Well, I've been saving up for a really long time, to replace my mid 2008 Macbook, which I've been ending its life faster and faster as it can't keep up with my needs, and my new hobbys, and I have my heart completely set on the cMBP 15". I would go into reasons why I want it more than a rMBP, but I'll get to the point. The cMBP runs on the quad-core i7. Should I buy it now? Or do you guys think I should wait until 2013, and get the new one. My fear, is that all together, they will get rid of the cMBP line once the next macbook comes out, and the rMBP is over 1K out of my budget, as my needs require at least 500GB of space, and a SSD is way too expensive, on top of that, I want the max ram possible, just because I know I'll never be able to change it. The next Macbook Pro line is said to have upgraded processors, but do any of you think that they will upgrade the cMBP line with the new processors, or just get rid of the line, or leave it as is? And another question, how much better IS the new rumored processor?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Buy now or wait? (cMBP 15")
- Thread starter Slayergramp
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
That is so ridiculously unhelpful, that it pisses me off. Read my full post before you suggest something that you can sure bet the guy has already read.
I think they will keep the cMBP's around until the retina versions drop to the same price or extremely close (+$100). So unless they cut $400 (i think) off the base 15" i doubt they will drop the cMBP. I think they still sell a lot of them.
I'm not sure about your other questions, but I think I read somewhere the increase in computing power in the new CPUs will be quite nice.
I'm not sure about your other questions, but I think I read somewhere the increase in computing power in the new CPUs will be quite nice.
The problem is that even if the base price of the rMBP drops to that of the cMBP, Apple's ssd and RAM upgrade costs are much steeper than the third party RAM and hdd options available with the cMBP. If I was the OP, I'd go ahead and buy the cMBP now. I wouldn't be surprised if it was dropped next year.
Why can't you upgrade to 16gb of RAM? I need 16 gb of RAM and I also need a new cMBP to replace my 2008 MBP that is dying a slow death. do I have to have add the RAM myself if I want that much? anybody know how much RAM the current MBP can hold?
No. If you don't have any decent input then just don't post. That first post you made was pretty pathetic and this last on wasn't any better.
I'd expect them to wait until the retina macbook pro can be offered below $2000 with the 13" around $1500. If they can't kick it beneath some kind of price barrier in a stock configuration, I expect the classic versions to remain. It's also a matter of display process yields. No one can predict this perfectly. They might also start to introduce refurbished rmbps late in the cycle, so this generation provides a lower cost of entry as the next comes out. It's possible. Anyway they updated the cMBP here. There's no reason for Apple to leave it on an older process. This year that was basically all it received. They updated cpu and gpu. Ports, internal design, display, and everything else remained identical to the prior year.
There really is no good reason to exceed your budget by $1000. Neither is "future proofed" by it. I'd probably look at refurbished 15" options to keep the cost as low as possible. In reference to those, we probably won't see a new mbp prior to mid summer. Desktop cpus are released first. If they continue with the current pricing strategy, refurbished pricing will be around $1359 on the lowest 15" closer to the refresh. Right now a 2011 15" starts at $1359 with a 2012 starting at $1529. An early 2011 starts around $1220 when they're available. I don't recall the pricing drop being precisely aligned with the refresh. At some point in the next 6 months, you're likely to see a $170 or so drop on the refurbished 2012. Sometimes third party retailers offer better pricing, but this is in line with what to expect.
Figure Haswell desktop comes out around March. Apple will postpone the imac and mini until after the notebook releases. Notebook chips will be closer to mid year. The 10W chips early in Q1 are Ivy Bridge ULV chips. Anyway somewhere around June to July is a likely estimate, around the one year mark. I don't care what the buyer's guide says. This is likely to align with the availability of appropriate chips. I expect the lower end machines will once again see the nicest gains due to their dependence on the state of integrated graphics.
Keep in mind I'm still speculating, and release cycles could change up a bit.
cMBP
I suspect this will be the last cMBP iteration. It can take 16GB of RAM. If you need to be able to open the case (e.g. to replace the CD with a second SSD) or need the current anti-glare screen etc, it remains a very good option.
However none of us know the mind of Apple and if you need a computer now, then the future becomes less relevant.
A refurb 2011 with 3rd party RAM & SSD can be a much cheaper option with the only disadvantage of no USB3, but be a more balanced system if you can't afford a new MBP with Apple SSD
Hope this helps.
I suspect this will be the last cMBP iteration. It can take 16GB of RAM. If you need to be able to open the case (e.g. to replace the CD with a second SSD) or need the current anti-glare screen etc, it remains a very good option.
However none of us know the mind of Apple and if you need a computer now, then the future becomes less relevant.
A refurb 2011 with 3rd party RAM & SSD can be a much cheaper option with the only disadvantage of no USB3, but be a more balanced system if you can't afford a new MBP with Apple SSD
Hope this helps.
It can take 16GB of ram with no problem, even all SandyBridge quad-cores (That means last three generations) can.
Apples RAM prices are ridiculous anyway.
