Is it worth it ?

[lawrenzo]

Hello guys,

I work as a prod assistant in a production company and I also do editing ( personal projects mostly at 1080p and 2k)

I decided to get a MBP retina 13 cause i love the portability and lightness ( I move around a lot and the 15 inch is too bulky and big).

The question is whether the 500 dollars that I would need to get 16gb of ram and i7 processor are really worth it.

Since probably you guys know much more about computers than me, are these 500 dollars going to speed up my computer substantially ???


Thank you very much.


L

 

[Macman45]

I have the 13" with the 3GHZ I7, which was a worthwhile upgrade as I do similar work to yourself.

I didn't up the RAM though and 8GB seems to be adequate....sometimes in a large file my Mac slows down, and 16GB would stop that, so I guess the answer is definitely on the I7 and the 16GB if you can afford it...remember though, you have to choose at purchase time...you can't upgrade the RAM later on.

 

[Fishrrman]

If your work is processor-intensive, the i7 CPU is probably worth it.

You might do just fine with 8gb of RAM.

 

[lawrenzo]

Thanks guys for the answers.

I think I'm going to go for the i7, but I still have some doubts on the ram.

8 gb is recommended for both premier and FCPX, but I just wouldn't wanna get a gig for editing a 2k 20 minute film and have the mbp not able to handle it.

I know the best solution would be to get A iMac with separated GPU, but the portability of the 13 inch is what I need the most right now.

I also have media composer 7, but I don't expect it to run @ full power on this system.

Thanks again

L

 

[PicnicTutorials]

I'd say yes. A slow computer is the most frustrating things there are. I had one for 10 years. Prob wasted 1000+ hours starring at a hour glass icon. Yours wont be 1000 hours but regardless it's frustrating. Verses a speedy computer makes you feel like a multitasking wiz kid. That's a first for me. And it's nice. Can't put a price on time. Well apple can I guess.

 

[Macsonic]

In my opinion go for upgrading the ram and cpu. In the long term it will pay off as your tasks and needs grow.

 

[jlus3]

.

 

[AppleFanBoy91]

Hey, if you the have money, go for it. Upgrading the RAM will make your MBP last just that much longer, and you shouldn't ever experience lag issues- hopefully.

Good luck!

 

[RedCroissant]

Hello guys,

I work as a prod assistant in a production company and I also do editing ( personal projects mostly at 1080p and 2k)

I decided to get a MBP retina 13 cause i love the portability and lightness ( I move around a lot and the 15 inch is too bulky and big).

The question is whether the 500 dollars that I would need to get 16gb of ram and i7 processor are really worth it.

Since probably you guys know much more about computers than me, are these 500 dollars going to speed up my computer substantially ???


Thank you very much.


L

It is absolutely worth it. OS X Mavericks requires more RAM (from what I've noticed) and maxing out the machine is always the best way to go. I would say especially so with a retina because being stuck with a less powerful configuration would not be ideal.

I am not a big fan of the retina models though because it limits the accessories that you can have or your connection abilities without the proper adapters. For this reason, I almost always recommend a 15" model and refurbished as well.

You can get a 2.3GHZ quad core i7 with 4GB RAM (upgradeable), a 750GB HDD(upgradeable), and it has ethernet, FW800, TB, 2 USB 3.0 ports, SD card slot, and the superdrive for $1600.

I know you said that the 15" is too bulky. So the refurbished 13" cMBP is available with 4GB RAM (upgradeable), 500GB HDD(upgradeable) and the same I/O ports and capabilities as the 15" and for only $1k. You can also max out the RAM to 16GB and have a pretty awesome little machine and it will save you quite a bit of money.

 

[lawrenzo]

Thanks for the responses guys !!!!

I have been waiting for a while and visit edit he apple store a few times.

I am actually reconsidering the 15 inch retina, cause it is actually not that bigger than the 13 inch. Although the 13 inch is waaaaaay cuter !

Im still wondering, so if you have any personal experience please share. What sucks the most on the 13 is the absence of a quand core processor, which I guess would make editing way faster.

thanks !

L

 

[phoenixsan]

It is my experience.....

as a video editor/transcoder (for hobby and seldom for work) that video files and tasks are intensive in RAM and CPU power. So, the better you can have, the better you can throw in any you want on your hardware, IMHO....

 

[gochi]

8 gigs is plenty.

if you want to upgrade, upgrade cpu

the ram you can upgrade yourself.

 

[RedCroissant]

8 gigs is plenty.

if you want to upgrade, upgrade cpu

the ram you can upgrade yourself.

With a retina MBP, the RAM is not user-upgradeable because it is soldered to the board along with most other parts of the machine.

This is why I would buy a refurbished cMBP now before they're all gone. Sure, it won't be a retina display, but the display on a 15" cMBP is still pretty awesome.

----------

Thanks for the responses guys !!!!

I have been waiting for a while and visit edit he apple store a few times.

I am actually reconsidering the 15 inch retina, cause it is actually not that bigger than the 13 inch. Although the 13 inch is waaaaaay cuter !

Im still wondering, so if you have any personal experience please share. What sucks the most on the 13 is the absence of a quand core processor, which I guess would make editing way faster.

thanks !

L

I would still recommend a cMBP. I had the late 2011 quad core 15" MBP and it was awesome until I had to sell it.

 

[gochi]

true that, totally forgot about that!