The "I just ordered / bought / got my new/refurb MBP" thread [Merged]

13 or 15 rMBP....could not decide so have ordered both!

I need a new mac and can't decide which is best for my needs, yesterdays price drop has made me bite the bullet....on 2 machines!

13 rMBP 256 GB SSD £1149 - 1 year warranty
15 rMBP base £1529 (through education) - 3 years warranty

The plan is to use them over 7-10 days and see which suits my needs then send the other back. I'm a building engineer - project programming, cad drawings, some 3D sketchup modelling etc, Autocad specifications used to be a major factor in deciding on a computer but with the power of modern computing we are past that stage of being limited to firstly windows and secondly chunky laptops.

In my spare time I do alot of graphics and photography work - hence the want for retina. Don't do any transcoding of video or any editing of video.

I'd also like to get back into self employed weekend work of surveying and generating the odd 3D render.

I get the feeling that the 13" will be suitable for day to day tasks but if/when I want to do bleeding edge stuff I'd be happier with the 15" due to the discrete graphics, is it worth the extra £380?

Cool hope you like it.

Depends on what you do with your rMBP.
If what all you do is watch videos and surf the net, the 13in is enough.
If you do hardcore editing, go with the 15in.

you will stay with the 15 inch

Your idea to buy both and return the other one you don't like works. I did the same thing when I bought a desktop speaker. Tried both in about a week and returned the other one that I don't like.

But I think you will opt to the 15 incher.

bigger is always better

I've just ordered a 13" retina to replace my i7 2011 MBP. Got it refurbished though cos it was £200 less! If it turns up immaculate it'll be an absolute bargain!

Just ordered my first laptop and Mac. A 15" base rMBP! Super excited.

Ended up ordering this sleeve as well:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005Q313U2/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1360892695&sr=8-10&pi=SL75

Just pulled the trigger on the refurb 13" rMBP i5/8/256. My first Mac ever. So excited!

Just ordered a 13" rMBP with the upgraded 3.0 i7 processor. 256GB is more than enough storage for me. I bought a Samsung external Blu Ray writer that I'll use as a optical drive when I need one, or to watch BD movies/anime on the go.

Considering all I really do is web browsing, youtube, netflix, crunchyroll, social media, MS Office, and the occasional web game I think it should be sufficient. In the rare event I may play some WoW, but gaming is mainly done on my PC or PS3/WiiU so graphic performance is somewhat not important to me.

I might buy a copy of aperture and give it a go, I use Lightroom on my PC now.

I'm upgrading from a late 2006 MBP maxed out at 2GB of ram, I have a feeling this will be a totally new/fun experience

MacBook Pro screen

Hi Guys. First post & question.

I've been reading this thread just to learn anything I can before I commit to buying my first Macbook Pro. I've been using Mac's since 1996 and right now I'm on a 2003 1.25Ghz dual-processor G4 Power Mac.

I thought I read about some MBP buyers getting a Samsung screen and some a different brand screen. Is it better to get one with a Samsung screen?

What was the other (less favorable) one?

Why is the Samsung preferred?

How to I check (or can I) to see which one it has before I buy it?

I'm almost decided on a 15" MBP (non-retina) machine.

Thanks!

Welcome to MacRumors! If you're set on a non-Retina MBP then you don't need to worry about screen manufacturer at all, that issue only affects the Retina screens.

If you do end up choosing a Retina then a Samsung panel is generally considered as preferable as it does not suffer from ghosting/image retention issues that the LG panels have been exhibiting. There is no way to test this prior to purchase, however severe IR/Ghosting is covered by Apple's warranty.

But again, if you're buying a non-Retina MBP then you have nothing to worry about with regards to the screen. Good luck with your purchase!

Lightning Bolt said:

Hi Guys. First post & question.

I've been reading this thread just to learn anything I can before I commit to buying my first Macbook Pro. I've been using Mac's since 1996 and right now I'm on a 2003 1.25Ghz dual-processor G4 Power Mac.

I thought I read about some MBP buyers getting a Samsung screen and some a different brand screen. Is it better to get one with a Samsung screen?

What was the other (less favorable) one?

