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Considering a rMBP, need some advice

R

rgr555

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Mar 8, 2012
274
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I'm a PC user that loves his iPad Retina and Apple designs so I'm considering buying the rMPB.

I'll be using it for Windows 7, Forex trading, Diablo 3, Starcraft 2, and media/movies, maybe some video editing. And of course all the good Apple apps. I will want to switch from Windows 7 to OSX through Parallels (I think thats what it is?)

My Questions:

1) Will I need 16gb RAM? I never had a problem with 8gb on my PC or older laptop, but I worry about Parallels memory usage.
2) What kind of issues have there been with the rMBP?
3) I will not get the extended warranty, is this a bad move?
PLS SEE POST #13 for more questions

btw I am not interested in the older MPB..need that Retina display. Any advice you guys who already own rMBP can give me will be appreciated.

Thanks
 
Last edited:
First off, I wouldn't plan on good gaming performance through Parallels, you need to dual boot through boot camp. Parallels is darn good for being virtualized but you will be at least halving performance.

I think 8gb is a safe bet for a few years. OSX is slim on memory so you can easily give your VM 2gb, I've run mine with 4gb no problem on my 8gb rMBP. Even big games aren't using a ton of memory, plus with the ultra-fast SSD, paging will be pretty quick.

The biggest issue reported is the screen having image retention issues. However from what I've seen, recent purchases are not having as many problems. I have the 'dreaded' LG screen and it's awesome. Aside from that you have a few quality control things here and there.

Hard to say on the warranty since this generation is only a couple months old. Typically electronics die soon or not for a long time with little in between. Also, AppleCare on the rMBP does not include accidental damage like the iPhone. That being said, a minor hardware issue will require an expensive repair. You know you can get the extended warranty anytime the first year of ownership right? No need to decide now.

The rMBP is my first Apple computer. I've never been a big fan, but damn this is a nice system. I've completely fallen in love with it.
 
rgr555 said:
I'm a PC user that loves his iPad Retina and Apple designs so I'm considering buying the rMPB.

I'll be using it for Windows 7, Forex trading, Diablo 3, Starcraft 2, and media/movies, maybe some video editing. And of course all the good Apple apps. I will want to switch from Windows 7 to OSX through Parallels (I think thats what it is?)

My Questions:

1) Will I need 16gb RAM? I never had a problem with 8gb on my PC or older laptop, but I worry about Parallels memory usage.
2) What kind of issues have there been with the rMBP?
3) I will not get the extended warranty, is this a bad move?

btw I am not interested in the older MPB..need that Retina display. Any advice you guys who already own rMBP can give me will be appreciated.

Thanks
Click to expand...

1) You don't need it, but it's probably advisable. I run parallels with only 8GB on the retina, it's just a matter of setting the properties for the virtual machine appropriately according to your available resources.

2) There are a few threads covering issues. Personally I've had two of them and neither have had any problems. One was a Samsung screen, my current is LG. LG screen is much brighter, haven't noticed anything else.

3) If you have an insurance policy that covers items such as laptops etc. I wouldn't bother with Applecare, as it doesn't cover accidental damage and to be honest, that's how most portables bite the dust.
 
If you buy games you will either have to use a Windows emulator or create a partition for Boot Camp because there are severe issues with the Macintosh versions. I honestly cannot play SC2 on the Mac without suffering decreased performance, gamma issues (Apple's fault), and other disappointing issues.

But I love this machine and I have been a PC guy my entire life.
 
1) You probably won't need 16GB of RAM, but keep in mind that the RAM isn't upgradable. I have a 16GB in my rMBP, & I've seen free RAM go down to about 286MB of free RAM. I was trans-coding large video files [over 6GB], Windows & FreeBSD VMs are up next for me.

2) Mine makes a slight creaking sound sometimes if I use it on my lap. I have a LG screen in mines & its perfect, but some have reported image retention (temporary screen-burn, Kinda like CRT monitors).

3) You have up to a year to decide if you want to buy an Apple Care warranty. I'm gonna hold off for now & see how it holds up.
 
If you have the extra funds you ought to go with 16GB memory as it is not upgradeable and will help with virtualization. A lot of reported issues with the rMBP, mostly related to the screen and battery life - I would not let those bother you as users are more likely to post about disappointment as opposed to satisfaction. I usually advise a warranty as these computers are expensive items and if something goes wrong you'll end up kicking yourself for not investing in the protection that the warranty offers - better safe than sorry.
 
Thanks for the informative responses.

Boot camp sounds like what I need, not parallels.
 
Cassadian said:
Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3 don't even play on my Mac. Honestly it sucks. It has native support but Windows performance shows 3-4x more FPS. Going from 15-40 FPS to 100-150 FPS.

----------




You don't have an iPhone....

Gestures. Gestures. Gestures. Gestures.

LOL!
Click to expand...

They play just fine on the machine in question - since we're able to be objective instead of subjective.
 
Cassadian said:
Starcraft 2 and Diablo 3 don't even play on my Mac. Honestly it sucks. It has native support but Windows performance shows 3-4x more FPS. Going from 15-40 FPS to 100-150 FPS.

----------




You don't have an iPhone....

Gestures. Gestures. Gestures. Gestures.

LOL!
Click to expand...

It is not open vs closed, it is fragmented vs integrated...

It is just a $50 cable from apple...

Ouuuuuu, you didn't get applecare...

I mean I hated the guy but I couldn't hate him too much because he is a fellow mac user...

LOL :D
 
Hey..after some more reading there might be issues with screens. I also have some other questions.

1) Is Samsung the better screen over the LG?
2) Are there model numbers that are better than others? (10.8.1?)
3) If I buy used, there should be no issues with warranty right?
4) If I buy used, do I have to transfer any information from the previous owner? What if I decide to add more warranty?

Thanks
 
1) Neither screen is really "better" than the other.
2) 10.8.1 is an OS version, not a model number of a laptop. The model number has no effect on how well it performs.
3) It depends if the previous owner had AppleCare to determine how long the warranty is, but any rMBP that you buy will still be within the 1 yr original warranty.
4) If you purchased a used machine, the hard drive will most likely be wiped already by its previous owner, but you can play around in Disk Utility first before transferring your files. As far as I know you can take up the extended warranty anytime before the original 1 yr warranty ends.
 
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