[MBP, MBA, rMBP] My personal situation with MacBook

[Ultra AleM]

So guys. I sum up all so anyone can help me.
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I have a MacBook Air (2012 model, full optional 4GB RAM, 256GB SSD).
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It 's wonderful, even though I hate the resolution in my opinion, disproportionate to the 13.3-inch and that is giving me trouble of performance.
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With Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 is slow. There is no doubt. I think it's the fault of the limited RAM, CPU underpowered and the absence of a dedicated Nvidia GPU.
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Final Cut Pro X does not run too bad, but I do not like it. It 's strange, very strange!
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On Windows, I also used Sony Vegas: is a racehorse, but does not exist on Mac OS.
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So I wanted to sell this beautiful MacBook for € 1,299 (I have buyers) and buy another.
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Here comes indecision.
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- A friend of mine has a new MBP (the model i7, 8GB RAM, 750GB HDD) that would give me for 1250 instead of 1576. It's an affair, but there are still doubts.
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First screen: it is not anti-glare, has a lower resolution and so work space is smaller. For what I do, nothing very complicated, maybe it could also go, because I need a little of portability (move it both indoors and out), but I do not know ...
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The CPU is not quad, but it would be a big difference with the current i5 1.8 GHz. The RAM is double. The larger hard drives, but it is not SSD. Another doubt. I love having more space because I deal with large videos, however, it will be slow. Sure, I could install Windows on 750GB when I need it (eg. These days I have to make a video of GTA SA and I gotta use Windows), but it remains 5,400 rpm.
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Then I do not know why Mac gives me problems with external HDDs. Does not read, or does not see the files, or it messes up the stuff with Windows: mah!
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I also have then the fear of buying something old. We all know that these design models are at the end of the cycle, probably will not exist next year and then I can not do any business to sell it.
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Another solution would be to wait 2 weeks. Maybe my friend can get me a MBP 15-inch Retina only 1850 euro. But it is not sure and I am still undecided for the high price and poor memory (256GB) but would have a quad core with dedicated video card!
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Another indecision: the guy of MediaWorld and other experts advised me to buy absolutely Notebook Windows for my uses. They are not that wrong, I sometimes need Windows (and it is convenient because it has games, Steam, and I can do videos even if I prefer making video on console) and with just over a thousand euro can take a quad core i7 with 8GB of RAM, dedicated video card , FULL HD screen (practically Retina) and stereo high level instead of a 13 inch MBP.
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But I love the Mac, I like to have a nice shiny Mac as a laptop ...
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I'm confusedl! Help me! XD Thank you.

 

[xShane]

A friend of mine has a new MBP (the model i7, 8GB RAM, 750GB HDD) that would give me for 1250 instead of 1576. It's an affair, but there are still doubts.
*
First screen: it is not anti-glare, has a lower resolution and so work space is smaller. For what I do, nothing very complicated, maybe it could also go, because I need a little of portability (move it both indoors and out), but I do not know ...
*
The CPU is not quad, but it would be a big difference with the current i5 1.8 GHz. The RAM is double. The larger hard drives, but it is not SSD. Another doubt. I love having more space because I deal with large videos, however, it will be slow. Sure, I could install Windows on 750GB when I need it (eg. These days I have to make a video of GTA SA and I gotta use Windows), but it remains 5,400 rpm.

If your friend's MBP is a 15", it has a quad core and a Nvidia GeForce GPU. I would say get this (if it's a 15", with those specs).

Another solution would be to wait 2 weeks. Maybe my friend can get me a MBP 15-inch Retina only 1850 euro. But it is not sure and I am still undecided for the high price and poor memory (256GB) but would have a quad core with dedicated video card!

I'm assuming by "poor memory" you're referring to the storage space of 256GB Anyhow, just as noted above, you could in theory purchase a refurb 15" regular MBP (non-retina), with specs you're looking for (Quad i7, dedicated GPU, 8GB RAM, etc.) for $1.8k USD (notice it's *NOT* euros), which would be considerably cheaper. And since it's refurb, it's basically like buying brand new from Apple.

