http://www.anandtech.com/show/6037/the-2012-macbook-pro-review/1And when you think about it in those terms, you see where the normal 2012 MBP is flawed - its a design thats rooted in the past, a four year old design with a one year stay of execution. That normally wouldnt be a problem, but with the future being sold alongside it, it becomes a much more difficult sell. Especially when you consider this: if you were to buy the base 15 MBP and upgrade to a 256GB Samsung 830 SSD and 8GB memory (bringing it to spec-parity with the base rMBP), youd be approximately $100 shy of the rMBP pricing. Thats $100 for a smaller, lighter notebook thats just as fast and has a *significantly* better display. If youre eligible for student discount, that difference is actually zero, because the rMBP has a greater student discount than the base MBP15. The rMBP is pretty pricey, but when you think about it, its a pretty good deal.
There are only a few legitimate reasons I can think of to skip the rMBP and get the MBP15, with the most reasonable of them being that youre very fundamentally opposed to the soldered memory and custom SSD form factor. Another is if youre highly dependent on a DVD drive and Ethernet and dont want to pay for or carry around an external SuperDrive or GigE adapter. Or, you have a hard-set $1800 budget and simply dont care about an SSD, extra memory, or having a good screen (or plan to upgrade them later).
But heres my take the 2012 MBP is a great notebook and a very solid portable system. I just dont want one. For my money, Ill either save some and get a discounted 2011 MBP15 or spend a bit more to step up to the Retina. And maybe this is telling, but as soon as I was done with the benchmarking and the major part of the writing for this review, I stopped using the MBP and picked up a base Retina. Its the future, simple as that.
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Anandtech on cMBP vs rMBP
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He does have a point - in my opinion. I find the current rMBP a solid winner, even though it does not allow for upgrades. Like Anand said, the rMBP is actually a decent value and the screen will be the way of the future. It's only a matter of time till competitors come out with their own "retina" screens.
I still think the cMBP is a great machine. If you put it next to any Windows notebook, it just looks beautiful. I've always liked the design. The fact that it's upgradable is a big plus for me. The rMBP might be the way to the future, but I don't like the price sticker currently attached to it. So I've decided to skip rMBP v1 and catch up later. Currently I'm considering either a) the low end cMBP or b) a refurb 2011 model. As another MR user pointed out, a third-party 256Gb SSD only costs 179 dollars. This 'speaks' to me much more than the super hi-res screen...
I love my cMBP. ALthough it's my first mac ever so I dunno. Can't really say much about the rMBP.
I agree and disagree with anandtech. They don't take into the consideration of upgrading your device, fixing your device, and the fact you can have 2 hard drives on the cMBP.
I agree and disagree with anandtech. They don't take into the consideration of upgrading your device, fixing your device, and the fact you can have 2 hard drives on the cMBP.
Surprisingly, what sold me on the rMBP vs the cMBP wasn't the screen or the SSD. It was the improvements in the cooling layout. (OK, that and a friend of mine needs a laptop and is subsidizing my new rMBP by buying my 2010 MBP)
DVD & Ethernet aren't that big of an issue. I've plugged this machine into a wire maybe 3 times since I picked it up in 2010. DVDs are a bit more often, but it's normally only to install something or to burn something. Not an everyday occurrence. So a bit lighter, nicer screen and better thermal layout in exchange for having to buy the memory pre-upgraded and deal with a pre-installed SSD? I can live with that. The external burner...well, I needed to buy one for work anyways. My old 2008 dell laptop there only has a dvd-rom and a burner isn't available on our company's MPL.
DVD & Ethernet aren't that big of an issue. I've plugged this machine into a wire maybe 3 times since I picked it up in 2010. DVDs are a bit more often, but it's normally only to install something or to burn something. Not an everyday occurrence. So a bit lighter, nicer screen and better thermal layout in exchange for having to buy the memory pre-upgraded and deal with a pre-installed SSD? I can live with that. The external burner...well, I needed to buy one for work anyways. My old 2008 dell laptop there only has a dvd-rom and a burner isn't available on our company's MPL.
The Samsung 830 256 gb SSD was selling for $189 last time I checked ( there was some special offer ). So you'll be saving $200.
And here is the deal breaker. SSD's are dropping in price fast these days. You can buy 512 gb SSD for around $300 nowadays ( Crucial M4 which is a good SSD also ). Now imagine what the prices will be in a couple of months if you wait till X-mas or maybe even next year for upgrading to a SSD. And you can buy 2 SSD and put it in Raid 0 for twice the performance.
The Samsung 830 256 gb SSD was selling for $189 last time I checked ( there was some special offer ). So you'll be saving $200.
And here is the deal breaker. SSD's are dropping in price fast these days. You can buy 512 gb SSD for around $300 nowadays ( Crucial M4 which is a good SSD also ). Now imagine what the prices will be in a couple of months if you wait till X-mas or maybe even next year for upgrading to a SSD. And you can buy 2 SSD and put it in Raid 0 for twice the performance.
