Advice from Apple Store Employee

this is overkilled i7 with 512 SSD & 8 ram

I rather have your option.

 

Processor choice

For me personally I could care less about the i7 faster processor. I would go with 8 GB ram and a 512 GB SSD however.

 

I am guessing in the Apple Store they get to hear peoples regrets and complaints and if you have big RAW files you could fill a disk up quite quickly and they have heard this before. I won't buy another MBP with less than 512GB of disk space. Its not unusual to fill a 128GB SD card using a camera like a D800 on a busy day.

 

CTO i5, 512GB SSD, 16GB RAM would be my recommendation based on what you'd be using your Mac for.

 

I'd go for as much RAM and storage as possible, if you're going to be working with large RAW images. Especially as once bought, the RAM definitely can't be upgraded, although you could go with external storage.

 

Think different

1. 16GB is crucial on all new macs with soldered RAM.
2. As a frequent user of photoshop I can say that even 16GB is on the low side of things when working with multiple files and layers at once.
3. Apple want you to come back for a new Macbook asap and the $100? upgrade will keep you away for an additional year, or two..

3 years ago, when my Macbook had 10.6 the system used about 500MB of ram at startup with no apps running. Today with 10.9 about 2,5-3GB is being used for basically the same thing.

How will it be in 2-3 years? 4-6GB gone from start?

You might end up wit a computer that is hardly usable and not very sellable either for the same reason.

The processor will give a 10% boost, on paper.
The boost you get from having sufficient ram at all times is a lot higher.
Because if you run out everything just freezes and gives you beach balls..

 

I would max out the ram in the rMBP, there is no upgrading later. What processor you get really depends on what you are doing with the computer. Mobile i5 processors are all dual core, whereas the i7 is quad core in the 15", but in the 13" they are only dual core. In the 13" it is not worth the $200 to upgrade to the i7 IMO.

I would get exactly what Bear quoted above. The only option to skimp on if you need to keep the cost down is really the SSD, as it is the only serviceable part. Upgrades are not available yet, but likely will be in the near future.

 

For what you plan to use the machine for, yes, I think the slight boost in raw CPU speed is worth the $100 (£80).

 

Don't waste your money on the CPU upgrade, it is a relic of the past when the processor was actually the bottleneck, or at least very important in computer's performance. Faster and more efficient I/O benefits overall system responsiveness much more these days.

Unless you do video rendering 24/7, a better CPU is not a good value for the money.

 

Input/output

 

Get the max RAM.
Get the 512 SSD.

The graphics on that system if I recall is the Intell 4000 on board chipset. Does any of your software take advantage of this GPU? If the answer is no or not too much, get the faster CPU.

One thing to be sure, Photoshop will take advantage of more RAM. You will need a "scratch" space and thus the larger drive comes in handy unless you wish to use external USB3 or TB drive (slow and fast respectively for your purposes).

As for movie related - again more RAM, best you can get for both GPU and CPU.

Not much else to say other than to the person who said "could care less" - try "could NOT care less." (grin)

 

I'm going to agree with the Apple employee. I've got an both MBP and iMac with (Quad Core) i7s and 8GB RAM. No SSD so apps are more likely to be CPU bound in your case than in mine. HOWEVER I see the following.

The first two captures are running Aperture + Photoshop CS 5 editing a 12MP TIFF and exporting a collection of processed images from Aperture as JPEGs. This is using < 5.5 GB of RAM and 60% CPU (thats 4.8 core equivalents). The second two are using Final Cut Pro 10.1 and Compressor exporting an edited video. This is using 6GB of RAM and 44% CPU (3.5 core equivalents). It's actually I/O bound for me -- I know the CPU usage goes even higher if I attach an external drive and export to that, splitting the load between the external and internal drives.

Unfortunately what you really need is the 15" rMBP with the quad core processor! I'd go with the base 15" rMBP and attach an external drive if necessary (cost considerations) before using the 13".

Note also that Aperture and Final Cut Pro will use the graphics card, making the 15" rMBP even better.