750m 15" retina MB vs Base Mac Pro

[Sifinity]

So im going to be going to college and my parents along with my grandparents and other said they want to gift me a computer for college.

now that im waiting for a refresh of macbook pro retina 15" ; since for resale value ; i can't justify spending $2600 on a 9 month old computer , even if the new one has just a minimalistic spec bump .

So while waiting i was looking online and started wondering if i should get the 15" retina MB 750m or should i get the base model Mac Pro ; i understand that both are overkill , but still would like to know your guys opinion since the difference between the two is not that much relative to the price of the machines.

P.S i do have an Third Gen Retina -iPad and a bluetooth keyboard to go with it.

 

[kupkakez]

Did your family give you a price range to stay in? Both of those are WAY overkill for college, but especially the Mac Pro.

If you are just going to be using it for writing papers etc I would just go with the Macbook or even look at the Macbook Air, especially if you are doing a lot of walking around. When I was wrapping up my IT undergrad a couple of years ago I used a MBA and it was nice that it didn't add that much weight to my book bag.

 

[yjchua95]

So im going to be going to college and my parents along with my grandparents and other said they want to gift me a computer for college.

now that im waiting for a refresh of macbook pro retina 15" ; since for resale value ; i can't justify spending $2600 on a 9 month old computer , even if the new one has just a minimalistic spec bump .

So while waiting i was looking online and started wondering if i should get the 15" retina MB 750m or should i get the base model Mac Pro ; i understand that both are overkill , but still would like to know your guys opinion since the difference between the two is not that much relative to the price of the machines.

P.S i do have an Third Gen Retina -iPad and a bluetooth keyboard to go with it.

It depends on what you do in college.

Unless you're someone who does heavy 4K video (like me), you have absolutely no need for a Mac Pro.

I'd suggest to wait for a refresh of the rMBP and buy one when it's released. At least you can carry that around with you everywhere.

And besides, if the graphics card isn't up to your standards, you can always use an eGPU setup (Sonnet IIID + GTX 780 Ti, connected over Thunderbolt).

The downside is that the Sonnet IIID enclosure is absurdly expensive (for now).

 

[Sifinity]

Did your family give you a price range to stay in? Both of those are WAY overkill for college, but especially the Mac Pro.

If you are just going to be using it for writing papers etc I would just go with the Macbook or even look at the Macbook Air, especially if you are doing a lot of walking around. When I was wrapping up my IT undergrad a couple of years ago I used a MBA and it was nice that it didn't add that much weight to my book bag.

Computer Engineering Major ; but still i understand that their both WAY overkill lol

 

[kupkakez]

Computer Engineering Major ; but still i understand that their both WAY overkill lol

Go with the rMBP it should last you throughout your undergrad without any issue.

 

[Sifinity]

It depends on what you do in college.

Unless you're someone who does heavy 4K video (like me), you have absolutely no need for a Mac Pro.

I'd suggest to wait for a refresh of the rMBP and buy one when it's released. At least you can carry that around with you everywhere.

And besides, if the graphics card isn't up to your standards, you can always use an eGPU setup (Sonnet IIID + GTX 780 Ti, connected over Thunderbolt).

The downside is that the Sonnet IIID enclosure is absurdly expensive (for now).

lol the eGPU setups is adding an extra WAAAY to the already WAAAY overkill lolol

 

[yjchua95]

lol the eGPU setups is adding an extra WAAAY to the already WAAAY overkill lolol

It would be

But either way, the rMBP would be better because:
1. It's portable
2. You can always hook up an external display to it

 

[chrfr]

So im going to be going to college and my parents along with my grandparents and other said they want to gift me a computer for college.

I work for a major university. You'd be crazy to go to school, especially in computer engineering, without a portable computer. An iPad won't cut it.

 

[kupkakez]

I work for a major university. You'd be crazy to go to school, especially in computer engineering, without a portable computer. An iPad won't cut it.

Our CS department had several computer labs, a lot of students couldn't afford laptops. I agree an iPad won't work though. An iPad would be a good supplement if you can get your books in eBook format.

 

[chrfr]

Our CS department had several computer labs, a lot of students couldn't afford laptops. I agree an iPad won't work though. An iPad would be a good supplement if you can get your books in eBook format.

Nonetheless, if you're getting a gift of either a desktop or a laptop, you get the laptop. It'll be infinitely more useful.
We too have options for students who can't afford laptops, but that isn't applicable to this situation.

