[aliemental]

I am looking to buy a new 13" Macbook pro (with touch bar) and wanted to know the difference between the two processors. Should I go with the 3.1GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, Turbo Boost up to 3.5GHz or 3.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 processor, Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz?

Not much of a "Pro" user. I don't use my computer for much video editing however I'm trying to future proof my laptop and want to get longevity out of this purchase!

[Mago27]

Core i7 is more important if you do a lot of virtualization (as Programmers use to do) a.e. you use to run a Win7 VM using Parallels, also are marginally fasters, and have better supoport for data encryption (enc/dec faster).

Gamers avoid i7 due cost and useless (for them) features.

[psamo]

There's big difference between core i5 dual core and core i76 dual core.First thing is the i5 CPUs have 3MB to 6MB of L3 cache, while i7 processors have 4MB to 8MB.Larger cache sizes help with multitasking .There is very important technology called Intel Hyper Threading Technology.What it does is make applications think that a processor has more cores than it actually does.All Core i7 CPUs use Hyper-Threading .So a four-core can handle eight streams, and a dual-core can handle four streams in i7 cpus.Core i5 uses Hyper-Threading to make a dual-core CPU act like a four-core one, but if you have a Core i5 processor with four true cores, it won't have Hyper-Threading.

[hero11]

Core i7 will be better for multitasking, multimedia tasks and high-end gaming.

I would recommend to go with an i7.

[Matty]

I am looking to buy a new 13" Macbook pro (with touch bar) and wanted to know the difference between the two processors. Should I go with the 3.1GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, Turbo Boost up to 3.5GHz or 3.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 processor, Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz?

Not much of a "Pro" user. I don't use my computer for much video editing however I'm trying to future proof my laptop and want to get longevity out of this purchase!

The difference between a Core i5 (3.1Ghz) and a Core i7 (3.3Ghz) is really small. Especially if you are just doing normal day to day things. I really don't think you will notice any difference. In my opinion its a waste of money unless you are pushing the CPU hard everyday.

I would recommend you upgrade the RAM to 16GB. That will benefit you much more in the long run. If you are trying to 'Future Proof' Hope this helps

[aliemental]

Thanks! I'll definitely be upgrading to 16GB but I won't be pushing the CPU hard everyday. I will need it to do some multitasking, primarily with photoshop and MS Office programs which I know won't take much to handle.

I am also planning on running Windows on my Mac, either using parallels or bootcamp (not sure yet). Would the ii7 make a big difference for that?

[si001]

If you can afford it, go for it. With computers, more is always better, if not right now, it will be long term.

[dionhan]

An i5 is a standard, work-capable mid-range CPU.
Here’s your 6-cylinder engine. They’re suitable for moderate video and image editing, and good for office use where an i3 does not provide enough horsepower but an i7 is an unnecessary cost.

An i7 is a high-performance, no-compromises high end CPU.
This is your V8, gas-guzzling honey-badger of an engine. It is often seen in gaming machines and high end computers where an i5 might be enough but the budget allows for more. Within the i7 realm also lie the i7 Extremes, which are more user-practical than Intel Xeons (subjective, I know; most users need the high single thread performance an i7 Extreme will offer more than the extra cores and loss of single core performance a high core-count Xeon would have).

So I think you should buy a macbook with an i5 CPU

[aliemental]

An i5 is a standard, work-capable mid-range CPU.
Here’s your 6-cylinder engine. They’re suitable for moderate video and image editing, and good for office use where an i3 does not provide enough horsepower but an i7 is an unnecessary cost.

An i7 is a high-performance, no-compromises high end CPU.
This is your V8, gas-guzzling honey-badger of an engine. It is often seen in gaming machines and high end computers where an i5 might be enough but the budget allows for more. Within the i7 realm also lie the i7 Extremes, which are more user-practical than Intel Xeons (subjective, I know; most users need the high single thread performance an i7 Extreme will offer more than the extra cores and loss of single core performance a high core-count Xeon would have).

So I think you should buy a macbook with an i5 CPU

Thanks for the input!

[aliemental]

Actually more interested in the 15 inch model now so I won't really need to choose between these two. Thanks for the input though!

[1dtbrown]

I may do the same thing. Did you partition your computer, what are its spec's and how is it working?

Thanks Scott

[1dtbrown]

Thanks! I'll definitely be upgrading to 16GB but I won't be pushing the CPU hard everyday. I will need it to do some multitasking, primarily with photoshop and MS Office programs which I know won't take much to handle.

I am also planning on running Windows on my Mac, either using parallels or bootcamp (not sure yet). Would the ii7 make a big difference for that?

Did you follow through and partition your 2016 MBP What are its spec's and how is it working?

Thanks Scott

[Ziich47]

the difference in the dual core i5 and i7 is quite marginal. You would have to push with machines to max to really notice the slight difference btw the two. Since you want to run windows, getting the 16 gb of ram option would be a much better investment in the long run.

[Ledsteplin]

the difference in the dual core i5 and i7 is quite marginal. You would have to push with machines to max to really notice the slight difference btw the two. Since you want to run windows, getting the 16 gb of ram option would be a much better investment in the long run.

It's quite noticeable with some game apps. I can tell the difference in overall speed and performance.

[Jamie Hayes]

Matty,
Can you give more insights into why I should up to 16G?