2.9 cMBP 13" or 13" rMBP

[vampireszombies]

Both basically the same price.
But the 2012 cMBP is a 2.9Ghz - 8GB/750GB HDD compared to a 2012 rMBP 2.5Ghz - 8GB/256GB SSD.

Which would be sufficient for basic web browsing, word processing via Office in Parallels with Windows 7 and storage for music and pictures?
What would you choose?

 

[Hungry&Foolish]

The retina for sure.SSD is icing on the cake.

 

[Spink10]

I would never buy the high end 13" cMBP - so I guess rMBP.

 

[xShane]

Both basically the same price.
But the 2012 cMBP is a 2.9Ghz - 8GB/750GB HDD compared to a 2012 rMBP 2.5Ghz - 8GB/256GB SSD.

Which would be sufficient for basic web browsing, word processing via Office in Parallels with Windows 7 and storage for music and pictures?
What would you choose?

You also have to look at it from a different perspective.

Although yes they have similar specs, there's some major differences. Most importantly, you can upgrade the cMBP to 16GB RAM for $80. You won't be able to do that with the rMBP. This could be especially useful if you plan on doing some serious multitasking while running virtual machines. It does also have a higher CPU speed, which you may or may not notice.

 

[snaky69]

Both basically the same price.
But the 2012 cMBP is a 2.9Ghz - 8GB/750GB HDD compared to a 2012 rMBP 2.5Ghz - 8GB/256GB SSD.

Which would be sufficient for basic web browsing, word processing via Office in Parallels with Windows 7 and storage for music and pictures?
What would you choose?

Don't buy the processor upgrade, it is of no use whatsoever to you. You'll be much better served by having more RAM to run virtual machines.

 

[Fissure]

I was in the same spot but bought a cMBP 2.9 i7 and had it for a week.
The resolution was horrendous, something I could not live with.
I returned it and got a 2.9 i7 8/512 13" rMBP and I could not be happier.

Considering I was going to upgrade the cMBP to a 512gb SSD and an additional 8GB of RAM the price is basically the same for the 2 systems. Sure I lost the additional 8GB of RAM and an optical drive but for me the rMBP resolution was the driving force. Upgrade ability was not a driving force for me. The rMBP screen is simply amazing.

 

[Tenashus1]

I was in the same spot but bought a cMBP 2.9 i7 and had it for a week.
The resolution was horrendous, something I could not live with.
I returned it and got a 2.9 i7 8/512 13" rMBP and I could not be happier.

Considering I was going to upgrade the cMBP to a 512gb SSD and an additional 8GB of RAM the price is basically the same for the 2 systems. Sure I lost the additional 8GB of RAM and an optical drive but for me the rMBP resolution was the driving force. Upgrade ability was not a driving force for me. The rMBP screen is simply amazing.

I presume that the retina display is superior to the CMBP's display, but I can't agree that the latter's resolution is "horrendous." I'm an older guy, and I have no trouble with the cMBP's screen. Just another opinion. However, with the price for both being the same, I'd probably opt for the newer resolution.

 

[xShane]

I presume that the retina display is superior to the CMBP's display, but I can't agree that the latter's resolution is "horrendous." I'm an older guy, and I have no trouble with the cMBP's screen. Just another opinion. However, with the price for both being the same, I'd probably opt for the newer resolution.

I agree. My cMBP's screen is still much better than my previous Windows laptop. I would definitely not say it's "horrendous".

I was in the same spot but bought a cMBP 2.9 i7 and had it for a week.
The resolution was horrendous, something I could not live with.
I returned it and got a 2.9 i7 8/512 13" rMBP and I could not be happier.

Considering I was going to upgrade the cMBP to a 512gb SSD and an additional 8GB of RAM the price is basically the same for the 2 systems. Sure I lost the additional 8GB of RAM and an optical drive but for me the rMBP resolution was the driving force. Upgrade ability was not a driving force for me. The rMBP screen is simply amazing.

Maybe not now, but what are you going to do when you need more than 8GB RAM? Buy a new machine because of that?

 

[Tenashus1]

A floor rep at my local Apple store told me, and showed me, that -especially for the 13"-, the retina version would only be necessary for detailed work like spreadsheets and scientific applications. It could be me but, honestly, I couldn't see the difference between the two screens. I do enjoy my 2012 cMBP i7 with my newly installed M4 512gb SSD, and soon to be 16gbs of ram. I said I'd go for the retina before with it being the same price, but I'm used to being able to tailor my MBPs to my liking. All I can offer is that I'm happy with what I've got.

 

[mslide]

I'd go with the base 13" cMBP and put in an SSD. The retina's 8GB RAM limit, among other things, is a big deal for me. Plus, I just don't put any value on the fancy display. It's just a nice-to-have that doesn't help me work faster/better. I would never pay any extra for it.

 

[Fissure]

all good points

for me i need the resolution/real estate

i work in and around RDP sessions all day, when i'm mobile i need the same capability, sure everything's smaller but i'm more productive with the real estate....

 

[vampireszombies]

Thanks for the help guys.