Another indecision: the guy of MediaWorld and other experts advised me to buy absolutely Notebook Windows for my uses. They are not that wrong, I sometimes need Windows (and it is convenient because it has games, Steam, and I can do videos even if I prefer making video on console) and with just over a thousand euro can take a quad core i7 with 8GB of RAM, dedicated video card , FULL HD screen (practically Retina) and stereo high level instead of a 13 inch MBP.

Why not get the best of both worlds? You can always install Windows on your Mac, and then even use Sony Vegas. Your entire post has so many possible answers, which could ignite into the whole "Mac vs. Windows", "rMBP vs. normal MBP", and the "13" vs. 15" debate. Of course, by getting Windows, don't expect an anywhere near decent battery life (this is where Macs are superior), and of course the build quality. When you're using a Mac, it just feels so much more sturdy, simple, and strong. The trackpad is just so smooth feeling, and typing on the keyboard actually feels good. It's hard to describe, really.

I hope this helps

 

[Ultra AleM]

Thanks a lot. The i7 MBP is 13". So it's basically the 2.9GHZ (boost to 3.6GHZ) i7, 8GB of RAM, 750GB of HHD 13" MacBook Pro from June 2012. I'd save 300 euros (1.250 instead of 1570) but I't dual core with no graphics.

But I like the portability, even if the resolution scares me... And the design is pretty old, so it could go vintage in few months.

If I buy a 15" MBP I'd have only 4GB of RAM, no Retina and no SSD (but more space). I don't know...
It's 1440x900. Windows ones have 1920x1080 at 500€ less...

 

[xShane]

Thanks a lot. The i7 MBP is 13". So it's basically the 2.9GHZ (boost to 3.6GHZ) i7, 8GB of RAM, 750GB of HHD 13" MacBook Pro from June 2012. I'd save 300 euros (1.250 instead of 1570) but I't dual core with no graphics.

But I like the portability, even if the resolution scares me... And the design is pretty old, so it could go vintage in few months.

If I buy a 15" MBP I'd have only 4GB of RAM, no Retina and no SSD (but more space). I don't know...
It's 1440x900. Windows ones have 1920x1080 at 500€ less...

You could always consider buying a 15". You were considering buying a rMBP for 1.8k Euros. That's roughly 2.4k USD. You can buy a refurb 15", with the specs you need (8 GB, quad-i7, Nvidia GPU, etc.) for 1.8k. That leaves you with 600 in your budget. To upgrade from 8 GB RAM to 16GB Ram is roughly $80-100. That leaves you with 500 USD, which is more than enough to buy a SSD to put in there.

And of course, Windows is Windows. You can't really compare that to a Mac. Mac is on an entirely different Windows.

 

[ScholarsInk]

I have a deep hatred for the 'full HD' term. 1080p is not 'practically retina'; trust me. But ignore the shop people's advice; Boot Camp should do you fine.

 

[xShane]

I have a deep hatred for the 'full HD' term. 1080p is not 'practically retina'; trust me. But ignore the shop people's advice; Boot Camp should do you fine.

True. If a guy at the shop says to buy something, there's a 99% chance it's because he's trying to get you to buy their products (which he likely makes commission on and benefits from).

 

[Ultra AleM]

So you think I should avoid the MacBook Pro 13" i7 and the Windows Notebook (from Asus, Deel or Samsung or I dunno) and buy a 15" MBP or rMBP.

If I buy the MBP I have 4GB of RAM, 500GB of HDD, no RETINA and a heavy vintage design (I'm scared it will go vintage in few months!!!)

But If I buy the Retina I've got less space and spend 350 more.

I AM CONFUSEEEDDDD LOL

 

[snaky69]

(I'm scared it will go vintage in few months!!!)

