
Which MacBook Pro configurations actually have tangible performance differences? - Geekette
Looking to get another one (13&quot; size) and wondering which features and to what extents actually yield differences in performance for daily work use (some increments look too close to have any). I.e. Differences in processor speeds - is 2.3GHz noticeably faster and worth higher price than 2.5GHz? Or 3.1GHz vs 3.3GHz vs 3.5GHz?<p>If one can&#x27;t get the max combo (fastest processor + highest memory + largest storage) then which feature should take higher priority (e.g. fastest processor vs highest memory)? Do certain feature combinations produce better performance? Etcetera.
======
kevinherron
Given the choice, I'd max out memory first, get 512gb SSD, then use the
remaining budget for CPU.

The price of a 1TB SSD isn't worth it. If you need extra storage you can buy a
Samsung 850 SSD and an enclosure and get full speed transfers over the USB
Type-C / TB3 ports.

~~~
Afforess
> _full speed transfers over the USB Type-C / TB3 ports._

The NVMe SSDs in the Macbooks are significantly higher throughput than USB-C
ports support.

~~~
kevinherron
Should have clarified, I meant full speed in regards to both the SATA3
interface (6Gbps) and what the 850's are capable of, which is something like
~500-550 MB/s.

~~~
otterley
The access latencies are quite different, though, are they not?

~~~
kevinherron
I don't know. The throughput seems to be there:
[https://imgur.com/a/hhvZ2](https://imgur.com/a/hhvZ2)

For my use case, which is storing and running VMs directly off the external
drive, it works better than I had ever hoped. The whole setup feels very fast.

------
seanwilson
16GB of memory at a minimum is no brainer for coders in my opinion. Some
projects can require lots of heavy programs running at the same time.

~~~
applecore
You don't need more than 8GB of memory. I doubt anyone could notice a
difference in real world performance between 8GB and 16GB.

The PCIe-based SSD in the Macbook Pro is so fast that virtual memory is
equivalent to RAM for all practical purposes.

~~~
photojosh
I do embedded dev, and I need very little RAM for the embedded compilation
environment and even doing large circuit designs.

But I regret getting 8GB on this 13" MBP. Between Electron apps and the
browser with dozens of tabs open, it sucks up all the memory. A quick look at
current usage: 7GB for Safari, 4GB for Atom, 1.5GB for Slack.

My home machine with 16GB was fine.

~~~
dabockster
> 4GB for Atom, 1.5GB for Slack

WHY DO PEOPLE TOLERATE THIS?

(Caps are intentional.)

~~~
photojosh
Slack: because it's how we communicate internally and with our big clients.

Atom: I have a setup with a project in each window, but also an attached
terminal that's all set to go for compiling and uploading to my test boards.
It's the nicest solution I've found, the only downside is the RAM. But you've
motivated me to check out some alternatives...

~~~
danieltillett
I think the OP was referring to the massive memory bloat of these
applications.

~~~
dabockster
This. I've been trying to move back to native apps now that every
"technologist" out there seems to want to build in Electron to save money on
development.

There's no substitute for good native engineering.

------
jtchang
You want 16GB ram. You want 512GB storage if you do android or ios dev. Images
take up a lot of room.

------
pravula
What's your daily work usecase? Do you run multiple VMs? Multiple chrome tabs?
IDEs?

~~~
Geekette
Currently not much programming related but lots of design/graphics/video
intensive applications (photoshop, etc). And expecting to do more of data
sci/stats related tasks in near future.

~~~
pravula
I would focus on discreet video card for your work load. IIRC, none of the 13
inch MacBook Pros have it.

~~~
dabockster
This. OP might have to go the Windows/Linux dual boot route to get the most
bang for his buck here.

Refurbished IT laptops work wonders here.

------
jwilliams
Left-field suggestion: Have you considered an iMac (or equivalent) and then
getting something cheaper/lighter for when you're a roadwarrior? Depending on
your usage/travel patterns that can work great too.

~~~
Geekette
No - I travel a bit with extended stays, so, I'd rather the notebooks.

------
stephenr
Keep in mind that i7's get hyper threading, i5s don't. Small MHz increases
don't make the same difference as extra (virtual) cores.

------
brudgers
The biggest performance difference in terms of RAW computing power will be a
discrete GPU. But only for some (embarrassingly parallel) workloads and not
for others. Everything else will make a marginal difference -- with the
possible exception of RAM for memory constrained workloads that are swapping
virtual memory to 'disk'.

~~~
ohquu
Discrete.

------
in_hindsight
If I was buying MBP tomorrow, I'd get 16GB RAM minimum, 512GB SSD minimum and
integrated GPU. I would use eGPU with MBP for intense tasks.

