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Why the retina macbook pro isn't worth it/ why not to buy.

X

xriderx11

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 26, 2010
133
0
Ok; Ill admit, I got REALLY excited when the new line up of macbook pro's came out on Monday. But when I heard the specs and I wasn't so sure about it. Here is 3 reasons why I don't like it.


1) A retina display uses more graphics card ram so the intel 4000 will make it lag like CRAZY. If you play games (such as CSS) don't expect to get a good FPS. The retina uses a lot more pixel detail which will require A LOT of power from the graphics card which it doesn't have a lot of yet (Yes Nvidia 650M is strong but not strong enough for retina yet). So expect to get low FPS. Also a lot of things won't support the retina display.


2) The specs! A 256GB SSD storage? Come on.... People who photo edit/video edit will need ATLEAST 500GB SSD drive. I know that its a VERY thin laptop but i'd rather have the thicker version 750GB ATA hard drive rather than a thin laptop. Plus if i want A thin laptop like that; I'd be looking at the MBA. The 15" isn't portable in general, either way its made to have A LOT of power. I think the non-retina upgraded model with high res gives you what you need already.


3) The battery. Don't expect to get a 7 hour battery. Since the intel 4000 is lagy/useful for a retina display you will probably be running the Nvidia 650M on it which will give you about 1 hour and 30 minutes of battery. The retina will also murder the battery in general.



_____________


Sorry but Apple is trying to go too far ahead of its time. We still need some lower res and a little bit thicker laptops for battery and graphics cards. :/
 
TheMacBookPro

TheMacBookPro

macrumors 68020
May 9, 2008
2,133
3
...that's why they still offer the legacy MacBook Pro.

It's not worth it for you. It's absolutely perfect for my needs.

Yes, the 650M is perfectly capable for gaming on the retina display. Just turn down the resolution. Graphics still look absolutely fine.

There is an option for a 512GB or 768GB SSD.

And have you even read any of the reviews? Engadget got nearly 8 hours of video playback on theirs which is half an hour more than the previous generation Pro.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is why you do not talk out of your bottom. I can see why you might be jealous of the new MacBook, but there's no need to make things up just to feel better about what you have.
 
E

Eddyisgreat

macrumors 601
Oct 24, 2007
4,851
2
Hey man don't worry, your 2011 MBP isn't that old.

-Sent from my Retinabook Pro.
 
Last edited:
M

mark28

macrumors 68000
Jan 29, 2010
1,632
2
xriderx11 said:
Ok; Ill admit, I got REALLY excited when the new line up of macbook pro's came out on Monday. But when I heard the specs and I wasn't so sure about it. Here is 3 reasons why I don't like it.


1) A retina display uses more graphics card ram so the intel 4000 will make it lag like CRAZY. If you play games (such as CSS) don't expect to get a good FPS. The retina uses a lot more pixel detail which will require A LOT of power from the graphics card which it doesn't have a lot of yet (Yes Nvidia 650M is strong but not strong enough for retina yet). So expect to get low FPS. Also a lot of things won't support the retina display.


2) The specs! A 256GB SSD storage? Come on.... People who photo edit/video edit will need ATLEAST 500GB SSD drive. I know that its a VERY thin laptop but i'd rather have the thicker version 750GB ATA hard drive rather than a thin laptop. Plus if i want A thin laptop like that; I'd be looking at the MBA. The 15" isn't portable in general, either way its made to have A LOT of power. I think the non-retina upgraded model with high res gives you what you need already.


3) The battery. Don't expect to get a 7 hour battery. Since the intel 4000 is lagy/useful for a retina display you will probably be running the Nvidia 650M on it which will give you about 1 hour and 30 minutes of battery. The retina will also murder the battery in general.



_____________


Sorry but Apple is trying to go too far ahead of its time. We still need some lower res and a little bit thicker laptops for battery and graphics cards. :/
Click to expand...

I believe you can scale down to !400 x 900 resolution and it will still look good. It would probably solve the lagging.

And there is a 512 gb SSD and a 768 GB option?
 
