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June 2012 15" vs October 2013 13"

C

cagcody

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 28, 2012
110
16
Hey everybody,

Just wanted to ask a quick question. Within the next month, I'll be upgrading my 2009 Unibody Macbook to a Macbook Pro. I definitely want to get a retina version.

Here's my question, should I get a used 2012 15" or a new 2013 13"?

I'm a college student, so I would definitely be using applications like Word, Powerpoint, iTunes, web-browsing, light gaming, Youtube, etc.... I want to stay between $1500-$1600 price range.

With my student discount, I can get the new rMBP (256GB/8GB) for right above $1500. Used 15" 2012 Retinas are going used for slightly more.

Is the larger screen size worth the jump back compared to Haswell? I know the 15" will still be a great computer, but I'm not sure if buying new would be a better option. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks guys!
 
cagcody said:
Hey everybody,

Just wanted to ask a quick question. Within the next month, I'll be upgrading my 2009 Unibody Macbook to a Macbook Pro. I definitely want to get a retina version.

Here's my question, should I get a used 2012 15" or a new 2013 13"?

I'm a college student, so I would definitely be using applications like Word, Powerpoint, iTunes, web-browsing, light gaming, Youtube, etc.... I want to stay between $1500-$1600 price range.

With my student discount, I can get the new rMBP (256GB/8GB) for right above $1500. Used 15" 2012 Retinas are going used for slightly more.

Is the larger screen size worth the jump back compared to Haswell? I know the 15" will still be a great computer, but I'm not sure if buying new would be a better option. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks guys!
Click to expand...

I personally prefer 13" because they are much easier to carry, and they fit in my bag perfectly.
 
since you said gaming, i would go with the used 2012 15" because of the dedicated GPU, but all that other stuff you do, the 13" is very very very capable of doing those tasks.

good luck with your choice :)
 
I have the June 2012 retina 15" model.

The 2012 is actually faster than the 2013. This is because the 2012 model has dual graphics cards, and the 2013 model has only one! This is why Apple cut down the price.

And yes, I always suggest purchasing every Apple product refurbished as mentioned above!
 
The Mid 2012 15" model has a quad core processor, adequate integrated graphics with fast discrete graphics.

The Late 2013 13" model has a dual core processor and slightly better integrated graphics.

The older computer is much faster, but if you value portability, the new 13" more than fast enough for school work and light gaming.
 
I have a 13in model but find the 15in version much more to my liking.

I just bought a refurb 15in OCT 2013.

I understand the size and weight differences but the extra real estate on the 15in is so nice. That is the key for me. The 13in meets all my needs

Now I have to sell my 13in i7 2.9ghz/512GB rMBP. I personally recommend the refurbs. My 13in has been perfect and had 3 cycles on the battery.

In Nov I bought a brand new 15in, it had 3 cycles on the battery and had a charging issue


I just bought the refurb 15in i7 2.6/512gb/750. The screen is nicer and it does not fry an egg when charging
 
Thanks for the responses everyone! I found a used 15" Retina on Amazon with just 12 battery cycles for $1475 with no tax. I think I'm gonna jump for that one. How is the battery life for the 15"?
 
cagcody said:
Thanks for the responses everyone! I found a used 15" Retina on Amazon with just 12 battery cycles for $1475 with no tax. I think I'm gonna jump for that one. How is the battery life for the 15"?
Click to expand...

get gfxcardstatus and force iGPU and you will probably get near apples claimed values (don't) know what they claim ^^
anyway batterlife depents on usage. if you do videoediting with active dGPU at full brightness it will not last very long ;)
 
These are the specs:

256 SSD
2.3 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 processor
8 GB DDR3 RAM; 256 GB Flash Storage
15.4-inch LED-backlit Retina Display, 2880-by-1800 resolution
NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M 1GB Graphics
 
Just wanted to post an update. I found what is claimed to be a new 15" Retina Late 2013 Base for just above $1,400 on Amazon Marketplace. Went ahead and ordered that. Hopefully it is legit and I will receive the computer without any problems..
 
Update: The last estimated delivery for the package was today. Came home from work to try and catch our mail lady before it delivered since it had to be signed for. Nothing. The tracking info still only shows Electronic Info Received on Jan. 29. The delivery date was between Friday 31- Wednesday 05, but it hasn't came yet. I've contacted the seller 3 different times; before I ordered, waited a few days after I ordered, and then a couple days later about shipping. They haven't responded to any of my emails. I'm wondering now if it could be a scam. My Amazon credit card was charged, so they have the money, but I have to wait until Friday to file a claim.
 
cagcody said:
Update: The last estimated delivery for the package was today. Came home from work to try and catch our mail lady before it delivered since it had to be signed for. Nothing. The tracking info still only shows Electronic Info Received on Jan. 29. The delivery date was between Friday 31- Wednesday 05, but it hasn't came yet. I've contacted the seller 3 different times; before I ordered, waited a few days after I ordered, and then a couple days later about shipping. They haven't responded to any of my emails. I'm wondering now if it could be a scam. My Amazon credit card was charged, so they have the money, but I have to wait until Friday to file a claim.
Click to expand...
Shipped through USPS? That's a good sign he only printed a shipping label but didn't actually ship it. However there could be delays and such.

On a side note, I choose the 15'' over the 13'' and haven't looked back. The 15'' is surprisingly light, especially compared to the non-retina models. I too am a student, living on campus so I have to do a great deal of walking. With that said I've never felt carrying my macbook has really bogged me down. It's a great machine, I can game on it, browse the web, use web design tools and get 7 hours of battery life out of it so it lasts all day.

(I must confess I did upgrade to the 500gb/750m model recently though simply because I needed the SSD space as a CS major. ;) But the 2012/650m is a great computer. )
 
Last edited:
shadow82x said:
Shipped through USPS? That's a good sign he only printed a shipping label but didn't actually ship it. However there could be delays and such.

On a side note, I choose the 15'' over the 13'' and haven't looked back. The 15'' is surprisingly light, especially compared to the non-retina models. I too am a student, living on campus so I have to do a great deal of walking. With that said I've never felt carrying my macbook has really bogged me down. It's a great machine, I can game on it, browse the web, use web design tools and get 7 hours of battery life out of it so it lasts all day.

(I must confess I did upgrade to the 500gb/750m model recently though simply because I needed the SSD space as a CS major. ;) But the 2012/650m is a great computer. )
Click to expand...

If it turns out it was a scam or something, I'm gonna try and pick up a used 15". 13" isn't cutting it anymore, I want something a little bigger. Still keeping my fingers crossed that it'll show up and everything will be good to go.
 
cagcody said:
If it turns out it was a scam or something, I'm gonna try and pick up a used 15". 13" isn't cutting it anymore, I want something a little bigger. Still keeping my fingers crossed that it'll show up and everything will be good to go.
Click to expand...

Im in full support of you getting a 15 inch. :) And did this company have feedback on amazon? I tend to not buy things from the people who don't just because you never know.
 
shadow82x said:
Im in full support of you getting a 15 inch. :) And did this company have feedback on amazon? I tend to not buy things from the people who don't just because you never know.
Click to expand...

Brand new seller. Should've stopped then. :( haha
 
haha yes. It's like ebay. You need to buy from people with 100% positive feedback and a few sales. :p Sometimes things are too good to be true.
 
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