Why is the Samsung preferred?

How to I check (or can I) to see which one it has before I buy it?

I'm almost decided on a 15" MBP (non-retina) machine.

Thanks!

Click to expand...

FYI,
Parallels 8 is on sale. Get it before it's gone:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1543532/

Congrats! I'm excited for you, bud!

goat4life said:

Just pulled the trigger on the refurb 13" rMBP i5/8/256. My first Mac ever. So excited!

Click to expand...

I received my refurb rMBP 13" i5, 8RAM, 256GB SSD today. It looks flawless and had a 0 cycle count. Now I have until Tuesday to figure out if I want to keep the Air I got 2 weeks ago or keep the Pro! The Pro is a bit heavier, but feels solid and looks good!

Smeaton1724 said:

I need a new mac and can't decide which is best for my needs, yesterdays price drop has made me bite the bullet....on 2 machines!

13 rMBP 256 GB SSD £1149 - 1 year warranty
15 rMBP base £1529 (through education) - 3 years warranty

The plan is to use them over 7-10 days and see which suits my needs then send the other back. I'm a building engineer - project programming, cad drawings, some 3D sketchup modelling etc, Autocad specifications used to be a major factor in deciding on a computer but with the power of modern computing we are past that stage of being limited to firstly windows and secondly chunky laptops.

In my spare time I do alot of graphics and photography work - hence the want for retina. Don't do any transcoding of video or any editing of video.

I'd also like to get back into self employed weekend work of surveying and generating the odd 3D render.

I get the feeling that the 13" will be suitable for day to day tasks but if/when I want to do bleeding edge stuff I'd be happier with the 15" due to the discrete graphics, is it worth the extra £380?

Click to expand...

Following up from my own comment. Both retina macbooks arrived today, I've spent 8 hours running through them both in detail.

I had a 1080p video playing in VLC, iphoto open, aperture open, iTunes playing and parallels 7 running Windows 7 and Autodesk Revit Structure and rendering a 1400 x 800 resolution image render at 150DPI - all at the same time - On both machines, no stutters, no lag, no issues at all, flicked between windows fine, did some iphoto editing, moved around itunes library playing different songs, moved between OS's, all way good, fans came on both machines but experience was smooth.

Both screens I had running at 1680 x 1050 - not retina mode, slightly more (see anadtech's explanation of how OSX scales).

The 15 rMBP finished the render (whilst doing all the above) in 23 minutes, rMBP 56 minutes.

Using handbrake Re-encoded a 1080p mkv to M4V, 15 rMBP 33 minutes, 13 rMBP 66 minutes.

The 15" is the perfect mac, I'm running it now in 1920 x 1200 mode, I feel 15" allows it to be a complete desktop replacement. The 13" I feel is slightly compromised by the actual size being small and performance at the high end is limiting - I can potentially be twice as productive rendering at the high end than low end, although I do question how often I'd do this and is it worth the £380 extra for the 15" over the 13" - I could potentially pick up an excellent desktop monitor for half this figure and pocket the difference.

Mom... New Mac goodness!

I am embarrassed to admit that I've never been a member of macrumors, I just read the threads when a new purchase is looming and go on my way.

Anyway, my husband and I are headed to best buy to pick up my "new" open box MacBook in the morning! 15", 256, 8g, 2012. I've been watching the open box site like a hawk, and when I saw it come up, I called immediately and they are holding it for me til tomorrow. The funny part is, a guy bought it for his wife for valentines day... Got home and she told him she wanted a divorce! How awful for him! Anyway even though it was returned, it's never been unwrapped at all (inside the box). So yay for me!

I'm normally the sort to make do or live without, but not when it comes to computers. I have a pair of jeans from high school (13 years old now!) I still wear even! But around our house, we have two MacBooks (one white, one black), one PowerBook that we are using as a media center, two iPads, and my pride and joy, a 27" iMac my in-laws gifted us in October when I was on bed rest for 2 months. and of course, an iPod. (Samsung galaxy s3 as phones though...) happy to be a member here... Finally!

