New MacBook Pro Buyer

[graydock11]

Hey guys,

I've done quite a bit of research and just wanted to get outside opinions. I am a student, and need a laptop for major programming, some video editing, a lot of website design and a little bit of Photoshop. I don't really play games or anything of that sort so I was thinking the 13 inch model with normal Iris Graphics would be just fine for me.

But I did have a few questions: Is it worth it the extra money to bump up to 8GB of RAM? My older PC (By the way, this will be my first MacBook! Very Excited) was fine with 4GB of RAM and performed these tasks without too many problems or too much lag.

Also rather than upgrading to the 256GB model, should I use an after market M.2 SSD for a cheaper price? Will they be as reliable as the original one? I've looked at a few but if you guys have any suggestions that would be very helpful.

Finally, I know this has been asked quite a bit before, but in light of the new information that Broadwell will probably be only released for the RMBP next year (2015), should I get the laptop now or wait for the expected refresh later this year? I don't think it's going to be major, but I don't want to miss out on new features. I'm going to need this laptop to last me for the next 4 or 5 years and would like something that will last me.

It's not a problem for me to wait until October/November, but I don't want to be waiting for a refresh that brings slight Haswell Spec Bumps.

Thanks So Much!

 

[Sifinity]

Hey guys,

I've done quite a bit of research and just wanted to get outside opinions. I am a student, and need a laptop for major programming, some video editing, a lot of website design and a little bit of Photoshop. I don't really play games or anything of that sort so I was thinking the 13 inch model with normal Iris Graphics would be just fine for me.

But I did have a few questions: Is it worth it the extra money to bump up to 8GB of RAM? My older PC (By the way, this will be my first MacBook! Very Excited) was fine with 4GB of RAM and performed these tasks without too many problems or too much lag.

Also rather than upgrading to the 256GB model, should I use an after market M.2 SSD for a cheaper price? Will they be as reliable as the original one? I've looked at a few but if you guys have any suggestions that would be very helpful.

Finally, I know this has been asked quite a bit before, but in light of the new information that Broadwell will probably be only released for the RMBP next year (2015), should I get the laptop now or wait for the expected refresh later this year? I don't think it's going to be major, but I don't want to miss out on new features. I'm going to need this laptop to last me for the next 4 or 5 years and would like something that will last me.

It's not a problem for me to wait until October/November, but I don't want to be waiting for a refresh that brings slight Haswell Spec Bumps.

Thanks So Much!

Definately upgrade to 8gb or even 16 gb if you can ; not changeable ssd depends on your preference , and waiting really depends on when you need it

 

[graydock11]

Definately upgrade to 8gb or even 16 gb if you can ; not changeable ssd depends on your preference , and waiting really depends on when you need it

Thanks for the reply Sifinity. I'll probably go with your advice and upgrade to 8 gigabytes of RAM. The SSD is changeable am I correct? I can swap another sad into the m.2 port?

As for waiting, like I said, I can probably go up until October or November but next year is too far for me. Even this year, if there aren't going to be any big new features, I don't mind buying now either.

 

[SarcasticJoe]

Unfortunately Apple has gone out of their way to actively stop you from upgrading RAM by soldering it stuck to the motherboard in just about all of their laptops and thus I would recommend that you go for the optional 8 GB option. This despite I'm doing just fine with 4GB and programming quite a lot (Computer Engineering postgrad myself) on a machine from when the only machines with soldered RAM was the Macbook Air.

As for the m.2 SSD, you won't save that much by it as good 256GB ones aren't that much less than what Apple charges for an upgrade to the same capacity and it might also void your warranty. Hower as it is with stuff like this, prices do tend to come down and if you decide to do the upgrade at some point in the future, it will probably make more sense then.

 

[dextr3k]

Thanks for the reply Sifinity. I'll probably go with your advice and upgrade to 8 gigabytes of RAM. The SSD is changeable am I correct? I can swap another sad into the m.2 port?

As for waiting, like I said, I can probably go up until October or November but next year is too far for me. Even this year, if there aren't going to be any big new features, I don't mind buying now either.

The SSD is changeable, but the new macs use PCIE SSD, of which no one else sells, except Apple. There might be some in the future, but there are none as of right now, you'd have to buy one that was disassembled from another macbook.

I recommend you getting what you want, and be done with it.

 

[maflynn]

I'd go with the 8GB of ram, and bite the bullet and buy the 256GB of storage. As of yet there are no other alternatives to upgrade your storage. That is no one selling a compatible SSD for that model Mac

 

[SarcasticJoe]

The SSD is changeable, but the new macs use PCIE SSD, of which no one else sells, except Apple. There might be some in the future, but there are none as of right now, you'd have to buy one that was disassembled from another macbook.

I recommend you getting what you want, and be done with it.

Actually m.2 (which is based on PCIe Mini) is exactly what Apple uses in the 2013&2014 Macbook Air as well as late 2013 Macbook Pro. It's a common standard so not only do an number of other manufacturers use them as well, there's off-the-shelf parts available if you can be bothered to look.

