2.3ghz v 2.6ghz Retina Pro

[Brad9753]

Hi, I am looking to buy one of these, with no extras. It will be my first mac laptop, and currently own a 2008 Sony Vista laptop.
I really do not know which one of the two to go for.
Hard Drive space is not a problem, I can cope with the smaller one easily, it's the GHz and Turbo boost that I am unsure about as regards to their effects I may notice (or not).
So would the more expensive laptop noticeable for example start u and shut down faster? Would apps and software open noticeably faster? Would the Internet be faster? Basically would I notice any difference at all to justify the extra £500+?
I will be using it for general internet, Apple TV, streaming live sports, using Office 2011 and playing the odd game, but I don't play the newer ones, so for example Roller Coaster Tycoon 3.
Thanks in advance!

P.S. What would one need to be doing to actually notice the difference in performance if my needs did not make any difference?

 

[xriderx11]

Hi, I am looking to buy one of these, with no extras. It will be my first mac laptop, and currently own a 2008 Sony Vista laptop.
I really do not know which one of the two to go for.
Hard Drive space is not a problem, I can cope with the smaller one easily, it's the GHz and Turbo boost that I am unsure about as regards to their effects I may notice (or not).
So would the more expensive laptop noticeable for example start u and shut down faster? Would apps and software open noticeably faster? Would the Internet be faster? Basically would I notice any difference at all to justify the extra £500+?
I will be using it for general internet, Apple TV, streaming live sports, using Office 2011 and playing the odd game, but I don't play the newer ones, so for example Roller Coaster Tycoon 3.
Thanks in advance!

P.S. What would one need to be doing to actually notice the difference in performance if my needs did not make any difference?

The retina isn't worth it. The games Tycoon 3 will lag since the retina requires more graphics power which will make the game lag. Also the intel 4000 will lag if the computer is even on a app! Its just better to get the 2.6 ghz non retina one and buy a SSD.

The retina also wont support a lot of 3rd party programs.

 

[Stetrain]

I don't think you will notice the performance difference at all for what you will use it for.

Most of the things you listed will be fast because of the solid state storage.

Really a 13" Macbook Air would handle most of that just fine. The Retina 15" will scream.

You can run games at 1440x900 no problem if they have trouble running at the full 2880x1800 resolution. People who have already gotten their Retina MBP say that it runs even modern games like Diablo 3 just fine at 1440x900.

 

[Brad9753]

The retina will make the game slow?!?! :S

Oh ok soI wouldn't actually notice any speed increase in those things such as opening files/apps/starting/shutting down/internet.

May go for that one then, but still not sure

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I don't think you will notice the performance difference at all for what you will use it for.

Most of the things you listed will be fast because of the solid state storage.

Really a 13" Macbook Air would handle most of that just fine. The Retina 15" will scream.

You can run games at 1440x900 no problem if they have trouble running at the full 2880x1800 resolution. People who have already gotten their Retina MBP say that it runs even modern games like Diablo 3 just fine at 1440x900.

Ad I probably would by an Air book I much prefer a larger screen.

 

[TheMacBookPro]

The retina isn't worth it. The games Tycoon 3 will lag since the retina requires more graphics power which will make the game lag. Also the intel 4000 will lag if the computer is even on a app! Its just better to get the 2.6 ghz non retina one and buy a SSD.

The retina also wont support a lot of 3rd party programs.

Sigh. I can understand why you might be jealous of others with a Retina Pro, but that's still no reason to make things up. Return or sell your bloody laptop and buy a new one if you're trying so hard to justify keeping your MacBook!

No, running on the HD4000 will not make the computer lag. That's a ridiculous claim to make. In addition, the GT650M graphics is plenty powerful to run simpler games like Rollercoaster Tycoon at medium or high settings. Turning down the resolution is a perfectly serviceable way to make even more complex games run smoothly and it'll still look great.

No, a legacy Pro is not 'better'. I'm sorry that you have an old model, but it isn't. For some users it might be, but I don't see any particular reason why OP needs an ODD or a built-in FireWire port or Ethernet port.

I don't even know what to say for your last sentence. Won't support 3rd party applications? That's absolutely hilarious.

OP, your uses doesn't sound like it'll be very taxing on the computer. You can probably go for the base 2.3GHz/256GB Retina model and it'll be just fine.

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The retina will make the game slow?!?! :S

Oh ok soI wouldn't actually notice any speed increase in those things such as opening files/apps/starting/shutting down/internet.

May go for that one then, but still not sure (

It most certainly will not. You will however see a huge improvement in boot speeds, application launches and data transfer speeds as that's exactly what an SSD is designed for. Honestly, it sounds like the base Retina Pro is perfect for what you want.

 

[Stetrain]

Check out this review from The Verge, the video provides a nice quick summary:

http://www.theverge.com/2012/6/13/3082649/macbook-pro-review-retina-display-15-inch


Basically I think that most of the performance you will see day to day will be because of the solid state flash storage. Boot up, loading applications, etc.

The 2.6Ghz option won't really make a difference unless you were doing professional video editing, video encoding, or other specifically CPU intensive tasks.

 

[xriderx11]

Sigh. I can understand why you might be jealous of others with a Retina Pro, but that's still no reason to make things up. Return or sell your bloody laptop and buy a new one if you're trying so hard to justify keeping your MacBook!

No, running on the HD4000 will not make the computer lag. That's a ridiculous claim to make. In addition, the GT650M graphics is plenty powerful to run simpler games like Rollercoaster Tycoon at medium or high settings. Turning down the resolution is a perfectly serviceable way to make even more complex games run smoothly and it'll still look great.

No, a legacy Pro is not 'better'. I'm sorry that you have an old model, but it isn't. For some users it might be, but I don't see any particular reason why OP needs an ODD or a built-in FireWire port or Ethernet port.

I don't even know what to say for your last sentence. Won't support 3rd party applications? That's absolutely hilarious.

OP, your uses doesn't sound like it'll be very taxing on the computer. You can probably go for the base 2.3GHz/256GB Retina model and it'll be just fine.

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It most certainly will not. You will however see a huge improvement in boot speeds, application launches and data transfer speeds as that's exactly what an SSD is designed for. Honestly, it sounds like the base Retina Pro is perfect for what you want.

http://www.macworld.com/article/1167250/developers_retina_optimized_mac_apps_will_take_time.html

 

[TheMacBookPro]

http://www.macworld.com/article/1167250/developers_retina_optimized_mac_apps_will_take_time.html

Good job on ignoring EVERYTHING I posted apart from one small detail. And your link doesn't even back up your ridiculous claim of 'won't support a lot of third party programs'.

Directly from the linked MW article:

It might be a little while before most of your apps look as sharp as the screen showing them.

Wasn't an issue for the iPhone 4 and iPad 3, won't be an issue now. Applications still run as before. They just don't look as crisp.
When the applications are updated (as they inevitably will, as Apple moves the rest of their lineup to the Retina display) they'll just look better.

 

[declandio]

P.S. What would one need to be doing to actually notice the difference in performance if my needs did not make any difference?

Your needs are not very taxing at all. Any model on offer will meet them just fine. Even my well loved late 2008 2.8ghz model with 8gb ram will do all that without breaking into a sweat. I'll do you a good deal on it

 

[danetello]

If the 256GB is enough for you, then the 2.3GHz will suit your needs.