Newbie to Mac

[BigWorm8176]

Hi peeps!

New guy here and to Apple Macs. Awesome forum by the way.
I have a 8yr old Inspiron E1505 that needs to retire very soon. Its so bad that I can't open multiple browsers or it will crash Lol.

I'm moving to OSX from windows due to i hate the new Windows 8.
My first pick was the MBA i5/8/256, but somehow the more i research the more i lean to the MBP.

I want something that will last atleast 5 yrs.
Read alot about refurb vs. new and found out refurb is not a bad thing.

So i found this:
rMBP retina - 2.4/8/256 = $1269
rMBP retina - 2.6/16/256 = $1529 <--- First pick

I will be using it for Web/streaming/youtube/itunes/Light gaming.

Since im planning on keeping it for a long time. Is it worth the $260 upgrade for my use?

Thanks!

 

[S.B.G]

Yeah I'd say it would be worth it to get the one with more RAM, since you'll be more future-proofing it. The Mac's have a good reputation for longevity. I had a 2006 MBP that is still going strong at a friends house now.

 

[Panch0]

Do you see your usage changing over that 5 year period? if not, the MBA would be all you need. I personally would pay the extra $ to max the RAM on either rMBP or the MBA, but do I need to? not really... I would be fine with 4GB RAM except that I use virtualization daily.

 

[960design]

You did your research. The first pick ( extra ram ) will certainly future proof your MBPr. My only concern would be the 256SSD, that will not do for me. If you keep it light and clean you shouldn't have any issues. Just don't expect to be throwing XCode, Cocos2D, VirtualBox ( with multiple OS images ), ect and you should be good.

 

[BigWorm8176]

Yeah I'd say it would be worth it to get the one with more RAM, since you'll be more future-proofing it. The Mac's have a good reputation for longevity. I had a 2006 MBP that is still going strong at a friends house now.

Thanks! I like to keep it for a long time. This will be my 3rd system starting from a desktop.

Do you see your usage changing over that 5 year period? if not, the MBA would be all you need. I personally would pay the extra $ to max the RAM on either rMBP or the MBA, but do I need to? not really... I would be fine with 4GB RAM except that I use virtualization daily.

I was on the MBA wagon at first, but the retina pulled me to MBPr. I was thinking that soon even the MBA will be retina.

You did your research. The first pick ( extra ram ) will certainly future proof your MBPr. My only concern would be the 256SSD, that will not do for me. If you keep it light and clean you shouldn't have any issues. Just don't expect to be throwing XCode, Cocos2D, VirtualBox ( with multiple OS images ), ect and you should be good.

I will have a 1tb external for all other stuff. Thanks!