S

stevedusa

macrumors regular
Jun 12, 2012
151
4
1. You don't have to run games at native res, this is not a gaming laptop to being with. It's a capability not a requirement.

2. External portable storages + high speed buses (USB 3 and TBolt) is sufficient for on-the-go editing. You can get 1T portable USB 3 drive for less than $70 at times.

3. Size vs. Standby time, you gotta compromise somehow. My friend's Asus gaming laptop is almost 12 pounds with a giant battery, but it'll last him 12 hours while gaming.

PS Check out the Samsung Series 9 ad on TV, they are bashing Apple and Macs too.
 
M

MR1324

macrumors 6502a
Nov 22, 2010
524
37
this thread is so dumb. have you taken a look at some of the official reviews? none of them mention any of the negatives you speak of.
 
M

melterx12

macrumors 6502a
Jun 22, 2010
508
0
xriderx11 said:
Ok; Ill admit, I got REALLY excited when the new line up of macbook pro's came out on Monday. But when I heard the specs and I wasn't so sure about it. Here is 3 reasons why I don't like it.


1) A retina display uses more graphics card ram so the intel 4000 will make it lag like CRAZY. If you play games (such as CSS) don't expect to get a good FPS. The retina uses a lot more pixel detail which will require A LOT of power from the graphics card which it doesn't have a lot of yet (Yes Nvidia 650M is strong but not strong enough for retina yet). So expect to get low FPS. Also a lot of things won't support the retina display.


2) The specs! A 256GB SSD storage? Come on.... People who photo edit/video edit will need ATLEAST 500GB SSD drive. I know that its a VERY thin laptop but i'd rather have the thicker version 750GB ATA hard drive rather than a thin laptop. Plus if i want A thin laptop like that; I'd be looking at the MBA. The 15" isn't portable in general, either way its made to have A LOT of power. I think the non-retina upgraded model with high res gives you what you need already.


3) The battery. Don't expect to get a 7 hour battery. Since the intel 4000 is lagy/useful for a retina display you will probably be running the Nvidia 650M on it which will give you about 1 hour and 30 minutes of battery. The retina will also murder the battery in general.



_____________


Sorry but Apple is trying to go too far ahead of its time. We still need some lower res and a little bit thicker laptops for battery and graphics cards. :/
Click to expand...

1) The Geforce 650M has 1GB of dedicated VRAM. While you wont be playing the latest games at max settings, they should be perfectly playable at medium.

You can also just use a lower resolution when playing demanding games.

2) A 500GB SSD costs alot of money. This laptop is expensive enough as it is. You can choose a larger capacity drive when you are buying the macbook. Alot of people dont need 500GB. I never even filled up my 128GB SSD on my macbook air (I used it for college/programming). Not everyone is a video/photo editor.

3) Statements not supported by any facts whatsoever. I don't think there is any truth to this at all.
 
J

jon.blake

macrumors member
Apr 1, 2012
56
0
Toronto
This section is getting cluttered with people that for whatever reason didn't get the rmbp yet they feel the need to come up with "facts" (most of them on the dumb side) why it's awful so they can feel justified.

I for one do not have the time/desire to spam/attack every section of the mac line which I do not own with commical observations but it seems to be consuming alot of people.
 
X

xriderx11

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 26, 2010
133
0
mark28 said:
I believe you can scale down to !400 x 900 resolution and it will still look good. It would probably solve the lagging.

And there is a 512 gb SSD and a 768 GB option?
Click to expand...

I agree with the 1400X900 will gave good FPS but a long with the intel 4000 which is AWFUL for the retina display.


stevedusa said:
1. You don't have to run games at native res, this is not a gaming laptop to being with. It's a capability not a requirement.

2. External portable storages + high speed buses (USB 3 and TBolt) is sufficient for on-the-go editing. You can get 1T portable USB 3 drive for less than $70 at times.

3. Size vs. Standby time, you gotta compromise somehow. My friend's Asus gaming laptop is almost 12 pounds with a giant battery, but it'll last him 12 hours while gaming.

PS Check out the Samsung Series 9 ad on TV, they are bashing Apple and Macs too.
Click to expand...

