High end applications

Either really well or really bad, depending on what you want to do. Low- to med-complexity models should work without major issues, but once you get into serious modelling, you probably need a dedicated desktop workstation.

I would think that the 128GB storage will be inadequate as I'm sure those files could grow in size.

Samtb said:

Ignoring the storage then. I'll probably just upgrade to a higher storage.

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The only question is then how complex will your drawings be as noted by leman. I would think a quad core processor may be a better choice (which moves you into the 15" rMBP line).

For what it's worth, I'm running those on a 2012 15" retina, with 16 gb, and I haven't run into any problems, it's older hardware, and probably close to the specs of the 13" these days.

Samtb said:

How well does the lowest spec 13 inch rmbp run apps such as autodesk simulation, autocad or other modelling apps.

I.e.
2.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz
8GB 1600MHz memory
128GB PCIe-based flash storage1
Intel Iris Graphics

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That depends 100% on how complex whatever you're modeling is.

We can't answer without knowing that.

Aldaris said:

For what it's worth, I'm running those on a 2012 15" retina, with 16 gb, and I haven't run into any problems, it's older hardware, and probably close to the specs of the 13" these days.

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It really isn't that is a CPU bound task and those 4 cores vs 2 cores make all the difference....

Aldaris said:

For what it's worth, I'm running those on a 2012 15" retina, with 16 gb, and I haven't run into any problems, it's older hardware, and probably close to the specs of the 13" these days.

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Not even close.

Aldaris said:

For what it's worth, I'm running those on a 2012 15" retina, with 16 gb, and I haven't run into any problems, it's older hardware, and probably close to the specs of the 13" these days.

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The 15" rMBP from mid-2012 is still almost twice as powerful as the current 13" with i7.

Samtb said:

Which would you recommend as a mainly portable entertainment laptop which I might use for light modelling on the go but only if I can't use a desktop.

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Get whichever you can reasonably afford. The 15" is obviously going to give you more headroom to work on larger models. If you really only plan on doing "light" modeling and value portability then I'm sure the 13" is capable. A lot of autodesk stuff doesnt really take advantage of multi threading so I don't think the quad core is necessarily critical. Keep an eye on the processor usage on your desktop workstation while you are working to get a sense of how much processor you are really using; use that to inform your decision.

Samtb said:

Which would you recommend as a mainly portable entertainment laptop which I might use for light modelling on the go but only if I can't use a desktop.

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As I stated before, get the 15" MBP, since it gives you more horsepower and more screen real estate.

Samtb said:

Which one of the 15 inch?

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Base model; which includes 256GB of storage, 16GB of ram and 2.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i7