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MBP 13 or rMBP 15

B

BlitzMac

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 27, 2014
5
0
I'm going back to school to take IT with a focus in programming, so keep in mind general web browsing, IT work and coding will be my main use of this computer.

I'm between two options at the moment

Option1: MBP 13 non retina
2.9GHz i7
8GB ram
500GB Serial ATA Drive

Price $1224 cdn $1423 (with apple care)

Option 2: MBP 15 with retina
2.2ghz i7
16GB ram
256GB SSD

Price $1999 cdn 2258 (with apple care)


I can afford the 15" and would prefer the extra power/retina and screen size but if it would potentially be better to go with out it wouldn't hurt to save the cash.

I need to decide by the 9th to get student pricing!
 
I would definitely recommend getting an SSD in either option you choose. I would also definitely recommend saving $700 if it's not going to impact the usefulness of your computer.
 
imaketouchtheme said:
I would definitely recommend getting an SSD in either option you choose. I would also definitely recommend saving $700 if it's not going to impact the usefulness of your computer.
Click to expand...

If i get the same size SSD in the first option we are up to 1750 with apple care, so that begs the question with the limited savings should i not just upgrade on all fronts, as the extra features would be useful
 
Exactly. There is absolutely no reason to get a hard drive in a brand new Mac at this point. They will bottleneck all your processes greatly.
 
Any particular reason you’re not looking at the retina 13″?

For example, this late-2013 refurb model on the Canadian Apple website costs $1,279 CDN ($1,189 USD) and comes with 8 GB RAM, a 256 GB SSD, and a 2.4 GHz CPU.

Edit: Heck, you can get the late-2013 refurb 15″ for $1,619 CDN ($1,529 USD), with 8 GB RAM, a 256 GB SSD, and a 2.0 GHz CPU.
 
Qaanol said:
Any particular reason you’re not looking at the retina 13″?

For example, this late-2013 refurb model on the Canadian Apple website costs $1,279 CDN ($1,189 USD) and comes with 8 GB RAM, a 256 GB SSD, and a 2.4 GHz CPU.
Click to expand...

I picked the non retina to differentiate between a budget model and luxury but i actually didn't really take a look at the refurbished section

----------

Taking a look through that section now


EDIT: Anyone ever have any issues with refurbished? Battery life/speed?
 
BlitzMac said:
EDIT: Anyone ever have any issues with refurbished? Battery life/speed?
Click to expand...

People usually say that getting an Apple Certified Refurbished is just like getting a new Macbook in a less fancy box.

I got a refurbished 13" aluminum Macbook in 2009, and didn't hesitate one bit on ordering refurbished again when I got my 15" rMBP last year.

You get the same warranty as a new Macbook and you can add AppleCare as well.
 
No, all devices I order have been from Apple's refurbished section. Never have had a problem.

BlitzMac said:
I picked the non retina to differentiate between a budget model and luxury but i actually didn't really take a look at the refurbished section

----------

Taking a look through that section now


EDIT: Anyone ever have any issues with refurbished? Battery life/speed?
Click to expand...
 
The Air is a great programming computer.

I don't render or compile anything though.


The pro 13 will have a better battery than the 15. That said I don't know what to think about the larger screen
 
I myself program on a 15" Pro (Computer Engineering postgrad), but I don't see any real benefit from the 15" model in that task other than the increased screen size (i.e more code on screen at once). Even when you're compiling big projects, the main limiting factor is pretty much always the speed of the main storage and all SSD equipped machines in Apple's current lineup share the same SSD. The only difference is that bigger SSD's also often come with better controllers or more PCIe lanes and are thus also faster.

With higher CPU and GPU performance the 15" Pro is probably a better bet when it comes to device lifespan, but when you get a 13" model you do save quite a lot of money.
 
BlitzMac said:
Still looking for opinions on whats going to be the best value on the best machine.

I'm still considering the new 15" for 1999

But also looking at this 15"

http://store.apple.com/ca/product/F...-20ghz-quad-core-intel-i7-with-retina-display

And this 13"

http://store.apple.com/ca/product/G...z-Dual-core-Intel-Core-i7-with-retina-Display
Click to expand...

The new 15" model and the refurb you linked are both good choices. They've got Haswell CPUs and great battery life.

Any specific reason why you're only looking at the 13" models with i7 processors? You don't gain much performance when you upgrade.

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Anitramane said:
Upgrade the SSD and RAM yourself like I, get the i7 one.
Click to expand...

RAM isn't upgradeable in retina models. Additionally, there aren't any aftermarket HDDs available for the late 2013 and mid 2014 models at the moment.
 
T5BRICK said:
The new 15" model and the refurb you linked are both good choices. They've got Haswell CPUs and great battery life.

Any specific reason why you're only looking at the 13" models with i7 processors? You don't gain much performance when you upgrade.

----------



RAM isn't upgradeable in retina models. Additionally, there aren't any aftermarket HDDs available for the late 2013 and mid 2014 models at the moment.
Click to expand...

No specific reason, i linked that one because from the list it looked like the best value for the price.

I think 15' is definitely the way i'd like to go. Just to be sure there is no difference between the 2013 refurb and the new 2014?
 
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