Macbook pro haswell?

[cjoy]

Being able to see lines of code is something highly underrated by people who don't code.

truism much? 😛

 

[hachiman]

kickAss, this is where an external monitor is a godsend, and something to consider getting. 23" for under $100, according to Best Buy. Being able to see an extra 10 lines of code on your screen (and without having your nose pressed up to the screen to see it) is something highly underrated by people who don't code.

If he intends to work in multiple locations (lab, library, cafeteria, etc.), he's not going to lug a monitor around. If he stays in one spot, might as well get a desktop.

 

[DragonJade]

truism much? 😛

Just a touch. 😀

If he intends to work in multiple locations (lab, library, cafeteria, etc.), he's not going to lug a monitor around. If he stays in one spot, might as well get a desktop.

True, but I guess I'm taking it for granted that you can take your laptop and code wherever you want. In my day (showing my age now), a top of the range laptop was something like 66MHz and cost two months salary. The idea of being able to code wherever you want is great, but I still like to plug in a big monitor for the real estate and to save my eyes.

 

[hachiman]

Just a touch. 😀




True, but I guess I'm taking it for granted that you can take your laptop and code wherever you want. In my day (showing my age now), a top of the range laptop was something like 66MHz and cost two months salary. The idea of being able to code wherever you want is great, but I still like to plug in a big monitor for the real estate and to save my eyes.

Instead of spending the money on an external monitor, he could just put that money into a laptop with retina display that has a resolution that is equal to a 27" monitor or larger. I think at this point it's the OP's personal preference. I'd like to keep it simple and have a laptop that does it all, without having all kinds of accessories sitting around and taking up space on a desk or eventually won't have much use. You won't get much value out of the monitor if you don't use it often. The retina display can be scaled, so it could be made to look like it has lots more real estate and is still sharp, for coding or graphic apps, or it could look like any other monitor, with everything about the same size as a non-retina display but everything still looks smoother. It's better to go demo the units in store and see which one fits best.

I think in the old days, laptops were limited so you would have to carry extra accessories. I remember when I had a cellphone, a mp3 player, and sometimes a camera in my pocket wherever I go. And they were three different devices.

 

[cjoy]

Instead of spending the money on an external monitor, he could just put that money into a laptop with retina display that has a resolution that is equal to a 27" monitor or larger.

For coding, the only thing that beats a big screen is a bigger screen.
Suggesting that retina enables you to have the option to choose the best from both worlds is simply misleading. Imagine the 2560x1440 of a 27" packed on a 3.5" device ... extreme example, granted, but this is pretty much what you suggest doing with a retina display (to a lesser extent).

It's better to go demo the units in store and see which one fits best.

This ...
and also, you'll want to hold out for the refresh in october if your in for a rMBP.

 

[mcarling]

For coding, the only thing that beats a big screen is a bigger screen.
Suggesting that retina enables you to have the option to choose the best from both worlds is simply misleading. Imagine the 2560x1440 of a 27" packed on a 3.5" device ... extreme example, granted, but this is pretty much what you suggest doing with a retina display (to a lesser extent).

Point well taken, but nearly everyone can read more lines of code on a 13" rMBP than on a 13" cMBP. Both screen size and screen resolution matter.

 

[Breitling65]

256GB is a must if you intend to
.

Why would you need computer otherwise? I am with 256gb and should get 128gb PNY extra memory card soon. Why? I am editing photos in raw/tiff size, I playing movies in BR quality format, I am running Win8 on parallels image etc. Otherwise I could use my ipad4...