Macbook Pro 15 Retina or Macbook Pro 17?

smcgil9899 · 01:14 PM

Hello everyone. I have the opportunity to buy a base model Macbook Pro 15 Retina for $1400.00 or an early 2011 Macbook Pro 17 for $1150.00. I really like the bigger screen of the 17" but the Retina has better hardware. I have owned 17” computers. What would you all advise?

MisterKeeks · Jan 30, 2013, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smcgil9899

Hello everyone. I have the opportunity to buy a base model Macbook Pro 15 Retina for $1400.00 or any early 2011 Macbook Pro 17 for $1150.00. I really like the bigger screen of the 17" but the Retina has better hardware. I have owned 17” computers. What would you all advise?

What are you using this for. In most cases, I would go with the Retina.

smcgil9899 · Jan 30, 2013, 01:17 PM

I will mainly use it for ms office, creating sell sheets, light Photoshop, IMovie, Internet, and playing Guild Wars 2.

RedCroissant · Jan 30, 2013, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smcgil9899

Hello everyone. I have the opportunity to buy a base model Macbook Pro 15 Retina for $1400.00 or an early 2011 Macbook Pro 17 for $1150.00. I really like the bigger screen of the 17" but the Retina has better hardware. I have owned 17” computers. What would you all advise?

I would go with the 17" I prefer the form factor with the ODD included and the dual GPU is a nice feature to have as well.

designs216 · Jan 30, 2013, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smcgil9899

Hello everyone. I have the opportunity to buy a base model Macbook Pro 15 Retina for $1400.00 or an early 2011 Macbook Pro 17 for $1150.00. I really like the bigger screen of the 17" but the Retina has better hardware. I have owned 17” computers. What would you all advise?

If it were me, I would rather have the rMBP, hands down. The screen on the 17" is too big for a laptop and would be a pain to lug around, though it is cheaper. The only downshot of the retina you mentioned is the 8GB RAM. Sure you can't save a bit longer and get 16GB?

thekev · Jan 30, 2013, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by designs216

If it were me, I would rather have the rMBP, hands down. The screen on the 17" is too big for a laptop and would be a pain to lug around, though it is cheaper. The only downshot of the retina you mentioned is the 8GB RAM. Sure you can't save a bit longer and get 16GB?

I shouldn't present an issue for the uses mentioned. By the time it's a realistic minimum, the machine may no longer be supported on that version of OSX. In a lot of cases I think it's an immense advantage over 8, but that doesn't apply so much to the OP here.

Designer Dale · Jan 31, 2013, 03:54 PM

I'm still using a late '08 17 inch MBP and it's a good machine if screen real-estate is important to you. It's not the fastet thing out there but it gets the job done for me. It has things you can't find on any current Mac like an optical bay and an ExpressCard/34 slot that allows you to connect eSATA drives and other devices. I use it for a DVD burner and hard drive dock.

Early 2011 17 inch MBP Specs from EveryMac.com

PS: This machine will take 16 gigs of ram.

Dale

Yebubbleman · Jan 31, 2013, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smcgil9899

Hello everyone. I have the opportunity to buy a base model Macbook Pro 15 Retina for $1400.00 or an early 2011 Macbook Pro 17 for $1150.00. I really like the bigger screen of the 17" but the Retina has better hardware. I have owned 17” computers. What would you all advise?

Quote:

Originally Posted by smcgil9899

I will mainly use it for ms office, creating sell sheets, light Photoshop, IMovie, Internet, and playing Guild Wars 2.

Office and iMovie both have retina support. Photoshop CS6 will have it at some point if it doesn't already. I don't know about Guild Wars 2. My guess is that they'll put it in at some point, given its young age on the Mac platform as well as its popularity. If that's really all that you do, I think you'll be fine on the retina. Though, the concerns I'd have would be being stuck with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. If you can go to 16GB and 512GB, then I'd go retina. Otherwise, you'll get more flexibility with the 17".

smcgil9899 · Feb 9, 2013, 10:15 AM

So, is the late 2011 MBP 17" still capable of lasting 2-3 years. I want a fast and powerful computer.

Jan 30, 2013, 01:09 PM	#1
smcgil9899 macrumors newbie Join Date: Jun 2008	Macbook Pro 15 Retina or Macbook Pro 17? Hello everyone. I have the opportunity to buy a base model Macbook Pro 15 Retina for $1400.00 or an early 2011 Macbook Pro 17 for $1150.00. I really like the bigger screen of the 17" but the Retina has better hardware. I have owned 17” computers. What would you all advise? Last edited by smcgil9899; Jan 30, 2013 at 01:14 PM.
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Jan 31, 2013, 03:54 PM	#7
Designer Dale macrumors Demi-God Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Folding space	I'm still using a late '08 17 inch MBP and it's a good machine if screen real-estate is important to you. It's not the fastet thing out there but it gets the job done for me. It has things you can't find on any current Mac like an optical bay and an ExpressCard/34 slot that allows you to connect eSATA drives and other devices. I use it for a DVD burner and hard drive dock. Early 2011 17 inch MBP Specs from EveryMac.com PS: This machine will take 16 gigs of ram. Dale __________________ How to Post, Quote and Multi-Quote Photos - My Google Docs Folder 12/2011 I'm out of my mind, but feel free to leave a message.
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Jan 30, 2013, 01:17 PM	#3
smcgil9899 Thread Starter macrumors newbie Join Date: Jun 2008	I will mainly use it for ms office, creating sell sheets, light Photoshop, IMovie, Internet, and playing Guild Wars 2.
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Feb 9, 2013, 10:15 AM	#9
smcgil9899 Thread Starter macrumors newbie Join Date: Jun 2008	So, is the late 2011 MBP 17" still capable of lasting 2-3 years. I want a fast and powerful computer.
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