The "Why do I always buy over-spec'd MacBook Pro's" Club thread

[Nacho98]

Sure, it might be more cost effective to buy a base model and sell it every two years, but if you're someone who sets up your computer with a clean install of the OS and has the old computer sitting side by side with the new one, manually transferring files via USB and mirroring every setting painstakingly menu by menu between both computers, then upgrading every two years is a total waste of time and hassle.

Not to mention, who the hell wants to play the Apple QC lottery that often?

I get one with a nice spec, and breathe an enormous sigh of relief when I realize it has passed the Apple quality control lottery and is set up, and the old machine is sold. Nothing worse than stressing out about a new Apple purchase, so once it's done, it's done for a long time, so I always get a machine I'm going to be very happy with for a long time.

 

[Itsedstech]

Sure, it might be more cost effective to buy a base model and sell it every two years, but if you're someone who sets up your computer with a clean install of the OS and has the old computer sitting side by side with the new one, manually transferring files via USB and mirroring every setting painstakingly menu by menu between both computers, then upgrading every two years is a total waste of time and hassle.

Not to mention, who the hell wants to play the Apple QC lottery that often?

I get one with a nice spec, and breathe an enormous sigh of relief when I realize it has passed the Apple quality control lottery and is set up, and the old machine is sold. Nothing worse than stressing out about a new Apple purchase, so once it's done, it's done for a long time, so I always get a machine I'm going to be very happy with for a long time.

My last 15 inch had a pinkish to blue tint screen that I got used to, as well as a small chip I put in the aluminum on accident with my Apple Watch, I usually order 2 of the configuration I want and choose between the two if the first one I get has a trash screen or other issue, I'm pleased to say this one has a damn near perfect screen in my eyes and no other qc issues I could find.

 

[Howard2k]

I’m hoping to get at least another 12 months from my 2015 13”. 24 months if I replace the battery. It’s cool to see the nice new features coming down, especially when there is a smooth implementation of those features, but my current machine is running great for my usage and any upgrade is a gamble. Quad core would obviously be faster, but sitting out that keyboard was EASY and I won’t be jumping onto the next 13”/14” until it’s proven to be reliable.

 

[lillefot]

I bought a standard model of the three MacBook Pros I've owned, but planning on buying the 16" now. My main use is internet and specifically streaming media, so I figure the extra inch of screen will be nice. Anyway, reading this thread now makes me want to overspec...

 

[maflynn]

I bought a base MBP in 2012, it is still going strong all these 7 1/2 years ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I'm of the opinion that you buy what you need, and anything extra could be a waste of money. I totally get the temptation, especially since apple basically forces you to face this decision at purchase time, thanks to everything being sealed/glued/soldered on the laptop. I've seen people get 64GB of ram on their new 16" laptop, just in case, when 16GB is probably sufficient.

 

[MrGunnyPT]

I bought a base MBP in 2012, it is still going strong all these 7 1/2 years ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I'm of the opinion that you buy what you need, and anything extra could be a waste of money. I totally get the temptation, especially since apple basically forces you to face this decision at purchase time, thanks to everything being sealed/glued/soldered on the laptop. I've seen people get 64GB of ram on their new 16" laptop, just in case, when 16GB is probably sufficient.

The temptation is there but you gotta look at your current and future usage of the computer to see if it makes any sense. I mean the current i7 offer is pretty good for almost 90% of the user case!

I went with the base model because it meets my needs.. I use maximum 12-13GB of RAM no point upgrading to 32gB

 

[maflynn]

The temptation is there but you gotta look at your current and future usage of the computer to see if it makes any sense.

Taking this forum as the example, I'd say by and large many people are not doing that. Prior to the 16" MBP, we saw posts where people opted for 32GB, for future-proofing, or just in case. With the 16" MBP and higher ram ability, that discussion shifted to 64GB.

I'm sure there are people who need 32 or 64 but I think that situation is quite rare, whereas it seems more like the general consensus that people are getting 64 here. Its their money, and their decision but its spending money on a component that will largely be unused.

 

[dead flag blues]

I got 64 GB because i like to brag. Kidding. My machine with 64 swaps far less than my identical 32 when I’m pushing around a 3D model with 300 million polys.

I do this for a living.

 

[petsk]

Productivity on a laptop is horrible, no matter what kind of work you do. Getting a proper work station with a proper desk, chair and desktop computer is the first thing you should to do to raise your productivity. You can have 16GB or 64GB ram in your Macbook but you're stuck on the same, lousy workstation setup.

 

[dead flag blues]

Productivity on a laptop is horrible, no matter what kind of work you do. Getting a proper work station with a proper desk, chair and desktop computer is the first thing you should to do to raise your productivity. You can have 16GB or 64GB ram in your Macbook but you're stuck on the same, lousy workstation setup.

Thanks! I have a huge pc at the office. For portability, I choose a MBP.

FWIW this was my first computer: https://wiki.preterhuman.net/IRIS_Crimson

 

[Howard2k]

Productivity on a laptop is horrible, no matter what kind of work you do. Getting a proper work station with a proper desk, chair and desktop computer is the first thing you should to do to raise your productivity. You can have 16GB or 64GB ram in your Macbook but you're stuck on the same, lousy workstation setup.

...Which is why laptops have been a total failure in a professional capacity and are not used for anything other than simple Chromebook style surfing.

 

[dead flag blues]

...Which is why laptops have been a total failure in a professional capacity and are not used for anything other than simple Chromebook style surfing.

Good point. I best notify all of my employer's 1000+ MBP users immediately.

 

[millerj123]

Good point. I best notify all of my employer's 1000+ MBP users immediately.

Yeah, my company only issues laptops because many of us travel frequently. Multiple external displays, keyboards and mice. Our heavy lifting is done on servers.

 

[Macshroomer]

Good point. I best notify all of my employer's 1000+ MBP users immediately.

lol, right? I can’t believe some of the complete BS we see posted on these forums. For starters, how does this person even know those who top spec a portable don’t have a powerful desktop at home?

 

[redheeler]

Taking this forum as the example, I'd say by and large many people are not doing that. Prior to the 16" MBP, we saw posts where people opted for 32GB, for future-proofing, or just in case. With the 16" MBP and higher ram ability, that discussion shifted to 64GB.

I'm sure there are people who need 32 or 64 but I think that situation is quite rare, whereas it seems more like the general consensus that people are getting 64 here. Its their money, and their decision but its spending money on a component that will largely be unused.

At this point I understand 32 GB, assuming the Mac is going to be kept for a number of years. 64 GB?

 

[MrGunnyPT]

Taking this forum as the example, I'd say by and large many people are not doing that. Prior to the 16" MBP, we saw posts where people opted for 32GB, for future-proofing, or just in case. With the 16" MBP and higher ram ability, that discussion shifted to 64GB.

I'm sure there are people who need 32 or 64 but I think that situation is quite rare, whereas it seems more like the general consensus that people are getting 64 here. Its their money, and their decision but its spending money on a component that will largely be unused.

Definitely... I work with VMs and got the base model which is more than enough..Leaves room for 4GB RAM & CPU usage is even below 50%.. Wouldn't make any sense for me to get anything better than this.

I think people really gotta reconsider on how and why they upgrade... This is just throwing money at the wall at the end of the day.

 

[Zerosopher]

In my case, it is not worth buying the default specifications so I spent a bit more to upgrade. This will also benefit me for many years.

 

[littlepud]

I probably could’ve gotten away with 16 GB, but 32 GB just feels more balanced with the 8-core CPU.