Solved! Can a 2017 Macbook Pro 13 inch satisfy my need?

[medglow]

I'm going to take up programming courses next month and I'm gonna replace my old laptop (which is a Macbook Air 13 inch) to a Pro but I'm not sure if it's gonna works well.

So the version I'm considering buying is a 2017 Macbook Pro 13 inch with an Intel Core i5 dual-core processor, 8GB of RAM and an Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640.

These are the things I'm doing with my laptop:

- Programming (as I mentioned, I want to develop mobile apps and web design. Languages I'm going to learn include: Python, C, C++, Java, Kotlin,...and I'm working on Android Studio)

- Photos/Videos editing

So is an i5 processor and 8GB of RAM enough? Or should I get an i7 with 16GB of RAM version instead? If a base one is enough then I prefer to keep my budget tight, if it is not then I can try to get the upgraded version.

 

[Gaidax]

8GB ram is a problem, get 16. I5 is not a problem, although be aware that 2017 Macbook Pro I5 is 2/4 configuration, while 2018 one is 4/8, which is a massive difference.

Overall however, you are much more likely to be constrained by RAM than CPU, so 2017 Pro 13 inch with I5 is 16GB will be a good option.

If you can do this somehow - get 2018 one, even I5 one with 16GB RAM - it is massively more powerful due to double the core count.