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anyone max out their retina mbp?

ajumbaje

ajumbaje

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jan 30, 2005
358
0
VA
Im looking at getting a new macbook pro since I feel my current 08 penryn mbp is going to become obsolete once the next os comes out. It has had a good run, but I need to save up for something new.

Did any of you max out your retina macbook pro(768gb ssd, 16gb ram, etc)? How have you felt so far about that purchase? I don't make a lot of money, but I feel that I can save up for a laptop that will keep me running another 4-5 years with no real issues.

Did any of you decide to not go ssd on a "current gen" mbp? Or are some of you waiting for ssd to drop in price? Right now, I have about 500 gb of space taken up in my hard drive.

Ill probably bootcamp my next computer since Im gonna hopefully start a masters in geography program next fall(ma/ms) and get arcgis back on it
 
Just how much of the 500GB of data do you really need at all times?

Do that first, then ask whether you'll see yourself needing more than 512GB - Apple's online configs do not allow more storage space on the base model.
 
Miy maxed out rMBP is on order. I order one for the wife on Friday (tax free weekend). You bet this are expensive machines. But for our photo trips they are ideal.

We already have Apple Care ($100 less per copy at B&H) so we will keep them for at least 3 years. By maxing out the CPU and memory there is a good chance we will not think these are antiques at the end of Apple Care. ;)
 
This is just my take on it, but in your case I'd just buy a base or maybe the 2.6ghz/512 model and then with the cost savings over the $4k+ maxed out rMBP you can buy a really nice external hard drive.
 
People are generally packrats when it comes to data storage.

Over the years I figured about a few terabytes of the same data in various forms and versions all over the place, not knowing about any of them until I started going through them last month while loading up the NAS (not including the hundreds of photographs sitting in boxes, and pounds of paper i might need in case the taxman cometh).

About half of that amount ended up getting thrown out.

The thing is, 768GB for another $500 over the 512GB is too expensive for not a lot of additional storage and not a lot of intangible speed 'improvements', as opposed to $500 for 2.7 and double RAM where at least the difference can be measured.
 
Right now, my external serves as a time machine backup. I assume I can use the extra space to keep photos there. I'll have to go through and see what I have. Lots of music, movies, and tv shows. I hope transferring stuff over like music and movies won't mess up my iCloud syncing
 
Seeing as how a maxed out retina is almost $4k I think you would be better off getting the model you need for today, and then 2 years later sell it, and buy the newer generation. You'd probably break even, or even save money doing it that way. The benefit there is you'd have an upgrade sooner than 4-5 years.
 
I maxed out mine. Sure it is a lot of money, but you get what you pay for. The most expensive thing is the SSD. The fact that it is not upgradable made the choice for me.
 
JronMasteR said:
I maxed out mine. Sure it is a lot of money, but you get what you pay for. The most expensive thing is the SSD. The fact that it is not upgradable made the choice for me.
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That's why I'm looking at getting 16gb ram
 
I went for everything EXCEPT I opted for the 512GB Flash Storage. The price/GB is too high on the maximized drive, plus I didn't need anymore than that. Very happy with it at this moment.
 
Auzburner said:
I went for everything EXCEPT I opted for the 512GB Flash Storage. The price/GB is too high on the maximized drive, plus I didn't need anymore than that. Very happy with it at this moment.
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This.

Besides the fact that 768GB isn't going to be any faster than 512GB due to the hardware being used. 1TB SSDs for $500 in a few years isn't entirely out of the question. Over $600 for the 512GB option is already too much to swallow, never mind $1100+ for 768GB...
 
I don't understand the point of maxing out your retina for longevity.

If you simply went with 2.3/16GB/256GB you could buy ANOTHER LAPTOP in 2 years when your first laptop feels "dated". In that scenario, your new laptop would be even faster and have even more RAM/SDD space then your first laptop since prices will drop and technology will improve.

Unless you 100% need 2.7GHz, there really isn't much need to go beyond 2.6/16/512. The rest is just fluff that will make little to no difference. Just look at the geekbench scores. Only a 300 point difference between the 2.6 and 2.7 which equates to about a ~3% increase in power for a ~10% increase in price.

I have no idea how you justify 768 vs 512GB. Especially when you can buy 128GB USB 3.0 flash drives for <$200. Otherwise get a nice portable external drive, which will save you close to $400 and get you a ton more space.

If you're rolling in it, then go for it. But do you really need any of this? Is any of it really justified? Not really. If you're buying professionally, get a mid-grade system now and buy another mid-grade system in 2 years. You'll be laughing at the guy who bought a maxed out version now since your's will most likely be faster, less expensive and have more storage.
 
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I think $500 for the 2.3 > 2.6 Ghz (approx 20% speed increase) and 256 > 512 Gb SSD (doubling storage capacity) is reasonable. I also paid the extra $200 for 16Gb since it is non-upgradeable from 8Gb, plus with 16Gb there is absolutely no need for a swap file - which I disabled - which saves some space on the SSD.

On the other hand, I think the cost to upgrade from 2.6 > 2.7 Ghz and from 512 > 768Gb is way too high. Unless you have nothing else to spend the money on, I'd forgo both these overpriced options. The SSD is potentially upgradeable in the future, too.
 
beamer8912 said:
I don't understand the point of maxing out your retina for longevity.

