Errr - isn't QuartzExtreme doing exactly this: rendering the whole desktop all of the time? And aren't all the core services working in the background (CoreAudio, CoreStorage, CoreImage etc. pp.) also utilizing the CPU and/or GPU hardware quite extensively?it's only for CPU and GPU intensive stuff ( something not commonly done by all users ). People doing heavy 3D rendering [...] would anyway perform those tasks on either a more powerful notebook or even better, on a desktop.
Ummm - if not a powerhouse, then what do you consider a MacBook PRO instead? It's not the "Air" line of notebooks we're talking about here...We can come up with N scenarios where the 13" rMBP wouldn't stand it's ground, but that's really not surprising, considering it wasn't designed to be a 13" power-house in the first place.
For me there is absolutely nothing compelling about the 13" Retina other than the size, the 15" absolutely dominates the 13" in every aspect, anyone looking to buy the 13" Retina should think about it very carefully.
Is it just me, or is your whole post a copy-paste from another thread?
... he copy-pasted the reply form a different thread.
All of that being said, I don't really view the 13-inch rMBP as an alternative to the 15, but rather a step up from the MacBook Air. The MBA may be lighter, but Apple definitely blurred the line between the MBA and MBP with the 13-inch Retina. For any power user, I don't know that I'd recommend the 13-inch MacBook Air over the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro. It really is the best of both worlds.
I wasn't debating between a 13" rMBP and 15" rMBP. I definitely wanted the 13" form factor and I wanted to see the new retina machine in person before deciding between it and the 13" Air.
For me it was no contest....
Wow - insulting before the answer even starts! Must be a new record...What was I talking about and what are you blabbering about...
(Condescending non-answer omitted.) Are you always running out of arguments that quickly?But to answer:
Chances are that i actually am. Envious?You must be mega-smart
Sorry that I don't fit your - again - condescending guess.As for the "PRO" label... let me guess: You've recently turned 18 and you'll be soon heading to College. So your parents decided to buy a shiny new notebook for Starbucks use that has "PRO" written on it. Suddenly now you're a "PRO" yourself, aren't you? Wonderful...
Question is, which one of us actually fell for Apple's marketing.+1 point to Apple... marketing WIN once again!
"destroys" feels a tad bit too strong... I do agree it's quite faster, but then again, it's only for CPU and GPU intensive stuff ( something not commonly done by all users ). People doing heavy 3D rendering or video encoding and such would anyway perform those tasks on either a more powerful notebook or even better, on a desktop. We can come up with N scenarios where the 13" rMBP wouldn't stand it's ground, but that's really not surprising, considering it wasn't designed to be a 13" power-house in the first place.
An interesting and entertaining review nonetheless.
Anandtech said:The 13 I'm testing had demonstrably lower scrolling performance than my 15-inch rMBP, but I believe that has to do with the difference in CPU clocks more than anything else. My 13 uses a 2.5GHz Core i5 that can turbo up to 3.1GHz, while my 15 has a max single threaded turbo of 3.6GHz - an increase of 16%. There's also the fact that the 15-inch model features a quad-core CPU, leaving you with more idle cores in the event that you're actually doing more than just scrolling all day. I suspect the combination of these two things is why a lot of folks perceive the 15-inch rMBP to deliver faster UI performance.
The worst case performance I recorded on the 13-inch rMBP was 16 fps when scrolling in Safari with Facebook loaded at the 1440 x 900 scaled resolution setting. Minimum frame rate at the default best for Retina setting ended up being around 18 fps. It's distracting and a clear regression from other, non-Retina Macs. That's the lowest performance you see, but not everything falls into that range. Scrolling down the AnandTech front page for example happens at around 40 - 50 fps at the 1440 x 900 scaled resolution. Other animations will happen as high as 60 fps, although you typically notice when things are slow not when they're performing as expected.
