Did I make the right choice?

[Pewe393]

Hi guys I have just ordered a MacBook Pro today and I am going to use it solely for music composition using logic. After a lot of research I decided to go for the non retina macbook because its upgradable where as the retina models hard drive and ram are soldered to the mother board.

Here is the spec...

2.6GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz
8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GB
750GB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm
SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
MacBook Pro 15-inch Hi-Res Glossy Widescreen Display

For an extra £323 ($510) could have purchased the retina with a 512 gb SSD and 8Gb ram. Do you think I made the right decision to go with the non-retina model?

If I wanted to cancel and reorder its not too late.

 

[stevelam]

well if your sole use is really just logic (which isn't even retina optimized) i don't think you'll be missing out on much.

 

[simsaladimbamba]

That MBP should be fine, though you might be okay with the base model (2.3 GHz or so) and buy the RAM afterwards (16 GB RAM from a third party is cheaper than the 8 GB from Apple.

Upgrading RAM in MacBooks and MacBook Pros​

MacBook, MacBook Pro: Replacing the Hard Disk Drive, transferring data to the new HDD

the guide includes:

• 0. Identify your MacBook or MacBook Pro
• 1. Getting a new HDD
• 2. Guides to replace the internal HDD with a newer one
• 3. Transferring data from the old HDD to the new HDD
• 4. Using the optical disk drive (ODD) slot for placing an SSD or HDD inside the MB/P (OPTIBAY)

​

 

[marcus4004]

Hi guys I have just ordered a MacBook Pro today and I am going to use it solely for music composition using logic. After a lot of research I decided to go for the non retina macbook because its upgradable where as the retina models hard drive and ram are soldered to the mother board.

Here is the spec...

2.6GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz
8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GB
750GB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm
SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
MacBook Pro 15-inch Hi-Res Glossy Widescreen Display

For an extra £323 ($510) could have purchased the retina with a 512 gb SSD and 8Gb ram. Do you think I made the right decision to go with the non-retina model?

If I wanted to cancel and reorder its not too late.

Think about this:

The non-rMBP has a maximum ram of 16gb, so once you have upgraded that, the only other thing to upgrade is the harddrive and that is it. I cannot see any reason why you don't but the rMBP now and upgrade the RAM to 16gb, if you have the funds of-course. You could buy the base MBP and upgrade the RAM and buy a fast USB 3.0 portable hardrive to store all of your music.

 

[chrisfromalbany]

Hi guys I have just ordered a MacBook Pro today and I am going to use it solely for music composition using logic. After a lot of research I decided to go for the non retina macbook because its upgradable where as the retina models hard drive and ram are soldered to the mother board.

:

SSD is replaceable and getting 16 gig is only $200 more. I like that option. Not going need more then 16 gig memory anytime soon. I believe upgradibility shouldn't be a determining factor on model you get

 

[nitromac]

SSD is replaceable and getting 16 gig is only $200 more. I like that option. Not going need more then 16 gig memory anytime soon. I believe upgradibility shouldn't be a determining factor on model you get

Or so you think...

Technology advances in mysterious ways

 

[GoCubsGo]

Yes, you absolutely did.

 

[stuaz]

I know from my own experience (Buying a car) that if you regret something this early on, generally you will always look at X product and um and err over whether you made the right choice.

In a way I kinda look at the current non retina as already being replaced and I kinda look at it and think "if I brought that, its already out of date with another apple product".

Now before anyone says - yes I can see the merits of both devices, but if the difference is only a couple of 100, I know myself, I would choose the Retina. And yes I know there will always be a better laptop but I couldn't bring myself to buy something that you can kinda take a guess that Apple will phase out in 1-2 years and have already "technically" replaced.

Just so you know I have a MBP 13" (2009) and a Retina.

Just my 2 cents - and my opinion guys!

 

[chrisfromalbany]

I know from my own experience (Buying a car) that if you regret something this early on, generally you will always look at X product and um and err over whether you made the right choice.

In a way I kinda look at the current non retina as already being replaced and I kinda look at it and think "if I brought that, its already out of date with another apple product".

Just my 2 cents - and my opinion guys!

couldn't agree with you more..

