Gaming is excellent on the Retina.

[MacKid]

All those suggestions/solutions do work, but the actual problem is still being ignored. At $2000+ then why should we have to make compromises?

Because, at a fundamental level, you don't get to decide not to buy something a company is offering, and then get mad at them for not selling it to you.

Flash is expensive, and upgrades in the industry are always overpriced, and it's more expensive because it's from Apple, and customizability is going to be reduced because it's from Apple.

But the proper complaint is that the 768 is expensive, not that spending $2,000 entitles you not to "compromise" (when, in fact, Apple would view handing you a HDD in a thicker chassis as a compromise).

 

[leman]

All those suggestions/solutions do work, but the actual problem is still being ignored. At $2000+ then why should we have to make compromises?

Its very simple: because paying $2000 for some another laptop would leave you with even more compromises, such as increased weight. And yes, weight is a very important factor to me. The 0.5 kg difference is huge if you have to carry the machine around with you, and the thickness directly affects how much other stuff I can pack into my bag.

That said, I am also confused why Apple wouldn't use industry-standard mSATA SSD for the rMBP. I have less gripes about soldered RAM, because IMO it offers a number of benefits such as better performance and reliability. Actually, I prefer my RAM soldered

 

[Crzyrio]

So you're that one guy...

I know youre trying to defend the honor of the rMBP by attacking the end user for the problems with an object, but lets be honest. If it were slightly thicker and housed a 2.5" bay for off the shelf SSD then would it really no longer be thin enough for you?


Seriously? We're talking about PRO level machines with Pro level pricetags so average consumers have nothing to do with it. And if someone uses a NAS they aren't an average consumer. Ive used a Time Capsule for my files that wont fit on my Air's or rMBP and, while it does work, it's a pretty poor solution.

If you can be this faithful in defending Apple, I'm sure you can also be equally as faithful in believing that Apple could've figured it out if they wanted to. Im fine with living with the fact that they chose not to, I'm just not going to pretend that they went proprietary for the end users benefit.

Yup, I am that one guy lol.

Its not about being faithful or defending the rMBP, thats just how it is.

http://media-cache-ec6.pinterest.com/550x/dd/32/63/dd3263d20926495da0d779e04a8be04d.jpg

Look at the size of it! The average height of a 2.5in ssd is .3in, that would bring it up the the size of a normal macbook pro. Not to mention added weight.

If you consider the added drive size, and the assemblies needed to add a normal ssd your talking 2 ->4 times the size and weight of that thing. Every little bit counts.

While your at it I guess they should bring back the removable batteries and ram too right?

Did you see how BIG of a difference it made when Apple went from removable batteries to built in? Almost double battery life.

I carry my Laptop around all day everyday, every inch and lb matter to me.

Maybe Apple will add retina displays to the cMBP to make everyone else happy.

Also what would you have done if they did infact give you a normal 2.5in slot? Put in a Larger HDD? lol
OWC already sells a SSD upgrade for the rMBP so I haven no idea what your complaining about

 

[urkel]

Because, at a fundamental level, you don't get to decide not to buy something a company is offering, and then get mad at them for not selling it to you.

Who got mad? You may not realize it, but we aren't Apple spokespeople. We are CONSUMERS. This isnt the last MBP Apple will ever make so why not voice our opinions and discuss what could be better rather than try to shut people up for "Thinking Different".

Its not about being faithful or defending the rMBP, thats just how it is.

http://media-cache-ec6.pinterest.com/550x/dd/32/63/dd3263d20926495da0d779e04a8be04d.jpg

Look at the size of it! The average height of a 2.5in ssd is .3in, that would bring it up the the size of a normal macbook pro. Not to mention added weight

2.5" is preferred since its the current standard but lets not ignore mSata. Its going to be more of a standard that Apple's SSD and the pricing is a lot better.

[2.5" vs mSATA vs Apple SSD]

Shrinking down components is fine and Apple did a good job, but some things should just be standard. And with TB not taking off the way they thought it would then criticizing proprietary storage, soldered memory or dual TB ports is a valid opinion.

Also what would you have done if they did infact give you a normal 2.5in slot? Put in a Larger HDD? lol
OWC already sells a SSD upgrade for the rMBP so I haven no idea what your complaining about

Sure, why not? Have you even seen the SSD pricing difference?

$679 - 480GB SSD @ OWZ
$270 - 500GB SSD @ Newegg

OR... how about Apples own FUSION DRIVEs? Considering Apple created their own method of combining the speed of SSD and the capacity of standard HDD's then a 2.5" drive could enable Apple to implement their own Fusion Drive technology into the rMBP. Not many people would scoff at the idea of an OPTION of 1-3TB Fusion Drive in their MBP.

