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Have a smoking 2011 17" but the rMBP is toying with me...

cflem

cflem

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Mar 11, 2011
391
472
Texas
Just want to know your experiences - I have the 2011 17" 2.2 with a 512gb SSD and 16gb RAM... but the rMBP is begging me to buy... I just love this 17" though... Would I be crazy to switch with the configuration I have? I guess I am saying talk me in to or talk me out of it.

:)
 
You're model is so close spec why to the rMBP you'll only see a modest increase in performance and you'll lose screen real estate.

I'd say if you're really tempted for a retina MBP, then wait until Haswell is released later this year that way you'll get more bang for your buck, i.e., the laptop will be much faster then your 2011 model.
 
I'd have to agree....

I've been using 17" MBPs from the beginning, and I've been agonizing over how long will I buy used 17" MBPs vs the retina macbook Pros. I've been a resolution fiend from the beginning - I had 1600x1200 resolution on a 2001 ThinkPad. But when I try the rMBP in 1920 mode (and I REALLY WANTED to like it), it's actually worse - the interpolation makes things blurry, compounded by the smaller screen. And 1,440 mode is just too cramped for me.

The only caveat is since I don't own a rMBP, I've never been able to try it in native 2,880 resolution using those 3rd party tweaks. Although physically small, that might actually be clearer and cause less eye strain than 1,920 mode...
 
I agree with the above two posters. Keep your 17" or at least wait for a new revision of the rmbp before you give up your 17". 1440*900 native res as default retina resolution is hardly worth giving up real estate on your 17"
 
I went from an older 17" (late 2007) to a 15" (late 2011). While there are times I miss the screen real estate, I like the size and weight of the 15" better. Performance is also greatly improved with lots more memory and the i7.

You're not going to see that much of a speed bump since you're already close to the specs of the rMBP. If the size and weight of the 17" isn't an issue then stick with it until you see where things go.
 
maflynn said:
You're model is so close spec why to the rMBP you'll only see a modest increase in performance and you'll lose screen real estate.

I'd say if you're really tempted for a retina MBP, then wait until Haswell is released later this year that way you'll get more bang for your buck, i.e., the laptop will be much faster then your 2011 model.
Click to expand...

+1 Don't yield. You've got a great 2YO machine and the retina is hard to justify for most users.
 
Thanks everyone... :)

I will stick with her a while longer - you guys were saying what i was thinking.
 
cflem said:
Just want to know your experiences - I have the 2011 17" 2.2 with a 512gb SSD and 16gb RAM... but the rMBP is begging me to buy... I just love this 17" though... Would I be crazy to switch with the configuration I have? I guess I am saying talk me in to or talk me out of it.

:)
Click to expand...

One thing I'd add, and this is something you'll want to consider each time you get the inkling to replace your 2011 17" MacBook Pro with a retina 15", is that while software that is optimized for retina looks fantastic, software that isn't doesn't. So for those that only use apps that just happen to be optimized for it, will have a stunning experience, but unfortunately, it's just not there for every currently shipping app (let alone discontinued apps). As with all of Apple's Mac software transitions (i.e. from OS 9 to OS X, from PowerPC to Intel) it takes a great deal of time for developers to make the jump. But eventually, every Mac product with a display will have a retina display and all Mac software will be retina-optimized just as all Mac software today is made for Intel.
 
I have the late 2011 15 in "hires" MBP and I love it. I also have a 1080p monitor sitting on the desk next to it (using a displayport to vga adapter in the thunderbolt port). I have two FW drives and nothing plugged in to USB.

For me to consider the rMBP, I'd have to have thunderbolt peripherals readily available at competitive prices (to USB, FW and displayport peripheral prices). It's going to be quite a while before that happens.

I went to the Apple store a few days after rMBP came out and I got one of the geniuses to log in so I could install that 3rd party resolution switcher. I then played around with the display and found that it went to an insanely high native resolution. I seem to remember it was something like 3,000 x 4,000 but a terminal window became about half the size of a business card. Not terribly useful. If you plan on running the display in "best for retina" which is 1440 x 900 for everything but retina-aware apps, a rMBP is not a great value. Yet.
 
Hi,
I hope it's nothing against rules to add similar question in someone topic..?

My question exactly! Well, almost exactly.
My reasons to buy a retina, apart of the fact is brand new, nice, new and shiny ;)
1. More displays outputs - in 2011 to connect 2 displays I have to use thunderbolt displays. In retina - I can pick whatever displays I want.
2. I have early 2011 17'' macbook without ssd. So ssd is a big bonus for me.

From the other hand, waiting for Haswell sounds reasonable. If I'd wait for Haswell, buying now ssd drive makes no sense.

I guess in my case you'd say wait for next generation as well?
 
cflem said:
Just want to know your experiences - I have the 2011 17" 2.2 with a 512gb SSD and 16gb RAM... but the rMBP is begging me to buy... I just love this 17" though... Would I be crazy to switch with the configuration I have? I guess I am saying talk me in to or talk me out of it.

:)
Click to expand...

Sounds like you don't need it, so don't buy it.
 
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