2.3 or 2.6 ghz?

[milkandonuts]

Hi, I grew up as a PC girl. I have been using it ever since. I'm 18. I'm going to college and I want a computer of my own. I'm going to use it for writing essays, photoshop, watching videos, going to use the internet a whole lot, and have a decent amount of photos saved up. Not a lot. And a decent amount of songs saved up. I want to buy a macbook pro with retina display.

I don't know if i should buy the 2.3 or 2.6 ghz, i'm planning to use the laptop for a long time (5 years maybe) I usually have 2-3 application running, going back and forth on photoshop, internet, itunes kind of thing. I've been researching what to get and i see "SSD" a lot? I don't know what to do? is the retina display really worth it? thanks so much!

 

[CarbonDudeoxide]

Retina display?

Are you considering the new Retina Display Macbook Pro, or a standard 13 or 15 inch Macbook Pro?

 

[rpang]

Speed between 2.3 and 2.6 is negliable.

 

[Djlild7hina]

You won't notice a difference between 2.3 or 2.6 so save your money. Also, is the retina necessary for you? Seems like you can get by with an macbook air or pro

 

[Briax]

If she wants the retina, let her buy it? It's not your money..

 

[milkandonuts]

I'm tight on money so is the retina display really worth it? If it is, I'll save it up if it makes that big of a difference.. I don't play video games or anything but I rent movies tons and always appreciate a bright clear display. I want the 15 inch one.

 

[carl0sian]

Get the base model retina display if you're on a budget. When it comes to computers you always want to try to future proof yourself. Retina display will probably be the standard in all Macbooks in the future. Try to upgrade the RAM if you can afford it.

 

[CarbonDudeoxide]

No, if you are on a budget, get a standard Macbook Pro.

You don't need the retina display.
You don't need the expensive SSDs
The Ivy Bridge processors and graphics in the 2012 Macbook Pros are more than enough to future proof the computers.

 

[DJJAZZYJET]

The retina display MB Pro is very quick with that SSD, so the difference between 2.3 and 2.6 would not be noticeable in your case. Save some of your money there.

Not that its any of my business, but in my opinion you probably wont need a retina display macbook pro, a 13 inch macbook air sounds better for the tasks you want to do on your laptop if you wanted to save a considerable amount of dough. That screen is a killer though, and if you want to splash out, then by all means go ahead. Make sure you get the student discount and take advantage of the apple 'back to school' programme to get £70 to use in the app store/itunes.

Good luck with your studies.

 

[milkandonuts]

If I don't get the retina display, it's not a big deal right? One person is saying to always future proof yourself and one is saying don't, it can always be upgraded in the future? What do I do?! I mean is it that big of a deal? Im sure a normal macpro is bright as hell compared to the PC's I have been using all my life...right?

----------

Are you able to play CD's in the macbook air? I will take this computer to my dorm and I'm going to watch movies there so?

 

[carl0sian]

I was refering to future proofing and suggested going with the retina display since your initial post stated that you wanted to get a retina display MacBook pro. Thats why i sugguested going with the base 2.3mhz model over the 2.6mhz model. Now if you're thinking about getting a Mac laptop in general to consume media and do the other tasks you described, then either get the 13" MacBook pro or the MacBook Air. The Air does not have a built in DVD player/burner. Neither does the retina display MacBook Pro.


At the end of the day, you should just get a computer that suits all your personal needs. Go to an Apple Store and look at what's available.

 

[milkandonuts]

Ohhhh! This was really helpful. I think I will be saving up for the MacBook pro 2.3 one. Without the Retina display. Thank you everyone for the help. I'm much more informed about my decision.