I'm looking to replace my 17" MBP in my signature and the 13" MBP did draw my attention. Ever since I built a PC last month for gaming, I no longer have a need for insane specs, so I'm wondering how well the Iris graphics on the 13" runs the Thunderbolt Display. I know I will also be going from quad core back to dual core and would like to know how much of a performance hit I'd be taking. I use Handbrake (though I will likely offload that to my PC), iMovie occasionally, iTunes, iPhoto, Safari, MatLab, R, and I virtualize windows 7 via VMware fusion.
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Iris graphics
- Thread starter bniu
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I have the 13" Retina, I'm not sure what to compare the Iris graphics to.
In terms of performance, with what I've put it through I couldn't be happier. You mentioned iMovie which it handles with ease. I've subjected it to Premier CC and it's handled it very well. The render time was somewhat lengthy but considering the export format and size it's probably mostly due to the dual core.
It handles Aperture, Lightroom and Photoshop CC often all at once perfectly. I haven't had the opportunity to plug into a Thunderbolt, but I can't see it having any issue with it. The Retina resolution on the 13" display is greater than that of the TBD.
In terms of performance, with what I've put it through I couldn't be happier. You mentioned iMovie which it handles with ease. I've subjected it to Premier CC and it's handled it very well. The render time was somewhat lengthy but considering the export format and size it's probably mostly due to the dual core.
It handles Aperture, Lightroom and Photoshop CC often all at once perfectly. I haven't had the opportunity to plug into a Thunderbolt, but I can't see it having any issue with it. The Retina resolution on the 13" display is greater than that of the TBD.
It is fine with all of those things. I have a lesser spec graphics card and it handles fine. (Mine is an Intel HD 4000 in my cMBP)
I just did this exact same comparison in reverse a couple of weeks ago. I was set to buy a 13" retina and ended up with a 17" because other than SSD performance, the old 17 was faster and more expandable in every way for roughly the same price. That said the general consensus was the Iris graphics and the old 6770m is roughly equivalent with a slight edge going to the Radeon because of the discrete memory.