Let’s get this out there: Apple’s new MacBook Pros aren’t cheap. For some, such as those living in the UK, prices have actually gone way up, meaning that if these laptops weren’t accessible to you before, they definitely are further out of your reach now. Now some of you guys might be thinking, “Maybe I’ll just get the 13-inch model.”Sure, you could do that, but here’s something to take into consideration. According to a support document published by Apple (via MacRumors), it has been noted that for the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, only two of the Thunderbolt 3 ports offer full performance (the left side), while the other two Thunderbolt 3 ports on the right side have reduced PCI Express bandwidth.
So what does this mean for users? Basically if you need full Thunderbolt 3 performance, then plug those devices into the left side of the laptop. If you don’t need the full bandwidth, like if you’re just plugging in a flash drive or maybe some low-powered accessory, then you can plug it into the right side’s ports.
Note that this is only for the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. The 15-inch model’s ports offer full performance, and so does the 13-inch MacBook Pro without Touch Bar. We’re not sure why Apple has done this, perhaps it could be due to hardware limitations, but that’s something to think about when choosing which model to get.
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