How's the quality of the 2012 cMBP? How about some reviews?

[andymac2210]

Got the base model cMBP with high res display and immediately (without even booting it) replaced the HDD with a 256GB samsung 830 and upgraded to 8GB of ram.

It's unbelievably fast, probably faster than my PC CPU wise, I can render and export HD video on a god damn laptop, that's crazy.

Opted against the retina for the reasons people already stated, in a few years I'll sell this computer and get the retina once the kinks are worked out.

 

[zipur]

I got the 750 gig, 5400 rpm - my iMac has a 5400 rpm drive, and I never found myself saying "dang this thing is slow", so I figured that I'd be pretty happy with it for awhile. Other posts I read seemed to imply there wouldn't be much difference between that and a 7200 rpm drive FOR MY USES, so i figured I'd save the drive upgrade difference for later.

As for an SSD, I'm not even close to pulling the trigger yet, I'm going to wait a year or more for the prices to drop. Planning on avoiding Samsung because I don't like their business practices.

Yep this is how I'm feeling too. Good thing I waited (well this weekend should be it) I mean I was set on the retina, i figured it would be future proof for at least four years for a 2.6/512/16 for a little over 3k. But the more I waited the more I read the more the issue of Non-upgradable bugged me.
I I spend 3k I should be able to put whatever SSD in I want and as much memory as I want. Why do I have to do it all now when thing Will change in the future. What do I gain from ore-planing now?
Therefore I have am 90% locked into the cMBP and the only thing the causes me pause is my absolute love for my retina IPAD display. But if I can get in cheap I can afford a new TB display for at home an then in a few months get a new SSD and memory. At least thats my plan, what do you think?

 

[Handsome Bacon]

So there are still benefits to cMBP, but honestly, don't compare cMBP to Retina. You'll feel bad for many reasons other than the screen.

Maybe you will. Otherwise, meh.

"Feeling bad" is knowing some of us would need to carry around an external drive all the time, and that negates any weight or size advantage provided by the retina model.

 

[nizmoz]

Love mine I just got and upgraded it a lot. See below.


Here is my new MBP and installing the Samsung 830 SSD, drive bay for 2nd HD, and putting my Cdrom in it's new caddy and 16gb of new ram.

The HD caddy was only $11 bucks. Works great and good quality.

 

[bill-p]

Maybe you will. Otherwise, meh.

"Feeling bad" is knowing some of us would need to carry around an external drive all the time, and that negates any weight or size advantage provided by the retina model.

Regardless of whether it's an optical or hard drive, you'll find yourself not pulling it out of the bag that often. Plus if you are just traveling short distances, then you won't need it at all as you'll be back in your home with your arsenal of accessories at the end of the day.

I have clients who still request DVDs on a weekly basis (seriously), but I still find myself not needing an optical drive that often.

Now, a hard drive... that one is necessary, but then... even with the cMBP, I still had to lug around the same hard drives, so the weight and profile benefits ARE significant.

 

[Naimfan]

So as I see it the cMBP is stable/proven, screen is snappier, its upgradable so you can get in cheap for now (relatively speaking) and you get additional ports!

No negative comment so far, all you lack is a few extra ounces, a bit slimmer and the Retina bugs which Some have reported.

But with the cMBP you can update the SSD and Ram later with no I'll effect.

Bottom line cMBP would be the wise way to go, many reports say they don't notice the retina unless they get real close. is this a correct summary?

From my experience that is exactly correct. In my view, the cMBP is the better choice today. Once the bugs are ironed out, and the price comes down as seems likely with rev 2 of the retina, that could well change.

 

[Handsome Bacon]

Regardless of whether it's an optical or hard drive, you'll find yourself not pulling it out of the bag that often. Plus if you are just traveling short distances, then you won't need it at all as you'll be back in your home with your arsenal of accessories at the end of the day.

I have clients who still request DVDs on a weekly basis (seriously), but I still find myself not needing an optical drive that often.

Now, a hard drive... that one is necessary, but then... even with the cMBP, I still had to lug around the same hard drives, so the weight and profile benefits ARE significant.

I kind of wish I had a different career at times (mine's music) where I didn't need these huge sample libraries (I have a string and brass library that comes in at 100GB).

The rMBP would have been super but it was price prohibitive and would have presented a little bit of an inconvenience as I spend a lot of time working on airplanes and hotel rooms. cMBP made the most sense simply because of the large amount of files I carry around and working space is sometimes an issue. This is the reason I got rid of my PC laptop - I had to plug an external sound card into it or else I had latency issues. Although smaller than an external HDD, that's a PITA in an airline economy seat with that little itty bitty table.

For years I got along fine with a Thinkpad and a 100GB drive BUT I was in a different career (commercial real estate). If I were still doing that, the base rMBP would have been more than enough.