Who cares? I mean, really, who does? It does not make the computer any less powerful, it does not make it any less useful and it does not deter to it's functionality.

Truth of the matter is, you're looking for more power, and going from a dual core to another won't help as much as doubling the number of cores and increasing the clock speed across the board.

Choose the 15", retina or not, upgradable or not, and don't look back.

 

[Ultra AleM]

Thanks. I'm still confused about these two.

The MBP has 4GB of RAM but it's upgradable while the Retina is not.
It's HDD and not SSD but it's more space, so I can dedicate a few for Windows.
It's cheaper but has no Retina.

Which one's better? The Retina or the Base?

 

[xShane]

Thanks. I'm still confused about these two.

The MBP has 4GB of RAM but it's upgradable while the Retina is not.
It's HDD and not SSD but it's more space, so I can dedicate a few for Windows.
It's cheaper but has no Retina.

Which one's better? The Retina or the Base?

You can upgrade from 4GB to 16GB of RAM for roughly $80. I would *not* let the amount of RAM deter you.

You can, in theory, upgrade to a SSD down the road. If size is more important to you, get the HDD. If speed is more important to you, get the SSD. Or, remove the optical drive and use one SSD and one HDD.

(The above is referring to the normal MBP, not the rMBP. It's also cheaper.)

 

[HishamAkhtar]

I have a deep hatred for the 'full HD' term. 1080p is not 'practically retina'; trust me. But ignore the shop people's advice; Boot Camp should do you fine.

What would you want people to call 1080p?

 

[ScholarsInk]

What would you want people to call 1080p?

1080p

What exactly is 'full' about it? Do screens scream bloody murder if made at something higher?

 

[HishamAkhtar]

1080p

What exactly is 'full' about it? Do screens scream bloody murder if made at something higher?

It's to differentiate it from 720p.

And using your logic, the term 'retina' should be dropped as well. Regular customers don't care about the resolution of a screen. All they care about is whether something is HD or retina.

 

[Ultra AleM]

Is the high res. enhancement worth the money on the MBP 15? I'd like to have more space but I don't like to have all the things smaller. It's difficult to read.

I'm also scared by the reflections on the screen of the normal one.

 

[ScholarsInk]

It's to differentiate it from 720p.

In which case it is merely higher definition.

Full, according to Johnson's dictionary:

"Complete without abatement; at the utmost degree.

At the end of two full years Pharaoh dreamed. Genesis.

After hard riding plunge the horses into water, and allow them to drink as they please; but gallop them full speed, to warm the water in their bellies. Swift's Direct. to the Groom."

Clearly 1080p is not 'at the utmost degree' since we have 1200p, 1440p, 1600p, 1800p etc displays.

And using your logic, the term 'retina' should be dropped as well. Regular customers don't care about the resolution of a screen. All they care about is whether something is HD or retina.

Retina is hardly a technical term either, but it doesn't make any claims as to being 'full' or complete. As a marketing term it simply indicates the visibility of pixels.

Is the high res. enhancement worth the money on the MBP 15? I'd like to have more space but I don't like to have all the things smaller. It's difficult to read.

I'm also scared by the reflections on the screen of the normal one.

I've noticed the glare far less than I did on a glossy MBP. The flexibility of the retina model is its ability to switch into different scaled resolutions without noticeable quality degradation.

 

[Ultra AleM]

Is it true the Nvidia on the regular one has only 512MB of RAM?

 

[snaky69]

Is it true the Nvidia on the regular one has only 512MB of RAM?

The lower end 15" does have 512MB instead of 1GB. The high end 15" has 1GB.

Unless you're a hardcore gamer, it doesn't matter. You're not going to saturate 512MB of video memory anytime soon.

My old PowerMac G4 can push 1080p with only 16MB of VRAM...

 

[Ultra AleM]

The lower end 15" does have 512MB instead of 1GB. The high end 15" has 1GB.

