Hi everyone,
I'm in the market for a new laptop and have a few questions for you experts....
I'm specifically interested in the new 13" rMBP i7, 512GB Flash Storage, 16GB RAM, 2.8GHz or 3.0GHz...?
I'm a fledgling landscape designer moving into landscape architecture, so the computer will sometimes be used for light to moderately graphics-intensive applications, including Sketchup, AutoCAD (with occasional basic rendering), and CS5 programs (also very basic use). I don't do any video editing or 3D modeling (though the ability to mess around with the second would be pretty cool).
The computer will also be used for the basicsloads of internet research w/ lots of windows & tabs open at once, watching videos, word processing, basic data entry (small spreadsheets), etc. I often multitask between these things and design work.
I'm hoping 512GB Flash & 16GB RAM will be plenty for my needs. 1TB storage puts the price higher than I was hoping to spend, & I use Dropbox for most file storage so the 512GB would be largely free for everything else. I'm thinking an i7 core is worth it for the difference the extra cache, hyper threading, and improved GPU performance could make with certain applications & general snappiness/multitasking. It's a $300 increase from the i5 processor, so if I'm off base here please tell me!
As far as processor speed goes, anyone have any input on whether the 3.0 is worth the extra $300 (vs the 2.8), taking my use into consideration? I had trouble finding much definitive info on this. Will the faster clock speed be noticeable or improve the longevity of the computer for a light graphics user? If so I'll go for it, but if the difference will be negligible...
I realize that the biggest performance bump would be a quad-core 15", but that's a bit more than I want to spend or lug around. So long as the 13" will be adequate for novice design/architecture uses, then I would much prefer its smaller footprint & price tag. When I get significantly more advanced with CAD I will also get a desktop that can handle the increasing graphics load.
I would really appreciate any feedback/suggestions on this build!
I'm in the market for a new laptop and have a few questions for you experts....
I'm specifically interested in the new 13" rMBP i7, 512GB Flash Storage, 16GB RAM, 2.8GHz or 3.0GHz...?
I'm a fledgling landscape designer moving into landscape architecture, so the computer will sometimes be used for light to moderately graphics-intensive applications, including Sketchup, AutoCAD (with occasional basic rendering), and CS5 programs (also very basic use). I don't do any video editing or 3D modeling (though the ability to mess around with the second would be pretty cool).
The computer will also be used for the basicsloads of internet research w/ lots of windows & tabs open at once, watching videos, word processing, basic data entry (small spreadsheets), etc. I often multitask between these things and design work.
I'm hoping 512GB Flash & 16GB RAM will be plenty for my needs. 1TB storage puts the price higher than I was hoping to spend, & I use Dropbox for most file storage so the 512GB would be largely free for everything else. I'm thinking an i7 core is worth it for the difference the extra cache, hyper threading, and improved GPU performance could make with certain applications & general snappiness/multitasking. It's a $300 increase from the i5 processor, so if I'm off base here please tell me!
As far as processor speed goes, anyone have any input on whether the 3.0 is worth the extra $300 (vs the 2.8), taking my use into consideration? I had trouble finding much definitive info on this. Will the faster clock speed be noticeable or improve the longevity of the computer for a light graphics user? If so I'll go for it, but if the difference will be negligible...
I realize that the biggest performance bump would be a quad-core 15", but that's a bit more than I want to spend or lug around. So long as the 13" will be adequate for novice design/architecture uses, then I would much prefer its smaller footprint & price tag. When I get significantly more advanced with CAD I will also get a desktop that can handle the increasing graphics load.
I would really appreciate any feedback/suggestions on this build!