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choosing the right MBP...

thematt

thematt

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 19, 2010
96
5
so i had the 2010 entry level 13in MBP but she sadly died in June. i've been able to FINALLY save up enough money to replace her but am nervous about making a decision.

while most of the world has grown past DVDs and CDs, i'm one of those old timers who cant give up physical CDs/DVDs for digital versions just yet so i'm thinking i'll buy the 13in MBP that still includes the disc drive.

i don't game or edit video so honestly the hardest task the computer will have is streaming music and netflix and holding onto my iTunes library/Photo library.

after customizing a few things i've pretty much decided on the following:
  • 2.9GHz Dual-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz
  • 8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM — 2x4GB
  • 1TB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
  • SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
  • Backlit Keyboard (English) & User's Guide
  • Accessory Kit
i'm really bummed out that i won't have the retina display but for $1500 i think this would be a pretty solid computer and last me a while. i just wish i was a little more technology smart so i could make perfect decisions for myself. haha. do you guys think this would be good for a average everyday computer user? i don't do anything crazy so i'm pretty sure it'll fit my needs perfectly.
 
How often do you use the DVD/CD drive?

Buy the retina display machine and spend $30 on a 3rd party external DVD drive for those times you will need it.

If you use a DVD/CD drive quite a bit, spend more money on a full sized external unit.

---

Got both types of drives a small cheap bus powered one, and a large external unit.

Prefer either of these to the slot loading drives Apple sells/uses.

---

Speaking of not giving up old tech, I bought a ethernet adapter, LG DVD drive, and a Sabrent-FTDI serial adapter for my new retina MacBook Pro.

Been using the serial adapter, and likely will need the ethernet adapter and lug around the DVD drive until some old machines get phased out at work.
 
Last edited:
thematt said:
while most of the world has grown past DVDs and CDs, i'm one of those old timers who cant give up physical CDs/DVDs for digital versions just yet so i'm thinking i'll buy the 13in MBP that still includes the disc drive.
Click to expand...

As someone else already noted, you can use an external DVD drive. Aside from the retina screen, the new rMBP models have faster RAM, GPU and SSD. They also have better battery life.

  • 2.9GHz Dual-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz
  • 8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM — 2x4GB
  • 1TB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
Click to expand...
I wouldn't spend the extra on the CPU upgrade. There isn't going to be a noticeable improvement.

You can upgrade the RAM yourself, but for your uses, 4GB is probably fine.

The HDD is also upgradeable. Pick up a stock 2.5GHz/4GB/500GB model and upgrade the HDD yourself later.

Or go with a retina model. They're pretty damn nice.
 
Yep, as others said a retina (refurbed to save money) and an external DVD drive is a much better option at this stage.
 
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thematt said:
so i had the 2010 entry level 13in MBP but she sadly died in June. i've been able to FINALLY save up enough money to replace her but am nervous about making a decision.

while most of the world has grown past DVDs and CDs, i'm one of those old timers who cant give up physical CDs/DVDs for digital versions just yet so i'm thinking i'll buy the 13in MBP that still includes the disc drive.

i don't game or edit video so honestly the hardest task the computer will have is streaming music and netflix and holding onto my iTunes library/Photo library.

after customizing a few things i've pretty much decided on the following:
  • 2.9GHz Dual-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz
  • 8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM — 2x4GB
  • 1TB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
  • SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
  • Backlit Keyboard (English) & User's Guide
  • Accessory Kit
i'm really bummed out that i won't have the retina display but for $1500 i think this would be a pretty solid computer and last me a while. i just wish i was a little more technology smart so i could make perfect decisions for myself. haha. do you guys think this would be good for a average everyday computer user? i don't do anything crazy so i'm pretty sure it'll fit my needs perfectly.
Click to expand...
I'd buy a base model 13" that would be way faster than this nearing-on-4-years-old machine, and a $20 external DVD drive.
 
I have basically the same MBP you are looking to get except, over the years, I replaced the HDD with a SSD and put the HDD in the superdrive bay and use that HDD for iTunes and Photos and other storage. I still have an external Superdrive I use from when I had a MBAir for when I need it, which isn't often. I bought this MBP back in 2013 to save money from buying the Retina MBP at the time.

If I was buying a new one today, I would get the retina version and get an external cd/dvd drive.
 
You're the only one who can decide what you want... You're going to find very strong opinions in here with regard to that machine, it doesn't mean any of them are right (or wrong, they're just opinions). If you prefer to have an internal SuperDrive, then that's your preference and you should just go for it.

Personally... I'd go for a refurbed unit, if possible. At the very least, I'd grab a stock unit and upgrade the ram myself - much cheaper. Skip the i7 upgrade... You're not going to notice that much of a difference. Two cores are two cores.
 
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