Don't buy the Retina Macbook Pro

[Photography]

I've been around MR forums for several years now. Every time Apple releases a new product, there's always idiots like the OP who post ridiculous threads like this. Just because it doesn't work out for YOU doesn't mean it won't work for other people.

 

[7even]

I am not too concerned about the ram personally. But storage... they are strictly speaking consumables. SSDs may have replaced the kludgey mechanical drives, but SSDs are nowhere as durable as the traditional drives.

My guess is that by the time a non-defective SSD fails, there will be cheap enough replacement options, since the current one doesn't seem like it's soldered in place.

 

[thegreatdivorce]

I totally agree with the author. I was not planning on getting retina.

First of all, I can put my own parts into the laptop and it will run just as well as a retina, complete with 512gb of flash storage and 32 (!) gb of RAM, for less than $600.

Retina is just a gimmick. Hopefully apple will see the light and put a retina on the user upgradable 15". Then i would buy in an instant. Right now I am holding off..

Where are you getting RAM and SSD prices?!

Let's start with a base 15" MBP:

Add the high-res anti-glare display, and you're at $1900

Add a 480-512GB SSD for $5-600, and add, let's say, a very conservative numer of $250 for another 28GB of RAM.

You're at $2700-2800, and you don't have a Retina display or the thinner form factor. But you do have ... and optical drive? I guess I'm not seeing your point (which, until I actually looked at the numbers, was my point as well.)

My thought was go upgraded base. I'd be hooking it to an external monitor already, so the retina display is a bonus, but nowhere near a necessity. I already have an MBA and iPad, so the thinner form factor, again, is just a nice bonus.

But it financially makes more sense to get the RMBP, unless you truly think you're going to be constantly swapping out storage, or burning DVDs on the go.