About to buy Last of a series versus rMBP

[nycmacrumors]

My $2,200 question is:

I would like the only anti-reflective screen even though 15.4" unit is 5.64 lbs.
It will be for the purposes of running OSX, Linux, Windows 7 pro. No gaming, but video editing.

The MacBook Pro 15.4" non-retina still seems to have a good battery life (even if it is 'non-Haswell) and a super bonus is it can have hard drive and RAM replaceable (maybe even replace optical drive with second hard drive? that might be another model from the past). [Apple suggested , though that if screen replacement is needed, it may be replaced with glossy screen in future but I should verify that with Apple's Repairs Q&A department on that one.]

Does anyone have issue(s) with the current base price Mac Book Pro 15.4" anti-reflective (with base 512M Nvidia 650T video card) as an investment in the future? I am averse to any glossy display so I guess my choice is somewhat easy to make.
BUT..........

I was just asking if anyone had advice to not do this and get another model, perhaps an 8g/512M MacBook Air 13" (but Haswell has its 1st generation issues versus the i5 or 17 used or Macbook Pro 15.4") as the only other candidate at 1400x900 resolution versus 1600x1050 or so.
Thanks for reading

 

[Starfyre]

Welcome nycmacrumors! Happy to be the first responder to your first post!

I despise glossy displays like the glossy "last of a series" MBP. Coming from a Anti-Reflective Screen 15.4'', I can attest to how much I love the 15.4'' Anti-Reflective screen and has the perfect amount of glare... none. The base price of the Macbook Pro 15.4'' now is not something to complain about. It is very competitive and is a very solid and great product that can really last. That said... tHe Macbook Air 13'' is something I would highly recommend looking at as well as the screen is practically non-Glossy and is very portable, powerful, and FAST with its built in SSD. I think it is all around a better machine. If I had to pick now between the "last of a series" MBP and an Air, I would go with a 13'' Macbook Air because its display really is "anti-reflective" in my book, and having run through a couple of generations, its at its peak in battery life and performance especially, which was lacking in its earlier versions.

I don't know why rMBP is in your thread title... but if cost is an issue... just don't get the rMBP. Sure it is thinner and has a better display, but it is worth much more than the value of your question, which puts it out of your ballpark.... but if you want the best and the greatest.. go with the rMBP as it has the BEST power and portability (at the cost of cost).

That said the rMBP is said to not be as glossy as the "last of a series" 15.4'' unit so it is not as reflective as before, so I am actually considering a rMBP myself to give it a chance for that reason, plus the processor being QUAD core as opposed to Air's dual core, and the high quality of the display that really helps "future-proof" in a way as other PC manufacturers are including higher resolution displays.

I think your decision is right in going for the 15.4'' as the MBA does not...
- Have a QUAD CORE... its only dual (though it is no slouch)
- Have a discrete GFX Card... its only integrated (though the GFX is enough for what you need)
- Have a HIGH RESOLUTION... no 1680 like MBP (though it is not bad)

Though if you could up the value of the question... I would go for the rMBP simply because:
- Not so glossy display as the non-rMBP... (best display of any mac, great colors for any videos you use...) Plus you can change resolution higher or lower as you please.
- New fan technology to reduce noise (the non-retinas are noisy, especially at peak when processing videos... even Macbook air is quieter...)
- Very portable for the resolution, size, etc. thin and light for what you get... pretty awesome since were talking 15.4''
- Will have great battery life in a few weeks that should be greater than the "last of a series" MBP (not confirmed, though unless Apple engineering wants the battery to be worse than Dell... which has never happened before since 2010)

If not, then I highly support your decision! (Though there may be the slight risk that the "last of a series" MBP becomes updated as well as is not the last of its kind.. then that upgraded one would be the best if it were to exist come later this month)

 

[nycmacrumors]

thx for comprehensive reply. Old Heavy one still winning

Final note: I am averse to SSD drives as they are <1Terabyte and I hope to have 2T in the Mac Book Pro (fan noise is not as bad as on Windows PCs I have had I am sure esp. with unibody and vents improved in the non-retina 2012 15.4 inch according to Apple); also when SSD dies they die and are relatively unrecoverable like classic hard drives.