 

[Orlandoech]

SSD is replaceable and getting 16 gig is only $200 more. I like that option. Not going need more then 16 gig memory anytime soon. I believe upgradibility shouldn't be a determining factor on model you get

Actually its only $180.

And for the OP, i would have gotten the rMBP, but thats me. After you buy an SSD (240+GB $200ish)) and 16GB RAM ($110ish) and the screen upgrade on the cMBP ($90) you could have just spend $180 on the 16GB memory upgrade on the rMBP and had far superior resolution.


both machines are amazing. I was skeptical about the rMBP because of all the horror stories Ive read, but I decided to give it a try since I had 14 days to return it anyway.

Needless to say, Its amazing and I love it. I thankfully have 0 issues with mine thus far. I still think the cMBP is amazing too, especially if you get the High-Res 1680x1050 display.

I put it this way, I was going to get a base cMBP because of the price. Then after thinking, I realize after buying 16GB 1600MHz ram on newegg.com for $110 and the $90 screen upgrade (total $200), I could get the base rMBP with 16GB added ram for $180 and have better resolution.

Also, I didnt want the rMBP because I wanted to add a 2nd HDD in the optibay of the cMBP, but I decided a USB3.0 external HDD would be sufficient enough for my needs. After being on this rMBP, Im so glad I got it. Its amazing.

I had a 2011 High-End MBP w/ High-Res Screen and it was amazing, the rMBP is even more amazing to me. I never need an optical drive and if I do, I have an External Samsung USB DVD-Burner. The 25% reduction in size was nice, but not THAT dramatic if measured in inches, .96 to .71 is it?

I actually like that the USB ports on the rMBP are on opposite sides because I always found that when they are right next to each other (like on the cMBP) fitting two USB items in at once may be tricky or impossible.

 

[nitromac]

Since you got the high resolution display option, you won't see much benefit from the Retina in terms of audio editing. If you run in 1920x1200 mode, you'll get 240 extra pixels for your timeline, but that's a minor amount. Performance-wise, the two computers are equal (and the classic MBP is a lot cheaper). And as you stated earlier, the cMBP is upgradable. 16GB of RAM and a quick SSD will be plenty to make Logic run smoothly with any amount of tracks and effects.

 

[DTF]

Yes, you made a good choice. If you don't need/want the retina display the classic MBP is a great choice. I have the same config as yours, minus the hi-res glossy, and put in a SSD ... couldn't be happier. It's wicked fast.

Everyone here is going to tell you to buy what they bought or would buy. You have to make the choice yourself. Outside of the retina screen they are basically the same computer specs inside plus/minus the different ports.

 

[Orlandoech]

Yes, you made a good choice. If you don't need/want the retina display the classic MBP is a great choice. I have the same config as yours, minus the hi-res glossy, and put in a SSD ... couldn't be happier. It's wicked fast.

Everyone here is going to tell you to buy what they bought or would buy. You have to make the choice yourself. Outside of the retina screen they are basically the same computer specs inside plus/minus the different ports.

While I chose the rMBP, I agree with what he has said. Both are great machines. Buy what you want/need, but make sure you dont have any regrets or you will always regret it :\

 

[Pewe393]

Thanks a lot for all the advice guys really appreciate it

I cancelled the order for the classic MBP this morning and I have ordered the rMBP

When I looked at the cost and hassle of upgrading to an SSD at a later date it cost around the same as the upgrade to a rMBP and I also got the added benefits of the retina screen, lighter laptop and new design. I decided to upgrade the ram to 16GB as well.

Thanks again for your help guys I'll let you know how I get on when I get my new shiny rMBP delivered

 

[sofianito]

Thanks a lot for all the advice guys really appreciate it

I cancelled the order for the classic MBP this morning and I have ordered the rMBP

When I looked at the cost and hassle of upgrading to an SSD at a later date it cost around the same as the upgrade to a rMBP and I also got the added benefits of the retina screen, lighter laptop and new design. I decided to upgrade the ram to 16GB as well.

Thanks again for your help guys I'll let you know how I get on when I get my new shiny rMBP delivered

Congratulations

I hope you get a defectless display, no screen lags, and no sound stuttering...

