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13 in. cMBP or 13 in rMBP

V

vikpt

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 20, 2012
131
0
I'm about to buy a 13 in. Macbook Pro soon but I'm kind of torn whether to get the cMBP or rMBP. I'm gonna do the usual laptop use like surf the web, few powerpoint presentations and word processing. But on March I'm gonna do Full HD video editing using a Canon 5D. I'm only gonna use it for Final Cut Pro X or Premiere Pro video editing just this once or maybe a very few more in the future. With the cMBP I like that it has a 500 gb memory but with the rMBP I like that it's slimmer and it has way faster sdd (I have a TB external hard drive though) and of course the retina display. I'm considering the either of the two 13 in. versions because my budget won't reach the 15 in. MBPs even if they're just a 'few hundred dollars' away lol. Which should I buy? :confused:
 
Low-end cMBP 15", 100$ more.
(1799 as opposed to 1699 13" retina)

replace RAM and drive down the road when you need it, its going to perform so much better at video editing.
 
vikpt said:
I'm about to buy a 13 in. Macbook Pro soon but I'm kind of torn whether to get the cMBP or rMBP. I'm gonna do the usual laptop use like surf the web, few powerpoint presentations and word processing. But on March I'm gonna do Full HD video editing using a Canon 5D. I'm only gonna use it for Final Cut Pro X or Premiere Pro video editing just this once or maybe a very few more in the future. With the cMBP I like that it has a 500 gb memory but with the rMBP I like that it's slimmer and it has way faster sdd (I have a TB external hard drive though) and of course the retina display. I'm considering the either of the two 13 in. versions because my budget won't reach the 15 in. MBPs even if they're just a 'few hundred dollars' away lol. Which should I buy? :confused:
Click to expand...

13 cMBP, 15 cMBP or 15 rMBP.

13 rMBP will not satisfy your needs.
Integrated graphics will bog down the performance due to the display.
 
Ploki said:
Low-end cMBP 15", 100$ more.
(1799 as opposed to 1699 13" retina)

replace RAM and drive down the road when you need it, its going to perform so much better at video editing.
Click to expand...

As the owner of both I have to agree with Ploki. The dedicated graphics and quad core processor on the 15" will be much more future-proof for your needs.
 
I have never seen any negative impact of the integrated graphics on my 13" rmbp. UI is smooth, rendering is smooth, everything loads fast. I'm not a gamer, though.
 
rMBP 13

I've has the rMBP 13 for a few days now, and it's a pleasure to use. I used the cmbp at my friends a few times, but it doesnt have the same 'feel good' factor.

Also the rMBP has ssd, so it's a lot faster. There is no scroll lag whatsoever, and it is very snappy. For the people who said that the HD4000 isn't enough, they are completely incorrect, it runs the laptop very well (noting that I have set the resolution to 'best for retina'), and I've even tried a couple of games, and they run very smoothly (although they are not intense).

So I would suggest the rmbp for you, because it's snappier, more responsive, and the graphics card is capable to run the computer more than well enough, and even though it's more expensive it is a great laptop, and I dont regret my purchase one bit. But in the end of the day, it's up to you.
 
Performance wise, both 13" models are more or less the same, but since video editing can actually benefit from multiple cores and even a dedicated GPU, I'd rather suggest you look for a 15" model ( be it cMBP or rMBP ).

If you really, really want to go with a 13" model for video editing, then the only "serious deciding factor" will be the amount of money you want to save after the purchase. If you don't mind spending extra for the 13" rMBP ( it's a wonderful thin machine with a really nice screen and great overall feel ), but gain no "real benefits" over the 13" cMBP, then go for the 13" rMBP ( sure, some people will argue that in the 13" cMBP you can actually put 16GB of memory while in the 13" rMBP, you're stuck with 8GB and that you can upgrade the HDD yourself... but in real-life however, to 99% of the users, 8GB to 16GB will make absolutely no difference and anyway, professionals usually get the "real heavy lifting work" done on more capable machines - desktops - than notebooks ).

Just my 2 cents.

