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Probably the wrong place, but I need some help. (rMBP buying help)

Maggot FF

Maggot FF

macrumors member
Original poster
Sep 24, 2012
65
0
Oslo, Norway
Hi everyone!

Pretty new on this forum, (at least when it comes to posting), but i need some help now, and I'm not that good at Macs and OS X yet.

I'm considering buying a rMBP, even though I'm mainly a Windows guy, so I'm gonna install Windows 8 even though that's like blasphemy for some of the jobelievers in here. (I'm not that fond of Windows 8 either, but i might as well use the newest version and get used to it.) I don't really care about that, it's for practicality. And I was just wondering if 256gb is going to cut it for me? How much of that is free out of the box? And this might seem stupid, but is OS X able to run for example photo shop off a external hard drive? As I will need a external hd for a lot of applications and some games. I'm going for a 2,6/16/256 version. The hw should cut it for me for a couple of years. The ssd size is probably my biggest issue, as one step up is going to cost me a little over 700 usd here in Norway, and I simply cannot justify that price.

I've tested a lot of rMBP's with lag, and a lot without. And I believe that the hw itself has nothing to do with it, as the 650 is more than capable of pushing that kind of resolution, so I'm just wondering if people have been able to find a solution to the problem? Lagging while doing simple everyday tasks isn't ok on a $3900 machine.

Also, does anyone know the rate of Samsung/LG screens on these machines? I'm really hoping for a Samsung, as they in general make the best screens out there, at least when it comes to lcd and oled.

In case anyone is wondering what my option is, it's a Asus U500VZ, which looks like a pretty impressive piece og machinery.

Thanks in advance for any helpful answers! :)
 
Last edited:
You'll have around 240gb give or take straight out of the box with Mountain Lion.

I personally only keep the absolute essentials on my machine no matter what. Music, movies, pictures, old stuff I might need later but currently do not, etc. all go on an external no questions asked, and I don't have apps installed that I don't use often aside from the ones required from my University for random things. I have Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit installed with Parallels 8, and I have still only used up 57.61gb of space. My Windows file is approximately 22gb.

You can install programs on an external and run them on your Mac. I do this with some programs I don't use often but still would like to have around. They don't quite run as quickly as on the internal SSD, but it's not really that noticeable (though they also aren't very hardware intensive programs).

I cannot comment on the other 2 questions.
 
Ok, thanks a lot! I would probably use a ssd for my external as well, and combined with usb 3.0 I guess the speeds I achieve will be more than good enough. You don't have a rMBP? Since you couldn't comment on the lag? A cMBP could be an option for me, but the retina screen is hard to forget. Also the fact that it's slimmer and a bit lighter is a plus.

Also, does anyone have any info on the battery time if your just listening to music, doing some typing and surfing the Web? Can I expect 4-5 hours? For heavy use it'll be plugged in anyway so.
 
Oh, and how does viewing lower resolution video look on it? As low as 480/576. And what about hd? 720/1080 and the likes.
 
I do have a rMBP. I don't have lag so I couldn't comment on how people fixed theirs, and I haven't searched for the number of samsung vs number of lg screens so I couldn't comment on that either.

As for battery life, old threads I read appear to show that battery time relies heavily on screen brightness. I can regularly get 8-9 hours out of my rMBP on wifi with web surfing, word, and powerpoint open as well as a text editor or IDE. I can even throw in a short video or 2. My screen brightness is set on auto brightness and keep it fairly dim (under 50%).

I have no complaints about videos. I think they look beautiful on the screen. I haven't noticed anything that stuck out and impacted my viewing pleasure.
 
Thanks a bunch. After going a few rounds with myself, I think I'll go for a 2.6/16/512 setup. Should keep me happy for a couple of years. :)
 
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