Hello MacRumors community.
I actually drafted up this question earlier, realized it was insanely long, got frustrated, and gave up, thinking I could solve this on my own. It's still long, and I apologize. I did try and slim it down to the best of my ability.
I am trying to decide whether or not to get a 13" rMBP with 512GB storage, or a 15" rMBP with 512GB storage, both with 8GB 1600mHz memory.
Some facts
I am mainly concerned about price. While I am contributing $1600 to this computer, my parents said they can cover the rest. While I am grateful, I do not want to place too much onto them.
I am inclined to go towards a 13" computer, so that the price drops, but I have a few questions.
1. Processor and Graphics Card. I see that in the 13" rMPB there are only dual core options, when in the 15" rMBP, there are quad core options. How important are these? I don't want my computer slowing down when I do things such as photoshop, some games, or when I use iMovie for little things here and there.
2. Apple Care? I have never gotten it for any of my computers, and none of the apple products in the house have it. We are extremely careful with every device, but I am not too sure what will happen in college, and I am very paranoid. However, even with the education discount, it adds a whole $240 to the package (for a 15" rMBP).
3. Storage Space? In my mid 2009 cMBP, I have 250GB capacity, and have 110 GB left. If I choose to get 256GB in my new computer rather than 512GB to save money, I am worried that since I will only have around 115GB space, it will run out in the 4 years I am at school. I will of course have a external Hard Drive (1TB), but I do not always like storing things ONLY on the EHD.
My ideal computer, if I had thousands of dollars, would be a 15" rMBP with this configuration:
2.4GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
Turbo Boost up to 3.4GHz
8GB 1600MHz memory
512 flash storage
Intel HD Graphics 4000
NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1GB of GDDR5 memory
However, with tax, that makes it out to 2700, which just seems too much for me.
I will be okay going to a 13" rMBP however, with these configurations (below), so long as the computer doesn't flake out on me, due to only having a dual core processor.
2.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
Turbo Boost up to 3.2GHz
8GB 1600MHz memory
512GB flash storage
Intel HD Graphics 4000
Will the 13" be okay for me? Or would I need the processing speed of the 15"? If so, I am thinking I should drop something, either storage capacity or apple care. Which would be best to drop?
If any of you have any tips or ideas, or were in a similar situation to me, please comment. Thanks so much!
I actually drafted up this question earlier, realized it was insanely long, got frustrated, and gave up, thinking I could solve this on my own. It's still long, and I apologize. I did try and slim it down to the best of my ability.
I am trying to decide whether or not to get a 13" rMBP with 512GB storage, or a 15" rMBP with 512GB storage, both with 8GB 1600mHz memory.
Some facts
- I have had apple computers for a while, and my most recent is a mid 2009 15" macbook pro, with upgraded memory, from 4GB to 8GB.
- I will be going to university as a freshman, this year, and will mainly be using my computer for notes, essays, netflix, the web, The Sims, and photoshop.
- I am not an avid photographer or videographer by any means, but I do enjoy using photoshop to create graphics and other edited images.
- I enjoy having the screen space of a 15" computer to have photoshop open and a tutorial in another window, or netflix in one window and microsoft word in another. However, this is not a priority in the slightest.
I am mainly concerned about price. While I am contributing $1600 to this computer, my parents said they can cover the rest. While I am grateful, I do not want to place too much onto them.
I am inclined to go towards a 13" computer, so that the price drops, but I have a few questions.
1. Processor and Graphics Card. I see that in the 13" rMPB there are only dual core options, when in the 15" rMBP, there are quad core options. How important are these? I don't want my computer slowing down when I do things such as photoshop, some games, or when I use iMovie for little things here and there.
2. Apple Care? I have never gotten it for any of my computers, and none of the apple products in the house have it. We are extremely careful with every device, but I am not too sure what will happen in college, and I am very paranoid. However, even with the education discount, it adds a whole $240 to the package (for a 15" rMBP).
3. Storage Space? In my mid 2009 cMBP, I have 250GB capacity, and have 110 GB left. If I choose to get 256GB in my new computer rather than 512GB to save money, I am worried that since I will only have around 115GB space, it will run out in the 4 years I am at school. I will of course have a external Hard Drive (1TB), but I do not always like storing things ONLY on the EHD.
My ideal computer, if I had thousands of dollars, would be a 15" rMBP with this configuration:
2.4GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
Turbo Boost up to 3.4GHz
8GB 1600MHz memory
512 flash storage
Intel HD Graphics 4000
NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1GB of GDDR5 memory
However, with tax, that makes it out to 2700, which just seems too much for me.
I will be okay going to a 13" rMBP however, with these configurations (below), so long as the computer doesn't flake out on me, due to only having a dual core processor.
2.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
Turbo Boost up to 3.2GHz
8GB 1600MHz memory
512GB flash storage
Intel HD Graphics 4000
Will the 13" be okay for me? Or would I need the processing speed of the 15"? If so, I am thinking I should drop something, either storage capacity or apple care. Which would be best to drop?
If any of you have any tips or ideas, or were in a similar situation to me, please comment. Thanks so much!
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