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laurenashley

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 24, 2013
225
65
Bloomington, IN
Ok. So I have a mid 2012 13" MBP with the RAM upgraded to 8gb. I've noticed that I am almost always using 90% of this and that it becomes laggy a considerable amount of time while I use it.
I can't decided between three options:
13" MBP Retina (1299 model)
13" MBP Retina w/ 16gb of RAM (1499 model)
15" MBP Retina (1999 model)

I mean I'm fine with the 13" screen so I would most likely stick with the 13" especially considering the price. I'm curious if the 1299 model will be fine due to a better processor and all that stuff I don't understand...or I should make the jump to 16gb. If I do I'll have to wait instead of just getting one in store. I don't mind waiting if it'll make a huge difference though!

(I use photoshop, illustrator, and both the iWork and office programs as well and mostly at the same time)
 
Fot photoshop and illustrator use, you definitely will feel more comfortable with the 15" and its quad i7 processors. They have a way bigger role in performance than the amount of ram. Moving from 8gb to 16gb would be a plus.
 
So I think I'm sticking with 16gb. So I'm either getting the 13" at 1699 (256gb model) or the 15" at 1999. Do you think I should spend the extra $300 for a better processor and bigger screen? Isn't there a better graphics card too?
 
I made the same choice last year

So I think I'm sticking with 16gb. So I'm either getting the 13" at 1699 (256gb model) or the 15" at 1999. Do you think I should spend the extra $300 for a better processor and bigger screen? Isn't there a better graphics card too?

I made the same choice last year when looking for an upgrade to my 2013 i7 MBA 13.

I wanted more RAM (as explained below), and was weighing up a 16GB rMBP 13 or the base rMBP 15.

I liked the look of the rMBP 13, but thought the up-sell price to get a bigger screen and the quad-core CPU in the rMBP 15 was quite reasonable. The big screen just seemed more comfortable when working on documents or using complex apps (development IDEs & audio/video editing tools)

I was also looking at upgrading the SSD to 512GB in both models, but the price difference between the base rMBP 15 with more storage, and the top-end rMBP 15 (faster CPU + dGPU) was quite small.

In the end I saw a top-end rMBP 15 refurb which was about the same price as the base rMBP 15, so I went with that, even though I don't need the dGPU.

I'm really glad I got the 512GB SSD - I would have had to juggle my data with the 256GB model (I keep a couple of 60GB VMs on the machine all the time).

I would definitely recommend 16GB if your current usage regularly puts the memory pressure graph into the yellow. Even if you don't regularly use all of the RAM, Mac OS uses it as cache for running applications, which can improve application response times. I need 16GB because I often run large (6GB+ VMs) and they just don't run very well if starved of memory.

I don't regret getting the rMBP 15 at all, apart from one thing - the weight! (and to a lesser extend the physical footprint). If you don't have to carry it far, or have a good backpack, it's fine, but if you need to carry it in a shoulder bag all day, it gets pretty heavy...
 
To be completely honest with you for what you use a computer for i'd recommend the 15 inch model but I'd recommend a refurbished machine. Apple's refurbs are essentially brand new just in a different box. I have clinical OCD with many things, condition of electronics being one of them, and all of the refurbs i've gotten have been in absolutely perfect condition. I've actually had better luck with refurbs than i've had brand new machines. Apple test's each and every one extensively whereas on the assembly line you can't thoroughly test every one. My 15" MacBook Pro Retina had 2 battery cycles when I bought it and was in perfect condition. Just a thought to save you some money. They come with the same warranty as new and has the same 14 day return policy. This isn't Dell's refurbished products. Apple has an extremely stringent refurbishment process. They are either brand new or have been returned within that 14 day window which Apple tests everything. Also sometimes you get lucky and get a configuration which is better than what you ordered. I ordered my MacBook Pro with 2.6GHz i7 and 8GB of ram and I got a 2.7GHz i7 with 16GB of ram for the same price! If you can live without force touch i'd recommend this model for $1609

http://store.apple.com/us/product/F...-22GHz-Quad-core-Intel-i7-with-Retina-Display
 
I agree with this

To be completely honest with you for what you use a computer for i'd recommend the 15 inch model but I'd recommend a refurbished machine. Apple's refurbs are essentially brand new just in a different box. I have clinical OCD with many things, condition of electronics being one of them, and all of the refurbs i've gotten have been in absolutely perfect condition. I've actually had better luck with refurbs than i've had brand new machines. Apple test's each and every one extensively whereas on the assembly line you can't thoroughly test every one. My 15" MacBook Pro Retina had 2 battery cycles when I bought it and was in perfect condition. Just a thought to save you some money. They come with the same warranty as new and has the same 14 day return policy. This isn't Dell's refurbished products. Apple has an extremely stringent refurbishment process. They are either brand new or have been returned within that 14 day window which Apple tests everything. Also sometimes you get lucky and get a configuration which is better than what you ordered. I ordered my MacBook Pro with 2.6GHz i7 and 8GB of ram and I got a 2.7GHz i7 with 16GB of ram for the same price! If you can live without force touch i'd recommend this model for $1609

http://store.apple.com/us/product/F...-22GHz-Quad-core-Intel-i7-with-Retina-Display

This is the answer you were looking for.

The new 15 inch is only worth paying for if you get the top tier with dGPU, the base model only has a force trackpad it is it's only upgrade (ooh and faster SSD's which mean nothing to most peoples use case).

A 2014 refurb 15 inch will be your best bet for price/performance.
 
Is your current Mac a retina model your current one?

if its a non retina model, why don't you put an SSD in, they fly with SSDs!!!
 
If you install a SSD it will feel dramatically faster and save you a ton of money relative to a new one.
 
Would that affect battery life? Sounds like a great option!

Might improve battery life a bit - newer SSDs seem to take slightly less power than a spinning drive. IIRC, a 250 GB SSD is now about $100 and a 500 GB SSD is around $200-210. And they're easy to install in your machine.
 
Would that affect battery life? Sounds like a great option!

Battery life not so much (most of the current battery savings are down to chip design).

That MBP will also take 16GB of RAM as an upgrade so with an SSD and a 16GB RAM kit it could be a little beast...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/computers/d...sr=8-1&keywords=16gb+RAM+kit+macbook+pro+2012

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=512GB ssd mx100

Of course you miss out on retina, thunderbolt 2, PCIe storage, AC wireless better weight and thickness, faster CPU and much improved GPU.
 
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