(btw, yes indeed, the 13" MacBook Air 8G/512G + Intel 5000 video+ 32G SD slot does seem to be not as glossy as the others)
the retina 15" is glossy to me, has its issues with display from Samsung or whatever else and is very expensive. If I gain confidence in an SSD I realize this is a bake off between the too heavy but only anti-reflective screen 15.4' versus 13" macbook air or 13" rMBP)

=====================================
Ultimately it comes down to display versus all hardware inside and what remains is the distinctive beauty of the anti-reflective screen despite the extra 2+ pounds (!) on the classic 15.4" MBP. If I order it this week by Wednesday and receive it at this point customized no earlier than 10/15, maybe the new ones will be announced and i can keep it or exchange it if need be for a surprise new anti-reflective MacBook Pro. I think I like old hard drives as they often are salvageable if they blow. (Maybe SSD has evolved but it is late and I am still novice on that)

ok good night !

 

[cjoy]

You should really consider going with a small/low cost ssd for OSX/apps and use the optibay for storing terabytes of data. Not using a SSD in a $2000+ is kinda silly. Other than that, I believe the 2012 MBP with its nice antiglare panel offers a similar value when compared to the newer rMBP. If you value versatility, connectivity, performance and repairability over portability (a few mm of added thickness, weight and tba battery gain) the 2012 model is a fine choice.

 

[kant]

My $2,200 question is:

I would like the only anti-reflective screen even though 15.4" unit is 5.64 lbs.
It will be for the purposes of running OSX, Linux, Windows 7 pro. No gaming, but video editing.

The MacBook Pro 15.4" non-retina still seems to have a good battery life (even if it is 'non-Haswell) and a super bonus is it can have hard drive and RAM replaceable (maybe even replace optical drive with second hard drive? that might be another model from the past). [Apple suggested , though that if screen replacement is needed, it may be replaced with glossy screen in future but I should verify that with Apple's Repairs Q&A department on that one.]

Does anyone have issue(s) with the current base price Mac Book Pro 15.4" anti-reflective (with base 512M Nvidia 650T video card) as an investment in the future? I am averse to any glossy display so I guess my choice is somewhat easy to make.
BUT..........

I was just asking if anyone had advice to not do this and get another model, perhaps an 8g/512M MacBook Air 13" (but Haswell has its 1st generation issues versus the i5 or 17 used or Macbook Pro 15.4") as the only other candidate at 1400x900 resolution versus 1600x1050 or so.
Thanks for reading

i don't know if this helps or not but i got the 2012 cMBP in my sig from MacMall last month for 2049. MD546ll/A. It's not in stock at any resellers now but is available refurb from Apple here for 2249.

That it's sold our at resellers usually indicates a refresh. But could be because they're DCing it. *shrug*

Edit: Sorry if that came across as a brag about the price. The point is the fact that it's sold out now.

 

[nycmacrumors]

Like you said, cjoy

That is exactly what I needed to clarify the order.
I imagine you recommend I get SSD drive from Apple for primary drive?
Then install terabyte HD into second bay?

If so, my just-at-$2,000 order will increase substantially. Please not this will be used intensively for 3 operating systems in Apple Bootcamp. So I was thinking dual 1 terabyte or higher regular hard drives. I am averse to SSD since if they fail they fail versus HD that is sometimes/often recoverable (though expensively if damaged).

I do not think it is that silly to have 2 x 7200 rpm drives in there. Or, if it is, how much of a speed boost from a solid state drive that might just fail one day would make it worth it me now? Seems too expensive a prospect for me at least right now. But I am open to your SSD knowledge as I have only what I stated. Thank you again for the reply re: my soon-to-be anti-reflective macbook pro (I know retina is grand but I will have super res. on the 27" external monitor next year)

You should really consider going with a small/low cost ssd for OSX/apps and use the optibay for storing terabytes of data. Not using a SSD in a $2000+ is kinda silly. Other than that, I believe the 2012 MBP with its nice antiglare panel offers a similar value when compared to the newer rMBP. If you value versatility, connectivity, performance and repairability over portability (a few mm of added thickness, weight and tba battery gain) the 2012 model is a fine choice.