So I can't feel bad as there was no better alternative for me in the MacBook lineup.

I did see where OWC has a retina SSD replacement now, or was I misinterpreting that?

----------

Love mine I just got and upgraded it a lot. See below.


Here is my new MBP and installing the Samsung 830 SSD, drive bay for 2nd HD, and putting my Cdrom in it's new caddy and 16gb of new ram.

The HD caddy was only $11 bucks. Works great and good quality.

Hey we pretty much did the exact same thing! I had that same caddy - got it from Amazon. A friend sent me his unused Optibay (used that instead) and that came with an enclosure for the existing Superdrive which was cool so I didn't need to buy a Superdrive! Had no idea they made enclosures for those. Yours looks like an external Apple branded superdrive how cool is that?

My original 500GB MBP drive is now orphaned though...

 

[clyde2801]

You could get a external usb3 enclosure for your original MBP drive and promote it from orphan to red headed stepchild...

 

[macguy360]

The main issue with getting a 2012 cMBP is that the cooling is still the same as the 2011 mbp.

This means that if you want to use it for any heavy graphics performance things like gaming or hd video editing you will encounter throttling when temps start to rise.

The improved cooling design of the retina MBP results in only a 5% reduction in graphics performance under heavy strain versus a 20-30% reduction in graphics performance of the cMBP.

 

[bill-p]

I kind of wish I had a different career at times (mine's music) where I didn't need these huge sample libraries (I have a string and brass library that comes in at 100GB).

The rMBP would have been super but it was price prohibitive and would have presented a little bit of an inconvenience as I spend a lot of time working on airplanes and hotel rooms. cMBP made the most sense simply because of the large amount of files I carry around and working space is sometimes an issue. This is the reason I got rid of my PC laptop - I had to plug an external sound card into it or else I had latency issues. Although smaller than an external HDD, that's a PITA in an airline economy seat with that little itty bitty table.

For years I got along fine with a Thinkpad and a 100GB drive BUT I was in a different career (commercial real estate). If I were still doing that, the base rMBP would have been more than enough.

So I can't feel bad as there was no better alternative for me in the MacBook lineup.

I did see where OWC has a retina SSD replacement now, or was I misinterpreting that?

Even if your music library is 100GB in samples, you can still fit that much in a 256GB SSD, and the seek time would be faster than a traditional hard drive by a significant margin especially if you are working with all of those samples at once. If 256GB is not enough, you can always opt for the 512GB or 768GB upgrades.

That and I don't think many people try to edit or make music on a plane... Even musicians that I have had the pleasure to work with mostly spend their time at the comfort of their homes... where they have other equipments available, to make music. I think that's partially because they're missing a number of other things aside from the audio interface... like a guitar, a MIDI controller, a keyboard, an amp, and... oh... a pair of monitor speakers that don't get polluted by plane noise.

Plus the cMBP is harder to fit on an airplane table than a rMBP or MBA. I know because I have always tried. In fact, the 11" MBA is about the only device I know that can be comfortably laid on that table without bumping into the next seat over.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to make it look like the rMBP is the be-all-end-all choice. I'm just saying that based on your response, it seems like your main beef is with the price rather than the machine itself.

 

[Handsome Bacon]

Even if your music library is 100GB in samples, you can still fit that much in a 256GB SSD, and the seek time would be faster than a traditional hard drive by a significant margin especially if you are working with all of those samples at once. If 256GB is not enough, you can always opt for the 512GB or 768GB upgrades.

That and I don't think many people try to edit or make music on a plane... Even musicians that I have had the pleasure to work with mostly spend their time at the comfort of their homes... where they have other equipments available, to make music. I think that's partially because they're missing a number of other things aside from the audio interface... like a guitar, a MIDI controller, a keyboard, an amp, and... oh... a pair of monitor speakers that don't get polluted by plane noise.

Plus the cMBP is harder to fit on an airplane table than a rMBP or MBA. I know because I have always tried. In fact, the 11" MBA is about the only device I know that can be comfortably laid on that table without bumping into the next seat over.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not trying to make it look like the rMBP is the be-all-end-all choice. I'm just saying that based on your response, it seems like your main beef is with the price rather than the machine itself.

Oh no, that's just TWO libraries! I'd say total I have about 500GB of sample libraries. Everything from hip hop to 60s and 70s funk and soul - also using Komplete 8 Ultimate which is 240GB on its own. I do work on airplanes as I find myself constantly traveling as a touring DJ. I sketch some ideas in airports, in airline lounges, in hotel rooms you name it. I get home and transfer the project to my studio PC which is an almost duplicate static setup.

