Another Tedious Comparison Question

[obtusemind]

Hey guys, apologies for contributing yet another comparison question, it's just 1.5k is a lot of money, so this process will help ease my mind. 🙂

Basically I'm looking at 2 different models of the rMBP that are the same price,

The 15" / 16 Gb / 2.5 Ghz Quad i7, and the 13" / 16 Gb / 3.0 Ghz Dual i7. I'm doing scientific research, so I use matlab, mathematica, and other multicore programs (however, this will mainly be done ssh'd on national supercomputers, so my laptop will mainly be used for debugging purposes - so the extra cores may not be so useful). I'm currently using an old 2011 13" MPB, and I've been more than happy with it, however I feel like I'm getting more value for my money if I go for the 15" (especially as the new 15" is the same weight as my current 13").

Any advice one users of either system would be appreciated! 🙂

 

[yjchua95]

Hey guys, apologies for contributing yet another comparison question, it's just 1.5k is a lot of money, so this process will help ease my mind. 🙂

Basically I'm looking at 2 different models of the rMBP that are the same price,

The 15" / 16 Gb / 2.5 Ghz Quad i7, and the 13" / 16 Gb / 3.0 Ghz Dual i7. I'm doing scientific research, so I use matlab, mathematica, and other multicore programs (however, this will mainly be done ssh'd on national supercomputers, so my laptop will mainly be used for debugging purposes - so the extra cores may not be so useful). I'm currently using an old 2011 13" MPB, and I've been more than happy with it, however I feel like I'm getting more value for my money if I go for the 15" (especially as the new 15" is the same weight as my current 13").

Any advice one users of either system would be appreciated! 🙂

The 15" variant is significantly more powerful, especially when it comes to Matlab and Mathematica.

I use these two myself too.

 

[The Unseen]

Even if the 13' rMBP is a great machine, debugging can be a very demanding task.

 

[obtusemind]

The 15" variant is significantly more powerful, especially when it comes to Matlab and Mathematica.

I use these two myself too.

Ya, I think you're right, I can't shake the feeling that the 13 inch version is a little overpriced in comparison. If it was 100 or 200 pounds cheaper I'd be choosing it, but I think I'd regret not going all out on my budget, I want this machine to run happily for the next 4 - 5 years.

Even if the 13' rMBP is a great machine, debugging can be a very demanding task.

I also got a brand new desktop workstation for my PhD (which is what I'd be doing most of my debugging on), so the laptop IS an added luxury, but the nerd in me wants to max it out as much as possible. 😀 😀

 

[yjchua95]

Ya, I think you're right, I can't shake the feeling that the 13 inch version is a little overpriced in comparison. If it was 100 or 200 pounds cheaper I'd be choosing it, but I think I'd regret not going all out on my budget, I want this machine to run happily for the next 4 - 5 years.



I also got a brand new desktop workstation for my PhD (which is what I'd be doing most of my debugging on), so the laptop IS an added luxury, but the nerd in me wants to max it out as much as possible. 😀 😀

The difference between the 2.5GHz i7-4870HQ and 2.8GHz i7-4980HQ is minimal at best.

 

[obtusemind]

The difference between the 2.5GHz i7-4870HQ and 2.8GHz i7-4980HQ is minimal at best.

Would you say it's also minimal between the default 2.2 GHz i7 and the 2.5GHz i7-4870HQ? I upgraded to the 2.5 option as it wasn't that much more money (80 pounds, but I'll get an education discount on top). Thanks for the help by the way!

 

[yjchua95]

Would you say it's also minimal between the default 2.2 GHz i7 and the 2.5GHz i7-4870HQ? I upgraded to the 2.5 option as it wasn't that much more money (80 pounds, but I'll get an education discount on top). Thanks for the help by the way!

It's minimal between 2.2 and 2.5, but the difference between 2.2 and 2.8 is pretty substantial.

Stick with your 2.5/16/512/750M option, because the GT 750M will give a huge boost.