rMBP 13"..16GB RAM or 256GB SSD?

It depends.
For instance if you need to run Windows Programs under Parallels more RAM should be fine.
The question can only be answered if you describe what you intend to do with your macbook.
 
ijlakw said:
All things being equal... which is the better upgrade to the base 13" rMBP?
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There is no such thing ;)

I'd say that 256GB SSD is more likely to be useful to an average user. If you really needed 16Gb RAM , you'd take the 15" model with its quad-core CPU.
 
Meister said:
Please tell us what you are using your macbook for.
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These rMPB's are for my daughters whom I would consider average users. Their primary recreational use will be Minecraft. For school purposes, the main app will be Google Drive which clearly doesn't require any upgraded hardware.
 
ijlakw said:
These rMPB's are for my daughters whom I would consider average users. Their primary recreational use will be Minecraft. For school purposes, the main app will be Google Drive which clearly doesn't require any upgraded hardware.
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There is no chance they need 16GB of RAM. The bigger SSD will help more in the long run, as no doubt they will have plenty of music, games, and other media that fills up quickly.
 
ijlakw said:
These rMPB's are for my daughters whom I would consider average users. Their primary recreational use will be Minecraft. For school purposes, the main app will be Google Drive which clearly doesn't require any upgraded hardware.
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I strongly discourage playing minecraft on a rmbp! It puts real strain on it and gaming consoles are much better suited for it.
 
Meister said:
I strongly discourage playing minecraft on a rmbp! It puts real strain on it and gaming consoles are much better suited for it.
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Come on, if you can't put a MBP (yes, a PRO gamma computer) under heavy usage, it shouldn't be called PRO. And MBP's obviously can work on 100% CPU for hours without any problem. If you buy a computer with the inner fear of pushing it to the edge, well, then buy it and put it in a cristal showcase to observe it everyday, but don't dare to touch it! ;)

ijlakw, if it's a computer for your daughters and they ain't gonna do things like rendering, using virtual machines, editing videos, etc. you shouldn't worry about RAM, 8GB will just be fine. It'll be better going to the 256GB SSD, 128GB sometimes isn't enough even for casual users.

Btw, why a "PRO" gamma computer that costs 1300€ comes with 128GB? I don't think it fills any professional demands, not even a lot of the casual users demands. It's a shame.
 
Woochoo said:
Come on, if you can't put a MBP (yes, a PRO gamma computer) under heavy usage, it shouldn't be called PRO. And MBP's obviously can work on 100% CPU for hours without any problem. If you buy a computer with the inner fear of pushing it to the edge, well, then buy it and put it in a cristal showcase to observe it everyday, but don't dare to touch it! ;)

ijlakw, if it's a computer for your daughters and they ain't gonna do things like rendering, using virtual machines, editing videos, etc. you shouldn't worry about RAM, 8GB will just be fine. It'll be better going to the 256GB SSD, 128GB sometimes isn't enough even for casual users.

Btw, why a "PRO" gamma computer that costs 1300€ comes with 128GB? I don't think it fills any professional demands, not even a lot of the casual users demands. It's a shame.
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You are misunderstanding my post.
Of course you can run Minecraft on a rmbp, but it is ill advised, because it gets extremely hot and a xbox does a better job.
 
Meister said:
You are misunderstanding my post.
Of course you can run Minecraft on a rmbp, but it is ill advised, because it gets extremely hot and a xbox does a better job.
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Well I agree it gets really hot when playing, but it won't damage the machine or the user. It can be really unconfortable if it's that hot and using it over your legs, but I don't see anybody playing with a laptop over their legs, with the mouse and all that. Even if some one does, I doubt it will fry their legs, before that they will put the laptop on a table an continue playing due to the unconfort, even if they are kids (kids are inexperienced, but not stupid). Nothing to worry so much about.
 
Woochoo said:
Well I agree it gets really hot when playing, but it won't damage the machine or the user. It can be really unconfortable if it's that hot and using it over your legs, but I don't see anybody playing with a laptop over their legs, with the mouse and all that. Even if some one does, I doubt it will fry their legs, before that they will put the laptop on a table an continue playing due to the unconfort, even if they are kids (kids are inexperienced, but not stupid). Nothing to worry so much about.
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Agreed.

I did not expect Minecraft to be so taxing on the resources and didn't consider the heat issue. I have an i7 rMBP and expect the heat due to the i7. But, is the heat a product of the Iris graphics or just the CPU in general?
 
Woochoo said:
Well I agree it gets really hot when playing, but it won't damage the machine or the user. It can be really unconfortable if it's that hot and using it over your legs, but I don't see anybody playing with a laptop over their legs, with the mouse and all that. Even if some one does, I doubt it will fry their legs, before that they will put the laptop on a table an continue playing due to the unconfort, even if they are kids (kids are inexperienced, but not stupid). Nothing to worry so much about.
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I have a 13" 2.4/8/256 rmbp and for fun sake I had the idea to install minecraft on it. Within minutes the fans went full speed and the macbook became really, really hot. The heat radiated from under the screen where the gpu is.

The reason why :apple: puts 1.4ghz cpus in the mini and mba is heat.
Heat is undesirable and will give your macbook a lower life expectancy.
Of course it can easily run minecraft, but it's not a good solution.
 
ijlakw said:
Agreed.

I did not expect Minecraft to be so taxing on the resources and didn't consider the heat issue. I have an i7 rMBP and expect the heat due to the i7. But, is the heat a product of the Iris graphics or just the CPU in general?
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As the Iris Graphics is included in the own Intel processor, all the heat comes always from there, from the same place. In normal use, the heat is mainly generated by CPU, but playing games we'd say from both. Anyways, both Intel CPU and GPU are located almost in the same place in the logic board.

Meister said:
The reason why :apple: puts 1.4ghz cpus in the mini and mba is heat.
Heat is undesirable and will give your macbook a lower life expectancy.
Of course it can easily run minecraft, but it's not a good solution.
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The main reason to use 1,4GHz in MBA is that 1,4GHz are more than enough for most of the apps/tasks (MBA is not supposed to be used for heavy tasks). This allows the MBA to generate less heat (as you say) but over all it allows it to have longer battery life.
Then, when more clockspeed is needed due to more demanding tasks, the turboboost is activated up to 2,7GHz.

I don't think Apple is putting all its efforts on thermal design, you just have to see the new iMac retina, with just 1 fan inside and small amount of space to cool that powerful GPU and CPU it has. Apple is more concerned in battery life. I only see a good effort in thermal design in the new Mac Pro.
 
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Frankly, a Chromebook is fine for Google Drive and schoolwork.

It seems funny to say this... but Minecraft is essential..lol. Frankly, as a result of Common Core, Minecraft is of the few things that let's them express themselves creatively. I really think it expands their minds far more than the irrelevant mundane stuff they call education.

In any event...

the heat is an issue. I need to figure out if that's acceptable or not.
 
16gb's of ram is good only when they can be used. And applications which they can use 16gb's of ram are pretty much well known: virtualization apps, photo/video editing apps etc.

I decided to go with the 16gb's of ram with my Mid2014 MacBook due to the fact of virtualization as well as coding and development.
 
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