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Has the Retina MacBook Pro impacted on your setup?

G

GeorgeN111

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 24, 2010
165
0
Hello everyone, hope you are well, I was thinking today about how I will have my desk setup once I receive my rMBP and have come across an interesting dilemma and want to see what you have done to change that.

Ideally, I would have the MBP hooked up to an external monitor and control the MBP using the Logitech Performance Mouse and my IBM Model M keyboard, however with the Retina display, it has got me thinking. Will people still be using external displays with this machine useless they absolutely have to, for work etc?

I usually have a MBP in clamshell mode, connected to an external monitor, but due to the Retina Display, I feel as if I should be using the machines screen, not an external screen, otherwise, why did I purchase the Retina Mac? After all, personally, I brought it because of the resolution more than anything else.

I think I am going to be urged to use the screen on the MacBook now exclusively. How has the rMBP impacted on both your workflow and your home setup? I would be interested to hear.

I think I will either use just the Retina screen or perhaps get a MacBook stand, and an external monitor and have a two screen setup going on instead of going the clamshell direction.
 
two screen setup is perfect for me. The retina is obviously the better of teh 2 screens, but it's nice to have a 17" dell screen for windows/itunes/etc

GeorgeN111 said:
Hello everyone, hope you are well, I was thinking today about how I will have my desk setup once I receive my rMBP and have come across an interesting dilemma and want to see what you have done to change that.

Ideally, I would have the MBP hooked up to an external monitor and control the MBP using the Logitech Performance Mouse and my IBM Model M keyboard, however with the Retina display, it has got me thinking. Will people still be using external displays with this machine useless they absolutely have to, for work etc?

I usually have a MBP in clamshell mode, connected to an external monitor, but due to the Retina Display, I feel as if I should be using the machines screen, not an external screen, otherwise, why did I purchase the Retina Mac? After all, personally, I brought it because of the resolution more than anything else.

I think I am going to be urged to use the screen on the MacBook now exclusively. How has the rMBP impacted on both your workflow and your home setup? I would be interested to hear.

I think I will either use just the Retina screen or perhaps get a MacBook stand, and an external monitor and have a two screen setup going on instead of going the clamshell direction.
Click to expand...
 
Lots of people are complaining about apps which haven't been optimised for retina looking blocky/fuzzy - with an external (non-retina) monitor those apps look normal. That's what I've been doing on apps that look bad and have lots of text, like Word.
 
Apps optimized for retina run on the retina the ones that are not run in the 27 inch monitor. Best of both worlds right now
 
GeorgeN111 said:
Hello everyone, hope you are well, I was thinking today about how I will have my desk setup once I receive my rMBP and have come across an interesting dilemma and want to see what you have done to change that.

Ideally, I would have the MBP hooked up to an external monitor and control the MBP using the Logitech Performance Mouse and my IBM Model M keyboard, however with the Retina display, it has got me thinking. Will people still be using external displays with this machine useless they absolutely have to, for work etc?

I usually have a MBP in clamshell mode, connected to an external monitor, but due to the Retina Display, I feel as if I should be using the machines screen, not an external screen, otherwise, why did I purchase the Retina Mac? After all, personally, I brought it because of the resolution more than anything else.

I think I am going to be urged to use the screen on the MacBook now exclusively. How has the rMBP impacted on both your workflow and your home setup? I would be interested to hear.

I think I will either use just the Retina screen or perhaps get a MacBook stand, and an external monitor and have a two screen setup going on instead of going the clamshell direction.
Click to expand...

I would never use the 15" screen on its own for work purposes. That would be just ludicrous as you're still confined to such a tiny amount of workspace regardless of the resolution. Unless you're on the go a LOT, the screen is basically a waste.
 
OK, thanks for the replies :D

I like the idea of using an external screen for non-Retina Apps, I never thought of that.
 
GeorgeN111 said:
Hello everyone, hope you are well, I was thinking today about how I will have my desk setup once I receive my rMBP and have come across an interesting dilemma and want to see what you have done to change that.

Ideally, I would have the MBP hooked up to an external monitor and control the MBP using the Logitech Performance Mouse and my IBM Model M keyboard, however with the Retina display, it has got me thinking. Will people still be using external displays with this machine useless they absolutely have to, for work etc?

I usually have a MBP in clamshell mode, connected to an external monitor, but due to the Retina Display, I feel as if I should be using the machines screen, not an external screen, otherwise, why did I purchase the Retina Mac? After all, personally, I brought it because of the resolution more than anything else.

I think I am going to be urged to use the screen on the MacBook now exclusively. How has the rMBP impacted on both your workflow and your home setup? I would be interested to hear.

I think I will either use just the Retina screen or perhaps get a MacBook stand, and an external monitor and have a two screen setup going on instead of going the clamshell direction.
Click to expand...

It could have ten billion pixels and it wouldn't matter to me because it's still only a 15" screen. I think most 'power users' will still be using an external display. (Are the 'power users' really the ones buying the retina MBPs though?)
 
Using my 27" thunderbolt display for most things and my rmbp for an extra screen for like spotify and stuff. :)
 
Err...

I'm a photographer, and as good as the retina display is, it's not going to displace my dual 27" setup. I really got the Retina so my assistant can edit during peak season, so I can cull/import/backup in the field, edit on trips, meet with clients, and most importantly, edit somewhere other than my office for a change of scenery to keep my sanity.

But I still think 85% of my work will be done on my desktop system.
 
What are some recommendations for an external monitor to pair with the rMBP? I know there's the thunderbolt monitor, but am wondering if there are cheaper alternatives. I'm a designer so I'll still need an external that has a wide color range. Also am worried how long Adobe apps will take to become retina optimized...would it be better to get an external to for non-retina or will that dumb, if in the future, apps will become retina optimized?

I'm pretty much a noob when it comes to researching for external monitors, so some suggestions to help narrow down my options would be greatly appreciated!
 
Re: the original post - I'm waiting to see how the rMBP is going to impact my setup. I'm running a 2008 24" iMac with a 20" old external apple monitor currently and 11" MBA as my work at home option. Was waiting for an iMac update that didn't come so am switching to an rMBP - one computer to rule them all setup for work and home.

Due for delivery tomorrow so I'll see what happens. It'll harken back to the days when I ran a 12" PowerBook as my work and home machine and connected to an external display at work. I already have a feeling I won't be closing the thing up.

Re: External monitor - I went for the thunderbolt display which is display + computer guts. For my setup which includes a firewire Drobo, scanner, Ethernet, and plugged in keyboard, the hope is that it'll be single plug via TB to the rMBP to recreate my current desktop setup.

THIS is the reason to get the TB display in my opinion - the connectivity. The competitor is the Dell 2711 which is only about $100-200 cheaper than the TB with arguable differences in display quality. To get this to play with the rMBP you have to get a display (VGA) to TB adaptor. If you want Ethernet you then need an Ethernet to TB adaptor. If I want to add a hard drive (e.g. my drobo) need to take up a USB port. If I want to use my clicky keyboard it's another USB plug.

That's connecting or disconnecting 4 plugins to the rMBP everytime I want to move it vs 1 (not including the power plug). Granted you could rely on wifi but I try not to at work.

Only issue is that the TB display needs the Magsafe-Magsafe 2 adaptor - I'll report back if this is a PITA.
 
Thanks for the reply, clumeng.

I just got my rMBP yesterday and love it so far. Just need to save up for that dang external monitor..
 
i will still hook it up to my 100 HZ monitor for gaming, 60Hz sucks for serious gaming in competitive games like CS and such... or you at least get a fair advantage over people with 40% less frames.
 
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