 

[marcus4004]

Thanks a lot for all the advice guys really appreciate it

I cancelled the order for the classic MBP this morning and I have ordered the rMBP

When I looked at the cost and hassle of upgrading to an SSD at a later date it cost around the same as the upgrade to a rMBP and I also got the added benefits of the retina screen, lighter laptop and new design. I decided to upgrade the ram to 16GB as well.

Thanks again for your help guys I'll let you know how I get on when I get my new shiny rMBP delivered

A great move! Hope you enjoy it!

 

[stevelam]

Thanks a lot for all the advice guys really appreciate it

I cancelled the order for the classic MBP this morning and I have ordered the rMBP

When I looked at the cost and hassle of upgrading to an SSD at a later date it cost around the same as the upgrade to a rMBP and I also got the added benefits of the retina screen, lighter laptop and new design. I decided to upgrade the ram to 16GB as well.

Thanks again for your help guys I'll let you know how I get on when I get my new shiny rMBP delivered

bad idea.

the CMBP can have a second hard drive in it which makes perfect sense for your usage as an audio scratch disk. you also don't have to deal with powering the retina display which definitely takes up gpu/cpu resources that you might not want to give up if you care about audio latency.

meanwhile, the only thing you really gain for your usage with the RMBP is the fact that its lighter and has a retina screen which you won't even be utilizing. pointless purchase.

 

[ohbrilliance]

Or so you think...

Technology advances in mysterious ways

It doesn't advance so quickly. In the last five years I've gone from 2GB ("okay" 5 years ago and "not okay" now) to 4GB ("great" 3 years ago and "okay" now). Based on that, 8GB is "great" today and will be "okay" in 5 years time, and 16GB be "great" in 5 years.

Did that make sense?

 

[sofianito]

It doesn't advance so quickly. In the last five years I've gone from 2GB ("okay" 5 years ago and "not okay" now) to 4GB ("great" 3 years ago and "okay" now). Based on that, 8GB is "great" today and will be "okay" in 5 years time, and 16GB be "great" in 5 years.

Did that make sense?

Moore's law...

 

[mjn298]

I got a cMBP for music performance/production for the reasons you mentioned above, and also the fact that I still need dedicated firewire

BUT the main reason for me is that I know that the cMBP unibody design is durable as hell and this computer gets taken everywhere, on stages where weird things happen and I have so much faith in the integrity of this build.

the rMBP is probably a better product but i was really scared about bringing it on stage with me (ignorance probably, i'm sure it's fine)

also I use ableton and mainstage on stage and i heard that they looked kinda bad on the retina but i'm not really picky with that stuff (though i do need it to be legible from a couple feet away so running at native res was out of the question)

i got the cheaper cMBP because i was upgrading the ram anyway, and i didn't need the extra vram and i don't think clock speed is going to be an issue.

now we just need 64 bit ableton.

 

[M5RahuL]

Thanks a lot for all the advice guys really appreciate it

I cancelled the order for the classic MBP this morning and I have ordered the rMBP

When I looked at the cost and hassle of upgrading to an SSD at a later date it cost around the same as the upgrade to a rMBP and I also got the added benefits of the retina screen, lighter laptop and new design. I decided to upgrade the ram to 16GB as well.

Thanks again for your help guys I'll let you know how I get on when I get my new shiny rMBP delivered

Congratulations...I suppose!

Won't you need more than 768 GB [ assuming you got that ... ] for audio ? Or, do you plan to plug in an external or upgrade later to a larger SSD when available ?

I'm all for the Retina MBP, but sometimes you've gotta set your priorities.. in your case, I'm wondering what made you change your decision ?

The Hi-Res cMBP was a wise choice for your needs... Did you change for the screen, weight, HDMI, thermals... or just because you feel you may not be happy with the looks ? The cMBP may *look* dated compared to the Retina, but it really isn't. I'm sure you understand that the guts are mostly the same between the two...

 

[Pewe393]

Congratulations...I suppose!

Won't you need more than 768 GB [ assuming you got that ... ] for audio ? Or, do you plan to plug in an external or upgrade later to a larger SSD when available ?

I'm all for the Retina MBP, but sometimes you've gotta set your priorities.. in your case, I'm wondering what made you change your decision ?

