Opinions on rMBP and integrated graphics

[Joshyg02]

So I might be getting a 2015 13' MBP and I want to know what performance is like this will be my first mac its pretty expensive so are they worth it? What does the iris graphics compare to I will be getting the base retina model. Mainly I'll be video editing and rendering in iMovie and ill be playing minecraft and recording it for my YouTube channel, I do know that macs aren't for gaming so. My budget is £1000 so I can't configure it further many thanks.

 

[ct1211]

So I might be getting a 2015 13' MBP and I want to know what performance is like this will be my first mac its pretty expensive so are they worth it? What does the iris graphics compare to I will be getting the base retina model. Mainly I'll be video editing and rendering in iMovie and ill be playing minecraft and recording it for my YouTube channel, I do know that macs aren't for gaming so. My budget is £1000 so I can't configure it further many thanks.

You're gonna need a bigger boat...

 

[Joshyg02]

The MBK for me is £999 for that i can build a much better pc that can blow the Macs specs out of the water but the quality Wont be as good. Could you recommend the 13' MacBook as I'd like the portability as well as a reliable machine has anyone tested minecraft and iMovie editing on the rMBP? Or would a custom build be a better idea and then I could save up for a Mac mini as well

 

[capuzino]

The MBK for me is £999 for that i can build a much better pc that can blow the Macs specs out of the water but the quality Wont be as good.

Also it probably wouldn't be a laptop.

Anyway, 13rMBP is capable of running Final Cut Pro X (the so called Pro-version of iMovie) without lag. Also it's capable of playing games like Borderlands 2 & Pre-Sequel, Hitman Absolution, Grid 2 and Tropico 5 on medium settings or even a bit higher. So I think Minecraft would work more than well.

..Of course when rendering it takes longer time than on 15" version or a desktop computer but that's just a good reason to keep longer coffee breaks.

Btw, this is what a 13" rMBP from 2013 (2,4Ghz i5, 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD) is capable of, and I'm pretty sure that the newer and faster model wouldn't be any worse.

 

[dexterbell]

Could you recommend the 13' MacBook as I'd like the portability as well as a reliable machine has anyone tested minecraft and iMovie editing on the rMBP?

I don't recommend the new rMBP 13 for iMovie. I was editing 24Mbps 1080p MP4 files in iMovie and playback was choppy in the edit window while editing. When it came to a simple transition, it would lag a few seconds in playback. Not to mention export of a 4 minute clip took nearly 8 minutes. Unacceptable for a new $1300 laptop in 2015 IMO. I returned it and got a mid 2014 rMBP 15 base model. Still integrated but no choppy playback and export time was cut in half, 4 minutes.

 

[CaptainChunk]

I don't recommend the new rMBP 13 for iMovie. I was editing 24Mbps 1080p MP4 files in iMovie and playback was choppy in the edit window while editing. When it came to a simple transition, it would lag a few seconds in playback. Not to mention export of a 4 minute clip took nearly 8 minutes. Unacceptable for a new $1300 laptop in 2015 IMO. I returned it and got a mid 2014 rMBP 15 base model. Still integrated but no choppy playback and export time was cut in half, 4 minutes.

Although iMovie and FCP X are advertised as handling H.264 video edits natively, they are in reality transcoding that video in the background (a pretty hefty workload), which can be an issue for any machine with a dual-core CPU and integrated graphics. And this issue isn't just limited to Apple's software - it's very much a thing in other NLEs such as Premiere as well.

 

[Joshyg02]

I don't recommend the new rMBP 13 for iMovie. I was editing 24Mbps 1080p MP4 files in iMovie and playback was choppy in the edit window while editing. When it came to a simple transition, it would lag a few seconds in playback. Not to mention export of a 4 minute clip took nearly 8 minutes. Unacceptable for a new $1300 laptop in 2015 IMO. I returned it and got a mid 2014 rMBP 15 base model. Still integrated but no choppy playback and export time was cut in half, 4 minutes.

It does have a hefty price tag, it's quite a struggle at the moment on my current windows laptop (i3-3110 graphics 4000) I'm gonna be working with 1080p Mp4 as well so guess ill have to sacrifice portability for power. I know there's other powerful windows laptops but overheating and expense can be the problem so I think I'll just go for a desktop probably a custom build. If I want my first mac experience I might get a Mac mini with some flash storage as a media centre/basic mac

 

[Hieveryone]

So I might be getting a 2015 13' MBP and I want to know what performance is like this will be my first mac its pretty expensive so are they worth it? What does the iris graphics compare to I will be getting the base retina model. Mainly I'll be video editing and rendering in iMovie and ill be playing minecraft and recording it for my YouTube channel, I do know that macs aren't for gaming so. My budget is £1000 so I can't configure it further many thanks.

You can check the refurbished store to see if there's a 15" for 1000.

To answer your question, no the 13" does not suit your needs. Build a PC for cheaper and be happy.

You'll also have some extra money in your pocket to go on a date