I'm very close to ordering my rMBP but I am completely torn as to whether to get the dGPU. Because I want the 16GB ram and 512GB configuration the dGPU isn't going to cost any more so money isn't a decision making factor. After searching the forum I'm concerned about potential failure in the future, louder fan noise, more heat and shorter battery life. I will be using photoshop and editing hi def video, although these won't be daily tasks, so I think I will benefit from having it but on the other hand I think I won't have any issues using just the Iris Pro and of the 750m could potentially cause me more problems than benefits I could be better to just not get it?
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Can the GT 750m be problematic/a battery life drain?
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Editing hi-def video and photoshop doesn't require discrete graphics beyond the Iris Pro.
The Iris Pro has better battery life in Windows under Boot Camp and is also more eGPU friendly.
Nando4 suspects that this is the reason why a maxed out Iris Pro costs the same as a GT750M, because if cost really is no factor to you, a maxed out Iris Pro would give you much better application of a Thunderbolt enabled eGPU (It allows you the use of the internal LCD).
An eGPU is not something I think I will ever have an interest in using so again I wouldn't really consider that I deciding factor, I do appreciate the advice though.
I have a 2.6/16/1TB/750M model and battery life is very good by forcing the rMBP into Iris-only with gfxcardstatus.
As I don't really Boot Camp or use external displays, I always leave the GPU in Iris-only.
If I connect it to an external display or play Battlefield 4 on it (these two will force the GPU into the 750M, as the TB ports are not physically connected to the Iris Pro, and Boot Camp does not recognize the Iris Pro), the rMBP would be plugged in anyway, so battery life is the last thing on my mind when doing these two
I have a 2.6/16/1TB/750M model and battery life is very good by forcing the rMBP into Iris-only with gfxcardstatus.
As I don't really Boot Camp or use external displays, I always leave the GPU in Iris-only.
If I connect it to an external display or play Battlefield 4 on it (these two will force the GPU into the 750M, as the TB ports are not physically connected to the Iris Pro, and Boot Camp does not recognize the Iris Pro), the rMBP would be plugged in anyway, so battery life is the last thing on my mind when doing these two
Thanks for that, I do plan on using an external HDMI monitor a lot but like you said, the machine will be plugged in so battery life won't matter.
Is it easy to use gfxcardstatus or is it fiddly? Do you need to switch it on each time we restart or does it remember and you can just forget about it until next time you need the graphics card.
I may plan to use bootcamp down the line but it certainly wouldn't be for any extensive periods of time or very regularly so I'm not too concerned with that.
Thanks for all the great info!
It's very easy to use gfxcardstatus.
When you startup the computer and login, just remember to click on gfxcardstatus in the menu bar (you can set it to open up immediately after login) in order to set it to Iris-only, NVIDIA-only or Dynamic Switching (uses either one depending on software).
It's worth noting that if you forget to force it into Iris-only upon login and then use a software that uses the NVIDIA card, you have to quit that software first before having gfxcardstatus to force it into Iris-only, and then re-opening the software again to use it in Iris-only mode.
1. There are no widespread 750m failures, so this is pure speculation. The Iris Pro could be less reliable than the 750m actually (however nobody knows the failure rates).
2. Fan noise is not relevant. If the fans activate when using the 750m, so will the Iris Pro. In theory the fans of the Iris Pro actually have to work harder since they have to cool 1 area at which the CPU + iGPU is located instead of separately cooling the CPU & dGPU.
3. They have the same battery life, the 750m also has the Iris Pro onboard which you can manually switch to.
I know this is an old thread but the 750m itself could be fine but the solder that is used to hold the dGPU in place could be in question. Just like the 2011 MBP's issue.