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I ordered a 13" cMBP did I make a mistake?

R

Rodster

macrumors 68040
Original poster
May 15, 2007
3,177
6
I ordered the 2.9GHZ i7 model. I did it because of the upgradability of the MBP and that web pages on average are not optimized for the retina display.

I paid $1399 on Amazon. Sooooooo was it a mistake or should I wait for rMBP Haswell. Btw i'm not in dire need of a MBP, just would like to get one since most of my laptops run Windows and Linux.
 
I definitely don't think you made a mistake. If you weren't sold by the current line of rMBP's, the Haswell line probably won't change your mind either. And yes, if you want expandability at a good price, the 13" cMBP is a great buy. Congrats!
 
Yeah I see what you're saying about the rMBP. I don't have a problem with the 1280x800 as my eyes are such that I have trouble with smaller text. I already have trouble with my ThinkPad T60 which has 1680x1050 resolution. :(
 
Rodster said:
Yeah I see what you're saying about the rMBP. I don't have a problem with the 1280x800 as my eyes are such that I have trouble with smaller text. I already have trouble with my ThinkPad T60 which has 1680x1050 resolution. :(
Click to expand...

You can make the retina so that it looks like 1280x800, just clearer ad better colors. You cn also change the resolution to up to 1680x1050 if you need it.
 
I think people are over-anticipating Haswell because they assume it will have a miracle fix for performance issues with rMBPs. Honestly, I don't think it's the case.

It'll be a spec bump like all others and Haswell entry-level CPUs will be weaker than current's best Ivy Bridge CPUs, which do show some scroll lag. As for the iGPU, it'll also definitely be weaker than a GT 650M, which, again, currently lags.

The only real fix there will be is progressive software optimisation, which already started and will only get better (Safari 6.0.3 is now smoother but still not as much as WebKit).

Basically, all those people saying the rMBP is a "rev 1" product you should stay away from are more justifying to themselves not buying it than anything else. There has been some real issues : display image retention, SMC glitch (now fixed), scroll lag (improved and will continue improving), but people claiming the rMBP has underpowered CPU/GPU will eventually find out Haswell isn't going to be a hardware revolution and it's software improvements that will ultimatly "fix" the rMBP, including this generation.

Now as for the cMBP itself, it's an awesome computer if your plan is to upgrade it one day or another. A SSD upgrade for example is going to make it a lot faster than whathever improvement Haswell will bring. If your eyes can't allow you to read small text, I assume you wouldn't fully appreciate the sharpness of a Retina display either.
 
Check out the thread regarding someone asking people if they regret their purchase, many don't for many reasons.


My number one: Being able to RAID 0 two SSD'S and being able to upgrade RAM.
 
Thanks for the input fellas. I'm now feeling good about my purchase. :)

EDIT: and I forgot to mention, I bought it with 12 month no interest from Amazon.
 
Rodster said:
Please elaborate then ;)
Click to expand...

Keep in mind its PURELY my opinion.

The 1 and only reason... screen resolution is just horrible. Im NOT saying buy a Retina, but even the 15" cMBP is a SIGNIFICANT improvement in display over the 13".

Every time I look at a 13" cMBP display it makes me cringe, it is so unpleasing on the eyes.
 
Orlandoech.com said:
Keep in mind its PURELY my opinion.

The 1 and only reason... screen resolution is just horrible. Im NOT saying buy a Retina, but even the 15" cMBP is a SIGNIFICANT improvement in display over the 13".

Every time I look at a 13" cMBP display it makes me cringe, it is so unpleasing on the eyes.
Click to expand...

OK that's valid. I have a 15.4" laptop with 1280x800 and it doesn't look to bad to me. I would like a bump to 1440x900 but I can deal with 1280x800.

Keep in mind that i'm in my mid 50's so my eyes are such that bigger looks better. I have to squint and get up close when working with my T60. Yes getting old SUCKS. :(

Also price wise a 15.4" cMBP is a whopping $400 for a little more screen real estate which I prefer not to spend.
 
Orlandoech.com said:
Keep in mind its PURELY my opinion.

The 1 and only reason... screen resolution is just horrible. Im NOT saying buy a Retina, but even the 15" cMBP is a SIGNIFICANT improvement in display over the 13".

