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Should I Get the dGPU Since it is the same price?

G

greenbma

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 12, 2013
1
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My late 08 is getting pretty laggy and need an upgrade. I want a 15in and figure 16 gigs and 2.3 since I plan on keeping it for 4-5 years and think I need the 512 so should I just get the dGPU even though I know I don't need it. Anyone know if it will significantly lower the battery life or increase the heat? Unless its a significant different I feel that I might as well get the best I can. This has been holding me up since the late 2013's were released and I really want to get one soon.
 
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Ofcourse, buy it now before Apple changes their mind and increases the price of the rMBP with the 750m.
 
Got the dGPU

I got the dGPU because it was in store, versus BTO. Score one for instant gratification.
 
MaclandValhalla said:
Some apps trigger the dGPU erroneously, resulting in drastically worse battery life. Plus, there are weight concerns.
Click to expand...

There's no weight difference between the dGPU and iGPU-only models.

You can keep the dGPU disabled with gfxCardStatus to prevent it from accidentally wasting battery, though this only works in OS X (in Windows it will always use the dGPU). It also forces the dGPU on when connected to external displays, but you should generally be plugged in if you're using an external display.
 
greenbma said:
My late 08 is getting pretty laggy and need an upgrade. I want a 15in and figure 16 gigs and 2.3 since I plan on keeping it for 4-5 years and think I need the 512 so should I just get the dGPU even though I know I don't need it. Anyone know if it will significantly lower the battery life or increase the heat? Unless its a significant different I feel that I might as well get the best I can. This has been holding me up since the late 2013's were released and I really want to get one soon.
Click to expand...

I'm in the same boat as you. It's time to replace my late '08 MBP. I definitely want the 15in and the 512. On the ram, well, I've read WAY too many comments about 8GB vs. 16GB argument.

If you take the lower end 15in MBP, upgrade RAM and the storage then the price is $100 less than the high end 15in. At that point, for an extra $100 you get the 2.3 (over the 2.0) plus the dedicated GPU.

I keep hoping that AnandTech's review will help me decide.
 
For everyone except consistent Boot Camp users, it is simply a no-brainer.
 
Hitch08 said:
Which, to you, is to get the dedicated GPU?

^ Not trying to be a smart arse.
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Yes. Absolutely. It costs you nothing if you're going with 2.3/16/512 already, and to use the language of the finance industry, it grants you option value. Plus half the reasons people give for not wanting a "dGPU" are flat-out wrong anyway when you take into account the real-world situation with the 750M and Iris Pro.
 
john123 said:
For everyone except consistent Boot Camp users, it is simply a no-brainer.
Click to expand...
OSX users concerned about battery life will prefer the Iris Pro model. If you work somewhere like a university and have to often do presentations and such the battery life with the 750M will be worse.
Also if you frequently unplug your external screen it is still a hassle with all the application relaunching. If you like to keep many apps running and often change take your notebook with you on the move away from the desk with the external screen, I'd prefer the Iris Pro.
The 750M really doesn't do you any good in many usage scenarios. I think if I didn't play games in bootcamp I wouldn't even bother. SC2 performance seems fine with Iris Pro and the 750M doesn't seem to allow a really noticable significant jump in settings in my tests.
 
dusk007 said:
OSX users concerned about battery life will prefer the Iris Pro model. If you work somewhere like a university and have to often do presentations and such the battery life with the 750M will be worse.
Also if you frequently unplug your external screen it is still a hassle with all the application relaunching. If you like to keep many apps running and often change take your notebook with you on the move away from the desk with the external screen, I'd prefer the Iris Pro.
The 750M really doesn't do you any good in many usage scenarios. I think if I didn't play games in bootcamp I wouldn't even bother. SC2 performance seems fine with Iris Pro and the 750M doesn't seem to allow a really noticable significant jump in settings in my tests.
Click to expand...

gfxCardStatus. Use it. I don't know why we have to keep going on and on and on about this.

As for the 750M not giving any "noticeable jump," Anandtech's benchmarks this summer were more than adequate in demonstrating the advantage of the 750M, especially at higher resolutions. The difference is non-trivial.

I continue to be utterly shocked by the people choosing to go sans-GPU while buying a 2.3/16/512. Utterly and completely shocked.
 
john123 said:
gfxCardStatus. Use it. I don't know why we have to keep going on and on and on about this.
Click to expand...
Did you read my post. gfxCardStatus fixes none of the stuff I wrote about. It only works in single monitor mode and you need to restart every dependent app everytime you disconnect from an external screen.
 
dusk007 said:
Did you read my post. gfxCardStatus fixes none of the stuff I wrote about. It only works in single monitor mode and you need to restart every dependent app everytime you disconnect from an external screen.
Click to expand...

I did. My reference to gfxCardStatus was in regard to your first quasi-paragraph.

The external monitor use case is not the norm for most users. The "hassle" of relaunches you referred to is a small price to pay for on-demand power, but I suppose that's an opinion. If it really makes you sleep better at night, we can add your use case to my original statement and now say,
"For everyone except consistent Boot Camp and frequent external display unplug-replug users, it is simply a no-brainer.
Click to expand...

:rolleyes:

I stand by the thrust of my original point. Gimping your new $2600 machine is utterly asinine.
 
john123 said:
I stand by the thrust of my original point. Gimping your new $2600 machine is utterly asinine.
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At the end of the day it is utility and usability that makes it worth 2600$. If you just wanted speed you can have that way cheaper. If the things you do, don't benefit at all from a 750M it isn't really gimping. You increase utility and usability.
This on demand power is a) much less than you'd think and b) if there is no demand, what is the point. How much of a hassle it is also depends a lot on what you do on a daily basis.

BTW this new 750M isn't really a 750M at all. There is no Boost 2.0 which is supposed to be the tradmark feature of the 700M series. It is downclocked from stock and is virtually just the same as the old 650M. An actual full speed 750M would at least be more competition for the Iris Pro. This one might get beaten by some DDR3 750M models on the Windows side at some settings.
 
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