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Decided to buy my first Mac

A

asuka99

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 10, 2013
10
0
so i got this lenovo g550 (very no frills) right before i went away for school in dec 2009. now it's been awhile and i kind of want to upgrade to something.

i have an ipad2 and an iphone5 so i figured i would buy a retina macbook pro just to complete the circle, lol

mostly use my pc for internet/itunes/watching movies but i think if i got something nicer i might want to play a few games

at this point i'm thinking the 15" rmbp 2.7ghz 16 gb ram 512 gb storage

i'm not sure if haswell will come out soon, or be a really big upgrade but at the same time i really dont feel like waiting around until the next machines come out because i kind of wanna get myself something nice for passing all my boards (hopefully, grades pending and fingers crossed haha)

unsure if i should use bts discount + education discount or look elsewhere b/c i dont really buy too many ibooks/apps and stuff like that.

does this sound like a good machine to get for the next 2+ years ?
 
Do not wait for the next model, 15" GPU increase will be low and it doesn't sound like anything new will benefit you. Get a refurbished from Apple if possible, they are much cheaper but you wont get the EDU discount or gift card.

The computer will last you 4 years.



Oh yea...inb4 "If you keep waiting for the latest tech you will never get a computer" and garbage like that.
 
asuka99 said:
at this point i'm thinking the 15" rmbp 2.7ghz 16 gb ram 512 gb storage

does this sound like a good machine to get for the next 2+ years ?
Click to expand...

for basic use, yes, most definitally 2 years.. like above said 4 is what you should expect.

I'm ordering the same machine shortly, also not willing to wait for haswell, and I plan to use it for the next 5 years. I'll be replacing the battery (200$) in a few years when it under preforms.

but yeah, you'll be more than happy. & iCloud on your 3 devices will be great (if u use notes, reminders, and that sort of stuff.)
 
get a pc if playing a few games is actually important. People are going to come in and tell you all about how wonderful and fast their games play but...
 
Get One

I have a 15" rMBP from when they first came out last year, and it's doing fine, still smoking most new laptops even though it's a year old. That machine sounds fine. Try to use education store. that's what i did and got $200 off + $100 itunes gift card. Just enter any school, they don't do anything to check or make you prove it
 
I am in the same boat! Just got that exact model of rmbp. Far to powerful for what I need but at least I can't do the buyer remorse thing in 6 months if I do something tasking.

I was windows all the way but with being a big iOS user decided to jump on the mac bandwagon. Only had it a day so far and a big learning curve but to be honest......it's very iOS like. No doubt that upsets the mac purists but it is engaging new users like us.
 
I think the 15inch and even the 2.7GHz is way too overkill for something like internet/watching videos/playing a few games.

If you wait till Haswell and get the 13inch rMBP, you would get a iGPU pretty much similar to the 650M which can tackle a lot of games AND you would say a significant amount of money, plus it would be easier to carry around.
 
i have the 15 rmbp and think longer than 2 years. maybe 4-5 years. iv played crysis 3, the new tomb raider, grid 2, hand full of others all on mid settings some mid high settings. and mid settings is like xbox 360 so if u happy gaming like xbox 360 stuff looks good on this laptop. its not the best gaming laptop out there but i didnt buy this laptop with gaming as number 1 priority. but i wont lie its nice that i can play all of todays games at lest on mid so be another year or two before i have to drop from mid/high to mid/low then another year or two after that low but it well still look like the 360 or better right now i think.

plus if u do like movies and u are a avid movie watcher that likes hd movies the retina is just as nice as a hdtv. now even tho it has more pixels than a hdtv it has to because your closer to the screen so its like having a 1080p screen in your laptop quality wise. awesome to watch blue rays in
 
Last edited:
asuka99 said:
so i got this lenovo g550 (very no frills) right before i went away for school in dec 2009. now it's been awhile and i kind of want to upgrade to something.

i have an ipad2 and an iphone5 so i figured i would buy a retina macbook pro just to complete the circle, lol

mostly use my pc for internet/itunes/watching movies but i think if i got something nicer i might want to play a few games

at this point i'm thinking the 15" rmbp 2.7ghz 16 gb ram 512 gb storage

i'm not sure if haswell will come out soon, or be a really big upgrade but at the same time i really dont feel like waiting around until the next machines come out because i kind of wanna get myself something nice for passing all my boards (hopefully, grades pending and fingers crossed haha)

unsure if i should use bts discount + education discount or look elsewhere b/c i dont really buy too many ibooks/apps and stuff like that.

does this sound like a good machine to get for the next 2+ years ?
Click to expand...