 

[Sifinity]

thanks for input ; then ill wait for the spec bump most likely but still thinking about it

 

[Freyqq]

You will need to take a laptop to class and/or will want to use it in the library. Dorm rooms are not always an easy place to get work done.

 

[SarcasticJoe]

Computer Engineering Major ; but still i understand that their both WAY overkill lol

I'm in Computer Engineering myself (postgrad) and even I don't think you really need a Mac Pro or 15" rMBP with the 750M. My intuition tells me that the real reason you want one of those machines, rather than an Air, a 13" Pro or 15" Pro without the 750M, is so that you can play games on it.

For your actual uses pretty much anything in Apple's current computer lineup would suffice and the integrated graphics that you find in much of Apple's lineup isn't half bad. As for the next refresh, it's probably not going to be any more drastic than 100-200MHz faster processors and maybe $100-200 off the price tags.

Thus my recommendation would be ether a 13" Pro if you can stay off the games or a secondhand/refurb 15" Pro from the early 2013 or mid 2012 lineups (as they had dedicated GeForce 650M graphics across the range). The latter is what I plan on spending my summer job gains on come autum.

 

[maflynn]

So im going to be going to college and my parents along with my grandparents and other said they want to gift me a computer for college.

What does your college say?

Many of them have guidelines (some strict and some not so strict) of what you should get. Find out what the requirements are before buying something.

I think a Mac Pro is a waste of money, especially since you don't know what its going to be used for and most of your needs will be mobile related.

 

[airdrop]

ok, lets face it, collage needs are much different than you thing at the moment.

My advice:

- Buy a cheap PC laptop / eventually a tower - you will be have more fun (games), if something bad happen (very possible) you will not suffer that much. Also maybe you will find a real friends instead of posers ... good to be humble especially in collage.

- Second option (if you must have a Mac) will be MacBook Air '13, very light (so no sweat involved), put the saved money into rent / collage costs rather than on machine (in future you will appreciate this move, same your parents).

- Last rMBP, but you don't need this machine, is powerfull and expensive, at the moment try to be more reasonable.

- nMP, please do not even consider that (this small devil is for guys, who earn money using it).


Finally, buy your first mac after collage, when you will grab your first job, then you will feel much better, and maybe, until then you figure-out what machine you really need.

Peace!


PS: Buy cheap PC

 

[SarcasticJoe]

The only reason why I can see that you'd buy a PC would be to play games, which is really just a waste of time, and get it somewhat cheaper...

When it comes to portability I've never considered my 15" non-Retina Macbook Pro too heavy to carry with me and I live a 30 minute walk from my university and walk that distance back and forth every weekday. The retina machines are thinner and lighter than this, so they should be even less of a bother.

As for programs that you need, the only ones that don't have an OSX version that I encountered during my undergraduate studies were for programming a Altera FPGA and an Atmel SoC on in a JTAG board. In both cases the things were tethered to a PC in a lab and you weren't allowed to remove them from the class.

 

[GSPice]

ok, lets face it, collage needs are much different than you thing at the moment.

My advice:

- Buy a cheap PC laptop / eventually a tower - you will be have more fun (games), if something bad happen (very possible) you will not suffer that much. Also maybe you will find a real friends instead of posers ... good to be humble especially in collage.

- Second option (if you must have a Mac) will be MacBook Air '13, very light (so no sweat involved), put the saved money into rent / collage costs rather than on machine (in future you will appreciate this move, same your parents).

- Last rMBP, but you don't need this machine, is powerfull and expensive, at the moment try to be more reasonable.

- nMP, please do not even consider that (this small devil is for guys, who earn money using it).


Finally, buy your first mac after collage, when you will grab your first job, then you will feel much better, and maybe, until then you figure-out what machine you really need.

Peace!


PS: Buy cheap PC

^this.

I survived two engineering degrees without a laptop, much less a MBP, much less a MP.

Computer engineering with a Mac Pro? Please, no. As it's been said all over, if you have to ask if you need a Mac Pro, you don't.
Computer engineering with a Macbook Pro? If you're a glutton for punishment and you enjoy roaming the threads to figure out how to get all your classes' software, hardware kits, development environments, data transfer, storage compatibility, document work, collaboration, and networking stuff working on a Mac all year long for 4+ years, then even a Macbook Air would be better than a MBP.

As some have mentioned before, I'm guessing that you're asking about MP vs. MBP not because of college, engineering, or even computer engineering, but because Macs are sexy.

