Pre-purchase Tips? (rMBP 15)

[Munkypoo7]

Hey guys.

Tomorrow is the big day. Finally going to get a 15" rMBP . 512GB model though, 1TB SSD is quite over kill and would rather save the difference there and get AppleCare.

That being said, by what I've read on these forums as well as the Apple discussion boards are three big things.

1. Yellow-ish screens
2. Image Retention
3. Creaking by the trackpad

That being said... how should I go about verifying that my new rMBP is within acceptable standards for me?

For yellow-ish screen testing I was thinking of just comparing it to a floor model that I deemed "acceptable".

For image retention I was planning on using the oh-so popular site: http://www.marco.org/rmbp-irtest.html

For creaking I was just planning on placing it on a flat surface, then looking like a crazy person and put my ear to the trackpad area as I pushed down.

Is there anything else I'm missing that I should be on the lookout for? Even with the educational discount, I'd like to be fully content with my rMBP considering I'll be dropping a good chunk of change down.

Thanks guys!

 

[brdeveloper]

Hey guys.

Tomorrow is the big day. Finally going to get a 15" rMBP . 512GB model though, 1TB SSD is quite over kill and would rather save the difference there and get AppleCare.

That being said, by what I've read on these forums as well as the Apple discussion boards are three big things.

1. Yellow-ish screens
2. Image Retention
3. Creaking by the trackpad

That being said... how should I go about verifying that my new rMBP is within acceptable standards for me?

For yellow-ish screen testing I was thinking of just comparing it to a floor model that I deemed "acceptable".

For image retention I was planning on using the oh-so popular site: http://www.marco.org/rmbp-irtest.html

For creaking I was just planning on placing it on a flat surface, then looking like a crazy person and put my ear to the trackpad area as I pushed down.

Is there anything else I'm missing that I should be on the lookout for? Even with the educational discount, I'd like to be fully content with my rMBP considering I'll be dropping a good chunk of change down.

Thanks guys!

For image retention, browse through Safari around 5-10 minutes, then switch to the Mavericks' gray login window. If it has retention, you'll see traces of previous windows, dock and toolbars.

For yellowing, comparing side by side works only if you know the test unit doesn't have the yellowing issue. My laptop suffers from uneven yellow, it's a more subtle problem and you'll only note it after browsing for around 10 minutes through pages with white backgrounds. There is a more useful test for yellowing:

Put four Finder windows side by side covering the entire screen, each one filling a quadrant. In my case, I can clearly see a yellowish Finder at the 3rd quadrant (clockwise, bottom left).

If I could return and get a refund today I'd probably get a Dell Precision M3800. I see no complaining about this machine and I'm not so religious about OSX... could switch to Windows for a better deal (in terms of reliability).

 

[Munkypoo7]

Funny you should mention the Precision M3800 as that was my #2 option. The biggest issue for me personally, and this seems almost childish is... the trackpad. I have honestly yet found a trackpad as perfect as the Macbook glass trackpads. I had the XPS15 for about a week (friend's unit) and I absolutely hated the trackpad, was so happy to jump back to my Macbook (late 08 Aluminum). That being the case, I also couldn't care less about touchscreens, I find that to just be pointless, especially for a workstation...

As for the rMBP stuff.
Finder windows, gotcha, an uneven yellowing would probably be much more frustrating than a yellow panel, never thought of that but extremely valid.

Also, using Safari seems much easier than burning in a checkerboard for ten minutes.

Thanks brdeveloper ^^