MacBook Pro 13 - 2018 high end vs 2019 low end?

I've been thinking about following in @Ultra Male's footsteps and getting rid of my Lenovo Windows notebook in favor of a Mac. While the Lenovo is better for gaming, I did get into the GeForce Now beta, so I can stream and get good performance in more modern titles. Other games I play that have MacOS ports are much older (2004-2012) so they shouldn't have any trouble running on a system without a dGPU. I would otherwise be using the laptop for basic content consumption and Office applications.

I have two options in front of me, both with 8 GB of RAM. One is a used but excellent condition 2019 base model (1.4 GHz i5, 128 GB SSD, 2 Thunderbolt ports), which I can buy for $1,000. The other is a brand-new 2018 high end (2.3 GHz i5, 256 GB SSD, 4 Thunderbolt ports) for $1,400.

Pros of the base model include the price, updated keyboard, and a processor that should run cooler and quieter while offering a minimal performance hit over the high end. The latter's advantages are its greater CPU and GPU power, more onboard storage, and extra I/O ports. The latter point really appeals to me because it's nice to have the extra flexibility to plug the laptop into either side depending on the machine is situated. However, I'm uncertain as to whether or not the older model's extra features are worth a $400 price premium.

Opinions are appreciated.

 

Without thinking twice, I'd go for the higher specs if it has a warranty that is then upgrade the warranty later so you're covered. The CPU speed difference alone is worth it. Don't give me no low end 1.4 GHz non-sense.

 

The 2018 model is brand new, sealed in box, and includes a receipt for adding AppleCare+.

 

Then it's a double non-brainer. Don't settle for some low end crap that you know you will have buyer's remorse later and will hate how sluggish it is. You see the reason I never was tempted to dive into MacOS when I tried it was that my wife bought a very low end MacBook Air 13" that was slow as a snail so it didn't temp me to do anything on it.

Glad we are joining the MacOS Team together

 

The bigger SSD should also have twice the throughput as well if its the same as the Mac Mini's we have at work. I think the 4-port models also have a higher TDP that the 2-port models, which should help with performance.

 

I agree with new 2018 vs used 2019. SSD is soldered so bigger is better.

 

I purchased the new 2018 model with a 256 GB SSD but exchanged it today for one with 512 GB. The extra $200 was a bit painful but will be more worthwhile in the long run. Still in the process of getting it set up, but not having to deal with Windows 10's BS is proving to be very nice thus far.

 

I say one year to the next isn't worth sweating.

 

If comparing like models, Between 8th and 9th gen CPUs not much of difference/gain, pretty much a rehash, that’s pretty much the main difference between the 2018 and 2019 MacBooks. Considering even the 2019 model is on the keyboard repair bulletin it doesn’t matter which one you go for. Therefore if you can get a better specced 2018 model definitely go for that.

 

I'd like to direct you two posts above yours.

Also, the 13-inch MacBook Pro is still using Coffee Lake CPUs. The next refresh of this model will almost certainly use Ice Lake. The question is timing. There are rumors of an event this month where Apple will announce a 16-inch MBP, which would play a role similar to what the iMac Pro does with the standard iMac. This would make sense so they could get them on shelves in time for the holiday season.

 

Well, that was an unmitigated disaster. After hours of trying, I just could not get used to the keyboard. I smack keys pretty hard, and it felt like I was going to put my finger right through the chassis. Worse than that, the WiFi card must have been defective because I could not download any file that was more than 100 MB or so. I had to use a hardwired connection to get the system recovery program to work properly. Back to the store it went.

 

darn man, I was so eager for you to use it and give me your impressions (if it worked that is)

What's your plan now?

 

My friend just moved from a 2014 13” to a Lenovo after I told him to try the keyboard on the new MacBooks before buying as I warned him he may not like the feel as it’s been pretty controversial reliability aside.

You could also go for the 2015 one like some have done. Well I hope it works out if you do end up getting a replacement.

 

I originally picked up an open box Asus GU501 from Best Buy that was marked down to $575. Its original selling price was around $1,300-$1,400 IIRC. It wasn't in the best physical condition, but it cleaned up decently enough. Specs were amazing for the price, a Core i7 8750H, 16 GB of RAM, full-fat GTX 1060, 120 Hz display, and Thunderbolt 3. Not so good were the obnoxious fan noise and the fact that my Razer peripherals wouldn't work if they were connected to the laptop via my USB hub. It wasn't the hub or cable because it all works just fine on my desktop PC and the Lenovo Y530 I was selling to pay for either the Asus or MacBook Pro.

When I was at Costco today, they had a Lenovo Legion Y545 with a Core i7 9750H, 16 GB of RAM, GTX 1660 Ti, 144 Hz display, 512 GB SSD, and 1 TB HDD. It was on sale for $1,050, a $150 savings off the regular price. It's not the absolute best specs you can get for the money, but the fact that Costco automatically extends the warranty by a year for no extra charge makes it a decent value. Got it set up this afternoon and am very impressed so far. For a PC from a large OEM, the Windows install was remarkably clean. The only piece of bloatware I've had to uninstall was McAfee AV. The build quality is exceptional - this thing feels like a tank. The keyboard feels great to type on despite the odd placement of the numpad. The color and fluidity of the 144 Hz screen are good, though it could stand to be a bit brighter. There's no Optimus, so while I won't have to worry about any GPU switching nonsense, battery life will take a bit of a hit. At least NVIDIA's Turing architecture is very power efficient. While I'll likely never use it, the webcam in this model points up your nose, so that's something else to keep in mind. Overall, my only real complaints are the numpad placement, the lack of Thunderbolt 3, and the size of the AC adapter. Lenovo could take a lesson from HP or Razer on the latter point and come out with the 200+ watt slimline power brick.

 

and there goes the wish for switching to MacOS

 

I had the Lenovo completely set up, except for installing games, in about 2 hours. I spent about three times that messing with the MBP, including installing the latest macOS update, dealing with the WiFi issue, etc. This was not the same wonderful experience I had when I was daily driving a 2011 MacBook Pro.