This CMBP Set up or RMBP

[bsen4961]

I wanna buy a laptop to do some light gaming and web development. I have looked at the retina but dont really wanna get one with image retention.

So i have decided to look at a cmbp with these specs:

2.6GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz
8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GB
256GB Solid State Drive
SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
MacBook Pro 15-inch Hi-Res Glossy Widescreen Display
Backlit Keyboard (British) & User's Guide (English)
Accessory Kit

I just wanted to know peoples thoughts on this set up, thank you

 

[duervo]

I wanna buy a laptop to do some light gaming and web development. I have looked at the retina but dont really wanna get one with image retention.

So i have decided to look at a cmbp with these specs:

2.6GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz
8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GB
256GB Solid State Drive
SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
MacBook Pro 15-inch Hi-Res Glossy Widescreen Display
Backlit Keyboard (British) & User's Guide (English)
Accessory Kit

I just wanted to know peoples thoughts on this set up, thank you

My advice to you is to get the base model with 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD, and 2.3GHz 4core i7 CPU. Then, doing this yourself, upgrade the RAM to 16GB, and swap out the HDD for an SSD for significantly cheaper. The savings of doing this over buying what you've listed should be enough to pay for AppleCare, if you want a little extra peace of mind.

ifixit.com has step-by-step guides on how to do it, including a list of tools that you will need.

 

[Queen6]

Buy the Retina, mine has no issue as do many, if not the majority; negative comments always gravitate to forums such as this...

I own both 2012 15" Retina and Late 2011 15" MBP and the Retina is simply leagues ahead...

 

[derbothaus]

Get the classic's while you can or later on maybe close out. They appear to be endangered species.

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Buy the Retina, mine has no issue as do many, if not the majority; negative comments always gravitate to forums such as this...

I own both 2012 15" Retina and Late 2011 15" MBP and the Retina is simply leagues ahead...

I think you mean "screens" ahead. That and GPU overclock is the only benefit. Everyone can convince themselves that less is more, but it isn't.

 

[Queen6]

Get the classic's while you can or later on maybe close out. They appear to be endangered species.

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I think you mean "screens" ahead. That and GPU overclock is the only benefit. Everyone can convince themselves that less is more, but it isn't.

Sheer performance, thermal management, form factor, weight, connectivity, audio,, i own both 2011 & 2012 15" MBP, the Retina is simply better the better machine....

 

[derbothaus]

Sheer performance, form factor, weight, connectivity, audio, thermal management, i own both 2011 & 2012 the Retina is simply better the better machine....

Not if you have a faster SSD in the classic than comes in a retina. I was referring to 2012 cMBP vs. rMBP. Which is what the OP is thinking on. They are very very close because they are the same Mobo, CPU, GPU, and memory.

 

[Queen6]

Not if you have a faster SSD in the classic than comes in a retina. I was referring to 2012 cMBP vs. rMBP. Which is what the OP is thinking on. They are very very close because they are the same Mobo, CPU, GPU, and memory.

At best you will have a system that theoretically can read/right faster, with no real world benefit, is heavier, runs hotter. Apple wont touch in the event of any issue unless returned to original spec, thermal management is less than optimal in comparison to Retina, which may result in throttling, little or no future development (Apple are notorious for dropping product). If you are a hobbyist and want to "tinker" the standard Unibody offers a level of personal customisation, the Retina offers performance....

Everyone talks of how the "Classic" MBP will hold it`s value over the Retina, personally i find this highly unlikely as it "bucks" all technology trends. Possibly initially, however once Retina is the baseline, and Windows hardware venders follow, as with all old tech the low res MBP will drop significantly in value. As with all there are positives and negatives...

 

[Orlandoech]

My advice to you is to get the base model with 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD, and 2.3GHz 4core i7 CPU. Then, doing this yourself, upgrade the RAM to 16GB, and swap out the HDD for an SSD for significantly cheaper. The savings of doing this over buying what you've listed should be enough to pay for AppleCare, if you want a little extra peace of mind.

ifixit.com has step-by-step guides on how to do it, including a list of tools that you will need.

I would agree with DUERVO

 

[Queen6]

I would agree with DUERVO

Be mindful the base standard MBP only comes with 512Mb of video Ram, versus the high end standard MBP model and Retina`s 1024mb. This may or may not impinge on your usage, however it must be a consideration.

 

[derbothaus]

At best you will have a system that theoretically can read/right faster, with no real world benefit, is heavier, runs hotter. Apple wont touch in the event of any issue unless returned to original spec, thermal management is less than optimal in comparison to Retina, which may result in throttling, little or no future development (Apple are notorious for dropping product). If you are a hobbyist and want to "tinker" the standard Unibody offers a level of personal customisation, the Retina offers performance....

An SSD replacement in the 2012 cMBP will not void any warranty of any kind. Telling someone that a retina of same spec offers "performance" is ludicrous. It offers portability and connectivity for your average home user. Any gains or losses based on thermals are negligible and usually theoretical. Unless you should have bought a desktop to begin with trying to render out 24-hours a day.

 

[Orlandoech]

Be mindful the base standard MBP only comes with 512Mb of video Ram, versus the high end standard MBP model and Retina`s 1024mb. This may or may not impinge on your usage, however it must be a consideration.

That is true.

 

[hallux]

Like others said, get the base config of the speed CPU you want (the one you selected in the first post comes with 1 GB of video memory) and add the memory and SSD yourself. You could even double the memory and still be lots of money ahead (16 GB kit is under $100 from Amazon or Newegg). Add the Hi-res screen of course.

I did exactly that, except I got the base model with hi-res glossy and it's PLENTY (I can run 2 VM's and it purrs along just fine, no issues after the 16 GB RAM upgrade).

 

[clyde2801]

That is true.

Yeah, but Amandtech said the base 512mb config should be plenty for the screen itself. And my 2011 base 27" iMac with a lesser card can power two externals on the thunderbolt connections with no problems. (Then again, I'm not running FCP on them, either.)

You should also figure that the rMBP is having to push four times as many pixels with essentially the same card, though it might be overclocked a bit.

Get the base cMBP and stick in your own ram and SSD; you should have a machine that will adequately serve your needs for at least the next couple of years.

BTW....love the glossy Sammy on my 17"!

 

[joshualee90]

With that spec list it is cheaper to go to the retina computer. Now unless those ports you are losing out on are important to you i would go retina. I have a lg screen and dont have any image retention.