[SOLVED] Hi guys, Kindly guide me on macbook , should i take a macbook pro i7 dual core 2.5GH 16GB or shall i get macbook pro i5 3.1 Ghz dual core 8 GB

[Pradeep.bhathula]

Hi guys, Kindly guide me on macbook , should i take a macbook pro i7 dual core 2.5GH 16GB or shall i get macbook pro i5 3.1 Ghz dual core 8 GB

 

[velocityg4]

Which years are these? 13" or 15"

 

[velocityg4]

From what I can tell these can only be 2016 or 2017 models. I would never buy either. They have a faulty keyboard design. The extended repair program has expired on the 2016 and is about to on the 2017. Which means that keyboard will eventually fail and it's expensive to replace. That replacement keyboard will also fail. It may last a few months or a few years between failures.

 

[Pradeep.bhathula]

Which years are these? 13" or 15"

Both laptops are of 2017 MacBook pro models, i7 2.5GHz 16GB 512GB is non touch and i5 3.1GB 8GB 256 GB is with touch pad.

 

[Pradeep.bhathula]

From what I can tell these can only be 2016 or 2017 models. I would never buy either. They have a faulty keyboard design. The extended repair program has expired on the 2016 and is about to on the 2017. Which means that keyboard will eventually fail and it's expensive to replace. That replacement keyboard will also fail. It may last a few months or a few years between failures.

Thanks for info. Is it the issue with only 2017 models. If want to get a used macbook pro for my IT tasks, like running virtual machines, which one would be good choice. Please guide

 

[LordVile]

Thanks for info. Is it the issue with only 2017 models. If want to get a used macbook pro for my IT tasks, like running virtual machines, which one would be good choice. Please guide

What are you using it for? What VMs are you running?

 

[velocityg4]

Thanks for info. Is it the issue with only 2017 models. If want to get a used macbook pro for my IT tasks, like running virtual machines, which one would be good choice. Please guide

Here's more info on the Butterfly Keyboard. https://www.macrumors.com/guide/butterfly-keyboard-vs-scissor-keyboard/

It's every model with the butterfly keyboard.

• MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015)
• MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2016)
• MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, 2017)
• ‌MacBook Air‌ (Retina, 13-inch, 2018)
• ‌MacBook Air‌ (Retina, 13-inch, 2019)
• MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
• MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Two Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
• MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports)
• MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2016, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
• MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2017, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
• MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2016)
• MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2017)
• MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2018, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
• MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2018)
• MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Four Thunderbolt 3 Ports)
• MacBook Pro (15-inch, 2019)

All these ended up with a four year keyboard repair program.

Get a 2015 or 2020 MacBook Pro 13", 2020 Macbook Air, 2015 15" MBP or 2019 16" MBP. I'd ignore the 2015/2017 MacBook Air simply because they lack a retina display. Otherwise they're decent enough machines.

Note that the 2015 and many of the later models listed are also affected by staingate. However the display coating is pretty easy to remove. The anti-glare coating separates and looks ugly. I just rubbed mine off with a baking soda paste solution.

I don't know what your specific needs are for IT. Most IT work doesn't require much from a laptop. It's just something used for connecting to websites, servers, switches, routers, remote desktops, &c. It's the machines at the other end doing all the work. Most of the time.

If you're running virtual machines. With a limited budget. I'd look at a 2015 15" MacBook Pro. If you really want a Mac. Even the base 15" with the i7-4770HQ CPU will beat the fastest 2016/2017 dual core 13" (i7-7567u) models. When it comes to multi-threaded tasks. You definitely want 16GB RAM.

If you can afford it. Get a 2020 13" MacBook Pro. As it will have a quad core CPU. You still will want 16GB RAM for VM usage.

 

[Pradeep.bhathula]

What are you using it for? What VMs are you running?

Hi ,

Basically Linux VMs .

 

[LordVile]

Hi ,

Basically Linux VMs .

Would an M1 Mac be good for that for you? A lot more powerful than the dual core i5s