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MacBook Pro 13 or MacBook -.-

ApoorvPrem

ApoorvPrem

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 25, 2011
181
12
India
So I am gonna start my graduate college by this month end and am planning to replace my 2011 MacBook Pro 13 ( Non-Retina but with 8GB ram ). I have already ordered an iMac 5K with i7 and M295X but can't decide which laptop to get - I won't be doing anything intensive on my laptop, mostly media consumption but I still don't want it to lag after a few months! So I have couple of questions -

1- How fast is it compared to my current model? People are comparing it to 2013 Air models.

2- Can I run MATLAB on it? That's my BIGGEST concern cos I will be using MATLAB extensively - both at home and classes.

3- How big a difference is there between the base level processor ( 1.1 ) and the top end model ( 1.2 )?
 
Don't be lazy, there are tons of threads here already with answers to your questions - read around a bit, even on the front page.
 
ApoorvPrem said:
So I am gonna start my graduate college by this month end and am planning to replace my 2011 MacBook Pro 13 ( Non-Retina but with 8GB ram ). I have already ordered an iMac 5K with i7 and M295X but can't decide which laptop to get - I won't be doing anything intensive on my laptop, mostly media consumption but I still don't want it to lag after a few months! So I have couple of questions -

1- How fast is it compared to my current model? People are comparing it to 2013 Air models.

2- Can I run MATLAB on it? That's my BIGGEST concern cos I will be using MATLAB extensively - both at home and classes.

3- How big a difference is there between the base level processor ( 1.1 ) and the top end model ( 1.2 )?
Click to expand...

The MacBook has a CPU less powerful than a 2011 MBP ... it's about equivalent to an i3-3110M.

I'd recommend the Retina MacBook Pro, or throw an SSD in your existing MacBook Pro 13".

facrat said:
Don't be lazy, there are tons of threads here already with answers to your questions - read around a bit, even on the front page.
Click to expand...

Why are the newbies always the rudies?
 
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You said it yourself: you're not going to do anything intensive on the laptop except mainly media consumption _and_ you've already ordered a 5K iMac for the harder work you need to do. The rMB is perfect for what you want.
 
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The rMB will be PLENTY powerful enough for your needs. I'm in a very similar situation (med student), and it's perfect for me. Having something light to carry to class makes a big difference. The Core M processor is specifically designed to be good at burst tasks. It simply isn't true that it's less powerful than your 2011 Pro. In fact, you'll probably notice a speed upgrade in most of your everyday uses. You'll certainly notice a storage upgrade. The rMB has the fastest storage of any of Apple's laptops.
 
I haven't used Matlab. However, others have used the rMB for more intensive tasks with great success, so I'm pretty comfortable in recommending it to you.
 
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The big concern for me is/was the ports.

Bear in mind that on the rMB USB-C is your only option. For external display, external storage, charging, networking, etc.

USB-C is still very rare in the real world.
 
throAU said:
The big concern for me is/was the ports.

Bear in mind that on the rMB USB-C is your only option. For external display, external storage, charging, networking, etc.

USB-C is still very rare in the real world.
Click to expand...

That is an issue! I don't think there is any solution for that except adaptors.
 
ApoorvPrem said:
That is an issue! I don't think there is any solution for that except adaptors.
Click to expand...

Adapters yup. And relying a little more on Wifi / airdrop for file sharing, cloud storage rather than external disk, etc.

A pro or air will give you less hassle/more options with regards to that - if you do go 12" rMB be prepared to deal with the port situation.
 
ApoorvPrem said:
That is an issue! I don't think there is any solution for that except adaptors.
Click to expand...

It really isn't nearly as much of an issue as people make it sound. Unless you routinely use monitors or external storage, you could get by with a single USB A adapter. I use the larger display adapter, leaving it at my desk during the day. When I return to my room, I plug in a single cable and connect to a monitor, printer, and power. It's more convenient than an annoyance. Besides, even with the adapter, you're still paying less than you would for a pro with equivalent storage.
 
JTBing said:
It really isn't nearly as much of an issue as people make it sound. Unless you routinely use monitors or external storage, you could get by with a single USB A adapter. I use the larger display adapter, leaving it at my desk during the day. When I return to my room, I plug in a single cable and connect to a monitor, printer, and power. It's more convenient than an annoyance. Besides, even with the adapter, you're still paying less than you would for a pro with equivalent storage.
Click to expand...

Depends entirely on what you do with your computer.

For some it isn't an issue.

For others (including myself) it will be.

It's something to consider - and a trade-off - you either find the weight/size (and vs. the air, retina display) worth the trade-off, or you don't.

The Pro gets you a lot more horsepower and battery life as well as the additional ports, SD card reader, etc. But if you don't need it, it's irrelevant. And it certainly weighs more.
 
I agree, the port issue is sometimes brought up like it's an automatic flaw, but it really shouldn't be thought of that way. For some types of use, like in my case for example, the lack of ports is irrelevant whereas on my work machines, I absolutely always need them - the more, the better. I think all it really does is oblige you to really think about what you want the machine for and what you'll do with it in a day's work. I ended up realising that having a tiny (almost iPad sized) computer with a retina display was great for me as a personal machine.. and for that machine, I really never will plug it into anything except a USB drive from time to time. I got the basic USB-C to A adaptor which lives in the case I carry the rMB in, and I'm done. For other people, the question might bring up a more considered debate - am I OK with the idea of ultralight + hub, or do I just want something more classic in design with more connectivity on board? How much is getting the tiniest form-factor available worth to me, vs potential inconveniences? For me the equation was easy to solve because I simply just don't have any intention to use the rMB even in with an external display. For others, it probably merits a little more reflection.
 