PS: I'm not a video editor, nor do I edit videos in general, all the above suggestions are based on common sense ( and from observing the working habits of a few friends who are actually into video editing ) than hands down experience editing complex video on a 13" model.
 
Ccrew said:
As the owner of both I have to agree with Ploki. The dedicated graphics and quad core processor on the 15" will be much more future-proof for your needs.
Click to expand...

though between the cMBP 13 in and rMBP 13 in which one?
 
Barna Biro said:
Performance wise, both 13" models are more or less the same, but since video editing can actually benefit from multiple cores and even a dedicated GPU, I'd rather suggest you look for a 15" model ( be it cMBP or rMBP ).

If you really, really want to go with a 13" model for video editing, then the only "serious deciding factor" will be the amount of money you want to save after the purchase. If you don't mind spending extra for the 13" rMBP ( it's a wonderful thin machine with a really nice screen and great overall feel ), but gain no "real benefits" over the 13" cMBP, then go for the 13" rMBP ( sure, some people will argue that in the 13" cMBP you can actually put 16GB of memory while in the 13" rMBP, you're stuck with 8GB and that you can upgrade the HDD yourself... but in real-life however, to 99% of the users, 8GB to 16GB will make absolutely no difference and anyway, professionals usually get the "real heavy lifting work" done on more capable machines - desktops - than notebooks ).

Just my 2 cents.

PS: I'm not a video editor, nor do I edit videos in general, all the above suggestions are based on common sense ( and from observing the working habits of a few friends who are actually into video editing ) than hands down experience editing complex video on a 13" model.
Click to expand...

Then you are totally missing the fact he plans on video editing, and the integrated graphics will bog him down
 
mattopotamus said:
Then you are totally missing the fact he plans on video editing, and the integrated graphics will bog him down
Click to expand...

... and you are clearly a lot less knowledgeable on the topic than I am. :rolleyes:

As I have stated before:

Performance wise, both 13" models are more or less the same, but since video editing can actually benefit from multiple cores and even a dedicated GPU, I'd rather suggest you look for a 15" model ( be it cMBP or rMBP ).
Click to expand...

The CPU is usually the most heavily used component when it comes to video editing ( encoding / decoding etc. ). If he were a mega-pro video editor, I'd assume he'd already know which model would suit his needs the best. Since that's not the case ( at least from what I can tell by reading his comments ), I took the liberty to assume that he won't be doing anything out of this World in Premier Pro or other software that would heavily rely on GPU accelerated features. Hence, a quad-core would most likely benefit him a lot more than a crappy dedicated GPU ( let's be fair about it... the GPU on the 15" model ain't bad, but it's far from mind-blowing... it is of course still better than the integrated HD4000 on the 13" models, but let's not exaggerate now ).

Thanks for ignoring 90% of my previous comment and picking out only the part that you felt you're capable of commenting on. You're smart...
 
Last edited:
Barna Biro said:
... and you are clearly a lot less knowledgeable on the topic that I am. :rolleyes:

As I have stated before:



The CPU is usually the most heavily used component when it comes to video editing ( encoding / decoding etc. ). A quad-core would benefit him a lot more than a crappy dedicated GPU ( let's be fair about it... the GPU on the 15" model ain't mind-blowing... but it is of course better than the integrated HD4000 on the 13" models ).

Thanks for ignoring 90% of my previous comment and picking out only the part that you felt you're capable of commenting on. You're smart...
Click to expand...

no problem
 
vikpt said:
though between the cMBP 13 in and rMBP 13 in which one?
Click to expand...

They're the same machine essentially with a different screen.

A factory SSD and a screen.

Frankly? I'm a tech geek. I had a 13" cMBP w/16gb and an SSD, Gave it to my daughter and bought a 15" cMBP, and put 16gb in it w/SSD. Hated, no, more like despised the size as I travel lugging it and a Windows Ultrabook. Still have the 15" but bought a 13"rMBP. All this in the course of 6 months. It's a nice machine, but other than the screen no real difference in performance from the loaded out 13" I had.
 
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