New rMBP: need advice

[Max(IT)]

Hi,
I'd like to buy a new rMBP because after two year of high res web browsing with my iPads , every time I use my MBP I find it very disappointing ....
I also think that a 13" notebook could be better for my needs, since I'm traveling a lot.
The only problem is that the best I could afford now is a 13" rMBP with 8 Gb and 256 Gb SSD, the intermediate model, that costs about 1500€ here in Italy.
I think it could be a serious downgrade from my 15" MBP late 2011 ....
It has a 2.2 Ghz i7 (it's a quad core), 8 Gb, 250 Gb SSD and a discreet video card (Radeon HD 6750M).
I don't want to waste my money (I just bought an iPad Air and an iPhone 5S .... lot of money here in Italy) buying something that, display resolution aside, could be worse than my actual configuration.

Any thoughts ?

 

[augustya]

Hi,
I'd like to buy a new rMBP because after two year of high res web browsing with my iPads , every time I use my MBP I find it very disappointing ....
I also think that a 13" notebook could be better for my needs, since I'm traveling a lot.
The only problem is that the best I could afford now is a 13" rMBP with 8 Gb and 256 Gb SSD, the intermediate model, that costs about 1500€ here in Italy.
I think it could be a serious downgrade from my 15" MBP late 2011 ....
It has a 2.2 Ghz i7 (it's a quad core), 8 Gb, 250 Gb SSD and a discreet video card (Radeon HD 6750M).
I don't want to waste my money (I just bought an iPad Air and an iPhone 5S .... lot of money here in Italy) buying something that, display resolution aside, could be worse than my actual configuration.

Any thoughts ?

Just had one of my friend give me his rMBP 13" to use and experience for a while what a fantastic piece of human creation is that ! It is a HUman Marvel ! Since you already have a iPad Air. Yes if you can afford you should go for the rMBP and 15" is just a piece of diamond I feel. The more I look at it the more i fall in Love with it. It is Just Fantasticccccc !!!

 

[Max(IT)]

Just had one of my friend give me his rMBP 13" to use and experience for a while what a fantastic piece of human creation is that ! It is a HUman Marvel ! Since you already have a iPad Air. Yes if you can afford you should go for the rMBP and 15" is just a piece of diamond I feel. The more I look at it the more i fall in Love with it. It is Just Fantasticccccc !!!

I can't afford the 15" right now: it's more than 2000€ ...
I owned 4 MBP in my life (and 1 MacBook before), and I always paid about 1600€ for them.
This time apple is went too far with the prices .... More than 2000€ for the entry level is too much also for me, and from my signature you can see I spend a lot of money in Apple products ....

 

[augustya]

I can't afford the 15" right now: it's more than 2000€ ...
I owned 4 MBP in my life (and 1 MacBook before), and I always paid about 1600€ for them.
This time apple is went too far with the prices .... More than 2000€ for the entry level is too much also for me, and from my signature you can see I spend a lot of money in Apple products ....

Buy a 13" Inch then but yes it is well worth the price if you are looking to justify the money spent. It is well worth the money spent !

 

[Wuiffi]

First, if you think you need/really want a retina Macbook even if your old MBP is perfectly fine is up to you, no one here can make that decision for you. If you decide to go for a new retina MBP performance wise it sure would be a downgrade, but then the question is: what do you need all the performance for?
And for pricing, as windows notebook with high resolution displays are about as expensive as the rMBP I guess there is no need for Apple to drop the price (too bad).

Have you though for what price you might sell your MBP?

 

[maflynn]

You may regret the 13" display size. as for the discrete GPU vs. integrated GPU, you never stated what you use the computer for. If you plan on using for browsing, email, documents etc, you'll not notice the difference in GPU.

I went from a 13" to a 15" because the 13" was too small. Check out the laptops at an apple store and see if the screen size is ok for you.

 

[Max(IT)]

First, if you think you need/really want a retina Macbook even if your old MBP is perfectly fine is up to you, no one here can make that decision for you. If you decide to go for a new retina MBP performance wise it sure would be a downgrade, but then the question is: what do you need all the performance for?
And for pricing, as windows notebook with high resolution displays are about as expensive as the rMBP I guess there is no need for Apple to drop the price (too bad).

Have you though for what price you might sell your MBP?

