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mackie8

Suspended
Original poster
Nov 6, 2014
898
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Are you happy with your decision?
Do you notice a massive downgrade on the performance?
Hows the temperature on rMB on heavy usage?
 
I just switched a couple of days ago coming from an 11-inch MacBook Air i7 now on a rMB 1.3 Ghz. I wouldn’t consider myself a heavy user but still do a lot of InDesign and Photoshop being a graphic designer (and I own a rMBP for the heavy stuff). Overall i’m still overwhelmed with the retina screen. Going back to an MBA would seem so wrong after just working a couple of days on the rMB. And then there’s the performance: i never felt a big performance drop while doing everyday tasks as editing in InDesign or surfing. However, I felt a difference whenever I needed to export a PDF or save a larger PSD-file. It wasn’t really bothersome so far, it would just take the rMB a few more seconds. And it’s definitely worth the compromise for having such a fantastic display. And for the temperature: I never felt it would be too warm while using it - or no big difference noticeable compared to the MBA.
 
Are you happy with your decision?
Do you notice a massive downgrade on the performance?
Hows the temperature on rMB on heavy usage?
Which model ? The base i5 1.6 Ghz with 4 Gb of RAM, you won't notice any difference.

I just switched a couple of days ago coming from an 11-inch MacBook Air i7 now on a rMB 1.3 Ghz. I wouldn’t consider myself a heavy user but still do a lot of InDesign and Photoshop being a graphic designer (and I own a rMBP for the heavy stuff). Overall i’m still overwhelmed with the retina screen. Going back to an MBA would seem so wrong after just working a couple of days on the rMB. And then there’s the performance: i never felt a big performance drop while doing everyday tasks as editing in InDesign or surfing. However, I felt a difference whenever I needed to export a PDF or save a larger PSD-file. It wasn’t really bothersome so far, it would just take the rMB a few more seconds. And it’s definitely worth the compromise for having such a fantastic display. And for the temperature: I never felt it would be too warm while using it - or no big difference noticeable compared to the MBA.
You had the 2.2 Ghz i7, very different from a Core M 1.3 Ghz ....
 
Yes 1.6ghz... Actually my worry is the temperature since rMB is fanless... And going to do some gaming on wineskin
 
Just curious... Do u think upgrading to 1.3ghz will make a significant improvement on the speed?
 
i would buy a macbook air or a macbook pro over a retina macbook any day

And I would (and have done) the exact opposite... As stated a lot of times, it's all about what your usage needs are ... I jumped on the 1,2 512 Space Grey model and couldn't be happier.. This is a fantastic little machine and just the fact that it's fan-less (and haven't been anywhere near as hot as my late 2011 MBP with fans) is a beauty!
 
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Yes, we have both 11" & 13" Air`s (2011 1.4) I find the 12" rMB vastly superior for my needs, as an ultraportable. The Air may have more flexibility, however the display is nothing short of tragic.

I did consider picking up a 2015 max`d i7 11" Air, however as Apple still employs the same poor quality TN panel, I rapidly discarded the idea in favour of a 1.2 Retina MacBook, which is now my primary travel NoteBook, nor have I found the rMB to be disappointing in any shape or form.

Q-6
 
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i would rather buy the baseline macbook pro then a retina macbook same price with more ports and better specs.
 
I had an 11'' air and now have the rMB.

The rMB is much better..

The screen and size difference is improved, and the port issue isn't an issue for me. The $20 usb dongle easily fixes the port issue for me.

The "underpowered" complaint is greatly exaggerated.

I have safari open with 3 tabs, skim with 2 big PDFs, Sibelius open and playing a midi file I'm working on, office with a word document, and an anatomy app open and modeling muscle groups - I'm with high 80% to low 90% system idle..on a base config rMB and its smooth.

My experience going from reading the complaints about it being "just a phone" and underpowered - to actually buying one and using one - have been very, very different.

I really wouldn't trust posters who don't have one and haven't used the latest update on it, based on my experience..
 
I had an 11'' air and now have the rMB.

The rMB is much better..

The screen and size difference is improved, and the port issue isn't an issue for me. The $20 usb dongle easily fixes the port issue for me.

The "underpowered" complaint is greatly exaggerated.

I have safari open with 3 tabs, skim with 2 big PDFs, Sibelius open and playing a midi file I'm working on, office with a word document, and an anatomy app open and modeling muscle groups - I'm with high 80% to low 90% system idle..on a base config rMB and its smooth.

My experience going from reading the complaints about it being "just a phone" and underpowered - to actually buying one and using one - have been very, very different.

I really wouldn't trust posters who don't have one and haven't used the latest update on it, based on my experience..

Sums up my experience with the machine as well... This is a very capable Mac all around... Only thing it really lacks, is the GPU to do gaming etc. but I don't use it for that, so no problem here...
 
Just got my rMB today... I returned my air11 for this...
I found out that smc fancontrol is not working on this... I dunno if because theres no fan... Istat pro also after installing not working...
I settle with istat menu for monitoring temperature...

I dont find any downgrade on the speed... Feels snappy...
 
Just got my rMB today... I returned my air11 for this...
I found out that smc fancontrol is not working on this... I dunno if because theres no fan... Istat pro also after installing not working...
I settle with istat menu for monitoring temperature...

I dont find any downgrade on the speed... Feels snappy...

Lol probably because there isn't a fan..

Why are you monitoring the temperature
and stats? It isn't a workhorse computer that you'll be pushing and needing to monitor stats.

Use activity monitor if you need to, but I would relax with the monitoring software and just use it.
 
Hmmm i want to see how the fanless technology behaves...
And im doing some gaming also i want to compare the temperature to the macbook air 11....
Screen is so lovely its miles away from the mac air....

Im still adjusting to keyboard... I find it a bit too flat lol... Sometimes i dont feel the push haha...
Mac air's keyboard is a bit spongy...
 
Hmmm i want to see how the fanless technology behaves...
And im doing some gaming also i want to compare the temperature to the macbook air 11....
Screen is so lovely its miles away from the mac air....

Im still adjusting to keyboard... I find it a bit too flat lol... Sometimes i dont feel the push haha...
Mac air's keyboard is a bit spongy...

Use Intel Power Gadget for CPU temp works with no issue on rMB, SMC Fan Control, won't be updated for the rMB as theres no purpose.

Q-6
 
I can recommend the iStat Nano for your dashboard... Shows some simple stats like network in/out and other details you might want to know about
 
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