1. true

2. True

3. My point is id rather have the thicker laptop since it can have SATA drives. SSD drives to me are rip offs. I can wait a minute to turn on/off a laptop. As long as its saving my data and all; I think its fine.
 
S

stevedusa

macrumors regular
Jun 12, 2012
151
4
xriderx11 said:
3. My point is id rather have the thicker laptop since it can have SATA drives. SSD drives to me are rip offs. I can wait a minute to turn on/off a laptop. As long as its saving my data and all; I think its fine.
Click to expand...

I think from Apple's standpoint simply to offer Retina display as an option to existing MBP family would not be very profitable. It's better just to redesign a new platform and call it something new and make more profit. People have been dreaming and wondering what would it be if you mix Air with Pro.

As for your point here's the trick though, OWC has announced that the SSD in the RMBPs CAN be changed out and they will provide upgrades down the road. OWC has been making MBA's SSD replacement for a while and they are fairly successful. Apple might not like it but heck at least it's not hard soldered onto the board and not that easy to be serviced by end user without knowledge how to.

Can you imagine how hard it is for me to change my 2007 MBP's HDD to a SSD? I literally have to take the darn thing apart.
 
TheMacBookPro

TheMacBookPro

macrumors 68020
May 9, 2008
2,133
3
xriderx11 said:
I agree with the 1400X900 will gave good FPS but a long with the intel 4000 which is AWFUL for the retina display.
Click to expand...

No it is not. Please stop making such ridiculous claims, you're making yourself look dumb.

If there were major issues with stock applications I think the reviews that have already come out would have addressed it already. Tell me, do you even have any experience with the Retina MacBook Pro, or are you just making random assumptions to make your old Pro look better in your eyes?

3. My point is id rather have the thicker laptop since it can have SATA drives. SSD drives to me are rip offs. I can wait a minute to turn on/off a laptop. As long as its saving my data and all; I think its fine.
Click to expand...

Great, so you don't see the need for the increased read/write speeds or the reliability of an SSD. Good for you. You sound like the type of person who'd find a used white MacBook perfectly sufficient for your needs.
 
X

xriderx11

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 26, 2010
133
0
TheMacBookPro said:
No it is not. Please stop making such ridiculous claims, you're making yourself look dumb.

If there were major issues with stock applications I think the reviews that have already come out would have addressed it already. Tell me, do you even have any experience with the Retina MacBook Pro, or are you just making random assumptions to make your old Pro look better in your eyes?



Great, so you don't see the need for the increased read/write speeds or the reliability of an SSD. Good for you. You sound like the type of person who'd find a used white MacBook perfectly sufficient for your needs.
Click to expand...

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VvaaLAfISU


2. Ill admit that the SSD is fast and reliable but when my brother got a SSD laptop it transfered data a little faster than a SATA drive. Plus if people are looking for reliability than a external hard drive would be better.



Yes I did try out the retina and it was VERY lagy like in that video that someone else posted. If you go to "Launchpad" and scroll through, it lags a lot.

If I wanted I can return my macbook pro for the new retina but I dont like it because of what I mentioned. Im going to wait till next year when they fix the lagging issue
 
Last edited by a moderator:
C

C4FF

macrumors member
Jun 12, 2012
42
0
xriderx11 said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VvaaLAfISU

----------



1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VvaaLAfISU


2. Ill admit that the SSD is fast and reliable but when my brother got a SSD laptop it transfered data a little faster than a SATA drive. Plus if people are looking for reliability than a external hard drive would be better.



Yes I did try out the retina and it was VERY lagy like in that video that someone else posted. If you go to "Launchpad" and scroll through, it lags a lot.

If I wanted I can return my macbook pro for the new retina but I dont like it because of what I mentioned. Im going to wait till next year when they fix the lagging issue
Click to expand...

This is a video of a MacBook without the trackpad updates applied to it. Apple have to get separate authorization to install updates on shop floor machines, believe me I used to work for them.
 
TheMacBookPro

TheMacBookPro

macrumors 68020
May 9, 2008
2,133
3
xriderx11 said:
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VvaaLAfISU
Click to expand...

