Haswell rMBP Reviews

[zI INFINITY Iz]

I understand where he is coming from, but I'd take the massive increase in performance over usability on a plane any day. I guess it really boils down to usage patterns.

Indeed. It really depends on your personal use. How many people fly that often? Maybe in the US it's different, but here in Europe, I usually fly like 2x a year (if you count the return flight then 4 times). That's 4x 2-3hours, 8-12 hours. Let's say you spend some hours on the airports between changing planes. Max 20 hours a YEAR. Give me that 15" display/power for all the remaining hours in a year please

Anyway, they didn't really say a lot about the rMBP's. Hope that damn review comes out soon.

 

[PDFierro]

Indeed. It really depends on your personal use. How many people fly that often? Maybe in the US it's different, but here in Europe, I usually fly like 2x a year (if you count the return flight then 4 times). That's 4x 2-3hours, 8-12 hours. Let's say you spend some hours on the airports between changing planes. Max 20 hours a YEAR. Give me that 15" display/power for all the remaining hours in a year please

Anyway, they didn't really say a lot about the rMBP's. Hope that damn review comes out soon.

I honestly wouldn't take the power of the 15" over the form factor of the 13". Besides, I like everything about the 13" and the 15" just seems too large to me. You have to be able to enjoy the machine on a daily basis, and I don't think I could do that with the 15-inch.

I'm actually going to be travelling long-term. Not just a flight here and there, but constantly on the move. Even if I wasn't, I would still buy the 13-inch as the 15" just doesn't do it for me.

 

[the Western zoo]

I am still waiting for Anand's review, but I am beginning to fear that it may not answer my question...

I have a medio 2010 13" MBP with 2.66 GHz Core 2 Duo, would I get a significant performance gain (processor-wise) going with the new 13" rMBP?

I really love the 13" factor, and I think it looks so much better as well, but I really want a faster laptop, not just at prettier display...

Edit: I am sorry if this is indeed a very silly question...

 

[AlecMyrddyn]

I have a medio 2010 13" MBP with 2.66 GHz Core 2 Duo, would I get a significant performance gain (processor-wise) going with the new 13" rMBP?

The 2.4 GHz i5 processor in the base and middle 13" rMBP is about twice as fast as your 2.66 GHz C2D. Not to mention the fact that the rMBP use SSD storage which is 20+ times faster than your hard drive.

 

[Orr]

I am still waiting for Anand's review, but I am beginning to fear that it may not answer my question...

I have a medio 2010 13" MBP with 2.66 GHz Core 2 Duo, would I get a significant performance gain (processor-wise) going with the new 13" rMBP?

I really love the 13" factor, and I think it looks so much better as well, but I really want a faster laptop, not just at prettier display...

Edit: I am sorry if this is indeed a very silly question...

You are correct. Very silly question indeed. Core 2 Duo is like the dark ages compared to the enlightenment (current processors).

 

[PDFierro]

The 2.4 GHz i5 processor in the base and middle 13" rMBP is about twice as fast as your 2.66 GHz C2D. Not to mention the fact that the rMBP use SSD storage which is 20+ times faster than your hard drive.

I also think some people just get caught up on the speed/power difference between the 13" and 15". Very few people actually need quad-core, and the 13-inch is going to be plenty fast. Although the 15" is certainly a beast.

 

[AlecMyrddyn]

You are correct. Very silly question indeed. Core 2 Duo is like the dark ages compared to the enlightenment (current processors).

Asking if a 2.4 GHz processor is really that much faster than a 2.66 GHz processor is not a "very silly question". Not everyone is technically minded and understands that performance isn't determined only by the clock speed of the processor. To the layman who doesn't understand processor architecture, 2.66 is bigger than 2.4, so it's a pretty legitimate question.

 

[Macshroomer]

I understand where he is coming from, but I'd take the massive increase in performance over usability on a plane any day. I guess it really boils down to usage patterns.

It's not just about airplanes and I doubt it is as "massive" as you think it is.

 

[johnnylarue]

It's not just about airplanes and I doubt it is as "massive" as you think it is.

Between the quad core CPU and the dGPU in the 15" vs the dual core + Iris in the 13", if "massive" is an overstatement, it's not by much.

