2014 Retina Macbook Pro Opinion (Black Friday)

[TrenttonY]

Should I buy an mid-2014 Retina MacBook Pro 13.3 (base model) on Black Friday for around or below $1200 dollars (tax included), or wait for the new broadwell Macbook Pros? This will be my first mac.

I will be having this computer for at least 3 years.

Is this model sufficient for me?
- The only games I play is SimCity 5, Rollercoaster Tycoon 2, and maybe some of Civilization games, the rest are for the PS3.

- I will use this computer for browsing the web, watching HD YouTube videos, lots of iTunes (1080p movies), and some of the iLife suites (Pages).

- I won't be using Final Cut Pro, or Photoshop, etc.

- I will be using Handbrake a lot.

- This computer will not be traveling

Accersories
- I will be using a keyboard cover. Will this effect the sound, and will over heating occur?

- I will be using an Zagg invisible shield for the unibody and palm rests of the computer. Will this effect the heat of the computer, and are their better alternatives?

Yosemite
- Is Yosemite smooth on this computer? Is it an hardware issue is or an optimization issue?

Please answer my questions thanks!

 

[Redsfan]

Should I buy an mid-2014 Retina MacBook Pro 13.3 (base model) on Black Friday for around or below $1200 dollars (tax included), or wait for the new broadwell Macbook Pros? This will be my first mac.

I will be having this computer for at least 3 years.

Is this model sufficient for me?
- The only games I play is SimCity 5, Rollercoaster Tycoon 2, and maybe some of Civilization games, the rest are for the PS3.

- I will use this computer for browsing the web, watching HD YouTube videos, lots of iTunes (1080p movies), and some of the iLife suites (Pages).

- I won't be using Final Cut Pro, or Photoshop, etc.

- I will be using Handbrake a lot.

- This computer will not be traveling

Accersories
- I will be using a keyboard cover. Will this effect the sound, and will over heating occur?

- I will be using an Zagg invisible shield for the unibody and palm rests of the computer. Will this effect the heat of the computer, and are their better alternatives?

Yosemite
- Is Yosemite smooth on this computer? Is it an hardware issue is or an optimization issue?

Please answer my questions thanks!

Black Friday deals are out already?

 

[TrenttonY]

Black Friday deals are out already?

No, but Mac Mall is having an good deal right, and i'm guessing it will be the same or even better on Black Friday.

 

[jfriedman8]

Coming from someone who loves handbrake... you're going to want as much processing power as possible. I had a Mac Pro when I ripped 80% of my dvd's/ BD's and it made life so much easier to have that. However, with the spec range of the MBP's and even broadwell, if you're not ripping a ton of stuff, you will probably only be saving a few mins.

 

[ilikewhey]

not traveling? get a used mac pro like me

 

[Dominus Mortem]

There are chip upgrades that are worth waiting for and those that are just, well, meh. Haswell was important because of the huge power consumption decrease and was worth waiting for. Broadwell is going to be one of those more vanilla types of upgrades. You get a little of this, a little of that, but not a lot of anything in particular.

Also, constantly worrying about what is coming next will put you into a cycle where you're crippled in your actions and you don't get anything done. I seriously doubt the next MBPs will be worth waiting for over the current ones. Get what you want on Black Friday. That's at least coming up pretty quick. You'll be in great shape and Broadwell will be off your mind. I recently bought a new MBP and I knew Broadwell was coming within the year and didn't care.

 

[maflynn]

- This computer will not be traveling

Will you be using it in one location, i.e., on a desk? If so then I recommend an iMac.

Apple will have as they frequently some sort of deal, though it won't be all that substantial.

 

[TrenttonY]

Will you be using it in one location, i.e., on a desk? If so then I recommend an iMac.

Apple will have as they frequently some sort of deal, though it won't be all that substantial.

I've thought about that but coming from a PC desktop for 2 years, I'm tired of staying in the same location in my house. Sitting at a desk all day is also giving me back problems.

 

[maflynn]

I'd go for the rMBP then. Given that black friday is a few weeks away and the prospect of Broadwell is several months. I vote to buying/enjoying it sooner then later

 

[TrenttonY]

Do you guys know anything about the performance of the games I listed?

 

[TrenttonY]

I'm scared about the storage too. 128GB may be enough or it won't. How much does Yosemite take up?

My Music is in iTunes Match
My Photos is in iCloud
My Movies will be on an external hard drive

I won't have multiple browsers (ex chrome or firefox)

The only thing I'm worried about is software on the computer.

I'm also hearing you should have a certain amount of space on the computer to run properly?
I am also worried about the system cache.