Should I get a late 2013 or late 2014 model?

[DevAndy]

My friend is selling a perfect condition rMBP (late 2013 model) with the following specs:

16GB RAM
512GB SSD
15' i7
2.3Ghz
2.5 years AppleCare

For $1950, no tax

or should I get:

16GB RAM
252GB SSD
15' i7
2.2 Ghz

The new rMBP?

 

[maflynn]

You get a larger SSD and apple care for the used model.

What will your uses be for the laptop?

 

[DevAndy]

You get a larger SSD and apple care for the used model.

What will your uses be for the laptop?

My uses are mainly programming, though I do a little bit of gaming (Batman Arkham City). I've tested my friend's rMBP and there does seem to be a bit of lag when multitasking (though that may just be a Yosemite problem).

 

[yjchua95]

My friend is selling a perfect condition rMBP (late 2013 model) with the following specs:

16GB RAM
512GB SSD
15' i7
2.3Ghz
2.5 years AppleCare

For $1950, no tax

or should I get:

16GB RAM
252GB SSD
15' i7
2.2 Ghz

The new rMBP?

I'd go for your friend's used MBP, purely because it's got a larger SSD and has a discrete GT 750M GPU.

----------

My uses are mainly programming, though I do a little bit of gaming (Batman Arkham City). I've tested my friend's rMBP and there does seem to be a bit of lag when multitasking (though that may just be a Yosemite problem).

Yup, it's a Yosemite problem. I have the 2.6/16/1TB/750M variant and it does lag a bit in Yosemite.

 

[DevAndy]

I heard that the 2014 model is 2% slower than the 2013 one of the same spec, is that true?

 

[chikit]

Yup, it's a Yosemite problem. I have the 2.6/16/1TB/750M variant and it does lag a bit in Yosemite.

I just wanted to mention the lagging from multitasking may stem from the App Nap power saving feature from Mavericks and onwards. You can set individual apps to Prevent App Nap.

 

[cjmillsnun]

I heard that the 2014 model is 2% slower than the 2013 one of the same spec, is that true?

No. The mid '14 is faster than the late '13. The logic boards are the same but the processors have a speed bump.

The bottom end mid '12/early 13 does have a discrete GPU, however the IRIS Pro graphics are as quick for most Mac use cases and use less power.

 

[mickeydean]

If you can trust the used model then it is the better purchase. The 1TB SSD is measurably faster.

 

[yjchua95]

No. The mid '14 is faster than the late '13. The logic boards are the same but the processors have a speed bump.

The bottom end mid '12/early 13 does have a discrete GPU, however the IRIS Pro graphics are as quick for most Mac use cases and use less power.

Not when the mid-2014 is a 2.2GHz i7-4770HQ and the late 2013 is a 2.3GHz i7-4850HQ.

The 4850HQ would have a slight edge.

Throw in a larger SSD and a dGPU and you've a much more capable machine.

 

[Freyqq]

The 2013 is better in every way. Both use haswell processors, so it isn't even a new generation of CPU.

 

[cjmillsnun]

Not when the mid-2014 is a 2.2GHz i7-4770HQ and the late 2013 is a 2.3GHz i7-4850HQ.

The 4850HQ would have a slight edge.

Throw in a larger SSD and a dGPU and you've a much more capable machine.

You're comparing different models though..

The original quote I replied to was ....

I heard that the 2014 model is 2% slower than the 2013 one of the same spec, is that true?

The correct comparison is the 2.5GHz i7-4870HQ

The 2.0GHz 4750HQ maps to the 2.2GHz 4770HQ (Base spec - Both have Iris Pro Graphics)

The 2.2GHz 4850HQ maps to the 2.5GHz 4870HQ (Mid Spec - Both have Iris Pro Graphics and Nvidia GeForce 750M Graphics)

The 2.6GHz 4960HQ maps to the 2.8GHz 4980HQ (Top Spec - Both have Iris Pro Graphics and Nvidia GeForce 750M Graphics)

I agree in the OP's case the 2013 model he is being offered (which is a Mid Spec) is better than the 2014 model he's looking at (which is a Base Spec), but my answer to the quote was correct.