Which Mac Pro???

longdog

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I am in the market for an AppleMac Pro 15” Yes, I know I missed a couple of bargains on here just before Christmas and I’m still kicking myself for it! Cella vie!
Anyway, I am open to a previously owned one as long as it is mintier than a very minty thing or I may get a refurbished one from Apple.

My next question is which model to get, a 2015 model or a later version with that touch-bar thingy?

All advice gladly accepted :beerjug:
 
I'm guessing you mean a Mac Book Pro like this:
macbook-pro-15-inch-2017-touchbar-01.jpg

Rather than a MacPro like this:
UAGA.jpg
 
A good place to go is the buyers guide at Macrumors.com if you want to see if there will be any updates or if you are desperate for the latest thing.

The MacBook Pro with the touch bar is excellent. I don't use the touch bar that often but it is quite useful at times and doesn't really detract from the use of the computer, so I see it as a positive.

However, depending on budget, other models are available. I would tend to go for a MacBook Air over a MacBook because of the number of ports, but if possible go for a MacBook Pro.

As for desktops, the new iMac looks fabby, but the Mac Mini is due an update at some point and so is the Mac Pro.
 
Ah yes, I meant a MacBook Pro, or a laptop as they used to be called :beerjug:

I have read that the Touch Bar is not a popular addition with many people?
 
Apple do academic discounts of approx 10-15%. It’s not tricky to get an you can use any child or student To get the discount.

Some of the modern chips have lower clock speeds but are faster than the older chips.

The new MacBook Pro has new ports on the side which are all proprietary so more expense to factor in.
 
Apple do academic discounts of approx 10-15%. It’s not tricky to get an you can use any child or student To get the discount.

Some of the modern chips have lower clock speeds but are faster than the older chips.

The new MacBook Pro has new ports on the side which are all proprietary so more expense to factor in.
I think you'll find they're not proprietary, but USB-C.
 
I think you'll find they're not proprietary, but USB-C.

Sorry, correct. You need to buy a thing like this to get access to the common ports.

1c59b5ad1df138434f93e314087d364b.jpg


This one seems cheap but Dixon’s at the airport sell something similar for £110 jut to get the ports I wanted.
 
5fc099e420be665c11c4cc726d5c7ec5.jpg


This is the type I saw at the airport.
 
Ah well, that’s my flirtation with MacBooks over then. After much looking, touching and searching, I have decided that they simply ain’t worth the money especially if you need to haul around a bag of dongles, external CD/DVD drive, etc. After much research, I have bought a very nice Dell XPS 15 with 512 SSD, a nice fast GTX1050 graphics card and decent build quality too. Downsides are I still have to buy an external CD/DVD drive and it has Window$ 10, (which I can live with), but best of all, I have a much better specced laptop for £600 less, so that’s a 10 day Northern Europe trip in May paid for. Result! :beerjug:

Thanks to all who passed on hints, tips and suggestions. :beerjug:
 
My next question is which model to get, a 2015 model or a later version with that touch-bar thingy?

Touchbar wasn't the only thing added. There was a (pretty decent) speedbump if I remember correctly.

Not knowing what you have to do with it, if it is within the budget, go with the new one as it will last longer in service.
 
Ah well, that’s my flirtation with MacBooks over then. After much looking, touching and searching, I have decided that they simply ain’t worth the money especially if you need to haul around a bag of dongles, external CD/DVD drive, etc. After much research, I have bought a very nice Dell XPS 15 with 512 SSD, a nice fast GTX1050 graphics card and decent build quality too. Downsides are I still have to buy an external CD/DVD drive and it has Window$ 10, (which I can live with), but best of all, I have a much better specced laptop for £600 less, so that’s a 10 day Northern Europe trip in May paid for. Result! :beerjug:

Thanks to all who passed on hints, tips and suggestions. :beerjug:
Mistake.

At the end of the day its only a Wndows machine, not Mac OS X. The main benefit of a Mac is the OS.

WTF does anyone want a CDROM drive for these days?
 
You'll lose most of that £600 when you come to sell it in a few years compared to resale price of a Mac.

It depends what your doing with it though. Macs are still rubbish for gaming if that's a consideration. The older model sans touch bar are excellent value if you can find them.
 
Mistake.

At the end of the day its only a Wndows machine, not Mac OS X. The main benefit of a Mac is the OS.

WTF does anyone want a CDROM drive for these days?

It's horses for courses, I couldn't and still can't see the benefit for myself between the MacBook Pro and the Dell XPS. The OS doesn't justify the difference in cost. I have an iPad which I love, but at the end of the day, it is a tool that suites my purpose.

Oh, and as for a CD/DVD ROM drive, I actually need one for my work.
 
You'll lose most of that £600 when you come to sell it in a few years compared to resale price of a Mac.

It depends what your doing with it though. Macs are still rubbish for gaming if that's a consideration. The older model sans touch bar are excellent value if you can find them.

My last Windows laptop's graphic card died after 6 years hard use. I can still sell the sad remains on eBay and if it was a Mac, then it would still be a Mac with a dead graphics card. I don't buy laptops with a view to selling on in the future and since 2000, this Dell is my 4th. laptop in almost 18 years. As well as work, (MS Office), I do play the occasional game, but it probably would have run on a Mac anyway via Bootcamp.

I was actually trying to buy a refurbished MacBook Pro without the touchbar and with better connectivity, i.e. ports suited to my purposes. I have heard off and actually know a couple of people who have had no end of problems with the touchbar models, one friend is on his 4th. replacement MacBook Pro which is another reason that I wanted the 2015 model.

Still, I have made my bed and all that, and I am grateful to all for your comments. :beerjug:
 
I’ve been surprised recently how easy it is to get the parts and to fit them. Lots of YouTube tutorials too.
 


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