Cmbp vs RMBP

If you can afford the rMBP, then you should not even think about the cMBP.
The rMBP is in a different class.

Look at it this way.
A cMBP is $1100. To get it even with RAM and SSD of the rMBP, you need to spend $60 on 8GB of RAM, and $100-120 for a 250GB SSD. So you're already at $1250. And you still have the crappy TN panel, and the 3 year old graphics.
With the rMBP you get the great retina screen, much better graphics, and twice as fast PCI-E SSD.

Easy choice in my opinion.

blangst1 said:

Do you think there will ever be upgrades for the ssd in the 2015 model RMBP's?

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If there were, it wouldn't be cheap like 2.5" ssds. But, external storage is a good option and the rmbp is by far the better choice.

blangst1 said:

Do you think there will ever be upgrades for the ssd in the 2015 model RMBP's?

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No. It's been 2013 since the first of the custom Apple PCIe SSDs launched, and still nobody makes the upgrades.

It didn't take this long for OWC and Transcend to come up with the custom mSATA SSDs used in the Ivy Bridge Macs.

The form factor of the PCIe SSDs have remained the same since 2013, except that the Broadwell ones are SM951-based instead of XP941-based (with the same custom Apple form factor). My best guess is that Apple threatened to sue anyone who copied the form factor to make upgrades for the PCIe SSDs used in these Macs.

cMBP -> rMBP

pros:
- You'll gain a much much much better screen.
- You'll have a more lightweight, more portable laptop.
- You'll have just slightly more CPU power, but greatly better GPU
- Don't forget the new trackpad.

cons:
- You'll loose the DVD-drive ...
- You'll loose storing capacity.
- You won't be able to upgrade the laptop in the future* (*except maybe an OWZ drive).
- You'll pay a bit more for the base model.

suggestion:
- get a 2014 rMBP.

mayuka said:

cons:
- You'll loose the DVD-drive ...
- You'll loose storing capacity.
- You won't be able to upgrade the laptop in the future* (*except maybe an OWZ drive).
- You'll pay a bit more for the base model.

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Are those really cons at this point?

I agree that I prefer the ability to upgrade the laptop in the future as an option but in all truthfulness, I don't believe many people did this. I don't think its a con any more. Optical drives are on the way out, and for the majority of users imo, its not needed, so again its not a con.

Why spend so much money on the cMP at its 3+ year old technology. the rMB represents a better value for the OPs money imo

OP has given zero info on what he will be using this macbook for ...

blangst1 said:

Moderate photo editing and Internet usage.

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What apps are you using?
What kind of photos are you editing and how?
Do you use ethernet? DVDs? How much storage do you need? How portable has your macbook to be?
Will you use an external screen? Thunderbolt devices? How many?
What do these macbooks cost where you live?

Simple answer Retina or look at a 13" Air. Your planned usage is very moderate and OS X is optimised for SSD. Personally I would go with the 13" Retina if for no other reason than you can increase the workspace as needed, the cMBP you are stuck with effectively a very low resolution, nor a lot space to work in.

Q-6

blangst1 said:

I will be using it for school and work. Moderate photo editing and Internet usage.

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The Retina display makes quite a difference for photo editing, as well as most other tasks. Regarding the lack of upgradability on the rMBP-as long as you get a configuration with the amount of storage space you need and 8 GB RAM now, you should be fine for some time to come.

blangst1 said:

Not too sure of the apps as this will be my first MacBook. I probably won't use a external screen, maybe on occasion. It needs to be portable but I'm using a 15" windows laptop right now and it's not a problem. I will be buying under the Mac student deals so cmbp is 999 and RMBP is 1399

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I have a 2012 cMBP provided by my employer and I hate it. It weighs just as much as my 2012 rMBP 15, get's louder, and is slower, even with a SSD compared to my 2013 rMBP 13. A Broadwell rMBP 13 (which is even faster than my haswell model), would KILL it. Buy a cheap $20 external DVD rom if that's still a needed feature for the few time you have to install from a DVD...

blangst1 said:

I can swing either one. Was just afraid of being non upgrade-able with the RMBP.

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On the other hand, you will never be able to update the cMBP with components you have in the rMBP: faster CPU and much faster GPU, the display, the extremely fast SSD and so on. In this case, going for upgradeability is really saving on the wrong side.

I could never go back to a non-Retina display. Get the rMBP.

If you wanted upgradability, I would recommend finding a good-as-new 2012 15" non retina MacBook Pro. This comes this an Nvidia GeForce GT 650m (1GB GDDR5 VRAM and not that far off the new retina models GPU, but it has a quarter of pixels to push), a 500GB HDD, 4GB of RAM and a quad core 3rd gen i5 that is only a little slower than the current offerings. I've seen good second hand models of these go for around £400-450.

For upgrading though, the RAM could be upgraded 16GB yourself, and the HDD could be replaced with an SSD. You could also replace the he SuperDrive with an SSD, set both SSD's up in RAID 0/1 and have a,axing performance for around the same price as the cMBP but with 4X the RAM, double the CPU performance, dual SSD's, a larger 15" screen and a great GPU (million times better than HD 4000).


If you like upgrading, this would be heaven and save you some cash too

blangst1 said:

Any recommendations on apps and programs for a newbie MacBook user?

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Microsoft Windows.

blangst1 said:

Any recommendations on apps and programs for a newbie MacBook user?

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What do you plan to use it for?

Q-6

blangst1 said:

Any recommendations on apps and programs for a newbie MacBook user?

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Stay the **** away from windows!

The non-retina macbook pro is good if you need DVDs, ethernet, lots of cheap storage in the macbook.
In all other cases go for a mba or rmbp or maybe new macbook.

For serious photo editing the retina screen is nice. (Apps: Lr, Ps and Pixelmator)
For office: iwork and ms office

blangst1 said:

Any recommendations on apps and programs for a newbie MacBook user?

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Pre-installed Pages, Numbers and Keynote for any Office work, iMovie for light video editing, Final Cut or Premiere Pro for heavy work, and Pixelmator for photo editing.