MBP 2012 vs. MBP 2016 which to buy?

I'm looking for a MacBook for my daughter who will be attending an online high school. She doesn't know yet which direction her studies will take her, so we're not sure what her system needs will be. We are considering a 2012 MBP A1278, 2.9 GHz i7, 8 GB 1600MHz DDR3 with a 750GB hard drive (don't know yet which brand), Intel HD Graphics 4000, in great shape. The other possibility is a brand new 2016 MBP 13-inch 2.7 GHZ i5 (turbo boost up to 3.1), 256 PCIe-based flash storage, 8GB 1866MHz LPDDR3, Intel Iris graphics 6100. Price difference doesn't matter (gift from Grandma). Any insightful input will be greatly appreciated!

I could also put a Crucial 500GB SSD (MX200) into the used 2012 unit. At that point, is there any reason to go with the new unit?

Hopefully you know that 4 years in "computer years" is a lot (2012 vs. 2016). Technically there are no 2016 MacBook Pro models (yet)…so the comparison is really 2012 vs. 2015.

Bottom line. The 2015 MacBook Pro will

- have faster performance
- lighter weight
- retina display is supposed to be sharper/clearer
- solid state storage (versus "spinner" hard drive) will be much faster
- graphics hardware in the 2015 MacBook Pro will be much faster

Just remember. With the 2015 MacBook Pro the ram is NOT upgradeable after purchase. And the storage is quite expensive to upgrade. Make sure the 2015 MacBook Pro is configured with all the ram & storage that it will need for the time your daughter will be using it.

HTH,

- Nick

Thanks Nick. Guess I might go with the newer model although it's less flexible for future changes. It's not an easy decision.

Johnny Calvara said:

Guess I might go with the newer model although it's less flexible for future changes. It's not an easy decision.

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Just the way it is now…been this way since about 2013. You either purchase something that "old" and upgradable (and getting older each day). Or purchase something brand new…and live with the upgradeability limitations.

I believe that there's some studies out there that have found that something like 80-90% of users who purchase a brand new Apple computer never upgrade their computers. So even though folks dislike the lack of upgradeability…many new buyers (80-90%...in the past)...never took advantage of this.

I think that it's the 2nd & 3rd owner folks (like me) who mainly purchase used computers for personal use…are the folks that are the "biggest-losers" when it comes to the lack of upgradeability with newer MacBook Pro's.

If you eliminate the lack of upgradability…the only advantage of the 2012 MacBook Pro is the built in optical drive (CD/DVD drive). And not many folks use these much anymore anyway. And if you REALLY need an optical drive with a newer MacBook Pro or MacBook Air…you just purchase a low cost external model.

Buy the newer 2015 MacBook Pro…it's the smart decision.

- Nick

p.s. And if you go by the statistics…the MacBook Pro lineup is due for an update. If you can hang on a bit…updated models may appear soon (but no promises).

I also bought used, and put in an SSD. I guess if my daughter needs more speed at some point for school we can upgrade my 2011 for her (if it's cost-effective) and I'll take the new one. What are fathers for?

Johnny Calvara said:

What are fathers for?

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This!

This time Grandma is the honeypot!