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Reasons to get the Iris Pro only 15" rMBP

G

gametime10

macrumors regular
Original poster
Mar 30, 2006
174
35
- You don't play video games on your rMBP
- Battery life will be terrible if the discrete card is kicking in on certain apps
- Battery life will be terrible if you're making a presentation and need to hook your computer to a projector.
- gfxCardStatus has limitations and is unable to force integrated all the time (http://gfx.io/switching.html)
- Battery life will be terrible if you're running Windows in Boot Camp
- Apple has not had a good track record with their discrete graphics cards in the past several MBPs. Many have failed after 2-3 years... just as your Applecare expires. (reports of graphics cards failing from 2011 MacBook Pros are starting to come in)
- Real world performance of the Iris Pro 5200 is powerful
- Save $$ for a Thunderbolt display or something else

Anything else?
 
gametime10 said:
- You don't play video games on your rMBP
- Battery life will be terrible if the discrete card is kicking in on certain apps
- Battery life will be terrible if you're making a presentation and need to hook your computer to a projector.
- gfxCardStatus has limitations and is unable to force integrated all the time (http://gfx.io/switching.html)
- Battery life will be terrible if you're running Windows in Boot Camp
- Apple has not had a good track record with their discrete graphics cards in the past several MBPs. Many have failed after 2-3 years... just as your Applecare expires. (reports of graphics cards failing from 2011 MacBook Pros are starting to come in)
- Real world performance of the Iris Pro 5200 is powerful
- Save $$ for a Thunderbolt display or something else

Anything else?
Click to expand...

- You don't need CUDA support (you're not a programmer or you are ok with OpenCL or your apps don't require CUDA support);
- You don't play games from Windows;
 
I've extensively done research on gaming on the late 2013 MBPr.

I can say that it is better to game on Xbox One or PS4.

So yeah I'd get the 15" without dGPU and an Xbox One.
 
If you max out the laptop you end up paying the same but one has a discreet card and the other does not. You end up paying more for the one without the card. :rolleyes:

gametime10 said:
- You don't play video games on your rMBP
- Battery life will be terrible if the discrete card is kicking in on certain apps
- Battery life will be terrible if you're making a presentation and need to hook your computer to a projector.
- gfxCardStatus has limitations and is unable to force integrated all the time (http://gfx.io/switching.html)
- Battery life will be terrible if you're running Windows in Boot Camp
- Apple has not had a good track record with their discrete graphics cards in the past several MBPs. Many have failed after 2-3 years... just as your Applecare expires. (reports of graphics cards failing from 2011 MacBook Pros are starting to come in)
- Real world performance of the Iris Pro 5200 is powerful
- Save $$ for a Thunderbolt display or something else

Anything else?
Click to expand...
 
Seemed like an easy enough decision when I was purchasing, I definitely wanted the 16GB of Ram and 512GB SSD, at which point it is a $100 difference to get an upgraded processor and the discrete graphics, a true no brainer. I like the ability to run it on the discrete graphics when plugged in, or if doing graphically heavy tasks. Not to mention the ability to output 4k over a single connection provides far more future proofing as that becomes more of a standard. I get 8+ hours easily when just browsing, answering emails and working with text, with music/videos played in there.

I wouldn't mind having an integrated only computer, and if you can get by with 8GB Ram and a 256GB hard drive, I still think it's a great option. Apple does now have that it set so the integrated unit can use 1.5GB of RAM for the video memory, leaving you with only 6.5gb of usable RAM, which is pushing you down towards the minimum you will want to have in a computer these days, and if you plan on keeping it for years to come (which at $2k you hopefully would) it starts to seem unappealing.

The biggest thing that makes it unappealing to me, beyond gaming, is that in scaled resolutions you can still see it struggle/lag with the integrated only. The 750m is 30-40% more powerful, and I like having the option to use it and know I am currently throwing the most powerful offering Apple has at it, and it's the best it's going to get :) Is that in itself, and the 4k support worth $600 if you aren't in need of additional ram or storage? Probably not, but it sure is nice to have.
 
Exactly and it's the same exact price.

Max out both laptops and it's the same price. I'd rather get the discrete graphics card one because at least I know I'm getting more bang for my money.

Mooseiah said:
Seemed like an easy enough decision when I was purchasing, I definitely wanted the 16GB of Ram and 512GB SSD, at which point it is a $100 difference to get an upgraded processor and the discrete graphics, a true no brainer. I like the ability to run it on the discrete graphics when plugged in, or if doing graphically heavy tasks. Not to mention the ability to output 4k over a single connection provides far more future proofing as that becomes more of a standard. I get 8+ hours easily when just browsing, answering emails and working with text, with music/videos played in there.

I wouldn't mind having an integrated only computer, and if you can get by with 8GB Ram and a 256GB hard drive, I still think it's a great option. Apple does now have that it set so the integrated unit can use 1.5GB of RAM for the video memory, leaving you with only 6.5gb of usable RAM, which is pushing you down towards the minimum you will want to have in a computer these days, and if you plan on keeping it for years to come (which at $2k you hopefully would) it starts to seem unappealing.