Unless you're a hardcore gamer, it doesn't matter. You're not going to saturate 512MB of video memory anytime soon.

My old PowerMac G4 can push 1080p with only 16MB of VRAM...

Ok. So it's all about hard disk. Is the 5400 good? Can I get a 7200?

 

[DTKblaster]

The retina for 1850 euros is a steal, if theres a good chance you can get it, then I'd wait the 2 weeks.

even at 2300 euros, its the only mac with good value, and buying anything less will just result in buyers remorse.

If your unhappy with the 1440x900 resolution on the air, then the density isn't going to increase on anything other than the retina. Of which only the 15" has the power you need.

Anything other than an SSD is so painfully slow, you might as well get a core2 machine from 5 years ago, 256gb is loads of space, so long as you don't like to carry your movie collection with you.

You mention the normal MBP available to you is the glossy type, well the rMBP is still glossy, but much less reflective (the cMBP is glossy to a ridiculous level).

The minimum ram the rMBP comes with is 8gb, this is loads, and I certainly wouldn't worry about needing more any time soon. Also, the Geforce 650M in each rMBP is the 1GB model and if you play ANY modern games, this should be a minimum for you.

You can then be content with having the most current design, graphics hardware which won't be outdated in the laptop space for years, and a mighty quad core processor which will also prove cutting edge performance for years to come. Not to mention a display which won't be outdone for years, and more battery capacity (95W/h) than any other laptop in its class.

 

[Ultra AleM]

The retina for 1850 euros is a steal, if theres a good chance you can get it, then I'd wait the 2 weeks.

even at 2300 euros, its the only mac with good value, and buying anything less will just result in buyers remorse.

If your unhappy with the 1440x900 resolution on the air, then the density isn't going to increase on anything other than the retina. Of which only the 15" has the power you need.

Anything other than an SSD is so painfully slow, you might as well get a core2 machine from 5 years ago, 256gb is loads of space, so long as you don't like to carry your movie collection with you.

You mention the normal MBP available to you is the glossy type, well the rMBP is still glossy, but much less reflective (the cMBP is glossy to a ridiculous level).

The minimum ram the rMBP comes with is 8gb, this is loads, and I certainly wouldn't worry about needing more any time soon. Also, the Geforce 650M in each rMBP is the 1GB model and if you play ANY modern games, this should be a minimum for you.

You can then be content with having the most current design, graphics hardware which won't be outdated in the laptop space for years, and a mighty quad core processor which will also prove cutting edge performance for years to come. Not to mention a display which won't be outdone for years, and more battery capacity (95W/h) than any other laptop in its class.

Yeah but i'm scared about the fact that I cannot upgrade it and that it costs 400€ more.

I cannot add RAM, I cannot increase the SSD or set SSD+HDD.
With a 500-750 GB HDD I could set a 120 GB Windows partition and it would be helpful.

I don't know...

PS: Why do you say it is a steal? It costs 2.299€...

 

[HishamAkhtar]

In which case it is merely higher definition.

Full, according to Johnson's dictionary:

"Complete without abatement; at the utmost degree.

At the end of two full years Pharaoh dreamed. Genesis.

After hard riding plunge the horses into water, and allow them to drink as they please; but gallop them full speed, to warm the water in their bellies. Swift's Direct. to the Groom."

Clearly 1080p is not 'at the utmost degree' since we have 1200p, 1440p, 1600p, 1800p etc displays.

You realize this is a marketing term right? It would be confusing to explain HD and then Higher Definition to regular customers. And the last thing you want is confused customers ala Windows RT vs regular Windows. HD and full HD just make it simpler.

I get what you're saying but since when has marketing been about telling the truth?

Retina is hardly a technical term either, but it doesn't make any claims as to being 'full' or complete. As a marketing term it simply indicates the visibility of pixels.