Well, my MBP is perfectly fine, its battery still holds 95% of original maximum capacity.
The only reason to "upgrade" would be the display, but as a tech savvy guy it's worrisome for me to take a step back in performance AFTER TWO YEARS AND HALF from my previous purchase.

I can sell my current MBP quite easily, but it has a minor cosmetic defect (it has a dent on a lower corner, caused by a little bump on the floor while putting it in my bag. How soft aluminum can be ... It wasn't even a drop, it just bumped on the floor an it dented !) so I can make something like 6-700€ out of it. Still a lot of money to add .......

----------

You may regret the 13" display size. as for the discrete GPU vs. integrated GPU, you never stated what you use the computer for. If you plan on using for browsing, email, documents etc, you'll not notice the difference in GPU.

I went from a 13" to a 15" because the 13" was too small. Check out the laptops at an apple store and see if the screen size is ok for you.

I had a MacBook 13" and a MBP 13" in the past, so I'm quite familiar with that screen size and I think it is enough for me.
For web browsing and email I'm mostly using my iPad, so the notebook kicks in when I need more serious work: Aperture, Office and some amatorial video editing.
I don't know if I'm going to regret my quad core and discrete video card ...

I'm very debated ....

 

[maflynn]

You realize that Aperture and video editing will be better suited with a discrete GPU.

Given the return period, why not opt for the purchase try it out and if the apps work as you hope they will keep it, if not return it.

 

[Max(IT)]

You realize that Aperture and video editing will be better suited with a discrete GPU.

Given the return period, why not opt for the purchase try it out and if the apps work as you hope they will keep it, if not return it.

I will think about that ...

My first option was to sell my current MBP before buying the new one, to help funding it.

 

[maflynn]

I would think apple would have aperture loaded on their display units, try it out.

 

[brdeveloper]

Hi,
I'd like to buy a new rMBP because after two year of high res web browsing with my iPads , every time I use my MBP I find it very disappointing ....
I also think that a 13" notebook could be better for my needs, since I'm traveling a lot.
The only problem is that the best I could afford now is a 13" rMBP with 8 Gb and 256 Gb SSD, the intermediate model, that costs about 1500€ here in Italy.
I think it could be a serious downgrade from my 15" MBP late 2011 ....
It has a 2.2 Ghz i7 (it's a quad core), 8 Gb, 250 Gb SSD and a discreet video card (Radeon HD 6750M).
I don't want to waste my money (I just bought an iPad Air and an iPhone 5S .... lot of money here in Italy) buying something that, display resolution aside, could be worse than my actual configuration.

Any thoughts ?

Are you aware from the color/retention issues from the retina displays on MacBooks?

 

[iStrikeRx]

Hi,
I'd like to buy a new rMBP because after two year of high res web browsing with my iPads , every time I use my MBP I find it very disappointing ....
I also think that a 13" notebook could be better for my needs, since I'm traveling a lot.
The only problem is that the best I could afford now is a 13" rMBP with 8 Gb and 256 Gb SSD, the intermediate model, that costs about 1500€ here in Italy.
I think it could be a serious downgrade from my 15" MBP late 2011 ....
It has a 2.2 Ghz i7 (it's a quad core), 8 Gb, 250 Gb SSD and a discreet video card (Radeon HD 6750M).
I don't want to waste my money (I just bought an iPad Air and an iPhone 5S .... lot of money here in Italy) buying something that, display resolution aside, could be worse than my actual configuration.

Any thoughts ?

I'd personally either stick with what you have, or save up for the 15" retina.

I had the 13" retina on launch, and even after all the updates, the performance was pretty poor. This is in part due to the poor optimisation of OS X for retina displays (some things are smooth, other things like itunes and expose etc are crippled), and partly due to the weak Iris graphics.

Anything above the default best for retina setting results in the whole machine struggling to keep up with anything you do.

Definitely try it out in an Apple Store if you can. The default resolution gives you very little screen space, so that was a deal breaker for me in tandem with the poor performance.

 

[Max(IT)]

Are you aware from the color/retention issues from the retina displays on MacBooks?

I'm pretty sure all this whining about retention are just ridiculous ....

 

[brdeveloper]

I'm pretty sure all this whining about retention are just ridiculous ....