 

[zI INFINITY Iz]

I also think some people just get caught up on the speed/power difference between the 13" and 15". Very few people actually need quad-core, and the 13-inch is going to be plenty fast. Although the 15" is certainly a beast.

It's not the Quad Core CPU I need/want that much, it's the dGPU. And Apple offers that only with a Quad Core CPU at the moment. Yes I know Iris Pro is strong etc, but I intend to use this machine for stuff that would really benefit from a dGPU like the 750M. Besides, I have been using a 13" ultrabook for 5 months and for me it's a bit on the small side. I would really benefit from the extra screen size.

For the record I'm not trying to convince you to like the 15" more then the 13" form factor. I know why a 13" device suits you perfectly and if I were you I would also prefer that form factor. From a design standpoint, I like the 13" more then the 15", that feels like it has a lot of "wasted space" on the keyboard deck. Heck, I'm going to be trying out both again soon. Maybe the 16:10 13" retina screen fits my programs better then my 16:9 13" 1080p screen. In the end the 13" rMBP would also save me some considerable money

 

[PDFierro]

It's not the Quad Core CPU I need/want that much, it's the dGPU. And Apple offers that only with a Quad Core CPU at the moment. Yes I know Iris Pro is strong etc, but I intend to use this machine for stuff that would really benefit from a dGPU like the 750M. Besides, I have been using a 13" ultrabook for 5 months and for me it's a bit on the small side. I would really benefit from the extra screen size.

For the record I'm not trying to convince you to like the 15" more then the 13" form factor. I know why a 13" device suits you perfectly and if I were you I would also prefer that form factor. From a design standpoint, I like the 13" more then the 15", that feels like it has a lot of "wasted space" on the keyboard deck. Heck, I'm going to be trying out both again soon. Maybe the 16:10 13" retina screen fits my programs better then my 16:9 13" 1080p screen. In the end the 13" rMBP would also save me some considerable money

I totally know what you mean, no misunderstanding here. I do really prefer the 13" more from the design standpoint, that's one of the things for me. Iris Pro sounds nice, but I won't be doing any gaming so I'm not sure how much more I'd benefit from it than with Iris.

I tested both models out in the store extensively, and determined that at least for me I didn't need the extra screen size. But it's different from everyone. And for me, it's about the total package rather than just how big the screen is.

 

[guzhogi]

Just bought a Haswell 15" rMBP today online to replace my 17" pre-unibody MBP (I forget the specific model number, sorry!). While my 17" one still works, the battery dies in under 2 hours, optical drive isn't that good, and it just crawls. Also have a hard time with the drivers for Boot Camp.

Fortunately, I bought the TB → Firewire adaptor so I can connect my external BluRay drive as needed. Plus, I got the 1 TB flash option which should be way better than my 512 GB HD as well as 16 GB RAM. And since I work in a school, I got the educator's discount.

If/when Apple updates the TB display to Retina (or whatever they call it), might consider that, too. However, my new rMBP took up a lot of money so maybe not.

 

[tmoney468]

Just bought a Haswell 15" rMBP today online to replace my 17" pre-unibody MBP (I forget the specific model number, sorry!). While my 17" one still works, the battery dies in under 2 hours, optical drive isn't that good, and it just crawls. Also have a hard time with the drivers for Boot Camp.

I'm in the same boat as you - upgraded from my 2006 17" MBP to this new rMBP. Love my new laptop!

 

[the Western zoo]

The 2.4 GHz i5 processor in the base and middle 13" rMBP is about twice as fast as your 2.66 GHz C2D. Not to mention the fact that the rMBP use SSD storage which is 20+ times faster than your hard drive.

Thank you, I have just heard so much about the 13" being "too slow", that I was starting to doubt what I thought I knew.

You are correct. Very silly question indeed. Core 2 Duo is like the dark ages compared to the enlightenment (current processors).

Well, I had a feeling that it might be a silly question... Thank you for you answer though.

 

[edfoo]

Thank you, I have just heard so much about the 13" being "too slow", that I was starting to doubt what I thought I knew.

Yes the 13" is too slow.

Too slow to play the latest 3D FPS games at its retina resolution at high graphics setting that is. But then most Mac laptops are crap in doing that anyway.