If you simply went with 2.3/16GB/256GB you could buy ANOTHER LAPTOP in 2 years when your first laptop feels "dated". In that scenario, your new laptop would be even faster and have even more RAM/SDD space then your first laptop since prices will drop and technology will improve.

Unless you 100% need 2.7GHz, there really isn't much need to go beyond 2.6/16/512. The rest is just fluff that will make little to no difference. Just look at the geekbench scores. Only a 300 point difference between the 2.6 and 2.7 which equates to about a ~3% increase in power for a ~10% increase in price.

I have no idea how you justify 768 vs 512GB. Especially when you can buy 128GB USB 3.0 flash drives for <$200. Otherwise get a nice portable external drive, which will save you close to $400 and get you a ton more space.

If you're rolling in it, then go for it. But do you really need any of this? Is any of it really justified? Not really. If you're buying professionally, get a mid-grade system now and buy another mid-grade system in 2 years. You'll be laughing at the guy who bought a maxed out version now since your's will most likely be faster, less expensive and more storage.
Click to expand...

I completely agree. If Travelers Insurance didn't buy me this rMBP, I'd have gotten the 2.6/16/512, if that...
 
ajumbaje said:
That's why I'm looking at getting 16gb ram
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If you don't HAVE to have the retina display, a refurbished high res 2011 model would be safe choice:

1. Max out the ram to 16 gigs for under $100.

2. Stick with the stock 750 gig 5400 rpm drive if you value space and savings over speed, or find a good deal on a crucial m4 or samsung 830 512 gb drive for 4-500! (Less than half what apple charges for a similar upgrade to the classics.) Or wait it out for another year to see if SSD capacities continue to rise while their prices fall.
 
If you feel that your 08 macbook pro is gonna be obsolete on the next OS upgrade... Is the only reason you are buying a max out rMBP. Why not wait until that day happen. Im pretty sure a new rMBP will come out with a better specs, Most likely a cheaper than the Rev A rMBP with max out config right now. But if you need/want to upgrade now. Then go ahead, I heard the base model is good enough for most people.
 
Honestly, a 2.6/512GB/16GB should last you for 4-5 years. External storage is cheap and will only get cheaper. There isn't a huge difference between 2.6 to 2.7 and upgrade to 16GB is fairly inexpensive.
 
Maxed mine...but that is because I got the edu discount had $500 towards it from another source..plus it was the only 16GB version the Apple Store had in stock and needed one so all those piled up to make me pull the trigger.

Was it needed, nah. Do I like it...YES!

I also tend to forget external drives all of the time and now I do not have to worry about that ;)
 
mykelala01 said:
If you feel that your 08 macbook pro is gonna be obsolete on the next OS upgrade... Is the only reason you are buying a max out rMBP. Why not wait until that day happen. Im pretty sure a new rMBP will come out with a better specs, Most likely a cheaper than the Rev A rMBP with max out config right now. But if you need/want to upgrade now. Then go ahead, I heard the base model is good enough for most people.
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Not upgrading now, maybe this time next year. Just getting a feel for what people think now
 
I was glad to see that you were going to be waiting until next year.

Honestly, the retina pros this year are very underwhelming. While the screen is gorgeous, the ivy bridge processors are just not up to the task of powering such a high resolution display completely smoothly.

I had a retina. I now have a regular 15 inch pro, and I could not be happier. People will say that the retina does not lag, this and that, but it does. A lot of people try to justify their purchase even though they know they spent a lot of money on something that will be so much better next year with the Haswell processor revision.

Do not buy a maxed out retina pro right now. Wait for the true power of the haswell processors that will come next year. I purchased my 2012 Macbook Pro 15 inch, and will sell it next year to get a retina. But for now, I am much happier with this decision.
 
I almost pulled the trigger on a maxed out one or a 2.6/16/768 but in the end I am going to go for the 2.6/16/512 as I would rather use that $500 savings for a synology NAS or some other external storage. I figure I will upgrade in 2 years and reevaluate my storage needs then.
 
SeanZy said:
I was glad to see that you were going to be waiting until next year.

Honestly, the retina pros this year are very underwhelming. While the screen is gorgeous, the ivy bridge processors are just not up to the task of powering such a high resolution display completely smoothly.

I had a retina. I now have a regular 15 inch pro, and I could not be happier. People will say that the retina does not lag, this and that, but it does. A lot of people try to justify their purchase even though they know they spent a lot of money on something that will be so much better next year with the Haswell processor revision.

Do not buy a maxed out retina pro right now. Wait for the true power of the haswell processors that will come next year. I purchased my 2012 Macbook Pro 15 inch, and will sell it next year to get a retina. But for now, I am much happier with this decision.
Click to expand...


Another smart move, straight from the horse's mouth.
 
Why would they make the 2.7 if there really wasn't a difference? (Profit seems like a weak argument just because Apple is already the most profitable company in the U.S. pretty much)

Really I would like to know because I am thinking about downgrading. ($250 really not that much from the 2.6 but is it really that unnoticeable?)
 
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