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Fine, it has a new keyboard thing that you may or may not like, we are going to buy it anyway. But how does the verge not address what everyone really cares abo

by tbrock 10y ago

Fine, it has a new keyboard thing that you may or may not like, we are going to buy it anyway. But how does the verge not address what everyone really cares about: the CPU! The MacBook without the touchbar has a MacBook Air class CPU while the one with a touchbar is in another class. How do the non touchbar models compare with the previous air models and how do the touchbar models compare with the previous pro generation? If the CPU is mostly the same performance wise as the last generation you are better off going for a refurb of the last gen if you don't care about the keyboard thing or having the new new.

Fluid_Mechanics 10y ago
Arstechnica has a more comprehensive review: http://arstechnica.com/video/2016/11/the-2016-13-and-15-inch-touch-bar-macbook-pros-reviewed/ http://arstechnica.com/video/2016/11/the-2016-13-and-15-inch... A relatively marginal increase in Single-Threaded CPU performance in the touchbar model.
Matthias247 10y ago
As far as I have seen in some benchmarks the new non-touchbar model (with the lower TDP CPU) is as about the same speed as my last-gen (2015) MBP 13" with the 28W TDP CPU. So it's a lower speed CPU class but due to the newer CPU generation the performance is the same. You can see it in a positive way: It didn't get slower Or in the negative way: You get an actually worse CPU class for more money than the previous gen was.
- tbrock 10y ago
  Since the non-touchbar model has the MacBook Air class CPU and your 2015 MPB has the higher voltage pro class CPU I'd say that's quite an improvement. This years "MacBook Air" like model is as powerful as last years MacBook Pro? Money should be flying out of our wallets.
rayiner 10y ago
Does anyone care about the CPU? In any case, Intel laptop CPUs are basically thermally limited since Sandy Bridge or even before. Skylake isn't a major advance in that regard, neither will Kaby Lake be.
- pcwalton 10y ago
  Yes. If nothing else, wider SIMD lanes and more expressive SIMD instructions matter a lot.

by tbrock 10y ago

Fluid_Mechanics 10y ago

Arstechnica has a more comprehensive review: http://arstechnica.com/video/2016/11/the-2016-13-and-15-inch-touch-bar-macbook-pros-reviewed/ http://arstechnica.com/video/2016/11/the-2016-13-and-15-inch... A relatively marginal increase in Single-Threaded CPU performance in the touchbar model.

Matthias247 10y ago

As far as I have seen in some benchmarks the new non-touchbar model (with the lower TDP CPU) is as about the same speed as my last-gen (2015) MBP 13" with the 28W TDP CPU. So it's a lower speed CPU class but due to the newer CPU generation the performance is the same. You can see it in a positive way: It didn't get slower Or in the negative way: You get an actually worse CPU class for more money than the previous gen was.

tbrock 10y ago
Since the non-touchbar model has the MacBook Air class CPU and your 2015 MPB has the higher voltage pro class CPU I'd say that's quite an improvement. This years "MacBook Air" like model is as powerful as last years MacBook Pro? Money should be flying out of our wallets.

rayiner 10y ago

Does anyone care about the CPU? In any case, Intel laptop CPUs are basically thermally limited since Sandy Bridge or even before. Skylake isn't a major advance in that regard, neither will Kaby Lake be.

pcwalton 10y ago
Yes. If nothing else, wider SIMD lanes and more expressive SIMD instructions matter a lot.