For my needs 13" MBP/A or 15" CMBP?

[Cupcake1986]

Hi all.

My 13" 2009 Macbook (4GB RAM) is getting at the end of its lifespan.

Aperture 2 is also painfully slow

I am looking for an upgrade. I always will get 8 GB ram and when a air the 256 GB sdd.

I do watch quite some movies on it when traveling. Most of the time they are on the harddisk. Further then that I use it for Internet and a lot of photo editing with Aperture 2.

In the future I planning on buying or the TB display or Dell U2711 or HP zr2740. the 13" screen (quite small) never was a problem.

I don't carry it around all the time so weight isnt a problem either

So what is my best option/configuration? And if you suggest the 15" CMBP a matte or a glossy display and why? Is the hi res on the 15 inch a good investment?

Photo editing is more important then watching movies. Most of the time I work inside at the moment.

MBPR is not an option. Because a external monitor isn't out yet with retina resolution. If it comes I don't even want to think what a 27" R monitor wil cost

 

[afinch1992]

Hi all.

My 13" 2009 Macbook (4GB RAM) is getting at the end of its lifespan.

Aperture 2 is also painfully slow

I am looking for an upgrade. I always will get 8 GB ram and when a air the 256 GB sdd.

I do watch quite some movies on it when traveling. Most of the time they are on the harddisk. Further then that I use it for Internet and a lot of photo editing with Aperture 2.

In the future I planning on buying or the TB display or Dell U2711 or HP zr2740. the 13" screen (quite small) never was a problem.

I don't carry it around all the time so weight isnt a problem either

So what is my best option/configuration? And if you suggest the 15" CMBP a matte or a glossy display and why? Is the hi res on the 15 inch a good investment?

Photo editing is more important then watching movies. Most of the time I work inside at the moment.

MBPR is not an option. Because a external monitor isn't out yet with retina resolution. If it comes I don't even want to think what a 27" R monitor wil cost

I would say if you can afford it, get a 15" with a glossy hi-res screen. I feel it looks better than the antiglare. you dont need to buy it upgraded, just buy your own ram and an ssd and you'll be golden for atleast 3-4 years.

If budget is an issue then get a 13" and put the savings into the ram and ssd

 

[jeffreyfranz]

I would say if you can afford it, get a 15" with a glassy hi-res screen. I feel it looks better than the antiglare. you dont need to buy it upgraded, just buy your own ram and an ssd and you'll be golden for atleast 3-4 years.

If budget is an issue then get a 13" and put the savings into the ram and ssd

afinch1992, I found your reply helpful for my needs also. May I ask: I have seen grousing about the Mountain Lion "fluff" and wonder if a June 2012 or late 2011 MBP 15" would be good enough for me and have the older OS/interface. Any tips? Thanks.

 

[Dark Void]

As far as the 15'' - Hi-Res is nice, basically a resolution difference. Most would advise to get it as it is something that you cannot upgrade later on, so you might as well do it from the jump to avoid regret unless you have reasoning not to. Glossy vs AG is basically preference, if you need accuracy with photo-editing you will be better off with the anti-glare. That's not the deciding factor of "color accuracy" (whatever that means) or a calibrated screen or what have you but if you have a glossy screen then glare may affect your ability to edit well.

I have a 13'' Glossy display (no option for AG mind you) and I honestly prefer how it looks. I do some photo editing just as a hobby and for my own enjoyment so I don't really care how it looks on anyone's screen but my own - and I like how the colors pop on the glossy display. You won't have to worry too much about glare if you are positioned correctly in correspondence to a light source and stationed there during the entire editing session.

Perhaps go to an Apple Store if you can and compare each display and decide which you like the look of more.

 

[rrm998]

MBPR is not an option. Because a external monitor isn't out yet with retina resolution. If it comes I don't even want to think what a 27" R monitor wil cost

I'm curious why a lack of a retina resolution monitor makes the rMBP a non option?

 

[fleawannabe]

Im sure the 13" MBP will be more than powerful enough for you. I run logic on mine all the time in is fine.

 

[afinch1992]

afinch1992, I found your reply helpful for my needs also. May I ask: I have seen grousing about the Mountain Lion "fluff" and wonder if a June 2012 or late 2011 MBP 15" would be good enough for me and have the older OS/interface. Any tips? Thanks.

i dont think theres any issues with downgrading if you get a macbook with ML on it already. I am not sure the process or if you would have to pay, but you might as well start with a fresh slate on a new computer anyways. And you most definitely will want to if you throw in an ssd. Its much much safer and overall better to start with a fresh install on a new ssd rather than a back up. you can always back up important things individually on an external drive

that brings me to the main question you have. the main difference between the late 2011 and present mid-2012 is usb 3.0. There is also a boost in cpu and a pretty big boost in integrated graphics, but seeing as you're looking at the 15" you will have a graphics card that will take care of the heavy work.

overall, if you want usb 3.0 and want to "future proof" your machine better, go with the mid-2012. If that is a non issue, then go with a late 2011 with a 1gb graphics card. If money is not a huge issue, go for the whole enchilada and get the mid 2012 15" with a 1gb graphics card and a hi-res screen of your choosing. I would really suggest getting a hi-res and 1gb graphics card if youre in this price range, no matter which year you choose. As stated before, you want the best of the things that you cannot upgrade

 

[Naimfan]

From your description, I'd suggest the 13" MBP i5. If you're going to use an external display, the MBP will be noticeably better than the Air, since the MBP has substantially improved graphics due to the HD4000 vs the HD3000 in the Air.

The Pro is also faster, and expandable. 8 GB of RAM should be plenty - and it's nice knowing the Pro can take 16 GB if need be (and, eventually, 32 GB). Plus you have the option of changing storage - you could, if you want, get a SSD now and then bump up the capacity later when prices fall.

 

[Elijen]

If I were you I would do one of the following:

1) buy rMBP 15" because it's just little bit more expensive than cMBP 15 and of coarse it is "The most amazing laptop they ever made"

2) or more likely I would keep my old MBP 13" and just upgrade it to 8/16GB RAM and SSD ... (2x SSD in RAID if you like). I think you will be surprised by the performance gain.

I think you really don't need to buy a new machine, you just want spend money for a new toy ... in that case rMBP 15" is the best option