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MBP 15 or rMBP 15?
- Thread starter johnnyyt
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Queen6
macrumors G5
Better cooling, quieter, lighter, vastly better display; contrast, colour accuracy, viewing angles, reduced glare, scalable display increasing work area, full flash architecture, far less likelihood of throttling, as ever the uneducated simply forgo many of the engineering advancements Apple`s Retina brings to the market. There is a lot more to the new MBP than just a better display, and those of us that actually own & use both Retina and standard MBP`s will testify to that. i love how the "hater`s" trivialise and discount as much as possible when referring to the new MBP.
The fact that some specifications align; CPU, GPU etc does not mean that you can directly compare the two machines and simply boil it down to one have a better display and a higher price tag, it`s a touch more complex.
So just maybe it`s worth the extra cost over no name RAM & SSD, and the potential to void warrantee in the event of accidental damage. Nor does he/she need to go for the high end model, the base model offers more than enough performance for the average user, 16Gb is for serious work and storage is what it is.
Equally unless it`s a prerequisite a 15" MBP is a very expensive notebook for school use, i would be tempted to look at the PC market, save more than half on cost and still have a fast notebook, and keep the difference for another day "food for thought"...
urkel
macrumors 68030
After owning the rMBP for a month my opinion is this:
Nobody NEEDS Retina
I know that upsets people, but I have yet to hear of a scenario where Retina is more of a "Need" than a "Want". For me, I do photo work and while I benefitted from working on a gorgeous Retina display, when I shared my work with Non-Retina owners or print then the quality downgraded because it looked better on my gear than theirs.
So once I got over the fact that (for now) Retina is more a gimmick than an essential then I went out and got a cMBP15, installed a dual SSD/HDD combo and upgraded to 16GB all for less than I paid for my rMBP.
Next gen I definitely want Retina but IMO, if you're on any sort of budget, you may be better off with "old" technology.
Nobody NEEDS Retina
I know that upsets people, but I have yet to hear of a scenario where Retina is more of a "Need" than a "Want". For me, I do photo work and while I benefitted from working on a gorgeous Retina display, when I shared my work with Non-Retina owners or print then the quality downgraded because it looked better on my gear than theirs.
So once I got over the fact that (for now) Retina is more a gimmick than an essential then I went out and got a cMBP15, installed a dual SSD/HDD combo and upgraded to 16GB all for less than I paid for my rMBP.
Next gen I definitely want Retina but IMO, if you're on any sort of budget, you may be better off with "old" technology.
i'm currently using a pc right now but its far too big to carry around or even be considered a laptop since it sits on my table most of the time.
the laptop will be used for school but it will also be my desktop replacement. i've considered the 13 but i'm going to sacrifice the portability for the extra power
thanks alot guys/gals. i'll be going with the rMBP 15
i found a pretty good deal on a used one. for 1800, i get the base rMBP 15 with the exception of it having 16gb of ram instead of 8gb 🙂
coolbreeze
macrumors 68000
There's no dilemma. If you value the most important part of a laptop (i.e the display, which you stare at 100% of the time you're using it) just get the retina.
If not, well, good luck I guess.
Queen6
macrumors G5
You wont be disappointed the 15" Retina is a class leading machine, bringing near workstation performance in a highly portable format. As many have said you don't need Retina, then again once you have gone there, it`s hard to come back. I am presently working on my Late 2011 2.4Ghz 15" MBP, although it`s still a great system, it now no longer feels as polished/refined as it used to thanks to the Retina.
What i find is the longer you work with the Retina MBP the more you appreciate exactly what Apple have accomplished and the performance the systems offer.
xShane
macrumors 6502a
If you're going to get the Retina, get 16GB RAM.
Better safe than sorry.
I'm actually in the same exact boat. We're literally rowing together 😀
I decided to get the rMBP which came to $1999. My uses will be 90% of the time running a traktor controller and 10% browsing/typing papers. I seriously doubt I'd need more than 8gb to do that. And by the time 16gb is needed I'm sure I'll be wanting a new laptop by then.
I decided to get the rMBP which came to $1999. My uses will be 90% of the time running a traktor controller and 10% browsing/typing papers. I seriously doubt I'd need more than 8gb to do that. And by the time 16gb is needed I'm sure I'll be wanting a new laptop by then.
Handsome Bacon
macrumors regular
B...
macrumors 68000
He means direct from Apple upgrades. 13" rMBP with 128 SSD and 8 GB RAM is $1499. cMBP is $1199 + 128 SSD ($200) + 8 GB RAM ($100) = $1499. Simiar situation for the 15".
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Just checked 15". 15" c. is $1799 + $100 (8 GB RAM) + $400 (256 SSD) = $2299. rMBP with 0.1 more GHz and 512 MB more vRAM is $2199.
Actually it does. In fact it's slightly less machine for more money. The only thing it has as a pro is upgradability. CD drive is basically legacy technology at this point.