Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Going to college at the end of September, should I get an rMBP now or wait?

S

syndragore

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 31, 2010
21
1
Hey guys,

So at the end of September I'm going to be heading off to college and I'm gonna need a new laptop. Currently I'm using a late-09 13" MBP and it's just not cutting it anymore; the GPU blows, not enough ram, and the battery is at about 60% of it's original life.

I almost bought the 15" rMBP last year right when it was introduced but decided to hold off and wait for the latest hardware before college, which I hoped would be released in June (along with many others I'm sure :)). Sadly that never happened, and now I'm stuck between waiting potentially until October to get a new rMBP or just buying the current model now.

For me, the GPU is a definite concern as I'm going to be using the computer frequently for gaming, and it seems like the Haswell refresh might omit the dGPU in favor of Iris Pro which I've heard does not even perform on par with the current rMBP's GeForce GT 650m. That would be a pretty big disappointment for me, since for the past year I've been hoping it would upgrade to the Nvidia 7 series GPUs.

So the question is, should I just cut the wait short and buy a rMBP now? Would it be worth waiting until the refresh to see if apple might somehow include a better dGPU with the 15"? Or should I wait until the refresh and then buy a refurb last-gen rMBP for the dGPU, and save a couple hundred bucks in the process?

TL;DR need a new laptop for college work & gaming, should I get current rMBP or wait?

Thanks in advance guys!
 
syndragore said:
Hey guys,

So at the end of September I'm going to be heading off to college and I'm gonna need a new laptop. Currently I'm using a late-09 13" MBP and it's just not cutting it anymore; the GPU blows, not enough ram, and the battery is at about 60% of it's original life.

I almost bought the 15" rMBP last year right when it was introduced but decided to hold off and wait for the latest hardware before college, which I hoped would be released in June (along with many others I'm sure :)). Sadly that never happened, and now I'm stuck between waiting potentially until October to get a new rMBP or just buying the current model now.

For me, the GPU is a definite concern as I'm going to be using the computer frequently for gaming, and it seems like the Haswell refresh might omit the dGPU in favor of Iris Pro which I've heard does not even perform on par with the current rMBP's GeForce GT 650m. That would be a pretty big disappointment for me, since for the past year I've been hoping it would upgrade to the Nvidia 7 series GPUs.

So the question is, should I just cut the wait short and buy a rMBP now? Would it be worth waiting until the refresh to see if apple might somehow include a better dGPU with the 15"? Or should I wait until the refresh and then buy a refurb last-gen rMBP for the dGPU, and save a couple hundred bucks in the process?

TL;DR need a new laptop for college work & gaming, should I get current rMBP or wait?

Thanks in advance guys!
Click to expand...

I'm in the same boat and I'm planning on waiting.
 
I would recommend waiting. You already have a computer that can get you by temporarily (and it should only be a couple of months of wait).

Besides, even if you don't like the new refresh...you will be able to get last year's model for a better price tag.
 
If you want the 15 i would try to find a good deal one one now. I just bought a new maxed one for 1800 and it's a beast
 
I'm going back to college next month and I'm in the same boat. I figured I'd might as well wait since I waited forever and a half. I know haswell won't be too much of a difference in processing power but I'm looking forward to the battery life and other improvements. I'm also hoping for some sort of price cut but we'll see.

I'm also using a 09 macbook and it's definitely not cutting it anymore. I also need a new battery for it but not going to bother with that
 
ml.sail1 said:
If its helps sway you, certain best buys currently have deals going on where you can get a brand new rMBP for $1259 for the base model and $1500 for the 2.6 GHz model (technically 2012 vs the newest 2013 2.7 standard).

Check out these threads for more info:

$1259 - https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1614324/
$1499 - https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1614490/
Click to expand...

Damn, I would've been all over those but there's nothing in my area. Thanks for all the input guys, so far looks like I'll just keep waiting!
 
Wait until the very last moment. Procrastination works in your favor for this :)

If apple does unveil an update jump on it, if not get the current model. Build into your schedule some lead time for the computer. If it takes two weeks to get a laptop processed due to inventory issues it makes little sense to order it the day before school
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back