As for a MIDI controller, this thing works pretty good in a pinch and fits in my backpack nicely. It'll fit right over the trackpad area on my MBP if space is at a premium.

http://youtu.be/_Q2UKyVYp4M

As for airplane noise, that def can be an issue but you eventually get used to it. The best solution is a good pair of closed headphones.

 

[nizmoz]

The main issue with getting a 2012 cMBP is that the cooling is still the same as the 2011 mbp.

This means that if you want to use it for any heavy graphics performance things like gaming or hd video editing you will encounter throttling when temps start to rise.

The improved cooling design of the retina MBP results in only a 5% reduction in graphics performance under heavy strain versus a 20-30% reduction in graphics performance of the cMBP.

The cMBP has efficient cooling and works just fine for high cpu requirements and doesn't throttle. You want to see a machine that throttles, look at the Dell XPS, or other PC manufactures.

The rMBP will not COOL as well due to less space (compact in size) so it has no where for the air to flow as good as the older design while the cMBP has more space to allow the air to flow better. There is a reason why the rMBP gets hot in certain areas when people are using it and have complained about it vs the MBP is usually cold to the touch.

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Yep, and it works great. Took a bit to get the cover on it perfectly where it didn't cover the opening of the drive, but once I got that aligned right, it worked well.

I kind of wish I had a different career at times (mine's music) where I didn't need these huge sample libraries (I have a string and brass library that comes in at 100GB).

The rMBP would have been super but it was price prohibitive and would have presented a little bit of an inconvenience as I spend a lot of time working on airplanes and hotel rooms. cMBP made the most sense simply because of the large amount of files I carry around and working space is sometimes an issue. This is the reason I got rid of my PC laptop - I had to plug an external sound card into it or else I had latency issues. Although smaller than an external HDD, that's a PITA in an airline economy seat with that little itty bitty table.

For years I got along fine with a Thinkpad and a 100GB drive BUT I was in a different career (commercial real estate). If I were still doing that, the base rMBP would have been more than enough.

So I can't feel bad as there was no better alternative for me in the MacBook lineup.

I did see where OWC has a retina SSD replacement now, or was I misinterpreting that?

----------



Hey we pretty much did the exact same thing! I had that same caddy - got it from Amazon. A friend sent me his unused Optibay (used that instead) and that came with an enclosure for the existing Superdrive which was cool so I didn't need to buy a Superdrive! Had no idea they made enclosures for those. Yours looks like an external Apple branded superdrive how cool is that?

My original 500GB MBP drive is now orphaned though...

 

[macguy360]

The cMBP has efficient cooling and works just fine for high cpu requirements and doesn't throttle. You want to see a machine that throttles, look at the Dell XPS, or other PC manufactures.

The rMBP will not COOL as well due to less space (compact in size) so it has no where for the air to flow as good as the older design while the cMBP has more space to allow the air to flow better. There is a reason why the rMBP gets hot in certain areas when people are using it and have complained about it vs the MBP is usually cold to the touch.

----------

Yep, and it works great. Took a bit to get the cover on it perfectly where it didn't cover the opening of the drive, but once I got that aligned right, it worked well.

I don't mean to call you out on it but anandtech ran benchmarks comparing the performance and throttling due to heat of both the 2012 retina mbp and the 2011 15" mbp. They found that the retina macbook pro dissipates heat better and after 20 minutes of gameplay stays consistently at only about 5% performance loss compared to the 2011 mbp which drops about 25% in performance due to heat buildup causing throttling.

You can then figure that the 2012 cMBP will also have heat dissipation issues due to the fact that the cooling design has not changed as it has for the retina MBP which contains extra vents and a different heatsink design.

Here is the link to the anandtech benchmarks

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6023/the-nextgen-macbook-pro-with-retina-display-review/12

 

[nontroppo]

Even at fairly low load, the rMBP runs its fans at a lower RPM to maintain the same or lower temperatures, and is quieter:

https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/15602154/

I think it is clear that the rMBP has significantly better cooling, and it shows through in throttling as well as subjective noise in the lap feel!

@nimoz: damn that DVD enclosure is nice, much better than the OWC enclosure I got with my data-doubler, which is cheap black plastic; is it actually aluminium, or just Al look?

 

[chriscl]

I suppose it depends what your actual needs are.

For me, I wanted Firewire 800 and ethernet, without having to use adapters (less things to lose). I'm also still finding myself using the Superdrive...

But the most significant thing of course is the cost.

I don't know about US pricing, but in the UK, the base-model MBP is £999.

That gives me a powerful laptop with all the connectivity I want, a decent sized hard drive (500GB) and a vibrant, colour display.

In the UK, the cheapest Retina model is £1,799 - that's a 15" of course.

Even if a 13" Retina model came along, I'd imagine the cost would be 'impressive' (possibly around £1,500?), and - for me, anyway - I still need that extra connectivity that the 'classic' MBP provides.