The Hi-Res cMBP was a wise choice for your needs... Did you change for the screen, weight, HDMI, thermals... or just because you feel you may not be happy with the looks ? The cMBP may *look* dated compared to the Retina, but it really isn't. I'm sure you understand that the guts are mostly the same between the two...

If I need more space on the hard drive later I will get an external SSD drive.

I decided to go with the rMBC because in my opinion it was better value for money than buying a cMBP. Buying a 2.6 cMBP with a 512 SSD preinstalled and 8gb ram actually worked out a lot more expensive than the 2.6 retina with 16gb ram and the 512 SSD. If I bought the cMBP I would have gone with the spec i originally posted and then upgraded the hard drive and ram. To me that would be a lot of hassle because I could have risked having warranty issues and I would not be overly confident opening up a brand new MBP myself so I would prob have to pay someone else to do it lol, then I would end up forking out for a ram upgrade

If I wanted to upgrade in 4 or 5 years I think my rMBP should hold its value far better than a top of the range cMBP. Who knows but in the not so distant future it wouldn't surprise me if all MBP eventually share the same design as rMBP and come with retina screens as standard or if that doesn't happen I think the cMBC will definately get re-designed over the next year.

Now apple have released a rMBP developers are now working on creating 'retina ready' software. With Logic Pro 10 rumoured to be released over the next year I would be kicking myself if it were released as 'retina ready' and I had gone for the cMBP, especially if I had forked out more cash for cMBP.

 

[roxnadz]

Can't really fault you for that logic (no pun intended haha)

When they introduced the rMBP I was pist because they nixed the 17. Obviously with their obsession with small and thin, that's not changing anytime soon, and eff a Windows PC, so here we are. Since I'm in your same situation, my worries are:

- Lack of FireWire/multiple connections between drives. Yeah, Thunderbolt and all that. But now there's two possibilities of failure between the computer and your devices: The Thunderbolt connection to the adapter, and the adapter end to the FW cable.
- SSD. SSD is c r a p for audio scratch disks. I guess you're gonna fix that with an external drive, but then we're back to the first problem.
- Resource usage: That retina screen takes a LOT of processing power. So does Logic, especially when you've got a lot of plugs instantiated. Also, Logic isn't even Retina enabled yet.

Still, I'll probably go with the second revision when they put it out early next year.

 

[chaseychasem]

To me that would be a lot of hassle because I could have risked having warranty issues and I would not be overly confident opening up a brand new MBP myself [...] If I wanted to upgrade in 4 or 5 years I think my rMBP should hold its value far better than a top of the range cMBP. Who knows but in the not so distant future it wouldn't surprise me if all MBP eventually share the same design as rMBP and come with retina screens as standard or if that doesn't happen I think the cMBC will definately get re-designed over the next year.

I can understand your trepidation, but you wouldn't void the warranty unless you hamfistedly broke something in the process.

I'm of two minds about resale value. On the one hand, you may be right. On the other, if 2-3 years down the road Apple's current implementation of soldering proves a huge headache with regard to reliability and/or repairs, if faulty LG screens start to sprout batwings and fly away, or if the already pixel-thin graphical headroom in the v1 MBPr cannot be redressed with software updates and leads to premature performance degradation as overall application demands gradually increase, late-stage MBPs (presumably they will be phased out) may hold their value quite well.

Buy whatever most helps you get work done.

 

[gentlefury]

Thanks a lot for all the advice guys really appreciate it

I cancelled the order for the classic MBP this morning and I have ordered the rMBP

When I looked at the cost and hassle of upgrading to an SSD at a later date it cost around the same as the upgrade to a rMBP and I also got the added benefits of the retina screen, lighter laptop and new design. I decided to upgrade the ram to 16GB as well.

Thanks again for your help guys I'll let you know how I get on when I get my new shiny rMBP delivered

I think this was a good decision. I love my rMBP...it is a monster...and the screen is not comparable! Also, having 2 thunderbolt and HDMI makes for a very expandable system!! Firewire is available with a $30 cable, so is ethernet. I am currently running mine with a 30" 2560x1600 display using Display to mini Display adapter, and a 24" 3D display going thru HDMI and I have had NO slowdowns at all!! Runs great!