rMBP: Wait or Buy now?

nickdonn1 · Feb 22, 2013, 11:38 AM

My current computer is a late 2008 15" MBP, but it's often strained when I try to get it to do much beyond web browsing. I'm a computer engineering student, so I need a pretty powerful machine, and my current computer isn't really cutting it. I was telling myself that I was going to upgrade to a 15" rMBP as soon as they announced new ones, but now that they've come, I'm not so sure. Do people think I should wait for Haswell, or do you think that the current Ivy Bridge models will be similar in performance to the high end Haswell chips?

GGJstudios · Feb 22, 2013, 11:45 AM

I recommend you buy what you need, when you need it. It's a pointless effort to chase the "next update", since you don't know for certain what it will include or when it will be, and there will always be a "next update" coming, no matter when you buy. There is typically not a significant difference in real-world performance for most users from one model release to the next.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nickdonn1

My current computer is a late 2008 15" MBP, but it's often strained when I try to get it to do much beyond web browsing.

How much RAM do you have?

nickdonn1 · Feb 22, 2013, 11:51 AM

4 GB... but that's the most this model supports.

GGJstudios · Feb 22, 2013, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nickdonn1

4 GB... but that's the most this model supports.

Not true. If it's an Early 2008 non-unibody, it supports up to 6GB. If it's a Late 2008 unibody, it supports up to 8GB. You can find specs on all Apple products, including maximum RAM:

By visiting EveryMac.com: Actual Maximum RAM
By selecting your model on the Crucial Memory Advisor™ Tool to find RAM information
By using Mactracker
By entering your serial number here to find specs for your model.
(Be aware that some models can use more RAM than Apple shows. Check EveryMac to verify actual usable RAM.)

nickdonn1 · Feb 22, 2013, 12:00 PM

Interesting... Maybe I'll consider that. Though to be honest, I think I probably should just upgrade now after what you said. I've loved [read: abused] this thing so much that I'm not sure it could last reliably until July. And in my mind, the fact that they're doing this incremental update suggests to me that it'll probably be closer to September by the time we see an upgrade. Thanks for the help though!

Feb 22, 2013, 11:38 AM	#1
nickdonn1 macrumors newbie Join Date: Aug 2009	rMBP: Wait or Buy now? My current computer is a late 2008 15" MBP, but it's often strained when I try to get it to do much beyond web browsing. I'm a computer engineering student, so I need a pretty powerful machine, and my current computer isn't really cutting it. I was telling myself that I was going to upgrade to a 15" rMBP as soon as they announced new ones, but now that they've come, I'm not so sure. Do people think I should wait for Haswell, or do you think that the current Ivy Bridge models will be similar in performance to the high end Haswell chips?
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Feb 22, 2013, 11:51 AM	#3
nickdonn1 Thread Starter macrumors newbie Join Date: Aug 2009	4 GB... but that's the most this model supports.
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Feb 22, 2013, 12:00 PM	#5
nickdonn1 Thread Starter macrumors newbie Join Date: Aug 2009	Interesting... Maybe I'll consider that. Though to be honest, I think I probably should just upgrade now after what you said. I've loved [read: abused] this thing so much that I'm not sure it could last reliably until July. And in my mind, the fact that they're doing this incremental update suggests to me that it'll probably be closer to September by the time we see an upgrade. Thanks for the help though!
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