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More Space Display still Retina?

K

krzkrzkrz

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 29, 2010
32
1
System Preferences - Display - Scaled - More Space (Looks like 1920 x 1200)

It also says: "Using a scaled resolution may affect performance". In what way? More resources as opposed to selecting the Best for Display option?

Will battery life be affected? i.e. consume more?

I actually prefer the More Space option since I have more real estate in terms of space availability. I am a web developer. I have more visibility in the code in my editor.

Im also wondering. Is the More Space option still Retina?
 
The way apple does scaling, double the pixels are rendered and then downscaled to fit the screen. So, best for retina is 1440x900 doubled to 2880x1800, which also happens to be the same amount of pixels on the 15" retina screen.

1920x1200 is rendered at 3840x2400, which is more pixels than the screen. So it is downscaled to 2880x1800. The computer has to work harder bc it is rendering more pixels.

Both are retina, just the computer has to render more pixels at higher scaled resolutions.

I use the 1920x1200 retina res too, and it is fine.
 
When using a scaled resolution, the system needs to do more work (more pixels to draw), require more memory and also perform an extra rescaling step. This can obviously reduce performance (e.g. result in an perceived lag, stuttering etc.). It will also trivially affect battery life, as the GPU needs to do more work. However, so far I am not aware of anyone quantifying the difference. It is certainly negligible in most situations. So you should use the resolution you feel most comfortable with.

As to your second question, isn't it just terminological? There is not fixed definition of 'retina display'. Generally, it means drawing on a ultra-high-res display while scaling the graphics so that the size of the images appear 'normal'. Or, put differently, its drawing to a high-res display as if it were a lower-res display with sub pixel precision. If you agree with that, then any mode you can select in display preferences are 'retina'.
 
Any significant differences on heat emissions? Does the laptop get significantly hotter? Or not noticeable difference?
 
krzkrzkrz said:
Any significant differences on heat emissions? Does the laptop get significantly hotter? Or not noticeable difference?
Click to expand...

I've not noticed any issues, in going scaled and or native, though I almost always select best selection.
 
Yeap, temps seem fine. Except when streaming a video. i.e. on Youtube. Starts to get hot. But not too much
 
I'm also wondering. I have the MBP Retina, without the dedicated graphics card.

If I, however, owned the model with the dedicated GPU. Will scaling to a higher resolution make things smoother? Or by just a fraction?
 
krzkrzkrz said:
I'm also wondering. I have the MBP Retina, without the dedicated graphics card.

If I, however, owned the model with the dedicated GPU. Will scaling to a higher resolution make things smoother? Or by just a fraction?
Click to expand...

Dedicated GPU wont make a difference, it's only used for Games\Photoshop\Graphically Demanding Applications. The User Interface uses the iGPU, scaled res or not.
 
krzkrzkrz said:
System Preferences - Display - Scaled - More Space (Looks like 1920 x 1200)

It also says: "Using a scaled resolution may affect performance". In what way? More resources as opposed to selecting the Best for Display option?

Will battery life be affected? i.e. consume more?

I actually prefer the More Space option since I have more real estate in terms of space availability. I am a web developer. I have more visibility in the code in my editor.

Im also wondering. Is the More Space option still Retina?
Click to expand...

this default display setting is the only retina setting... going up or down in resolution you lose retina. it even tells you or am i mistaken?
 
acctman said:
this default display setting is the only retina setting... going up or down in resolution you lose retina. it even tells you or am i mistaken?
Click to expand...

Retina is nothing but a marketing term. What it means is that at a normal viewing distance, you cannot distinguish individual pixels.

Any resolution on a retina screen is, by that definition, retina.
 
snaky69 said:
Retina is nothing but a marketing term. What it means is that at a normal viewing distance, you cannot distinguish individual pixels.

Any resolution on a retina screen is, by that definition, retina.
Click to expand...

Indeed. My 48" HD TV is retina too, by definition :D
 
snaky69 said:
Retina is nothing but a marketing term. What it means is that at a normal viewing distance, you cannot distinguish individual pixels.

Any resolution on a retina screen is, by that definition, retina.
Click to expand...

you can see a difference... when i switch from retina the text and images are a bit fuzzy/not a clear
 
acctman said:
you can see a difference... when i switch from retina the text and images are a bit fuzzy/not a clear
Click to expand...

Indeed they are, however you still cannot see the individual pixels so it's still retina by definition. The pixels in the screen can't change size.
 
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