We stand in solidarity with numerous people who need access to the API including bot developers, people with accessibility needs (r/blind) and 3rd party app users (Apollo, Sync, etc.)
So there's a $200 price difference. Is it worth if for my use-case? I can't find direct comparisons online.
My current work is 100% in Manstage and Logic, simultaneously. I work with large sessions and also have to frequently do screen captures and recording audio while playing back audio in Logic. Needless to say, my 2015 15" MacBook Pro with a quad core i7 has been starting to show it's age and just hasn't been as reliable as I need for my work. I'm currently planning ons speccing it to have:
One of the 8-core i9s, 32 GB of ram (Because I easily hit 12-16 with my work everyday), 1Tb SSD, and the Pro5500M with 4gb (I don't think I need the 8gb upgrade because I mostly do audio).
With all that in mind, where would the $200 make a big difference? I'd love some opinions! thanks!
If $200 makes a difference to you, i'd buy refurbished and invest the savings in a AppleCare+ plan.
Apple stores are currently closed and everyone who buys a mac now gets the option to return it upto 14 days after stores reopen, which could take a month longer from where we are at present in the US.
So there's going to be a big surge in Refurb'd hardware in Q3/Q4. I'd suggest buying a brand new 16 incher now with the config you want and waiting till lockdown ends to return it if you don't like it/Find a better deal in the refurb'd department.
And to directly address your questions about the processor. . .most applications aren't as much CPU throttled as they are power supply/thermal throttled. If you get the lower config CPU and keep it cool while you use it/plug it into the wall, you will have great perf.
That said, the present generation of CPUs is going to get killed when the next gen AMDs are out in scale commercial availability in a few months. Upto 80% more perf than Intel CPUS with twice the power draw . . . DOUBLE the battery life. . . i feel we're at a point in the CPU lifecycle where it isn't prudent to be buying a new Mac or anything with an Intel CPU in it for the next 18 months.
I would go for the i9 2.3GHz without any doubt. The 2.4GHz i9-9880HK can't simply be used at full extent for more than some minutes before going into throttling, since the thermal limitations will be aggressively evident whenever the turbo boost is enabled. The main difference between the two processors models is turbo boost speed acceleration, but given the thermals there is basically no point to choose the most powerful configuration, after a short time of heavy usage they will perform basically the same.
Interesting perspective on this, thanks!
I don't think it will make a big difference for your use case. One thing to keep in mind is that the 2.4ghz is an HK processor, meaning it is unlocked for overclocking, as oppose to the 2.3ghz which is an H processor that is locked for overclocking.
Overclocking is probably something you won't be doing because it degrades the processor faster. However, it gives you better performance.
Here you can find the comparisons between those MacBook models:
2.3: https://everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/specs/macbook-pro-core-i9-2.3-eight-core-16-2019-scissor-specs.html
2.4: https://everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/specs/macbook-pro-core-i9-2.4-eight-core-16-2019-scissor-specs.html
Here is the inter processors explained:
https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/cpu-comparison
Here you can find an article on overclocking processors:
https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/should-you-overclock-your-pcs-processor/
I have the HK but can’t adjust voltages at all (16 inch pro) in Windows. Throttlestop accepts the values but saving values does nothing.
I've never personally tried that on mine, but the hardware is capable of it
Kind of off topic but I would recommend jumping up to at least the 2tb hard drive. For the money, you can’t find external storage that comes close to the value of 1tb with the speeds of the internal SSD. I work in Logic, ProTools, and the Adobe suit on a 1tb internal on my maxed 2018 MBP and I will definitely be getting 2tb on my next machine. 1tb is definitely great but 2tb would be even better.
$400 for 1 extra TB of SSD storage though? That doesn’t seem worth it to me. Especially since I’ve already got a ton of fast external storage. I’ve survived in the business with 246gb SSD on my current machine for 5 years, so the 1TB would be more than enough to run all my apps, plugins, and my everyday-use virtual instruments 👍🏻
Thanks for the recommendation!
2.3ghz i9 without a doubt.
I agree with the Posts which say run with the 2.3 GHz; I did some research before buying my 16" MBP - the CPU performance benchmarks showed negligible improvement for the 2.4 GHz. There are several good YouTube videos around 'getting the Spec. of your new MBP right'.
Suggest putting the cash difference in processor towards more RAM (especially as it's soldered onto the board) and then SSD Disk. The extra video RAM may help you future-proof your purchase and/or make it easier to resell as & when. Depends on how flush you're feeling too!