You could, but for 95% of users.. would they rather have 1 SSD which is already very very fast plus a near 3k resolution display. Or go overkill with raid and get a much much lower quality display, a thicker, heavier, louder computer?
I'm in a similar boat. What sold me was that the rMBP works with my two 1920x1200 external monitors (it can actually work with three because of the two thunderbolt and one hdmi , but I only needed two). The cMBP can only with with one non-thunderbolt display (it has one thunderbolt and no hmdi), unless you want to use a poorly performing USB port for video. The retina display itself is just a nice bonus when away from the desk.
You can of course do two thnderbolt displays, let's not ignore all the facts.
On e subject, I am sitting out this revision. There are clearly quality issues and I among sold that the hardware and software are currently sufficient for the screen.
Apple is going to take the demand for this machine and knock on Nvidia, AMD and Intels door and use it as leverage for GPUs with better hardware scalers. They will likely make other improvements as well. If they drop the classic next round it will be cheaper as well (how long before someone calls me poor?).
The next revision will be the real Retina MacBook Pro. And if it isn't, will sit that one out as well. Apple has to get it right before I hop on board and I don't feel they have done that quite yet.
That's why I said "non-thunderbolt display", let's not ignore all the facts.
And you mean I can scrap my two 24" displays that were total $600 for two 27" thunderbolt displays totaling $2000?
That's not much of an option. In my case, the rMBP is a much better value and offers MORE flexibility.I agree that the MBPR is certainly the future. I expect that the 2012 MBP may be the last of its kind. And that is sad. I cancelled my Retina order and went with the MBP because I simply didn't want a locked down computer. I accept it with my iPhone, and even my iPad, but I just can't with my computer.
That's why I said "non-thunderbolt display", let's not ignore all the facts.
And you mean I can scrap my two 24" displays that were total $600 for two 27" thunderbolt displays totaling $2000?
Oh I see drop $2000-$3,000 on a computer and cheap out on the display. Got it.
I'm guessing you're just trolling, but I'll try one more time.
Two 24" high quality displays, which is what I need for my work, are MUCH cheaper than thunderbolt displays, even ignoring the fact I already own the 24" displays. There's not much else to it.
The rMBP is cheaper than a similar configured cMBP, unless you buy 3rd party and install yourself which will get you to a similar price cMBP.
It's certainly not "cheaping out" to buy the better value for your own requirements, even when spending significant money.
I guess the Retina sitting in front of me right now is a figment of my imagination then
FWIW the present Retina has little or no issue, as usual the minority blow their own issues out of proportion, by far the vast majority who buy the 2012 Retina MacBook Pro`s will have a great experience, if the rMBP was half as bad as some proclaim Apple would have never release it to the general public.
I guess the Retina sitting in front of me right now is a figment of my imagination then
FWIW the present Retina has little or no issue, as usual the minority blow their own issues out of proportion, by far the vast majority who buy the 2012 Retina MacBook Pro`s will have a great experience, if the rMBP was half as bad as some proclaim Apple would have never release it to the general public.
I am sure you know what I meant. I am NOT saying it is a bad machine. I simply don't want the hassle, minority or not, I don't want to deal with exchanging a machine which already has supply constraints.To say it has little or no issues is pretty strong. There are issues, many in fact, how widespread is a seperate issue.
At the end of the day, I don't want to be a beta tester. Apple will inevitably improve upon what they have done, they most assuredly have better GPUs in the works to handle the scaling in hardware, rather than software.
I have seen the machine in person and used one for a few days, it is indeed lovely, but not good enough for me at this juncture. 2012 High-end cMBP, 16GB, dual Samsung 512GB SSDs and two TB displays is working quite well for me right now. Maybe next year there will be a retina MBP in its place.
My bad if that's not your intent. When someone twice incorrectly summarizes what I've said in a snarky way, I get suspicious.
Have got both. Utterly love my 13" cMBP ... well at least I did, now it's rMBP every time. I just can't believe my lovely, mint nick, 8MB 13" MBP is now almost completely relegated to a 6 year old to play Machinarium, Botanicula, or watch cBBC on the iPlayer . Cripes, what I would have done aged 6 for a Sinclair ZX80! How time moves on.
. Cripes, what I would have done aged 6 for a Sinclair ZX80! How time moves on.You can upgrade or replace every serviceable part in cMBP.
you can change the battery easily.
If you live in a remote place these features are very attractive.
If you want to change rMBP's battery you have to send the whole notebook in because the battery is glued inside. Not very convenient.
you can change the battery easily.
If you live in a remote place these features are very attractive.
If you want to change rMBP's battery you have to send the whole notebook in because the battery is glued inside. Not very convenient.