No. This is a matter of preference of course but in my book it's:
13" --> 1440x900
15" --> 1680x1050
17" --> 1920x1080
For actual work I like 1920x1200 better than wide-screen but maybe I'm just old-school.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
uMBP vs rMBP - the Ultimate pro's and con list
- Thread starter prfrma
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
No. This is a matter of preference of course but in my book it's:
13" --> 1440x900
15" --> 1680x1050
17" --> 1920x1080
For actual work I like 1920x1200 better than wide-screen but maybe I'm just old-school.
So, with so many threads and discussions about which to get and why, I figured it might be time to make a list of pro's and cons that I'll eventually turn into an infographic. I already know which one I'll be getting (rMBP) but I'm sure others are still undecided so....
...I'll get the ball rolling:
uMBP 2012
Pro's:
Also comes in 13"
Lower base price
Easier to access, upgrade and repair parts which
- enables you to to have an additional HDD in place of the CD
- Allows you to buy cheaper aftermarket SSD's and ram upgrades and other parts
- Cheaper, quicker battery repair
Has battery status light
Uses Mag Safe v2 (better IMO because wire fray is significantly reduced)
Has native Ethernet
Has native Firewire 800 port
Has sleep power light
Has in store option for Matt display
Refined, tried and tested design that just works.
Has brighter screen
Slightly better battery life
Con's
Even upgraded, has low maximum screen resolution for a 15" panel in this day and age. (no 1080p)
A single thunderbolt socket that doubles as DP without any other video out may be limiting.
(for more cons see below)
rMBP 2012
Pro's:
18% lighter than 15" uMBP
20% thinner than both uMBP's
More comfortable to write on, less sharper palm rest.
Has 2 Thunderbolt ports (+1 more than uMBP)
Better built I. speaker system.
Has native HDMI port
Flash SSD fastest in it's class
Has slightly better thermal characteristics than uMBP (CPU less lightly to throttle down)
Mag Safe v3 more easily disconnects
Has 15" screen with retina display
- Which has a maximum resolution of 2880 x 1800
- 178 degree viewing angle
- Improved colour gamut and contrast
- 75% reduction in glare vs glossy screened uMBP
- has "more space" mode which gives you huge amounts of desktop estate
- Possible to hack screen resolution allowing even more flexibility.
Comes with overclocked Nvidia 650m GPU with 1gb of video ram (clocked higher and with 512mb more than uMBP)
- Which means it'll perform better when connected to external display vs uMBP
Can power up to 3 external displays (before adapters/daisy chaining (as opposed to 1 on the uMBP))
Cheaper than uMBP when configured with similar specs (when assembled by apple)
Arguably better build quality (Really stiff/sturdy compared to uMBP, little flex in the screen)
The best gaming mac ever made.
Quitier
Con's
Software support (particularly Adobe CS) for retina display 1-3 months away.
No optical drive bay.
Designed for an OS that won't be released for a few weeks.
Base price is expensive
Incompatible with IR apple remote.
iFixit gives it a 1 out of 10 for repairability meaning any faults or upgrades would mean a trip to an Apple store.
Thunderbolt hardware right now is limited.
You have to buy thunderbolt adapters for legacy functionality (Ethernet, Firewire)
Noticeable UI performance issues at "more space" settings in Lion
First gen product, not for late adopters.
Niche product - probably best suited to Audio, Motion Designers and developers
New mag safe socket incompatible with the last without $10 adapter.
Limited supply, 3-5 week shipping on some models.
I hope this is fair. If anyone wants to add pro's and con's, or contest the above, please go ahead
Yep. Not biased at all.
For less money than one thunderbolt display, you can have 3 external 1920x1200 monitors on the rMBP. Sold!
Buy a 15" MBP for £1500, base spec, swap in 16 GB of RAM for £132 and a 256 GB SSD for £160 makes a topped up MBP for £1792, buy the same spec RetinaMBP (with an external Superdrive and ethernet adapter to make it even) and you have £2049, so the Retina screen costs you £314 extra. Provided you know how to use a tiny philips screw driver and follow Youtube instructions.
