Macbook Pro 13" - i5 vs i7?

Question

Macbook Pro 13" - i5 vs i7?

Hi all,

I'm about ready to pull the trigger on a 13" Macbook pro without touchbar.

Question: Does anyone see a reason to upgrade to the 2.5 GhZ i7 processor (instead of the stock 2.3 Ghz i5)?

On geekbench, the stock processor (dual) scores 8820, and the upgraded i7 processor gets only 8826.

So if that is the difference, it seems totally negligible and not worth it. Is that score the best representation of the power/speed of the machine? Is there anything else to consider? Does "threading" really make any difference?

Background: I will use this for Logic with a lot of soft synths and occasional video editing (HD but not 4K). My main concern is price and getting something that lasts as long as possible. I plan on getting one of the two, and will definitely also pay for the RAM upgrade.

Thanks for any advice!

Posted on Aug 17, 2017 2:25 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

macOS11

Level 3

931 points

Aug 17, 2017 4:22 PM in response to Joshua Franco

Hi,

it's definitely not worth it in terms of power and might even lower battery life, boost the RAM or SSD instead. This i7 is in fact a disguised i5 with only a +0.2 GHz boost, Intel's new marketing... It would make a difference on 4-core i5/i7 though.

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Answer 2

tjk

Level 9

51,116 points

Aug 17, 2017 4:21 PM in response to Joshua Franco

Hi,

You've found the most relevant method of testing the two. You've seen the results. There are others with a bigger spread, but not by a lot. The added cost is definitely not worth it. Do get the RAM and save the money on the CPU. You'll never notice the difference.

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Answer 3

Aug 17, 2017 5:30 PM in response to Joshua Franco

I agree that you should save your money on the i7 and go with 16 GB of RAM.

You have not said what size SSD you are planning on getting.

I would suggest going with at least the 256 GB SSD. If you can afford it, you could go with the 512 GB.

Both the RAM and SSD are soldered onto motherboard, and are not upgradeable latter.

I have never heard anyone complain about having too much hard drive space.

Kim

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Answer 4

alex7375

Level 3

695 points

Aug 18, 2017 12:04 AM in response to Joshua Franco

If you are looking for CPU performance the Quad core i7 will geekbench about 16000+

over twice the CPU performance of the dual core CPU.

I have a dual core i5 that geekbench score 6500 and it is getting slow.

Only good for basic web surfing and office apps and light photoshop and maybe iMove.

If you plan on making videos with premier or final cut pro then I would get the base model 15-inch MBP with quad core i7 CPU at $2000. This is your best value purchase MBP.

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Answer 5

Aug 17, 2017 4:22 PM in response to tjk

Thanks both!

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Answer 6

tjk

Level 9

51,116 points

Aug 17, 2017 5:30 PM in response to Joshua Franco

You're welcome. 🙂

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