MBP 13 inch retina? pls help

[unbelievable99]

Hi,

Before I begin, I am sorry if this has been brought up before, but I feel the need to ask this question my own way.

I have, like many, been waiting for the 13 inch rMBP, and it has finally come, and although it is expensive, I can probably afford it. I am ready to buy it but a few things have held me back.

Firstly no graphics card (other than intel 4000), I don't think it's a big deal, but then again I am not a computer genius. I very rarely game and dont do the likes of cod etc. (I have a PS3), but people say that the intel graphics/processor isn't able to drive the high res retina display even for simple tasks is this true?

Secondly and this links to my first point. Lag. I will not tolerate lag on simple browsing on a 1700 dollar machine, other stuff like photoshop is a different story but I expect simple browsing should be completely lag free.

Thirdly, does it handle simple video editing and photoshop?

And finally image retention. I won't 'look' for it, but I don't expect very noticeable retention. Some of the stories on these forums about the 15 inch are pretty scary.

My uses will be browsing, word/powerpoint presentations, simple video editing (imovie), and simple photoshop, maybe some very simple gaming. I expect this machine to last me a good 4 years, and I know this depends on me but is this machine built to last a good time?

So my main question is: Does it lag on browsing and other simple uses? Does it comply with my uses? I know the price is high, but price isn't my biggest problem, but I expect it to comply with my expectations above.

Lastly, and sorry for writing a lot, but should I upgrade to i7. Would there be a noticeable difference? will it help deal with the high res. display?

Thanks

 

[CausticPuppy]

For your use, the HD4000 will be just fine. Contrary to the FUD you hear on this forum, it's perfectly capable of handling the UI even in scaled resolutions.

Keep in mind that if you went with a 15", you've still got the exact same HD4000 chip driving the UI, but with even more pixels to push.
It only switches to the discrete graphics when you launch an app that requires heavy GPU use. You could certainly install a program that forces it do dGPU mode all the time, but that's only useful if you're plugged in to AC power constantly.

Image retention: I have not noticed any IR whatsoever on my 13" rMBP. I'm not going to go out of my way to test for it, because if it doesn't show up in normal usage, why bother?

As for overall UI smoothness, it's pretty much just like my old MBP was with its non-retina screen.

i7 upgrade: probably not worth it. It's only a small increase in performance (10% maybe) but will decrease your battery life. If I had the money for 1 upgrade, I'd go for the 256GB SSD. I'm actually fine with the 128GB since this isn't my main machine and I don't store any media on it except for photos I take on the road.

 

[dragonev]

Hi,

Before I begin, I am sorry if this has been brought up before, but I feel the need to ask this question my own way.

Thanks

I've just returned rMBP 13" and bought 15". I have to say that it is much less laggy than the smaller brother (even though it is not lag free). I believe, it should be more of a software issues, because if quad-core and nvidia cannot drive Retina, than nothing can. In my personal opinion, you should choose between MBA 13" (maxed out) and base 15" rMBP. But once again, it is only my humble opinion.

 

[Maczor]

1) The HD 4000 can push the pixels around without a problem.

2) Just because you have such high expectations, it doesn't mean they are valid. It's not necessarily the computer's fault that some websites lag during scrolling... those websites can be really badly built / have a crap-load of images / etc. A good example is "The Verge": that websites stutters on my late 2011 15" cMBP and even on more powerful desktops.

Again, it's great that you have such high standards, but there's no such thing as "perfect product"... no matter how much $$$ you spend. One important factor that seemingly can affect lag is the resolution you are using... if you are not using "best for retina" but some higher scaled resolution, then that puts more strain on your CPU / GPU and it could result in increased lag.

3) It does handle Photoshop and Video Editing... BUT if you are planing on doing some "hardcore video editing and graphic design", then you'd most likely be better off with a more powerful machine. Sure the 13" rMBP will be able to handle stuff to some point, but it's far from being an ideal machine for "heavy lifting tasks".

4) So far, one can't see many people complaining about IR on the 13" rMBP model. Nonetheless, it could happen... if it does, just send the notebook back and ask for a new one. Or if it bothers you that much, get a cMBP instead or a MBA.

5) The "it lasts me 4 years" is kinda impossible to answer... it depends from person to person. It might last you, it might not. It for sure can handle word / powerpoint and similar.

6) For your needs, I doubt you'd see a noticeable difference with an i7. But sure, if money is not a huge problem, get it... it's slightly more "future proof" ( as funny as that might sound ). I myself got a maxed out 13" rMBP... i7, 768GB SSD...

 

[Naimfan]

If you have to have a retina, get the 15". The 13" is substantially overpriced for what it offers, and the price difference to the 15" gets you a LOT of capability.

