Macbook Pro 2015, with faster GPU and “force touch”

Some time back I shared news about the new ASUS Zenbook Pro and compared it with the Macbook Pro within the same price range just so you can see which offers the best bang for your buck. A month later, Apple has just refreshed their Macbook Pro 2015 line up with a new force touch track pad feature and also a faster GPU chip. After I take a look at the specification, I notice a small issue with the processor. It’s using an Intel quad-core i7 2.5Ghz nominal clock with TurboBoost up to 3.7Ghz that comes with Intel Iris Pro Graphics. After browsing the ARK page,  I found Apple is still putting a 4th generation Intel Core i7 4870HQ to use in the new Macbook Pro.

Taking a look at the new force touch, it doesn’t really tempt me much since I use mouse all the time, so let’s go straight to the GPU. On the new Macbook Pro it seem like Apple is finally making the transition from the ancient Nvidia GT750M to the AMD R9 M370X. So what’s the story about this R9 M370X? I’m also having issues about the GPU, to be honest. From the information I gleaned off the internet, most of them suggested it is using an AMD HD 7750 chip. The Cape Verde chip is an old GCN 1.0 chip, but even though it’s outdated, its still faster than the Nvidia GT 750M but might be a little bit more power hungry. It make me wondering why Apple put a 3 years old GPU in their new machine. So what the similarities? Both GPUs are aging and outdated.

What do you think about the new refreshed Macbook Pro? To me it’s nothing new, except the force touch feature and the GPU upgrade. It might perform better than its predecessor, but is it worth RM 9299 (buy it here)? You do the math. If you ask me, its better to spend the money on a ASUS Zenbook Pro and a 4K monitor.

Pokdepinion : Apple’s decision of not using an Intel Broadwell chip is a little bit off, which offers a smaller manufacturing process which really helps to improve battery life. However this may be because of a lack of quad-core Broadwells. On the graphics side, it’s really inexcusable to cheap out with a 3 year old chip. At least a Nvidia GTX 960M should have been under the hood if Apple intends to compete with other brands. To be honest it would be a great machine if it had a better GPU powering it.