That is a good choice in my opinion, go for it, there are many good deals out there (Mac refurbished, check also MacMall, Best Buy returns and Ebay if don't want to pay full retail).
 
I think the 15" rMBP is a great machine and recommend it highly.The 512SSD makes it a pricey purchase however.
 
GermanyChris said:
get a pc if playing a few games is actually important. People are going to come in and tell you all about how wonderful and fast their games play but...
Click to expand...

when i was a heavy gamer, yes

i used to build my own pc's with nice video cards and processors and what not

but now i'm in school and kind of dont really play any games, but i would like the option to, so its nice to know the mac can at least do that

my lenovo can barely stream youtube at this point !!

----------
Watabou said:
I think the 15inch and even the 2.7GHz is way too overkill for something like internet/watching videos/playing a few games.

If you wait till Haswell and get the 13inch rMBP, you would get a iGPU pretty much similar to the 650M which can tackle a lot of games AND you would say a significant amount of money, plus it would be easier to carry around.
Click to expand...

this is true but i dont really have any problems carrying around a 15 inch laptop

i'm a 6'3 200lbs dude. even if it is a little bulky, its def not bigger/heavier than my lenovo that i have now

also i want a bigger screen. and like i said before, i really dont wanna wait for haswell. i kind of wanna "treat myself" if that makes any sense, for nearing the end of my schooling !
 
asuka99 said:
i'm a 6'3 200lbs dude
Click to expand...

Get an iMac. Portability won't be an issue for you... :D

imac-is-so-portable-now.jpg
 
A Hebrew said:
Oh yea...inb4 "If you keep waiting for the latest tech you will never get a computer" and garbage like that.
Click to expand...

That's the truth! We were sitting on the fence about buying the current rMBP, or waiting for the next. My IT guy told me just get the current model. He still has an ipad 2, and is waiting to see what the iPad 5 looks like before getting in line for one. ;)
 
FrankB1191 said:
That's the truth! We were sitting on the fence about buying the current rMBP, or waiting for the next. My IT guy told me just get the current model. He still has an ipad 2, and is waiting to see what the iPad 5 looks like before getting in line for one. ;)
Click to expand...

Yes, the moral of the story is: Do as I say, not as I do...
 
I got the same notebook (2.7GHZ, 512GB SSD, 16GB RAM) and plan on using it for the next 5 years ...possibly more. I do game very lightly and believe this hardware should cut it for that timeframe. However, we will see.
 
Voodoofreak said:
I got the same notebook (2.7GHZ, 512GB SSD, 16GB RAM) and plan on using it for the next 5 years ...possibly more. I do game very lightly and believe this hardware should cut it for that timeframe. However, we will see.
Click to expand...

im glad you got it !!

whered you buy it from? shopping around now, i remember someone posted like a search engine or something with the cheapest prices. i wonder if anyone has that?

thanks for all your help and responses guys
 
I bought my late 2011 MBP (that my niece has now) from the refurbished store.

Got my rMBP used from SellYourMac.com. I saw one of their listings on eBay and ended up contacting them separately to work out a deal on the side. They are quite reputable and great customer service (with A+ BBB rating, etc)...which is the only reason I trusted buying off of an eBay seller. My notebook was only 3 months old (2013 refresh)...came with original packaging. Keep in mind their return policy though. I believe they charge stocking fee for returns. So if you were to use any of those type of sellers, make sure that's exactly what you want. Otherwise, I would recommend what Watabou suggested.
 
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