Which would be better for your MacBook Pro: additional processing power or extra memory?
Which would be better for your MacBook Pro: additional processing power or extra memory?
Considering the tools you mentioned—Logic Pro, Final Cut, Fusion 360, Xcode, Windows 10 Bootcamp—a late 2016 Dual-Core i5 with 16GB RAM or an early 2018 Quad-Core i5 with 8GB RAM for your Macbook Pro 13? The 2016 model includes a 1TB SSD, whereas the 2018 model has a 256GB SSD. Both offer similar graphics performance.
In fact, the RAM in the MBP 2016 isn't designed for user upgrades—it's permanently soldered. Swapping SSDs is also not possible since they're fixed in place.
It seems they're both built with soldered components, as noted by IFixit. I wouldn't suggest either of these for any serious professional tasks. Having 8GB of RAM is really low, and a dual-core processor isn't an option if you need to handle more than basic word processing or spreadsheets. I recommend finding a model with at least a quad-core processor and 16GB of RAM, even if it costs a bit more. If this is for work or any demanding job, these options fall short.
In short, you'd need to assess whether your current setup works best with more memory or additional processing power. The 2018 model seems likely to get macOS updates longer, and its keyboard improvements are noted. I own a 2016 MBP but rely on an external keyboard, so personal experience is limited. Overall, both versions have noticeable compromises—small SSD and RAM sizes in the newer version, and fewer cores in the older one.
If Xcode isn't necessary (like with Hackintosh... that's another issue), I'd likely choose a faster machine. You can always use an external drive. However, 256 GB is quite restrictive nowadays. 8 GB of RAM should suffice for casual tasks. Honestly, I’d look for something more capable myself.