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Need new mbp TODAY which one?

A

Acevesx

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 15, 2008
219
29
Hi all,
Looking to get a new mbp as my 2011 is taking a dump.

My main uses are photoshop and Lightroom followed by Microsoft office and Safari.

Will I be ok with the 2.6 13" with 256gb flash storage or should I go with the 2.8 with 512gb flash storage?

Last option which I will only do if folks think it's the best way to go is the base 15" 2.2 with 256 gb flash storage or the non 5k base 27" iMac... I am completely flexible between desktop and laptop

Looking to purchase today your help is much appreciated!
 
Honestly the 13" would be absolutely fine however you may want the 15" just because of the larger screen, which may be beneficial if you use the MacBook in the standard "best for Retina" mode.

With that said, you have a good variety of scaling options available on the new MacBooks so the 13" with one of the other display modes selected may work very well for you.
 
The 15" has an advantage in that it is quad core (13" is dual core) and it has 16GB ram (13" has 8)
 
I am not sure why you are even considering a macbook if you could as well get an iMac.
 
For work in Photoshop & Lightroom, I want the largest, highest-res screen I can afford. If you have a decent display already, or can add one, you might consider the 13" for portability options, and dock it to a display, (I use a Thunderbolt and love it,) but I see above that someone said 8 GB of ram in the 13? I'd want more.

I have a 15" MBP, and on the few occasions I left the house with it, the size wasn't a problem for me, but many prefer the 13".

I'd say first thing is to decide which is more important, portability and option to dock to a display, or, a desktop 2 for 1 iMac. Then figure out the best config. for the way you want to go.
 
Last edited:
For your needs the 13" will serve you fine but the 15" will be better with quad core and Iris Pro. Bottom line is only you know your budget and clearly you must buy now, as you say. Can I ask why you're tossing aside a 2011 machine? I still roll with a 2008 Mac Pro and a 2009 Mac Mini. I run Aperture, Photoshop, and the standard crap on my Mac Pro and just basic junk and HTPC stuff on my mini. Not saying you shouldn't buy new but the 2011 seems like it has met the end of life prematurely.
 
GoCubsGo said:
For your needs the 13" will serve you fine but the 15" will be better with quad core and Iris Pro. Bottom line is only you know your budget and clearly you must buy now, as you say. Can I ask why you're tossing aside a 2011 machine? I still roll with a 2008 Mac Pro and a 2009 Mac Mini. I run Aperture, Photoshop, and the standard crap on my Mac Pro and just basic junk and HTPC stuff on my mini. Not saying you shouldn't buy new but the 2011 seems like it has met the end of life prematurely.
Click to expand...

Radeongate I suspect.
 
Hi all appreciate all of your responses.

#1 - current MBP no longer operating due to yep you guessed it cjmillsnun, Radeongate.

#2 - I really am flexible in desktop via laptop. I already have a 24" Dell display for docking purposes with my current mbp and would use this for the new MBP
BUT is the BASE imac a better machine than either 13" or the base 15" MBP?

#3 - the reason I was debating between the 13 and 15 is not because of screen size but wanted folks opinions on performance. I am flexible in the screen size department as well :)

----------

oh yea and if I go with the imac I wouldn't be able to go fusion drive (getting at best buy for 18 month financing portion of purchase) :( just the base 1tb hard drive so that kinda swayed me towards an MBP as well...
 
Acevesx said:
Hi all appreciate all of your responses.

#1 - current MBP no longer operating due to yep you guessed it cjmillsnun, Radeongate.

#2 - I really am flexible in desktop via laptop. I already have a 24" Dell display for docking purposes with my current mbp and would use this for the new MBP
BUT is the BASE imac a better machine than either 13" or the base 15" MBP?

#3 - the reason I was debating between the 13 and 15 is not because of screen size but wanted folks opinions on performance. I am flexible in the screen size department as well :)
----------

oh yea and if I go with the imac I wouldn't be able to go fusion drive (getting at best buy for 18 month financing portion of purchase) :( just the base 1tb hard drive so that kinda swayed me towards an MBP as well...
Click to expand...
The screen of the iMac is gorgeous. No comparison to dell.
But: If you already have a screen get the 2012 mac mini quadcore. Stick in an ssd and 16gb ram. Cheaper and as powerfull for your usage. Enjoy :)
 
if I go iMac, is fusion drive a must? These can't be upgraded after the fact from what I understand correct.
 
Acevesx said:
if I go iMac, is fusion drive a must? These can't be upgraded after the fact from what I understand correct.
Click to expand...
The harddrives in the imacs can be upgraded, but it's rather complicated.
If you are happy with your screen I strongly suggest a mac mini with ssd.
That will save you a lot of money.
 
Screen is pretty crappy dell 24" monitor, gets the job done but then I think it defeats the purpose of the retina display on the macbook pro...

Man I am really torn now between the 15" MBP base and base 27" imac. eventually I would update the ram on either to 16gb
 
Are you ordering online or going to a store? Seeing each in person, may help you decide.
 
I'll be going into the store...I'm leaning towards the 15" mbp with 256gb of flash storage and 16gb of ram, it's 1899 at Best Buy right now...
 
Is this my twin? Christ its eerie how similar our situations are. My 2011 just kicked it as well, in fact I used the exact same words in my thread, it "took a dump". I am getting it repaired for $329, but am still debating upgrading. If you are a photographer as well, I'd go with the 15". The retina screen really does look amazing with photos. I also would suspect the SSD drives would be great for editing in Lightroom.

As a side note, I wonder what will become of all this 2011 Radeongate. Its quite clear most owners with that laptop are going to deal with this at some point. Are there even people willing to buy the things used at this point?
 
Acevesx said:
Screen is pretty crappy dell 24" monitor, gets the job done but then I think it defeats the purpose of the retina display on the macbook pro...

Man I am really torn now between the 15" MBP base and base 27" imac. eventually I would update the ram on either to 16gb
Click to expand...

I'm using 15" rMBP for lightroom, and the size is just enough to do edits. I can't imagine working 13", so you'll definitely continue using your dell for display if go 13". Then if you're on the dell, then it would be far inferior to a 15" retina once you see how gorgeous the pictures look on retina. I do wish for a larger screen like the iMac, but I prefer the hires display of the 15" retina. But if you're considering non-retina 15", I would go with the iMac..
 
currently posting from the base 15" rMBP. Will take her for heavy test drive over the next few days...
 
Congrats on your new rMBP! You can always upgrade your flash storage in the future if you need to. There aren't any third party PCIe SSDs out yet, but hopefully there will be soon.
 
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