After exchanging my IR screen for an unevenly yellow tinted one, I agree with you. This non—uniform yellow cast impossible to calibrate is way worse than retention.

 

[AppleGoat]

Do you have access to refurbs in Italy? If so, why not consider a refurbished 15" Retina?

 

[SVT Amateur]

I went with a refurbished 15" rMBP and then sold my retina iPad. Haven't regretted it a bit.

 

[Badrottie]

Hi,
I'd like to buy a new rMBP because after two year of high res web browsing with my iPads , every time I use my MBP I find it very disappointing ....
I also think that a 13" notebook could be better for my needs, since I'm traveling a lot.
The only problem is that the best I could afford now is a 13" rMBP with 8 Gb and 256 Gb SSD, the intermediate model, that costs about 1500€ here in Italy.
I think it could be a serious downgrade from my 15" MBP late 2011 ....
It has a 2.2 Ghz i7 (it's a quad core), 8 Gb, 250 Gb SSD and a discreet video card (Radeon HD 6750M).
I don't want to waste my money (I just bought an iPad Air and an iPhone 5S .... lot of money here in Italy) buying something that, display resolution aside, could be worse than my actual configuration.

Any thoughts ?

Max, is retina display really important to you? I understand but 2011 MBP is very good machine. I do have a rMBP and non-retina iPad I know retina display is awesome but on iPad I only use for NetFlix movie and check on Twitter, Facebook, and light gaming. So save some money for your girlfriend.

 

[Max(IT)]

After exchanging my IR screen for an unevenly yellow tinted one, I agree with you. This non—uniform yellow cast impossible to calibrate is way worse than retention.

Sure ... Sure ... Maybe if you install windows vista on it could be better ...

----------

Max, is retina display really important to you? I understand but 2011 MBP is very good machine. I do have a rMBP and non-retina iPad I know retina display is awesome but on iPad I only use for NetFlix movie and check on Twitter, Facebook, and light gaming. So save some money for your girlfriend.

My girlfriend ? Well, I've been married since 1996 so ....

Joke apart, yes, retina display is the only real motivation for my choice, but now I'm convinced that a 13" rMBP would be a real downgrade from my current configuration.

 

[brdeveloper]

Sure ... Sure ... Maybe if you install windows vista on it could be better ...

What is this nonsense comment? I have Vista installed on my Mini because I use it as HTPC (my DTV adapter only works on Windows). Also, I need at least one 32-bit Windows installed at home because my Nikon film scanner doesn't have 64-bit drivers and I don't like 3rd party software like Vuescan.

Seriously, you want a rMBP for the sake of having a rMBP. I don't give a **** for what you do with your money. Good luck!

 

[Pegamush]

hey max, i'm from italy, i know you from hwupgrade forum!

i have your same issue and i just opened a thread about that.
i have a (broken) 2010 15" macbookpro with the higher resolution display (1680x1050).
to fix it costs around 400€ (it's an issue with the logic board), so i'm wondering if it's a wise idea to spend some more money and go for the new 13" rmbp.
ironically enough, what concerns me most is the loss in resolution i'd get!
working on a 15" with a real vertical resolution of 1050pixels is wonderful, if i'd have to go back to the 800pixel vertical resolution.. i'd feel like 6 years ago still having my old white MB...

 

[Max(IT)]

hey max, i'm from italy, i know you from hwupgrade forum!

i have your same issue and i just opened a thread about that.
i have a (broken) 2010 15" macbookpro with the higher resolution display (1680x1050).
to fix it costs around 400€ (it's an issue with the logic board), so i'm wondering if it's a wise idea to spend some more money and go for the new 13" rmbp.
ironically enough, what concerns me most is the loss in resolution i'd get!
working on a 15" with a real vertical resolution of 1050pixels is wonderful, if i'd have to go back to the 800pixel vertical resolution.. i'd feel like 6 years ago still having my old white MB...

Resolution for the new 13" rMBP is 2560x1600 so you are not going to have any resolution loss.
Other than that the 2010 MBP was a C2D dual core (or is it the i5 version ?) .... You are going to have a performance upgrade with the new rMBP !
And your MacBook is broken, so you do have a real motivation to buy a new one ...

In my case I have a perfectly working i7 dual core with discrete graphic card and an SSD .... it's a sort of downgrade for me, just for the retina display ...