Totally sold on the Retina Pro. Air goes back Tuesday. I love the smaller footprint and just feels solid! The Retina is stunning! Plus, Apple sent me the i7 processor instead of the i5 I was supposed to get. Thanks Apple!

Whoa. You ordered a 256GB 13-inch 2.5GHz i5 and got a 2.9GHZ i7? Where did it ship from? Mine is coming from LEWISBERRY, PA.

I'm returning my $1250 Best Buy open box 13-inch 128GB to upgrade to the $1360 Apple refurb 256GB.

BigMacAttack1 said:

Totally sold on the Retina Pro. Air goes back Tuesday. I love the smaller footprint and just feels solid! The Retina is stunning! Plus, Apple sent me the i7 processor instead of the i5 I was supposed to get. Thanks Apple!

Click to expand...

Got myself a base retina MacBook Pro from aus refurbished store. Saved myself 500 bucks. Delivery on Monday, can't wait.

christof said:

Whoa. You ordered a 256GB 13-inch 2.5GHz i5 and got a 2.9GHZ i7? Where did it ship from? Mine is coming from LEWISBERRY, PA.

I'm returning my $1250 Best Buy open box 13-inch 128GB to upgrade to the $1360 Apple refurb 256GB.

Click to expand...

Yeah, mine came from PA too--good luck! I got the Air refurbished before the price drop and then I realized that for $90 less, I could get the Retina Pro--kinda a no-brainer. My only concern was if I would really notice the .5 lb weight increase, and although I can tell, it's not heavy at all. This is my first Mac after coming from a 6-pound Lenovo, so I'm a happy camper! Plus, the Pro feels like such a more solid build than the Air and I love the look of it too (black frame on the screen, more compact/smaller footprint), air/sound vents. My new NAS comes Tuesday and once I get that going w/my iTunes, I'll be all set!

My order told me I could expect it anywhere from the 16th to the 19th. Is there a pretty good chance I'll be getting it tomorrow? I ordered it on Thursday morning and it's coming from PA, as well. It's my first laptop from Apple and I'm really excited to open up the box and play with my new toy. Lol

glitternarwhal said:

My order told me I could expect it anywhere from the 16th to the 19th. Is there a pretty good chance I'll be getting it tomorrow? I ordered it on Thursday morning and it's coming from PA, as well. It's my first laptop from Apple and I'm really excited to open up the box and play with my new toy. Lol

Click to expand...

Mine came in two days. Just check the tracking-it was very up to date. And mine came from PA to WA.

BigMacAttack1 said:

Mine came in two days. Just check the tracking-it was very up to date. And mine came from PA to WA.

Click to expand...

That's excellent! I'm not as far as WA, so it has to be here tomorrow, for sure. Thanks for the reply!

Thanks swerve!

I really like the retina display too but having a built-in superdrive is a must-have for me. I really don't want to use an external superdrive. If the retina Macbook had one, I'd be all over it.

I hope to purchase my MBP in a couple months.

I have a feeling this won't be the last time I visit the forums

Thanks again.

swerve147 said:

Welcome to MacRumors! If you're set on a non-Retina MBP then you don't need to worry about screen manufacturer at all, that issue only affects the Retina screens.

If you do end up choosing a Retina then a Samsung panel is generally considered as preferable as it does not suffer from ghosting/image retention issues that the LG panels have been exhibiting. There is no way to test this prior to purchase, however severe IR/Ghosting is covered by Apple's warranty.

But again, if you're buying a non-Retina MBP then you have nothing to worry about with regards to the screen. Good luck with your purchase!

Click to expand...

BigMacAttack1 said:

I received my refurb rMBP 13" i5, 8RAM, 256GB SSD today. It looks flawless and had a 0 cycle count. Now I have until Tuesday to figure out if I want to keep the Air I got 2 weeks ago or keep the Pro! The Pro is a bit heavier, but feels solid and looks good!

Click to expand...

Picked my refurbed today at local Apple store. Its perfect. Much faster than my 2010 13" MBP. I got a 11" 2012 air on sale at BB earlier this year and I will keep both.

However between a 13 air at $999 or this at $1359 (or $1269 with 128 gb); the choice is clear. Get the retina.