Purchasing MBP mid 2012

[galinda]

Hi all,

I'm a PC user and I'll be switching to mac in the coming weeks. I plan on getting the mid-2012 version of mbp 13" (I don't really care about the retina and I'd be needing the optical drive anyhow.) I want to buy the default config which is

-4GB ram i5 processor
-500GB memory

Now, my question is, is this enough to run win 7 under bootcamp as I will also be installing 3ds Max 2010 with vray. I will also be using PSD and AI CS6 but both will be installed on OS.

I don't really do much heavy 3d modeling. Just some furniture and products that doesn't really have high poly.

Is 4GB enough or should I upgrade my ram to 8gb?

Thanks in advance. I apologize for sounding like a noob.

 

[macstatic]

I can't help with the Windows related question unfortunately, but thought I'd chime in as I have what seems to be the exact same machine (2.5GHz MacBook Pro 9,2) which I bought recently and would like to mention that it can actually be upgraded to 16GB RAM (not the official 8GB as Apple says). I plan to do that at some stage.
I also plan to replace the internal hard drive with an SSD. Both will improve speed, but from what I've been told adding memory helps the most. Might be benefitial for running your Windows apps.

PS: Great choice of laptop! I'm super happy with mine.

 

[galinda]

Hi Mactstatic, thanks for the feedback.

I don't really need the 16GB at the moment since I'm not really a heavy user.

 

[MarvinHC]

Hi all,

I'm a PC user and I'll be switching to mac in the coming weeks. I plan on getting the mid-2012 version of mbp 13" (I don't really care about the retina and I'd be needing the optical drive anyhow.) I want to buy the default config which is

-4GB ram i5 processor
-500GB memory

Now, my question is, is this enough to run win 7 under bootcamp as I will also be installing 3ds Max 2010 with vray. I will also be using PSD and AI CS6 but both will be installed on OS.

I don't really do much heavy 3d modeling. Just some furniture and products that doesn't really have high poly.

Is 4GB enough or should I upgrade my ram to 8gb?

Thanks in advance. I apologize for sounding like a noob.

I have exactly the same machine and win 7 runs perfectly fine under bootcamp.

Due to the need to backup data from another machine I have recently almost completely filled up the hard drive and now I clearly feel a performance drop, but otherwise it is a fine machine. And even with plenty of open tabs in Chrome and Safari simultaneously I have not yet managed to get outside the 'green zone' in the memory pressure. I will eventually install an SSD however which luckily are easily available for this machine and getting cheaper by the month (less than $200 now for a 500 GB, e.g. MX100)

 

[matrik]

I also had the same configuration (i.e. i5, 4G RAM, 500G HDD) but upgraded to 10G RAM and 256G SSD shortly after buying it. The speed difference was tremendous, so I highly recommend the upgrade if you go with this. However, at the time I bought the additional RAM and 256G SSD, the overall price of the machine and upgrade became nearly equal to similar config 13" rMBP.

You also say you are going to use it for 3D modeling. I use mine mostly for programming and casual surfing. Even though these tasks does not require a lot of screen estate, I can say 1280x800 screen really sucks when you try to multitask (without secondary monitor). I regret not buying the 13" rMBP which was available when I bought my MBP. If I have some extra money in a short term I'd buy new 15" rMBP base model to use it for at least 4-5 years.

 

[MarvinHC]

....but not very well.

Read through the published developers documentation & the new Macs this week have 8GB as standard as this is the recommended level to allow everything to function as the Apple's developers intended.

2GB is not usable in the real world. As an example, I could have a bunch of tabs open on my browser and it will chew through 1GB easily leaving just <1GB memory available for OS X and any other apps I had open! The machine would drag with that kind of bottleneck.

But luckily, this Macbook is easily upgradeable for a couple of dollars. So when the OP sees the memory as a bottleneck, 8 screws and an order online later the problem is sorted.

 

[galinda]

Thanks guys. I'll go for the 8GB for now and maybe upgrade to SSD later. It's also one of the reasons why I chose this model over the rMBP. I can update it anytime I want.

 

[Crugga]

If its a user upgradable model i'd buy the very cheapest model and do all the upgrades yourself.
Personally I think the ssd is the priority upgrade, those 5400hd's are slow and will be the bottleneck. I dont think 4gb is enough ram longterm but willbe ok to start and certainly wont slow you down the same way the hd will although both worthwhile imo.
As has been said its all an easy upgrade just get yourself the right tools so you dont go damaging screws.
For £130(or likely similar in dollars) you will be able to put a 250gb ssd and 8gb of ram. The difference between that and the base model will be night and day.

 

[capathy21]

If its a user upgradable model i'd buy the very cheapest model and do all the upgrades yourself.
Personally I think the ssd is the priority upgrade, those 5400hd's are slow and will be the bottleneck.

This....

If you are going to buy the mid 2012, do not upgrade it through Apple at time of purchase. That defeats the entire point of getting a user upgradable machine.

Your first priority should definitely be an SSD. If you do the ram too that's fine, but if you are doing one or the other, the SSD should be first.