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Exactly. So long as people go in with their eyes open, they're less likely to be disappointed with their purchase.

I seriously considered both the 13" Pro and the 12" rMB for quite some time before deciding that for me the 13" is light enough (coming from a classic 15" so I'm used to significantly heftier) and gives me more connectivity options for the gear i actually already own (USB-> RS232 adapters, SD cards, mice, keyboards, monitors, mini-DP/thunderbolt dongles) with a bit more CPU power, better GPU, better battery life (this was actually a big deal - i wanted 8+ hours reliably, but i wanted retina, which ruled out both the 15" Pro and the Airs), etc.

But it took a while to decide.
 
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The port issue is definitely a real issue for some. I simply suspect that it's an issue for fewer than people assume. That's my opinion, however.

Speaking as a student, though, I think that the portability and capabilities of the rMB will outweigh any slight compromises you have to make for the port.
 
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It's funny, it makes me think of how some people talk about gluten-free like it's automatically somehow better.. lol. If you have a serious medical condition that makes gluten dangerous to you, then of course you know you have to avoid it. For everyone else it's irrelevant. And sometimes it even can make people make _bad_choices because they restrict their choice based on criteria that don't affect them, missing out on things that might actually be great for them.

Same thing tends to happen with computers. Official reviews make their shortlists of "pros" and "cons" and everybody just sees everything through that prism as if it's the only valid interpretation. But just as the "pro" of having the fastest CPU currently available is irrelevant to someone who basically wants a netbook, the "con" of not having many built-in ports is irrelevant to someone who doesn't use them anyway...
 
ApoorvPrem said:
2- Can I run MATLAB on it? That's my BIGGEST concern cos I will be using MATLAB extensively - both at home and classes.
Click to expand...
Sure, for simple Matlab operations virtually everything built in this century will be just fine. On the other hand, complex operations on huge datasets or detailed numerical simulations will even make a high-end desktop i7 sweat. Just depends on what you're planning to do.
For working with a lot of data you'll want to have as much RAM as you can get.
For Simulink stuff you'll need as much single-core performance as possible since it can't be multithreaded.
I think in college you won't do too complicated stuff though, so even the low-end options should be fine.

For me personally the screen size would be the bigger problem. I'm using Matlab daily on 2x 24" screens and wouldn't want to miss that. For academic tasks a 12" or 13" might be enough, I was using a 15" MBP back in the days.
 
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JTBing said:
The rMB will be PLENTY powerful enough for your needs. I'm in a very similar situation (med student), and it's perfect for me. Having something light to carry to class makes a big difference. The Core M processor is specifically designed to be good at burst tasks. It simply isn't true that it's less powerful than your 2011 Pro. In fact, you'll probably notice a speed upgrade in most of your everyday uses. You'll certainly notice a storage upgrade. The rMB has the fastest storage of any of Apple's laptops.
Click to expand...
Actually, I believe that it was shown that the 2015 13" rMBP has a faster storage speed than the rMB. But, the rMB is definitely faster than the 2015 11"/13" MBAs.
 
wchigo said:
Actually, I believe that it was shown that the 2015 13" rMBP has a faster storage speed than the rMB. But, the rMB is definitely faster than the 2015 11"/13" MBAs.
Click to expand...
I could be wrong there... I'm pretty sure the review I'm referencing is from anandtech. I thought the test included all models but it could have just been Airs...

Edit: I double checked. You're right! Sorry for the mistake!
 
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wchigo said:
Actually, I believe that it was shown that the 2015 13" rMBP has a faster storage speed than the rMB. But, the rMB is definitely faster than the 2015 11"/13" MBAs.
Click to expand...

Correct, I recall reading that the latest Pros (which also use PCI flash storage) have faster read/write speeds by quite a margin (1400 mbit/s read, 1300 mbit/s write) than the rMB. The type of technology is the same, but it looks like the rMB has roughly the same drive speed as the previous generation of MBPs, about half as fast... which is to say, still well and truly better than classic SSD drives and of course there's no comparison to older spinning drives.

Here's a quote (from a Computerworld test):

Benchmark tests with Blackmagic software on a new 13-in. MacBook Pro with Retina display revealed it can pin the needle at more than 1,400MBps for writes and more than 1,300MBps for reads.

(for comparison, when running the same test on my rMB 1.3 512, I get around 450 on average write speed and around 850 read)
 
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The storage speed on all the new portable SSD macs is so fast as to not really matter which one you buy very much (as far as storage goes).

1000 megabytes / sec plus is just nuts, and way faster than gigabit ethernet (10-14x faster) or wifi which is what you're likely using to get data on or off the machine. It will flood 10 gigabit ethernet, thunderbolt 1, etc. Fast enough for HD, 4k video, etc.

My only concern would be if you enable filevault2, maybe the rMB CPU might not keep up as well trying to encrypt the drive at such speeds. But it will still be "fast"
 
Given that you will have a high-end iMac for your heavy-duty needs, I think the rMB would be a far better companion than the comparatively bulky MBP. If you were only going to have one computer, I'd suggest the Pro, but as a companion, the rMB is a better choice, and will be plenty fast for your needs.
 
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Thanks a ton guys :D. I have finalised - MB with 256GB. All your comments made it really easy for me to decide. I will be ordering the Space Gray one :D :D. Cant wait.
 
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