 

[skysailing]

Sorry about the late update (forgot about this thread).

I'm working on a screenflow thing so that everybody can see the full capability. For the time being though, here is a really ****** quality video and some semi-****** screencaps I took off of my phone. I'm new to the whole "bootcamp windows" thing so I'll be uploading 100% better quality videos when I can buy screenflow (or whatever the hell Windows uses). All of that will be uploaded to YouTube.

Tomb Raider: To answer questions, Yes TresFX is enabled and the graphics are set to Ultimate NOT Ultra (my mistake). As for FPS, I'm judging by how smooth and grand the gameplay is (quick reactions, quick controls, exc.). I don't know why people are saying that is impossible..it really isn't. This thing is a beast.

Video 1: http://planetofyou.tumblr.com/post/44832027393
Video 2: http://planetofyou.tumblr.com/post/44832681139

As for SimCity, when I actually PLAY it, it is gorgeous.

I know the tumblr page sucks, but I just created it to show the crappy videos. Better things are coming when I have the time.

 

[MacKid]

Who got mad? You may not realize it, but we aren't Apple spokespeople. We are CONSUMERS. This isnt the last MBP Apple will ever make so why not voice our opinions and discuss what could be better rather than try to shut people up for "Thinking Different".

Would you have preferred I use the word "upset"? "Bothered"? "Perturbed"? Litigating the language doesn't evade the point that the option is there, and you elected not to purchase it.

 

[skysailing]

THIS is going to be the ultimate test! And I can't wait to never put my laptop down once this is released.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOS74tXnWEM&list=FLOR25zCRsQpVUfRvBjpCtjg&feature=player_detailpage

 

[Spikeywan]

F1 2012 is excellent too, especially with a Logitech Driving Force GT force feedback steering wheel. Driving through Eau Rouge fla tout gives you a real buttock clenching moment!

 

[leman]

OR... how about Apples own FUSION DRIVEs? Considering Apple created their own method of combining the speed of SSD and the capacity of standard HDD's then a 2.5" drive could enable Apple to implement their own Fusion Drive technology into the rMBP. Not many people would scoff at the idea of an OPTION of 1-3TB Fusion Drive in their MBP.

There is no place for an additional HDD :/

 

[urkel]

Would you have preferred I use the word "upset"? "Bothered"? "Perturbed"? Litigating the language doesn't evade the point that the option is there, and you elected not to purchase it.

Wow. You're really trying hard to prove your intelligence here but you're completely ignoring the fact that all I did was mention that external storage makes gaming more difficult. Gaming is about relaxing and having fun, but creating symbolic links in order to access my Steam apps on a NAS or USB3 drive is a drag.

So the best suggestion for you would be to not be so defensive the moment someone says something critical about an object you like. Instead of addressing an issue you choose to attack the user. And not only is that immature, it defeats the purpose of discussion boards.

I purchased the rMBP because its an amazing machine, but why should I (or anyone) restrain from giving an opinion on its perceived shortcomings?

 

[urkel]

There is no place for an additional HDD :/

Maybe someone who knows more can confirm this, but from what Ive read then the way an Apple built Fusion Drive works is that Apple solders a 128GB SSD to the board and the drive itself is the only thing that is replaceable. So I assume the 128GB SSD takes almost no space and IF there was a 2.5" bay then the user would have the option to drop in the drive of their choice.

Yes, it would mean the machine would be slightly thicker, but considering the cost and limited options of SSD then Fusion would be worth the extra could millimeters to many people who chose the rMBP for high end reasons.

 

[leman]

Maybe someone who knows more can confirm this, but from what Ive read then the way an Apple built Fusion Drive works is that Apple solders a 128GB SSD to the board and the drive itself is the only thing that is replaceable. So I assume the 128GB SSD takes almost no space and IF there was a 2.5" bay then the user would have the option to drop in the drive of their choice.

I don't want to sound disrespectful but I suggest that you actually look up the details and educate yourself on the history of Apple's products before you start guessing. First, teardowns of retina MBP are available online. There, you can see how much space is left for a 2.5" bay (namely none). Second, Apple has been moving towards no-compromise, all-flash storage for mobile devices for some time now. Adding a HDD to the rMBP would a) mean a full redesign of the system and b) loss of the main selling point: the ultimate mobility. A HDD is a step back in both of these matters. So this will never happen. If you need a laptop with a HDD bay, there is always the classical MBP, where you can replace the optical drive with an SSD and setup a Fusion Drive.

 

[dastinger]

It might be the videos but I hated the FPS rate on them. I started playing Tomb Raider on my rMBP and set it to 1080p and High settings. It was playable on Ultra but I didn't like the FPS. On High settings I think it's really fluid. Loving the game so far.

