2.2GHz 256GB v 2.5GHz 512GB Retina Macbook Pro

[JimmyConway123]

I am currently having trouble deciding what 2014 15-inch Retina MBP to purchase.
I can get the 256GB 2.2GHz model for£1188 or the 512GB 2.5GHz model for £1448

Is it worth paying the extra £330?

P.s this is the first time I'm buying a mac

Thanks.

 

[kwokaaron]

It would really depend on your daily usage. Some more information about that would be useful for us to try to help.

 

[johngwheeler]

Trying to make the same decision

I am currently having trouble deciding what 2014 15-inch Retina MBP to purchase.
I can get the 256GB 2.2GHz model for£1188 or the 512GB 2.5GHz model for £1448

Is it worth paying the extra £330?

P.s this is the first time I'm buying a mac

Thanks.

I'm trying to make the same decision at the moment. I have a MacBook Air and would like to upgrade. My thoughts so far between the two models are:

1) The main advantage of the more expensive model is the larger SSD. The 512GB SSDs are also probably marginally faster, and I understand that they are all made by Samsung. The smaller model may be Samsung or a slower SanDisk model.

2) I think the CPU difference will probably not be noticeable except for heavy processing (e.g. Handbrake and the like).

2) If you don't use any apps that can make use of the discrete GPU (games, video and photo editing), then it's quite possible that it would rarely be activated, so it's may not really be a big plus.

3) In fact the dGPU has a few significant *dis-advantages*:

i) If you use Bootcamp (for natively booting to Windows), then the dGPU is always activated, which (allegedly) halves battery life.
ii) The dGPU generates more heat, and have had a bad reputation for reliability in past MacBook Pro's (I had one fail on an earlier model, as have thousands of others).
iii) If you plug-in to external monitors, the dGPU is activated - again with the same potential problems for excess heat, shorter battery life (e.g. running on batteries while connected to a projector), and potential unreliability.

4) You can configure the base MacBook to the same standard at the higher model, but it costs the same as the high-end model, and you don't get the extra GPU - however, as stated above, this may not necessarily be a bad thing!

So the question, to my mind, comes down to whether you need the dGPU for your apps, and whether paying the extra money for another 256GB of SSD storage is worth it. You could buy an external 256GB SSD for less money, (although it would be slower than the internal one), but you lose the convenience of having more storage on-board. The CPU and dGPU can just be considered a "bonus", but I don't think either of them (for me) is a convincing factor.

 

[Meister]

I'd go with the cheaper option. Pcie ssd upgrades are overpriced.

 

[Zerka]

Like what was mentioned before, the difference in the processing power won't likely be noticeable. As far as storage is concerned, I would go for the cheaper option and use the extra money to but a USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt external HDD. And while the difference in speeds between the external and your internal SSD will be noticeable, it'd be wise to keep ALL your leisure files and what not on the HDD so your apps and what not still boot from the SSD. Bottom line for me, get the cheaper option and fit your rMBP with some nice peripherals. The dGPU won't really come in handy with light-moderate use. It is a nice feat to have, but the Iris Pro iGPU will serve you well. Either way, you can't really go wrong. Enjoy your new MacBook!

 

[snaky69]

I am currently having trouble deciding what 2014 15-inch Retina MBP to purchase.
I can get the 256GB 2.2GHz model for£1188 or the 512GB 2.5GHz model for £1448

Is it worth paying the extra £330?

P.s this is the first time I'm buying a mac

Thanks.

Your question is impossible to answer properly without knowing what you do with a computer.

Kind of like a guy coming up to you randomly on the street and asking you if he should buy a Honda Civic or a RAM 3500 with no info on how he plans to use the vehicle: any answer would be a stab in the dark.

 

[yjchua95]

I'm trying to make the same decision at the moment. I have a MacBook Air and would like to upgrade. My thoughts so far between the two models are:

1) The main advantage of the more expensive model is the larger SSD. The 512GB SSDs are also probably marginally faster, and I understand that they are all made by Samsung. The smaller model may be Samsung or a slower SanDisk model.

2) I think the CPU difference will probably not be noticeable except for heavy processing (e.g. Handbrake and the like).

2) If you don't use any apps that can make use of the discrete GPU (games, video and photo editing), then it's quite possible that it would rarely be activated, so it's may not really be a big plus.

3) In fact the dGPU has a few significant *dis-advantages*:

i) If you use Bootcamp (for natively booting to Windows), then the dGPU is always activated, which (allegedly) halves battery life.
ii) The dGPU generates more heat, and have had a bad reputation for reliability in past MacBook Pro's (I had one fail on an earlier model, as have thousands of others).
iii) If you plug-in to external monitors, the dGPU is activated - again with the same potential problems for excess heat, shorter battery life (e.g. running on batteries while connected to a projector), and potential unreliability.

4) You can configure the base MacBook to the same standard at the higher model, but it costs the same as the high-end model, and you don't get the extra GPU - however, as stated above, this may not necessarily be a bad thing!

So the question, to my mind, comes down to whether you need the dGPU for your apps, and whether paying the extra money for another 256GB of SSD storage is worth it. You could buy an external 256GB SSD for less money, (although it would be slower than the internal one), but you lose the convenience of having more storage on-board. The CPU and dGPU can just be considered a "bonus", but I don't think either of them (for me) is a convincing factor.

I find that the dGPU actually generates less heat in my experience, because tasks are spread out across two dies (CPU and dGPU), instead of just concentrated on one die (CPU only. The Iris Pro is part of the CPU).

 

[Meister]

I find that the dGPU actually generates less heat in my experience, because tasks are spread out across two dies (CPU and dGPU), instead of just concentrated on one die (CPU only. The Iris Pro is part of the CPU).

Like I just wrote in the other thread. The less parts, the better. The dgpu is another part that can break. Only buy it if you know you can utilize it.

 

[lionkin]

Like I just wrote in the other thread. The less parts, the better. The dgpu is another part that can break. Only buy it if you know you can utilize it.

I will stay away from dgpu.