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Downgrade or Sit on it?

Mathias Denichi

Mathias Denichi

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 21, 2013
454
637
I currently have a Early 2013 Macbook Retina 15in with 512GB SSD, i7 2.7 Quad ,16GB ram Nvidia and 650m.

Up until I just recently built a gaming itx machine, it was my sole computer for both working and gaming. Now that I built my pc, I am finding myself using my Mac strictly for work leading me to think that I should downgrade my system specs for more battery life and work cpu intensive processes.

My current daily work uses are:

  • Frequently Hooked up to a 2560x1440 27in monitor
  • Use of Photoshop, large photo editing
  • Magazine Layout in Indesign
  • Large Logo and PDF in Illustrator
  • Wordpress/Magento Development Using MAMP mysql server
  • Web browser Intensive Processes

Should I sell my current setup in favor for a current IRIS PRO 15in or possibly even a 13in?
Will there be a performance or battery life difference between IRIS pro vs dGPU?
Will an IRIS pro out perform the dGPU for Photoshop, Indesign and Illustrator processing?
Should I just sit with my computer now until the next major update because I will be downgrading performance at equal cost?
Thanks
 
Last edited:
denichidesigns said:
I currently have a Early 2013 Macbook Retina 15in with 512GB SSD, i7 2.7 Quad ,16GB ram Nvidia and 650m.

Up until I just recently built a gaming itx machine, it was my sole computer for both working and gaming. Now that I built my pc, I am finding myself using my Mac strictly for work leading me to think that I should downgrade my system specs for more battery life and work cpu intensive processes.

My current daily work uses are:

  • Frequently Hooked up to a 2560x1440 27in monitor
  • Use of Photoshop, large photo editing
  • Magazine Layout in Indesign
  • Large Logo and PDF in Illustrator
  • Wordpress/Magento Development Using MAMP mysql server
  • Web browser Intensive Processes

Should I sell my current setup in favor for a current IRIS PRO 15in or possibly even a 13in?
Will there be a performance or battery life difference between IRIS pro vs dGPU?
Will an IRIS pro out perform the dGPU for Photoshop, Indesign and Illustrator processing?
Should I just sit with my computer now until the next major update because I will be downgrading performance at equal cost?
Thanks
Click to expand...

i wouldn't downgrade unless you have a tangible reason too. for example, hey it'd be nice to get a very mobile computer, than ya i'd get a 13" rmbp.
 
That's a weird question. You're thinking on exchanging a high-performance machine for a low-performer in favor of bigger battery life. Will you buy something new? If so, you'll lose performance and perhaps add some money to buy the newer hardware.

If you'll buy something used, you'll risk getting issues you can't control or fix. Also, if you're satisfied with your screen, you can get a defective one.
 
If you already have a flawless rMBP screen keep it, downgrade for extra battery life and PCIe SSD can have benefits but also risk of not being happy when you're stuck using it for an extended time(when the PC goes offline).

I've known friends who've done the same, they later regret the move when their "gaming/workstation" took a dump or needed an extended repair job. IMO, if you do downgrade make sure to keep any "profit" for extra parts when the PC needs it(ex: spare video card, PSU & HDD).

As far as Iris Pro vs 650M, at higher resolutions and CUDA accelerated tasks it'll still smoke Iris Pro but the Iris Pro on the other hand is a more general task IGP where it can beat the 650M at power usage yet sit between GeForce 630M-Radeon 75xxM(AMD Fusion A8 IGP) performance range. Don't own or plan to own an Iris based PC/Mac, some say OpenCL acceleration is close enough with software supporting OpenCL+CUDA but for those who use CUDA leaning software it'll be felt.

...I've been stung twice by Intel IGP drivers on Windows, enough reason to stay away from any form.
 
From what I've read on the forums, the dgpu is only active when it is required, so they're shouldn't be much battery life gain if switching to 15" base model
 
sdimas said:
From what I've read on the forums, the dgpu is only active when it is required, so they're shouldn't be much battery life gain if switching to 15" base model
Click to expand...

Yeah, I installed gfxcardstatus to see when the switching is occurring. In my 2010 MBP, about 1/3 of the programs I used triggered the dgpu. Things like Adium, skype, chrome, and others that really could work on the igpu without issue. The Late 2013 rmbp, though, seems much better. None of the programs I listed above trigger the dgpu. Every once in a while, a website in firefox will trigger it, netflix will trigger it, and gaming will trigger it. So far, that's all i've noticed.
 
brdeveloper said:
That's a weird question. You're thinking on exchanging a high-performance machine for a low-performer in favor of bigger battery life. Will you buy something new? If so, you'll lose performance and perhaps add some money to buy the newer hardware.

If you'll buy something used, you'll risk getting issues you can't control or fix. Also, if you're satisfied with your screen, you can get a defective one.
Click to expand...

Agreed. MacBook Air, or keep your machine. Unless money is not a problem, then just buy the MacBook Air too.. LOL
 
How much work happens when not at your desk and what kind of work is it?

Maybe you could switch to have a small and not too powerful machine (MBA, Surface, ultrabook) for out of office work and just do everything on your itx PC.

Otherwise, I don't think you'll see much benefit in a cheaper machine. You can see some benchmarks between the 650m and Iris Pro here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATKDuQOQw9k the Iris Pro seems to be ever so slightly faster than the 650m for most Adobe CC but the difference really seems to be negligible. Seems to be like you'd be trading a dollar for four quarters and you'd probably end up loosing money doing the switch.
 
If you are happy with your current machine, just stick with it. To see a real difference you would need to go to a late 2013 model rMPB, and with anything but a high end 15" you would be sacrificing performance from your current machine and likely spending money to make the switch. Not worth it for a couple hours of battery life unless battery life is currently creating a major issue in your work flow. The only situation that you would see a significant difference in battery life and some portability is by going to a current (or 2013 at least) MBA, but you would be going down to HD 5000 graphics, and likely want an upgraded model anyhow, so even that would likely cost you money.

Enjoy what you have, nothing out there is improved enough to make a switch :) I can relate to the feeling of wanting a balanced setup, but you don't have a move here that makes sense unfortunately and having "too much power" doesn't hurt.
 
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