I think they are going to drop the cMBP the next time they update the retina.
Perhaps they will follow they same pattern as they do with iPhones and iPads and just offer the old Retina with a price slash. They are doing a lot of things similar on the OS front and general direction, why not marketing?
But I think the most likely scenario is that they'll introduce another lower-end 15" retina - my best bet is (because haswell is going to have a much better graphic card and power rating) that the low-end retina of the next generation will lack a discrete GPU.
The new processors is fundamentally better at power-rating and GPU. The raw processing power will not be as big of a leap as it was from C2D to Nehalem. But better power-rating means that in the next iteration (Broadwell) we might see a 6core setup for the Macbook Pro.
That said, I believe the first candidate for update after Haswell is Macbook Air...
The things Haswell brings to the table just make sense for MBA.http://i1-news.softpedia-static.com...Get-Detailed-in-Series-of-Leaked-Slides-7.jpg
My dreams: If apple were smart they'd rip out the optical drive from the cMBP, extend the logic board and slap on 680GTX and add another CPU. There is enough space in the optical bay for both + extra cooling.
It would still be the thinnest laptop and it would be screaming. But apple wont do that. not their style.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6355/intels-haswell-architecture
this is a good article on it.
Last edited:
I just don't see it dropping that much $$$ this year. $500 for the 13" and $400 for the 15", I just don't see it happening this year (that would be a H U G E price cut) when they can keep the price the same and upgrade some internals for another year or two.
But having said that this years MBP's are reallllyyy good, and if bought I think would suit you a looong time. As you can always put 16gb of ram in, have a disc drive or replace it with another hard drive
.
Even if they kill the cMBP line you can always buy the left over stock at retailers and usually at a discount too.
If you need a computer now though then go for it. There is plenty of power to be had with the current generation and you can keep upgrading storage and ram as and when needed. After all these machines support 32GB of RAM and storage/SSD prices keep falling.
If you need a computer now though then go for it. There is plenty of power to be had with the current generation and you can keep upgrading storage and ram as and when needed. After all these machines support 32GB of RAM and storage/SSD prices keep falling.
Eh, wait if your 2008 can soldier on a bit longer, especially if you're wallet's on the light side.
They'll either come out with a classic MBP with Haswell, or you'll be able to buy the 2012's refurbished or used for a tidy savings.
Take some of that savings and throw in 8 or 16 gigs of ram and a recent SSD, you'll be able to do that for 1/4 to 1/2 of what apple charges. You'll have a spiffy little machine that should last you for at least a couple of years, depending on your needs.
They'll either come out with a classic MBP with Haswell, or you'll be able to buy the 2012's refurbished or used for a tidy savings.
Take some of that savings and throw in 8 or 16 gigs of ram and a recent SSD, you'll be able to do that for 1/4 to 1/2 of what apple charges. You'll have a spiffy little machine that should last you for at least a couple of years, depending on your needs.
Based on what you guys have said (Which has been really, helpful, so thanks), I'm planning on buying the Macbook now. I would buy a refurb, but its not my style. I know a lot of you will heckle me for this, but its just SO much more satisfied when you open a box, and see a computer that no one in the word has used before you (Maybe like some tester guy for 5 minutes, but whatever). So anyways, based on what you guys have said, I would personally assume, that chances are, that they will keep the cMBP line next year, because there's no way the rMBP could drop $400 in a 4-6 month time span. I honestly have no clue whether or not that apple would upgrade it with Haswell, and if they did, I don't know if they would remove the 650m. Can anyone confirm if the 650m is an overall faster GPU than Haswell? On the wiki, it said Haswell has 2x faster integrated graphics, and I'm pretty sure the 650m is faster than 2x the speed of the 4000. The current cMBP is CRAZY fast, and I know as a fact, it'll blast through all my needs and wants without hesitation, and I doubt the new chip would even make a difference in my day to day life. Another point, is I can buy two 512GB, SSDs for less than what apple charges for 1 512gb, if that's what I need to do in a few years.
Really?
Next year if Apple drops the cMBP and only sells the rMBP, all of their stock of brand new cMBPs will most likely be marked as refurbished and sold at a discount.
If you need a new machine now, then get one now.
Stop worrying about what may come out in the future. Technology marches on and year after year advancements will always come.
Relative to the machine that you currently own, the 15" cMBP will be a beast and should last you a while. But like I said, if you need to upgrade, then do so. If you can wait then wait. I don't mean to come off as being harsh but.. that's essentially it. It isn't rocket science.
Stop worrying about what may come out in the future. Technology marches on and year after year advancements will always come.
Relative to the machine that you currently own, the 15" cMBP will be a beast and should last you a while. But like I said, if you need to upgrade, then do so. If you can wait then wait. I don't mean to come off as being harsh but.. that's essentially it. It isn't rocket science.
^This is really what every "Should I buy now?" thread boils down to. No one knows for certain what the future specs are or when the cMBP's will be dropped so it's a fairly pointless discussion. Take your concerns and prioritize them. Once you do you'll have you answer.