Every time I look at a 13" cMBP display it makes me cringe, it is so unpleasing on the eyes.
Click to expand...

I switched to the Air because you couldn't get a 13" Pro with a 1440x900 screen.

I tried convincing others at work to do so, but they think everything is then 'too small' and like the 1280x800 resolution better. They can still do their work and they still have a 22" external monitor so I just stopped trying to convert them ;)
 
Rodster said:
I ordered the 2.9GHZ i7 model. I did it because of the upgradability of the MBP and that web pages on average are not optimized for the retina display.

I paid $1399 on Amazon. Sooooooo was it a mistake or should I wait for rMBP Haswell. Btw i'm not in dire need of a MBP, just would like to get one since most of my laptops run Windows and Linux.
Click to expand...

You haven't listed your intended usage, so it is impossible to say.
 
Rodster said:
OK that's valid. I have a 15.4" laptop with 1280x800 and it doesn't look to bad to me. I would like a bump to 1440x900 but I can deal with 1280x800.

Keep in mind that i'm in my mid 50's so my eyes are such that bigger looks better. I have to squint and get up close when working with my T60. Yes getting old SUCKS. :(

Also price wise a 15.4" cMBP is a whopping $400 for a little more screen real estate which I prefer not to spend.
Click to expand...

Understandable but its not $400 for screen, its $400 for an overall better and faster machine.

For $400 more you get
  • Better Speakers
  • Quad-Core CPU - vs Dual-Core
  • dGPU + iGPU vs iGPU
  • 15" screen vs 13" screen
  • 1440x900 Screen Resolution vs 1280x800 Resolution
 
Rodster said:
Web browsing, integration with my iPad's and iPod and the ability to upgrade and handle future OS releases. :)
Click to expand...

If one of your top 5 requirements is for it to be easily upgradeable, the cMBP was definitely the right choice.
 
Orlandoech.com said:
Understandable but its not $400 for screen, its $400 for an overall better and faster machine.

For $400 more you get
  • Better Speakers
  • Quad-Core CPU - vs Dual-Core
  • dGPU + iGPU vs iGPU
  • 15" screen vs 13" screen
  • 1440x900 Screen Resolution vs 1280x800 Resolution
Click to expand...

Is the 13" cMBP i7 dual core?
 
robvas said:
I switched to the Air because you couldn't get a 13" Pro with a 1440x900 screen.

I tried convincing others at work to do so, but they think everything is then 'too small' and like the 1280x800 resolution better. They can still do their work and they still have a 22" external monitor so I just stopped trying to convert them ;)
Click to expand...

Lol nice. Some people never let logic ruin an argument, like females! jk lol.
 
Orlandoech.com said:
Understandable but its not $400 for screen, its $400 for an overall better and faster machine.

For $400 more you get
  • Better Speakers
  • Quad-Core CPU - vs Dual-Core
  • dGPU + iGPU vs iGPU
  • 15" screen vs 13" screen
  • 1440x900 Screen Resolution vs 1280x800 Resolution
Click to expand...

And based on the OP's intended usage, none of that benefits him. Besides, 1440x900 on a 15-inch display looks virtually identical to 1280x800 on a 13-inch.
 
saturnotaku said:
And based on the OP's intended usage, none of that benefits him. Besides, 1440x900 on a 15-inch display looks virtually identical to 1280x800 on a 13-inch.
Click to expand...

I'd agree - I went from a 2007 15" MBP with a 1440x900 screen to a cMBP with a 1280x800 screen.

Other than the reduced size of the display, I can't really notice the difference in normal use. And the display on my new MBP is significantly brighter, and colours more vivid, than my old one.

OP - the 13" cMBP is a fantastic computer. You can upgrade the RAM yourself cheaply (I bought 16GB of Crucial RAM from Crucial for a little over £50GBP) and you can upgrade to an SSD and even keep your original HDD as a second drive if you want (at the cost of the DVD drive of course).

It's also very portable - maybe not as portable as a MacBook Air, but more portable than any 15" model, and that lightness comes in handy when carrying it!

I have the i5 model, and I've yet to find anything it struggles with, including video editing (I use Adobe Premiere and iMovie).
 
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