Older Macbook Air's and the 2012 and early 2013 "retina" Macbook used an proprietary version of mSATA where they switched the pin arrangement. Otherworld Computing does sell third party replacements/upgrades even to these things, but they come with a fairly salty pricetag.

 

[maflynn]

Older Macbook Air's and the 2012 and early 2013 "retina" Macbook used an proprietary version of mSATA where they switched the pin arrangement. Otherworld Computing does sell third party replacements/upgrades even to these things, but they come with a fairly salty pricetag.

Actually Transcend came out with their JetDrive SSD model line that includes SSDs for the older non PCIe SSD drives.

I may take the plunge and get one for my 2012 rMBP, they're cheaper then OWCs.

See the front page article on this
Transcend Debuts JetDrive SSD Upgrade Kits Up to 960GB for MacBook Air, Retina Macbook Pro

 

[SarcasticJoe]

Actually Transcend came out with their JetDrive SSD model line that includes SSDs for the older non PCIe SSD drives.

I may take the plunge and get one for my 2012 rMBP, they're cheaper then OWCs.

See the front page article on this
Transcend Debuts JetDrive SSD Upgrade Kits Up to 960GB for MacBook Air, Retina Macbook Pro

Considering getting a second hand 2012 or early 2013 Macbook Pro myself and even thou those are more expensive than equivalent 2,5" SATA drives, they're still way cheaper than OWC's daylight robbery prices.

 

[capathy21]

Based on your said usage I would recommend you go for the 8GB ram/256SSD config.

You could get by with the base model 4/128, but if you want to use the machine for video editing and design, and you want it to be efficient for up to 5 years, go ahead and spend the extra 200 and get the middle configuration. You'll be glad you did.

I have the base model and for my usage, it's more than enough. 4GB of ram on a Modern Mac goes much farther than 4GB on any other machine. The only thing I wouldn't be comfortable saying my machine would do efficiently would be heavy photo/video editing, or multiple virtual machines.

What makes me recommend the 8GB is the mention of photoshop and video editing. If you want to work more in those programs in the future, definitely get the 8GB.

 

[graydock11]

Thanks so much for all the replies guys! I was actually thinking of the JetDrive, exactly the link that Maflynn posted, but Joe, you're probably right about the prices. So I think I'm going to go with the 8GB and 256GB middle 13 inch. Now just to decide if I should wait till October or not.

By the way, for those of you that have the 13 inch already, are the built in speakers decent?

Again Thanks So Much guys!

 

[thundersteele]

I always recommend 8/256 directly from Apple.

As far as I know the SSD in the late 2013 rMBPs (and in the 2013/2014 Airs) is not M.2 standard PCIe, and at the moment I'm not aware of any available third party drives. You can find SSDs that fit on ebay sometimes. Here is the quote from Anandtech's 2013 MBA review:

"Despite moving to PCIe, Apple continues to use its own proprietary form factor and interface for the SSD. This isn’t an M.2 drive. The M.2 spec wasn’t far enough along in time for Apple to use it this generation unfortunately. The overall drive is smaller than the previous design, partially enabled by Samsung’s smaller NAND packages."

 

[yjchua95]

Thanks so much for all the replies guys! I was actually thinking of the JetDrive, exactly the link that Maflynn posted, but Joe, you're probably right about the prices. So I think I'm going to go with the 8GB and 256GB middle 13 inch. Now just to decide if I should wait till October or not.

By the way, for those of you that have the 13 inch already, are the built in speakers decent?

Again Thanks So Much guys!

The JetDrive won't work in the late-2013 rMBPs, it'll only work with mid-2012, late-2012 and early-2013 rMBPs.

The late-2013 rMBPs use a proprietary, non-M.2 PCIe SSD which nobody makes yet.

 

[graydock11]

The JetDrive won't work in the late-2013 rMBPs, it'll only work with mid-2012, late-2012 and early-2013 rMBPs.

The late-2013 rMBPs use a proprietary, non-M.2 PCIe SSD which nobody makes yet.

I always recommend 8/256 directly from Apple.

As far as I know the SSD in the late 2013 rMBPs (and in the 2013/2014 Airs) is not M.2 standard PCIe, and at the moment I'm not aware of any available third party drives. You can find SSDs that fit on ebay sometimes. Here is the quote from Anandtech's 2013 MBA review:

"Despite moving to PCIe, Apple continues to use its own proprietary form factor and interface for the SSD. This isn’t an M.2 drive. The M.2 spec wasn’t far enough along in time for Apple to use it this generation unfortunately. The overall drive is smaller than the previous design, partially enabled by Samsung’s smaller NAND packages."

Well that's a drag. But I guess that's alright. I think I'm going to bite the bullet and get the 8GB RAM and 256 Model sometime next week.