The biggest thing that makes it unappealing to me, beyond gaming, is that in scaled resolutions you can still see it struggle/lag with the integrated only. The 750m is 30-40% more powerful, and I like having the option to use it and know I am currently throwing the most powerful offering Apple has at it, and it's the best it's going to get :) Is that in itself, and the 4k support worth $600 if you aren't in need of additional ram or storage? Probably not, but it sure is nice to have.
Click to expand...
 
gametime10 said:
- You don't play video games on your rMBP
- Battery life will be terrible if the discrete card is kicking in on certain apps
- Battery life will be terrible if you're making a presentation and need to hook your computer to a projector.
- gfxCardStatus has limitations and is unable to force integrated all the time (http://gfx.io/switching.html)
- Battery life will be terrible if you're running Windows in Boot Camp
- Apple has not had a good track record with their discrete graphics cards in the past several MBPs. Many have failed after 2-3 years... just as your Applecare expires. (reports of graphics cards failing from 2011 MacBook Pros are starting to come in)
- Real world performance of the Iris Pro 5200 is powerful
- Save $$ for a Thunderbolt display or something else

Anything else?
Click to expand...


Welcome to the Elite Club of High Intellectuals ! :D

Well Said ! And Wise Thinking ! :)
 
Pros:
-no graphics switching and having to worry about whether an app forces the dGPU
-better battery life overall

Cons:
-worse GPU performance overall
-throttling when taxing GPU and CPU
 
Mooseiah said:
Seemed like an easy enough decision when I was purchasing, I definitely wanted the 16GB of Ram and 512GB SSD, at which point it is a $100 difference to get an upgraded processor and the discrete graphics, a true no brainer. I like the ability to run it on the discrete graphics when plugged in, or if doing graphically heavy tasks. Not to mention the ability to output 4k over a single connection provides far more future proofing as that becomes more of a standard. I get 8+ hours easily when just browsing, answering emails and working with text, with music/videos played in there.

I wouldn't mind having an integrated only computer, and if you can get by with 8GB Ram and a 256GB hard drive, I still think it's a great option. Apple does now have that it set so the integrated unit can use 1.5GB of RAM for the video memory, leaving you with only 6.5gb of usable RAM, which is pushing you down towards the minimum you will want to have in a computer these days, and if you plan on keeping it for years to come (which at $2k you hopefully would) it starts to seem unappealing.

The biggest thing that makes it unappealing to me, beyond gaming, is that in scaled resolutions you can still see it struggle/lag with the integrated only. The 750m is 30-40% more powerful, and I like having the option to use it and know I am currently throwing the most powerful offering Apple has at it, and it's the best it's going to get :) Is that in itself, and the 4k support worth $600 if you aren't in need of additional ram or storage? Probably not, but it sure is nice to have.
Click to expand...

All that is true. I'm not saying there aren't any pros to getting the dGPU. There are some for whom that will make the most sense. But the iGPU only model clearly has some pros and will make more sense for certain people (and some of the cons can be mitigated, i.e. upgrade memory, etc...).
 
tsaki said:
eGPUs play nicer with the iris pro only models too.
Click to expand...

To me, this is the sole reason to go with Iris Pro.

Well that and the lower end model has access to other configurations such as the two processor configurations and 8/256 8/512 16/256.
 
I find that the dGPU or iris pro only rMBP are actually two different machines.

I deliberately took the iris pro only, with 2.3ghz/16 and 256gb. The main reasons are stated above. I'm glad I don't have the hassle of that 3rd party software.

no heavy video editing, no games -> iris pro suffices

don't fall for the "price is the same" principle, it's a typical American thing.

"Sir, you can buy a large pepsi for only a dollar more and clog your arteries soooo much more"....I want a small because that suits my needs, nothing more.
 
In my opinion, if you're not fully pimping out the 15 inch (or just enough to get the dGPU) then there's no big decisive factor to get the 15'', unless you just really want a bigger retina screen. I think the main attraction of the 15'' is the dGPU. I think I would just get the 13'' if i'm not getting high end 15'' for stability and pricing. However, I'm not sure how the iGpus of 13 and 15 compare to each other, which could potentially be a big difference.
 
mr.bee said:
I find that the dGPU or iris pro only rMBP are actually two different machines.

I deliberately took the iris pro only, with 2.3ghz/16 and 256gb. The main reasons are stated above. I'm glad I don't have the hassle of that 3rd party software.

no heavy video editing, no games -> iris pro suffices

don't fall for the "price is the same" principle, it's a typical American thing.

"Sir, you can buy a large pepsi for only a dollar more and clog your arteries soooo much more"....I want a small because that suits my needs, nothing more.
Click to expand...

While I agree that for the reasons you have stated the Iris Pro only model is a good choice, I don't agree with your view about the price.

The 2.3Ghz CPU is the best configuration in terms or Performance to Pound(£). That being said with 16gb memory and 512gb flash, wether you choose to upgrade the Iris Pro only (MacBookPro11,2) or the standard higher model with the GT 750M (MacBookPro11,3) the price you pay is the same, £2199.

If its the same price for a large pepsi I would always have more.
 
EstebanLGJ said:
In my opinion, if you're not fully pimping out the 15 inch (or just enough to get the dGPU) then there's no big decisive factor to get the 15'', unless you just really want a bigger retina screen. I think the main attraction of the 15'' is the dGPU. I think I would just get the 13'' if i'm not getting high end 15'' for stability and pricing. However, I'm not sure how the iGpus of 13 and 15 compare to each other, which could potentially be a big difference.
Click to expand...

The performance between the 15" and 13" is significant, even w/out the dGPU, and I think it would be mainly due to the quad-core in the 15" vs. the dual-core in the 13". The Iris Pro 5200 also is significantly more powerful than the 5100.
 
sonicrobby said:
Maybe starting your reasoning with "you" is a bit presumptuous. I advise a change in the approach.
Click to expand...

I can see you how you read that as a declaratory statement... but I meant it as a hypothetical or conditional "you" (i.e. "One does not play video games on your rMBP"). I don't presume to know what you do. :)
 
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