Yes, the retina display is very good. But for me, if I'd gone retina, by the time I'd bought firewire and ethernet adapters and an external Superdrive, the cost would have been nearly double the £999 I paid for my 13" MBP...

 

[M5RahuL]

The cMBP has efficient cooling and works just fine for high cpu requirements and doesn't throttle. You want to see a machine that throttles, look at the Dell XPS, or other PC manufactures.

The rMBP will not COOL as well due to less space (compact in size) so it has no where for the air to flow as good as the older design while the cMBP has more space to allow the air to flow better. There is a reason why the rMBP gets hot in certain areas when people are using it and have complained about it vs the MBP is usually cold to the touch.

LOL.. thanks for the laugh... much needed after a stressful day!!!

 

[mykelala01]

The main issue with getting a 2012 cMBP is that the cooling is still the same as the 2011 mbp.

This means that if you want to use it for any heavy graphics performance things like gaming or hd video editing you will encounter throttling when temps start to rise.

The improved cooling design of the retina MBP results in only a 5% reduction in graphics performance under heavy strain versus a 20-30% reduction in graphics performance of the cMBP.

2012 and 2011 cMBP might have the same cooling. But they have different processor and GPU. IVY bridge uses 22 NM which improve performance, uses less power means less heat to dissapate. 2011 macbook pro is notorious in heat problem. I think the GPU which is AMD is the cause. Which forces apple to go back to Nvidia. So far I dont experience any heat issue or throttle down under heavy use on my Mid 2012 cMBP.

 

[TechZeke]

First off - my mid-2012 cMBP is absolutely fantastic. My only complaint is the heat, which burns where the keyboard is, which is quite annoying when playing a game.

2012 and 2011 cMBP might have the same cooling. But they have different processor and GPU. IVY bridge uses 22 NM which improve performance, uses less power means less heat to dissapate. 2011 macbook pro is notorious in heat problem. I think the GPU which is AMD is the cause. Which forces apple to go back to Nvidia. So far I dont experience any heat issue or throttle down under heavy use on my Mid 2012 cMBP.

My MBP gets as high as 84 C in the GPU, the top left between the keyboard and screen almost burns to the touch. I don't know if this is normal or not. I've tried searching numerous threads but can't seem to get a straight answer.

 

[ixodes]

I really wish they stuck it out with the 17" for one last round. Would've been great to have a MPB with TB and USB3 to last a bit while the retina stuff gets the bugs worked out.

Very well said, I couldn't agree more.

 

[Iphone4sinwhite]

Love mine I just got and upgraded it a lot. See below.

Image

Image

Can you provide a link for the DVD drive housing?

 

[nizmoz]

Even at fairly low load, the rMBP runs its fans at a lower RPM to maintain the same or lower temperatures, and is quieter:

https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/15602154/

I think it is clear that the rMBP has significantly better cooling, and it shows through in throttling as well as subjective noise in the lap feel!

@nimoz: damn that DVD enclosure is nice, much better than the OWC enclosure I got with my data-doubler, which is cheap black plastic; is it actually aluminium, or just Al look?

It's actually aluminum. .

Edit sorry DVD is plastic with metal bottom. Hd housing is alum.

 

[nizmoz]

LOL.. thanks for the laugh... much needed after a stressful day!!!

Glad you laugh but facts are facts.

 

[nizmoz]

Can you provide a link for the DVD drive housing?

Hd housing.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0058AH2US/ref=pe_175190_21431760_M2T1_ST1_dp_1

DVD housing

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005RFOJT6/ref=pe_175190_21431760_M2T1_ST1_dp_2

 

[mykelala01]

First off - my mid-2012 cMBP is absolutely fantastic. My only complaint is the heat, which burns where the keyboard is, which is quite annoying when playing a game.



My MBP gets as high as 84 C in the GPU, the top left between the keyboard and screen almost burns to the touch. I don't know if this is normal or not. I've tried searching numerous threads but can't seem to get a straight answer.

84 C degree on GPU when running games is normal. Is this on Bootcamp or OSX? And 84 C is just warm to touch, not "almost burn to touch." Before you burn yourself the keyboard should melt first. Or your macbook pro will shutdown to protect itself.

 

[bill-p]

Glad you laugh but facts are facts.

Yes, and the simple fact is that due to the two extra vent holes (more like strips) to the sides, rMBP's airflow is better than cMBP, and rMBP runs cooler + quieter as a result.

rMBP's air vents at the hinge have also been improved. the hinge opens up a lot of space, and the vents are slanted upward instead of being horizontal like the cMBP. The end result is that more air is moved.

I find my rMBP a lot quieter and cooler than my old 2011 cMBP 15"...