College is not the best place for cool, especially when cool = $$$

I'd say get a solid PC laptop (not desktop!) with plenty of interface ports and storage. If you can't live with yourself without getting a Mac, get the cheapest Mac you can, and save the rest for storage, software, books, maybe even Applecare.

 

[Sifinity]

^this.

I survived two engineering degrees without a laptop, much less a MBP, much less a MP.

Computer engineering with a Mac Pro? Please, no. As it's been said all over, if you have to ask if you need a Mac Pro, you don't.
Computer engineering with a Macbook Pro? If you're a glutton for punishment and you enjoy roaming the threads to figure out how to get all your classes' software, hardware kits, development environments, data transfer, storage compatibility, document work, collaboration, and networking stuff working on a Mac all year long for 4+ years, then even a Macbook Air would be better than a MBP.

As some have mentioned before, I'm guessing that you're asking about MP vs. MBP not because of college, engineering, or even computer engineering, but because Macs are sexy.

College is not the best place for cool, especially when cool = $$$

I'd say get a solid PC laptop (not desktop!) with plenty of interface ports and storage. If you can't live with yourself without getting a Mac, get the cheapest Mac you can, and save the rest for storage, software, books, maybe even Applecare.

the reason i want a mac is because i have a mac at home and a pc ; and i can't stand the windows as os x is so much smoother than windows imo ; and thanks for input , definitely take the advice into account

----------

What does your college say?

Many of them have guidelines (some strict and some not so strict) of what you should get. Find out what the requirements are before buying something.

I think a Mac Pro is a waste of money, especially since you don't know what its going to be used for and most of your needs will be mobile related.

and i realized i don't need a mac pro ! lol
here is my universities computer guidelines lol ; http://www.ece.utexas.edu/it/laptop-initiative

 

[TechZeke]

and i realized i don't need a mac pro ! lol
here is my universities computer guidelines lol ; http://www.ece.utexas.edu/it/laptop-initiative

This "Dr. Chase" fellow:

Dr. Chase's FAQs and Other Important Information

Do I need Windows?
Yes, but you can still get a Mac PowerBook and run Windows on it

Can I use my iPad?
Sure, but you’ll still need a laptop.
No, a chromebook does not count.

I already have a laptop, do I have to buy a new one?
You can get by with a laptop that doesn’t meet the specs. However, it can get frustrating when you don’t have enough RAM, disk space or processing power, and you will eventually want to upgrade.

Do I need Microsoft Office?
No. Well, yes, but wait till you get to campus and get the full version of Office for $40

Dr Chase may be stuck in 2005, but this guy is pure win. I like him.

 

[Sifinity]

This "Dr. Chase" fellow:



Dr Chase may be stuck in 2005, but this guy is pure win. I like him.

LOL ; i didnt notice that part ; was just looking at the specs that are recommended lol

 

[sebseb]

Only go with Mac and nothing else! you want to go to college to study, not spend hours installing drivers and stuff cause windows got an issue and won't let you install something! And you can install windows on a Mac in 1 hour with all the drivers up and running!

I already own a MBP 2010 15". You can get the retina with Iris Pro graphics if you're just going to use it for typing, and iMovie and stuff! With educational discount, it should be slightly lower than 1900$ If you need advanced 3D graphics card, then you can get the one with nvidia dedicated graphics card but i doubt you do!

And as someone said you want a computer that you can take around a lot, you will be studying in the library or at a friends house and taking a Mac Pro, keyboard and mouse and then a screen is not an easy task! Also include the price of an screen with an adaptor! You end up with a machine that is really expensive.

Good Luck!

 

[Sifinity]

Only go with Mac and nothing else! you want to go to college to study, not spend hours installing drivers and stuff cause windows got an issue and won't let you install something! And you can install windows on a Mac in 1 hour with all the drivers up and running!

I already own a MBP 2010 15". You can get the retina with Iris Pro graphics if you're just going to use it for typing, and iMovie and stuff! With educational discount, it should be slightly lower than 1900$ If you need advanced 3D graphics card, then you can get the one with nvidia dedicated graphics card but i doubt you do!

And as someone said you want a computer that you can take around a lot, you will be studying in the library or at a friends house and taking a Mac Pro, keyboard and mouse and then a screen is not an easy task! Also include the price of an screen with an adaptor! You end up with a machine that is really expensive.

Good Luck!

makes sense i think im a go with the 15" retina

 

[GSPice]

Only go with Mac and nothing else! you want to go to college to study, not spend hours installing drivers and stuff cause windows got an issue and won't let you install something!