I actually might buy off of Amazon because they're selling it for 1,400. But even with the educational discount, with tax the RMBP sells for about 30 dollars more on the Apple website. Any arguments as to why I should directly buy from Apple not from Amazon?

 

[yjchua95]

Well that's a drag. But I guess that's alright. I think I'm going to bite the bullet and get the 8GB RAM and 256 Model sometime next week.

I actually might buy off of Amazon because they're selling it for 1,400. But even with the educational discount, with tax the RMBP sells for about 30 dollars more on the Apple website. Any arguments as to why I should directly buy from Apple not from Amazon?

Amazon doesn't treat their suppliers right.

Remember the Hachette dispute?

Based on principles alone, I'd rather pay a bit more rather than buy from Amazon.

 

[joshlalonde]

Me too!

I'm also a student going into computer programming at college and I am very much interested in the rMBP 13". I recommend going for the 8/256 model despite its increased cost. The main reasons for that have already been outlined. My personal reason, however, is that you want something as powerful as you can get especially for programming purposes. Depending on what kind, that is- 3D programming and anything intensive like that means you'll want a dedicated graphics card or at least treat this as your on-the-go machine. However, since we're both students, this will probably be your main machine, right? That's my case. I'm upgrading from a Dell Laptop I've had for 6 years and it's dying.

Also, I wanted to mention that you should wait to purchase it. Back to school deals kick off in August typically so you might want to wait and see. If you really must get it now, which you indicated you do not, then I recommend from the Apple website. You get a $100 discount and a $110 Apple store gift card (at least in Canada).

Good luck to you (and to me soon)!

 

[graydock11]

Amazon doesn't treat their suppliers right.

Remember the Hachette dispute?

Based on principles alone, I'd rather pay a bit more rather than buy from Amazon.

I can see your point. But either way, I just realized I also get a 100 dollar gift card, so that subsidizes the cost. Thanks for your input!

I'm also a student going into computer programming at college and I am very much interested in the rMBP 13". I recommend going for the 8/256 model despite its increased cost. The main reasons for that have already been outlined. My personal reason, however, is that you want something as powerful as you can get especially for programming purposes. Depending on what kind, that is- 3D programming and anything intensive like that means you'll want a dedicated graphics card or at least treat this as your on-the-go machine. However, since we're both students, this will probably be your main machine, right? That's my case. I'm upgrading from a Dell Laptop I've had for 6 years and it's dying.

Also, I wanted to mention that you should wait to purchase it. Back to school deals kick off in August typically so you might want to wait and see. If you really must get it now, which you indicated you do not, then I recommend from the Apple website. You get a $100 discount and a $110 Apple store gift card (at least in Canada).

Good luck to you (and to me soon)!

Good Luck to you too! Yes it will be my main computer for at least for the next four years. I've been using an HP Laptop for the past 5 years and it's been slowly dying as well.

I don't think I'm going to be doing any intensive processing like 3-D programming, but I think that the 8/256 model is a good midpoint, and that's probably the one I'll buy.

I actually just realized I get a 100 dollar discount and then a 100 dollar gift card. I really doubt it's going to get better than that. But just in case I'll wait until August like you suggested .

Thanks guys! I've come to a final decision. 8/256 13 inch RMBP directly from Apple.

 

[BrettApple]

That's the way I was going to go, then I got Best Buy to price match Apple's student discount, and apply the $100 gift card to the price. So it took the 8/256 to $1,299. Happy with that since I've already gotten most of what I want from the App Store anyhow.

I can tell you already you'll love it! I got mine on Thursday evening and I've already moved everything over and listed my 2010 15" and 2008 13" on Craigslist. I did end up getting an external drive (USB 3) for my media and software libraries. Figured I'd keep it at the desk and just keep what I need on the internal drive. Plus you can get 128GB SD cards that fit within the slot (jet drive)

Good luck to all you other students out there. I'm one year in but taking it slow. Going the Cyber Security route Study hard

 

[graydock11]

That's the way I was going to go, then I got Best Buy to price match Apple's student discount, and apply the $100 gift card to the price. So it took the 8/256 to $1,299. Happy with that since I've already gotten most of what I want from the App Store anyhow.

I can tell you already you'll love it! I got mine on Thursday evening and I've already moved everything over and listed my 2010 15" and 2008 13" on Craigslist. I did end up getting an external drive (USB 3) for my media and software libraries. Figured I'd keep it at the desk and just keep what I need on the internal drive. Plus you can get 128GB SD cards that fit within the slot (jet drive)

Good luck to all you other students out there. I'm one year in but taking it slow. Going the Cyber Security route Study hard

Nice! That's actually not a bad idea either. Best Buy price match works as well. Thanks so much and good luck!

 

[T5BRICK]

Nice! That's actually not a bad idea either. Best Buy price match works as well. Thanks so much and good luck!

The refurbished late 2013 13" rMBP 2.4GHz/8GB/256GB model is available in the refurb section for $1269. Take that $30 you save and buy beer. Apple refurbs are a great deal and they offer the same warranty as new units.