2015 15 inch MBP or 2016 13 inch full spec MBP

[iMore Question]

So I've been looking for an upgrade from my windows laptop(which is terrible by the way) and I've narrowed down my options to the criteria I've made for what kind of laptop I would like. It come down to either the 2015 15 inch MacBook Pro and the 2016 13 inch MacBook Pro. I've been doing my research on these two and I can't decide. The 2016 13 inch MacBook Pro is a little bit faster and from what I have seen, it can handle some light gaming and (what I'm most interested) it can handle 4K video editing without a problem. With the 2015 15 inch MacBook Pro, I've heard it can handle the same things as well but it also has a quad core processor and an Intel core i7. However, the 2016 13 inch MacBook Pro has dual core with an intel core i5 processor, faster write speeds above 2 gigabytes a second, and a 6th generation chip rather than the 5th generation chip. I personally don't mind using the dongles, I just want to know which one out of these two will benefit me more and give me more

 

[robertk328]

I like the quad core i7 and 15" screen, but it's big (I have both a 13" and 15"). What size is your current Windows laptop, and is it sufficient?

 

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I'm pretty sure it's a 15 inch. I got it from Walmart a couple years ago. This laptop is not sufficient for my needs. It can barely handle typing up an essay, it can barely game a little, and the big hitter is that it can't even handle playing video from my camera at 1080p.

 

[robertk328]

I'm pretty sure it's a 15 inch. I got it from Walmart a couple years ago. This laptop is not sufficient for my needs. It can barely handle typing up an essay, it can barely game a little, and the big hitter is that it can't even handle playing video from my camera at 1080p.

Thanks for registering If it's a 15" I'd keep with that unless you think it's too big (i.e. not portable) to carry around. Take a look at a 13" and see if it'll fit your needs.

 

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If I put better specs into the 2016 13 inch MacBook Pro (like an intel i7 processor, 16 gb of RAM, and 2.9 ghz that turbo boosts to 3.1 ghz) would it still be worth taking a look at? Right now they're on sale for $100 less and it already costs less than the 2015 15 inch.

 

[anon(9602380)]

If I put better specs into the 2016 13 inch MacBook Pro (like an intel i7 processor, 16 gb of RAM, and 2.9 ghz that turbo boosts to 3.1 ghz) would it still be worth taking a look at? Right now they're on sale for $100 less and it already costs less than the 2015 15 inch.

That would work fantastic and is completely future proof. Make sure you get a big enough SSD to accommodate your needs. Or have a big external drive for storing things on instead on the internal drive of the computer.

 

[robertk328]

If I put better specs into the 2016 13 inch MacBook Pro (like an intel i7 processor, 16 gb of RAM, and 2.9 ghz that turbo boosts to 3.1 ghz) would it still be worth taking a look at? Right now they're on sale for $100 less and it already costs less than the 2015 15 inch.

It wouldn't be the same computer If you're ok with the 13" size, it's the latest one, so go ahead. Unless you really need the quad-core (or 15" screen!) you'll be fine. Like @firedept10 said, get enough SSD -- don't skimp.