To answer your questions:

1. HD4000 is fine. It uses 768 MB of your 8 GB of RAM, which is more than other Macs, which top out at 512 MB.

2. You can occasionally see scroll lag. It's rare in my use, but it can happen.

3. Yes. It's fine for basic video editing and Photoshop.

4. IR - I've had mine for a week, and only see it if I look for it. I'll try the test and see if anything else pops up.

Rather than upgrading to a i7, just upgrade to a 15" with 16 GB of RAM. MUCH better value, though still somewhat overpriced IMO.

 

[PatriotInvasion]

For your use, the HD4000 will be just fine. Contrary to the FUD you hear on this forum, it's perfectly capable of handling the UI even in scaled resolutions.

Keep in mind that if you went with a 15", you've still got the exact same HD4000 chip driving the UI, but with even more pixels to push.
It only switches to the discrete graphics when you launch an app that requires heavy GPU use. You could certainly install a program that forces it do dGPU mode all the time, but that's only useful if you're plugged in to AC power constantly.

Image retention: I have not noticed any IR whatsoever on my 13" rMBP. I'm not going to go out of my way to test for it, because if it doesn't show up in normal usage, why bother?

As for overall UI smoothness, it's pretty much just like my old MBP was with its non-retina screen.

i7 upgrade: probably not worth it. It's only a small increase in performance (10% maybe) but will decrease your battery life. If I had the money for 1 upgrade, I'd go for the 256GB SSD. I'm actually fine with the 128GB since this isn't my main machine and I don't store any media on it except for photos I take on the road.

I'd say this answers your question perfectly. Keep in mind, a large number of people who will create an account on a "MacRumors" forum will be hardcore users like gamers or audio/video/photo professionals who are very focused on high-end specs to do what they love to do (and thus find the 13" easy to criticize because they were hoping for 15" specs).

End of the day, the 13" rMBP is $500 cheaper than the 15" and there are some sacrifices beyond 2" of screen size that must be made to get to a much more palatable $1,699 price point (even less with student or employee discounts). I bought the 13" rMBP after 2+ years with a quad-core 27" iMac and I often found myself going out of my way to try and get my money's worth on the power I purchased in that machine. For the tasks you described, the 13" MBP is more than capable of handling them all without a problem.

 

[stevelam]

1) The HD 4000 can push the pixels around without a problem.

2) Just because you have such high expectations, it doesn't mean they are valid. It's not necessarily the computer's fault that some websites lag during scrolling... those websites can be really badly built / have a crap-load of images / etc. A good example is "The Verge": that websites stutters on my late 2011 15" cMBP and even on more powerful desktops.

Again, it's great that you have such high standards, but there's no such thing as "perfect product"...

how does the verge stutter on your 2011 macbook pro when its just fine on my 2008 macbook non-pro? i'm on my old windows machine right now and it scrolls perfectly smooth in chrome. why do people make up weird things in order to justify another delusional point?

scrolling up and down a non-flash based website = 'high demands'? yeesh.

 

[Maczor]

how does the verge stutter on your 2011 macbook pro when its just fine on my 2008 macbook non-pro? i'm on my old windows machine right now and it scrolls perfectly smooth in chrome. why do people make up weird things in order to justify another delusional point?

scrolling up and down a non-flash based website = 'high demands'? yeesh.

Nothing is made up. It stutters... not constantly, but it does.
Same happens on more powerful computers. Maybe you're just blind...

 

[AppleGoat]

how does the verge stutter on your 2011 macbook pro when its just fine on my 2008 macbook non-pro? i'm on my old windows machine right now and it scrolls perfectly smooth in chrome. why do people make up weird things in order to justify another delusional point?

scrolling up and down a non-flash based website = 'high demands'? yeesh.

Yeah, The Verge was fine for me. ESPN's box scores always lag for me on my early-2011 13" MBP, like this:

http://sports-ak.espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=321028008

 

[PatriotInvasion]

The Verge is loaded with high-res images and videos. I experienced some lag, but that was about the only website that I've had an issue with. Not too worried about it at all...

 

[CausticPuppy]

The Verge is loaded with high-res images and videos. I experienced some lag, but that was about the only website that I've had an issue with. Not too worried about it at all...

A lot of it has to do with internet connection speed too. On a retina computer, all those images on The Verge take up a LOT more bandwidth and thus take longer to load. Once they're loaded it scrolls just fine for me, in Safari, on my rMBP 13". Chrome doesn't seem to work nearly as well for graphically heavy sites on a retina machine, it's definitely more laggy than Safari on my notebook.