It indicates the visibility of pixels at a set distance. Who determines the distance? Apple. Technically every Apple display is a retina display if you stand far enough away from it.

Just like HD, full HD, etc, it's a marketing gimmick to show that the iPhone's display is better than everyone else's. A lot of people think the retina display in an iPhone is better than the displays in Android even though those are higher resolution.

 

[Lunfai]

Premier Pro works flawlessly on mine. MBA 8GB 128GB, maybe the 4GB of extra ram is helping but I've had no troubles so far.

 

[DTKblaster]

Yeah but i'm scared about the fact that I cannot upgrade it and that it costs 400€ more.

I cannot add RAM, I cannot increase the SSD or set SSD+HDD.
With a 500-750 GB HDD I could set a 120 GB Windows partition and it would be helpful.

I don't know...

PS: Why do you say it is a steal? It costs 2.299€...

You said "Maybe my friend can get me a MBP 15-inch Retina only 1850 euro." so I guess you're asking why I think its good value, and the answer to that is a long one.

I could go on for ages comparing the screen to medical imaging monitors with lower resolutions at 5x the cost, or the processing power crammed into such a small space while maintaining incredible acoustic and thermal properties. But in reality, the machine is far more than the sum of its parts, which comes mainly from the absence of blatant cost cutting you'll find from any other manufacture who isn't premium-orientated.

To then complain about the 400 euro difference is a joke, when you realise just how bog standard the cMBPs are, yet they still have astronomically high prices for what they offer.

And as for hard drives, at the prices apple charge for any of their computers, to accept anything less than a solid state drive is a travesty (as the system drive). It not worth anyones time to compare the difference between a 5.4K or 7.2K rpm drive, when even the slowest, cheapest SSDs outperform the best HDDs by an order of magnitude in terms of speed and responsiveness. If you need the capacity for large amounts of data, then an external USB3 or thunderbolt drive will be just as fast as an internally mounted one, with about as much hassle as a USB stick (the price of a 2.5" data to USB3 adapter/case is about 15 euros, and requires no external power).

Normally I would laugh at anyone touting the "RAM upgrade argument", as 8gig will far outlast the useful life of the machine anyway, however you might come under the "RAM power user" category, depending on exactly what your video editing demands are. But to be honest, I don't think its worth considering in your situation.

 

[Ultra AleM]

You said "Maybe my friend can get me a MBP 15-inch Retina only 1850 euro." so I guess you asking why I think its good value, and the answer to that is a long one.

I could go on for ages comparing the screen to medical imaging monitors with lower resolutions at 5x the cost, or the processing power crammed into such a small space while maintaining incredible acoustic and thermal properties. But in reality, the machine is far more than the sum of its parts, which comes mainly from the absence of blatant cost cutting you'll find from any other manufacture who isn't premium-orientated.

To then complain about the 400 euro difference is a joke, when you realise just how bog standard the cMBPs are, yet they still have astronomically high prices for what they offer.

And as for hard drives, at the prices apple charge for any of their computers, to accept anything less than a solid state drive is a travesty (as the system drive). It not worth anyones time to compare the difference between a 5.4K or 7.2K rpm drive, when even the slowest, cheapest SSDs outperform the best HDDs by an order of magnitude in terms of speed and responsiveness. If you need the capacity for large amounts of data, then an external USB3 or thunderbolt drive will be just as fast as an internally mounted one, with about as much hassle as a USB stick (the price of a 2.5" data to USB3 adapter/case is about 15 euros, and requires no external power).

Normally I would laugh at anyone touting the "RAM upgrade argument", as 8gig will far outlast the useful life of the machine anyway, however you might come under the "RAM power user" category, depending on exactly what your video editing demands are. But to be honest, I don't think its worth considering in your situation.

But how can I install Windows with an external HDD?

So you think Retina's better?

In the regular is better the glossy or high res screen? On my MBA is everything so small because of the too high res...