 

[swerve147]

Video 1: http://planetofyou.tumblr.com/post/44832027393
Video 2: http://planetofyou.tumblr.com/post/44832681139

Those frame rates are terrible. It must be your phone's video quality.

In any case a quick glance at the benches on Notebookcheck suggest you can run roughly double the frame rate that you can run on Crysis 3 using identical settings. Not bad.

 

[SpartyOn13]

Those frame rates are terrible. It must be your phone's video quality.

In any case a quick glance at the benches on Notebookcheck suggest you can run roughly double the frame rate that you can run on Crysis 3 using identical settings. Not bad.

Keep in mind those games benefit from hyperthreading and multiple cores and the notebookcheck tests were done with Intel Core i5-3360M. A quick glance at cpubenchmark will show that the i7-3615QM found in the rMBP has an average CPU Mark almost double that of the notebookcheck test cpu. Not only that, but those videos have tressfx enabled which lowers the framerate by 20-30 fps easily...I can attest to this fact, it brought my friend's gtx 670 to its knees when enabled. That will definitely give the framerate in the rMBP a bump...how much of one remains to be seen.


All that being said though, I do agree with you that having "smooth" gameplay on the rMBP with ultra settings AND tressfx enabled @1080p seems very very unlikely...and the fact that the videos don't actually show the computer running the game makes it all the more unlikely for me unfortunately.

 

[ozbilge10]

Does anyone have stuttering problem ? I was playing max payne 3, and i was getting 40fps. but game runs SLOW. I don't know why. I have the same problem with battlefield3, also.

 

[thundersteele]

Nice screenshots, thanks OP.

I don't understand why people have to discuss storage here. You can buy the rMBP with up to 768 GB, or put in an aftermarket SSD. Yes it's expensive, but that is what state of the art technology costs.

 

[Badrottie]

For those asking if the gaming on the Retina is smooth on extremely high settings, the answer is YES.

Just played Tomb Raider (2013) on 1920 x 1080 with everything maxed. Not only is it smooth, but the graphics are OUTSTANDING, and it didn't even stutter.

SimCity (2013) also plays EXTREMELY well on maxed out resolution and settings.

The entire process was just so fast and packed full with amazing animation.

Couldn't be more impressed and blown away by the performance of these games on this Retina MacBook Pro.

I know these were just two examples, but if you game, don't even hesitate-just buy the Retina.

Played on a 2013 15" Retina MacBook Pro - 2.4GHz - 256GB - 8GB.

How about Civ 4 or 5? I am thinking about buying Civ game but afraid it would stutter.

 

[Freyqq]

How about Civ 4 or 5? I am thinking about buying Civ game but afraid it would stutter.

I play on a 2010 mbp 15" and it runs fine

 

[Serban]

every game on this macbook pro plays like on 21.5" max imac on 1080p but you get some screen estate and storage.

 

[velocityX]

For those asking if the gaming on the Retina is smooth on extremely high settings, the answer is YES.

Just played Tomb Raider (2013) on 1920 x 1080 with everything maxed. Not only is it smooth, but the graphics are OUTSTANDING, and it didn't even stutter.

SimCity (2013) also plays EXTREMELY well on maxed out resolution and settings.

The entire process was just so fast and packed full with amazing animation.

Couldn't be more impressed and blown away by the performance of these games on this Retina MacBook Pro.

I know these were just two examples, but if you game, don't even hesitate-just buy the Retina.

Played on a 2013 15" Retina MacBook Pro - 2.4GHz - 256GB - 8GB.

I own the same model. I would like to know what were the temperatures while you were playing the game? Did it get really hot?

I am in the middle of installing it but my only concern is that it would make my laptop run incredibly hot.

 

[tomtakesphotos]

Does anyone have much experience of gaming on a 13" rMBP?

Specifically WoW and Counter Strike.

 

[saturnotaku]

Does anyone have much experience of gaming on a 13" rMBP?

Specifically WoW and Counter Strike.

The HD 4000 is no powerhouse, but is more than adequate to run those two games. 1280x800 at high settings is more than doable, and you can run both those games in OS X. No need to install Windows.

 

[locoboi187]

Current gen gaming is actually poor on rMBP.

 

[B...]

Current gen gaming is actually poor on rMBP.

Unless you want to play Crysis 3 at 2880x1800 at high setting, the 950M is actually a very good card for the ultraportable rMBP class it is in. If you want dual 660M+ (even a 680M) get an Alienware M18X which is around a 12 pound computer while the rMBP is 4.5. Games won't run as well, but is a great card (even factory overclocked so it is comprable to a 660M) for the computer.