a Titan X to me. A little over priced but a beautiful piece of engineering that will last you a long time.

Comparing it to a $400 PC is asinine....

This isn't 2010 anymore either. Competitors damn near caught up with quality.
 
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The only machine even close to the MBP is the HP x365, which i own as well.
 
Dayaks said:
This isn't 2010 anymore either. Competitors damn near caught up with quality.
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+1 I've owned several MBs and MBPs since 2007. Still have a 2015 15" MBPr and 2016 13" MBPr. My new XPS 15 is every bit as well built and has a better display. All 3 laptops are excellent machines with strengths/weaknesses, but Mac no longer can claim superiority. Just isn't true, anymore.
 
TechLarry said:
No, it also has AMD Descrete Graphics (Radeon Pro 455x 2GB). While not the most powerful card in the world, it handles the games i want to play fine.

Intel graphics do not.

It auto switches based on load.
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Funny how many Apple apologist on here saying, "Kabi Lake is not much better anyway" or "AMD Discrete Graphics 445 2GB" is good in a $2700+ laptop. Sorry, but the newest Intel Integrated graphics is better than the crappy Radeon Pro 445.
 
Gasaraki_ said:
Funny how many Apple apologist on here saying, "Kabi Lake is not much better anyway" or "AMD Discrete Graphics 445 2GB" is good in a $2700+ laptop. Sorry, but the newest Intel Integrated graphics is better than the crappy Radeon Pro 445.
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And that has exactly what to do with the current discussion? The MBP has the 455. And the Intel is NOT faster than the discrete graphics.

And there's way more to the machine than just this silly graphics card.

And what exactly is an Apple Apologist? Please define. Wikipedia entry?
 
@UnknownSouljer

I think Kaby Lake will upgrade the CPU perfomance over 10% plus 32GB Ram will be plenty for any professional usage. Probably they will use DDR4.

So.. + CPU + RAM and they can try to improve the battery life with the new more efficient hardware. (Yep veeeeeeeery little gain in efficient, but k..)

Most 2016 MBP users complain about battery + keyboard (They say it's uncomfortable)

But that's for sure, if somebody need the macbook pro right now, there is no sense on waiting.
 
Xan-Z said:
@UnknownSouljer

I think Kaby Lake will upgrade the CPU perfomance over 10% plus 32GB Ram will be plenty for any professional usage. Probably they will use DDR4.

So.. + CPU + RAM and they can try to improve the battery life with the new more efficient hardware. (Yep veeeeeeeery little gain in efficient, but k..)

Most 2016 MBP users complain about battery + keyboard (They say it's uncomfortable)

But that's for sure, if somebody need the macbook pro right now, there is no sense on waiting.
Click to expand...


Thanks for responding. I think most of that stuff is negligible for most users, with some exceptions.

Battery life was fixed on the touch bar models with a software update. Most are now getting the advertised battery amount.
Yeah, the new keyboard sucks but it's unlikely that Apple will return to switches with a longer throw. That is unfortunate, but that is the current state of the game.

I think the biggest reason to wait is that historically the jump is on the graphics. Every generation has had a relatively big jump in terms of graphics performance specifically with discreet GPUs.
I also think that this is why Apple hasn't updated the iMac, since AMD hasn't released a new series of graphics cards for them to update to.
Hopefully Vega will come swiftly and AMD will actually have production levels where they need to be to supply Apple with whatever their low power/high efficiency graphics part ends up being. And I hope it's soon, because personally a new iMac with TB3, USB Type-C, a much faster graphics card, a more reasonably priced SSD option (or possibly multiple SSD option), and possibly 64GB of RAM on DDR4 would be a most welcomed update.

Anyway, that's a side note. I also just don't think it's likely that Apple will bother to release another laptop until September. Although it isn't 'uncommon' for them to do more than one MBP update within the span of a year, I don't think Kaby Lake offers enough to make another machine. Especially if they cannot upgrade the graphics part at the same time. We'll see, all of us are just taking wild guesses. Apple is tight lipped as per usual.
 
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