The 13 I'm testing had demonstrably lower scrolling performance than my 15-inch rMBP, but I believe that has to do with the difference in CPU clocks more than anything else. My 13 uses a 2.5GHz Core i5 that can turbo up to 3.1GHz, while my 15 has a max single threaded turbo of 3.6GHz - an increase of 16%. There's also the fact that the 15-inch model features a quad-core CPU, leaving you with more idle cores in the event that you're actually doing more than just scrolling all day. I suspect the combination of these two things is why a lot of folks perceive the 15-inch rMBP to deliver faster UI performance.
I thought about it very carefully, and wound up with the 13". Perfect for what I need and the form factor is awesome. Takes up even less desk space than an Air.
Is it just me, or is your whole post a copy-paste from another thread?
My own supposition is that Apple cut their extensive margins on the 15" Retina to "get it out there" build traction and set the standard for performance.
On the same note, you could also read stuff more carefully and not just dissect the article, picking out parts that shouldn't necessarily be look at individually.
His quad core remark could be quite correct... I for one am not experiencing any UI lag on "Best for Retina" resolution, running on the 2.9Ghz CPU. I can only experience noticeable lag on 1680x1050 resolution BUT not everywhere... usually larger files or websites make it really visible ( or certain window maximizing actions for "bigger programs" ).
Since there is a lot of scaling going on, IMO, this is expected... not saying it's good the way it is, but it's expected. Maybe the scaling mechanisms will be improved / optimized in the future.
Again... on Best for Retina, I can not notice any lag or problems in general. Everything is smooth and works as it should. As you start scaling stuff, lag is more visible ( this is not a problem for me, cause I always use "Best for Retina" but I can understand the frustration of others who were expecting everything to be butter smooth at higher resolutions ).
Sorry, I have to ask: How did you come up with that conclusion? You do know that there are ( have been before the retina ) more powerful notebooks ( "real desktop replacements" ) out there? What Apple did indeed do, was to make a quite power-hungry notebook slim enough so it's not easily confused with a brick.
The "set the standard for performance" just sounds funny and silly. They have set no such "standard". They at best determined / pushed competition to make even more, more powerful and slimmer and slimmer machines ( this actually started with the introduction of the MBA... the rMBPs just pushes / enforces this trend event more ).
I don't own the 13 or the 15, but am close to pulling the trigger on the 13. I don't know why so many people are so stuck on the concept that the 15 is a better machine for the money. Hasn't that always been the case? Not just with computers, but with anything small and sleek...there are trade offs. Sometimes it's performance. Sometimes it's price. This time, it's a little of both.
For anyone who buys a 13 over a 15, the writing is on the wall. For them, size trumps power. So what?
Anyway, Anand's review captures it perfectly:
All of that being said, I don't really view the 13-inch rMBP as an alternative to the 15, but rather a step up from the MacBook Air. The MBA may be lighter, but Apple definitely blurred the line between the MBA and MBP with the 13-inch Retina. For any power user, I don't know that I'd recommend the 13-inch MacBook Air over the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro. It really is the best of both worlds.
I wasn't debating between a 13" rMBP and 15" rMBP. I definitely wanted the 13" form factor and I wanted to see the new retina machine in person before deciding between it and the 13" Air.
Non-permanent image retention has been a part of both rMBPs launched thus far. Keep any static image on the screen for a long enough time and you'll see a ghost of that image even after the screen has changed. Apple attributes the image retention issues to its use of IPS based LCDs in the rMBP, however the severity of image retention can vary depending on a lot of factors. I've personally seen image retention happen on both 13-inch and 15-inch Retina MacBook Pros. In my use, image retention was never a significant issue with either the 13 or 15-inch rMBP although I suspect how bothersome it is depends a lot on the user and usage model. There have been numerous reports of LG based Retina Displays behaving worse in the image retention department than Samsung sourced parts, however I don't have access to a large enough sample size of rMBPs to really validate those claims.