Read Engadget's review. Then read The Verge's review. Then read CNET's review. No performance issues reported. Apple released two updates 'improving performance' (t-pad and gfx) so far, I imagine that machine had neither installed.

2. Ill admit that the SSD is fast and reliable but when my brother got a SSD laptop it transfered data a little faster than a SATA drive. Plus if people are looking for reliability than a external hard drive would be better.
Click to expand...

A little faster? It is way faster than any hard drive out there.

I don't see how an external hard drive would be better. I've have plenty of desktop drives and external drives which do nothing apart from sitting at a table fail. No issues to report with my SSDs so far though.

Some users like me travel frequently and do not always have the luxury of going home every night to plug it in for a TM backup. I rely on my computer booting up and having all of my files there every time I turn it on, and not have to worry if that bump might mess up my HDD platters.
 
X

xriderx11

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 26, 2010
133
0
stevedusa said:
I think from Apple's standpoint simply to offer Retina display as an option to existing MBP family would not be very profitable. It's better just to redesign a new platform and call it something new and make more profit. People have been dreaming and wondering what would it be if you mix Air with Pro.

As for your point here's the trick though, OWC has announced that the SSD in the RMBPs CAN be changed out and they will provide upgrades down the road. OWC has been making MBA's SSD replacement for a while and they are fairly successful. Apple might not like it but heck at least it's not hard soldered onto the board and not that easy to be serviced by end user without knowledge how to.

Can you imagine how hard it is for me to change my 2007 MBP's HDD to a SSD? I literally have to take the darn thing apart.
Click to expand...

C4FF said:
This is a video of a MacBook without the trackpad updates applied to it. Apple have to get separate authorization to install updates on shop floor machines, believe me I used to work for them.
Click to expand...

wait. its the trackpad? so it wont lag on a mouse?
 
thekev

thekev

macrumors 604
Aug 5, 2010
7,005
3,343
xriderx11 said:
2. Ill admit that the SSD is fast and reliable but when my brother got a SSD laptop it transfered data a little faster than a SATA drive. Plus if people are looking for reliability than a external hard drive would be better.



Yes I did try out the retina and it was VERY lagy like in that video that someone else posted. If you go to "Launchpad" and scroll through, it lags a lot.

If I wanted I can return my macbook pro for the new retina but I dont like it because of what I mentioned. Im going to wait till next year when they fix the lagging issue
Click to expand...

If you're considering returning it, there is a non retina (I hate that stupid marketing term) macbook pro available as well. Regarding the word "reliable", SSDs can still fail. The lack of mechanical parts does not mean they run forever. It eliminates several causes of death while others are introduced.
 
X

xriderx11

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 26, 2010
133
0
thekev said:
If you're considering returning it, there is a non retina (I hate that stupid marketing term) macbook pro available as well. Regarding the word "reliable", SSDs can still fail. The lack of mechanical parts does not mean they run forever. It eliminates several causes of death while others are introduced.
Click to expand...


Now that im wrong about the retina and its nicer than it is


BRB returning my week old mbp
 
thekev

thekev

macrumors 604
Aug 5, 2010
7,005
3,343
xriderx11 said:
Now that im wrong about the retina and its nicer than it is


BRB returning my week old mbp
Click to expand...

Of course it looks prettier :p. I'd probably wait to see what performance is like before jumping on one, but I had hoped to see Apple go away from TN displays for years.
 
BasilFawlty

BasilFawlty

macrumors 65816
Jun 20, 2009
1,078
3,023
New Mexico
MR1324 said:
this thread is so dumb. have you taken a look at some of the official reviews? none of them mention any of the negatives you speak of.
Click to expand...
I'm not really in the market right now as I'm happy with my 13" MBP, which I upgraded with a %00GB Hybrid Momentu drive and 16GB Ram. However, is it true that the new rMBP will not allow user upgrade of memory? How about user upgrade of HD? Just curious.
 
X

Xiroteus

macrumors 65816
Mar 31, 2012
1,297
75
Regardless of how I feel this new system, I cannot imagine Apple putting out a computer that would lag with basic functions.
 
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