But hey, only us geeks would think of opening a laptop up to change the internals.
http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=0AF98FCCA5CA7304
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crucial-CT2...1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1341291718&sr=1-1
If you were REALLY geeky you could sell the 8 GB RAM on eBay for £30 and the 750Gb HDD for £30 and clip your MBP down to £1732, price difference now £317 in the upgradable version's favour, that is about 15% cheaper.
Doing the same trick with the top end CPU versions we have an upgradeable MBP for £2039 + £132 RAM and £310 for a 512 MB SSD = £2481 - £60 selling crap = £2421
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crucial-CT5...1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1341291745&sr=1-1
RetinaMBP top spec with Superdrive and Ethernet = £2789 (the screwdriver friendly version saves about 15% again)
So £368 cheaper on that upgradeable one too. Apple's Retina screen premium cost is about £350 and having to send the whole thing to them if the RAM or SSD fails.
But hey, only us geeks would think of opening a laptop up to change the internals.
http://www.crucial.com/uk/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=0AF98FCCA5CA7304
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crucial-CT2...1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1341291718&sr=1-1
If you were REALLY geeky you could sell the 8 GB RAM on eBay for £30 and the 750Gb HDD for £30 and clip your MBP down to £1732, price difference now £317 in the upgradable version's favour, that is about 15% cheaper.
Doing the same trick with the top end CPU versions we have an upgradeable MBP for £2039 + £132 RAM and £310 for a 512 MB SSD = £2481 - £60 selling crap = £2421
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crucial-CT5...1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1341291745&sr=1-1
RetinaMBP top spec with Superdrive and Ethernet = £2789 (the screwdriver friendly version saves about 15% again)
So £368 cheaper on that upgradeable one too. Apple's Retina screen premium cost is about £350 and having to send the whole thing to them if the RAM or SSD fails.
Last edited:
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
I think there's a clear bias towards the classic MacBook pro being shown, other people have already commented on some of the silly cons listed.
I think the listing is just basically things people have mentioned. For many, the cons on the rMBP and the pros on the MBP will be non-events.
Like I want to know who these people are that are carrying ethernet cables around but can't be bothered to slap a dongle on the cable and call it good.
Like I want to know who these people are that are carrying ethernet cables around but can't be bothered to slap a dongle on the cable and call it good.
Yes different test, but we can see the difference a SSD makes, which is my whole point.
A CMBP and a retina have the same CPU so temp should be the same there. The GPU's are the same save for memory so temps should be similar also. That right there should tell you something. Yes the RMBP has better cooling and fans. But it needs them because of less 'cooling space' within the uni-body case, than a CMBP.
A HD will add to the total internal temperature of the machine, so yes it will add significantly to the CPU and GPU temperatures. Add a SSD into the mix and watch those total temps drop.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6023/the-nextgen-macbook-pro-with-retina-display-review/12
What is the biggest difference between the two. The CPU and the bottom of the two. A SSD makes all the difference in the world. Anything with moving parts that spin as fast as a HD does gives off allot of heat. And that is a understatement. Both MBP's in the test above had SSD's in them.
Subtract the thermals from the 2011 model from a 2012 model CMBP regarding the CPU (ivy bridge runs cooler), and it would be essentially be a wash.
The biggest difference in these tests is the CPU, and on a 2012 model, it would be almost the same or similar both with ivy bridge.
My late 2011 MBP runs 10 F cooler without a HD in it. As soon as I dropped a SSD in it it ran 10 F cooler. Maybe more.
You paid £250 (£2049-£1799 base price) for a Superdrive and ethernet adapter that are total £90 from Apple, and since you're buying 3rd party can be even cheaper.
And your analysis leaves out that the rMBP also has an extra thunderbolt port and HDMI. How much does it cost to add that in the uMBP, you know, to keep it even?
Last edited:
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
In my company (Fortune 100 company) each office/cubical and conference room seat has an Ethernet cable. WiFi within the building is not available for security and productivity reasons. So if you came to my company for a sales presentation and required a network connection, you would be going home early if you brought a rMBP and didn't have a dongle.
I'll be buying a Macbook Pro on August 9th, and I cannot decide between Retina or not. I like the idea of the bigger HDD and better processor in the cMBP (for the same price), but the rMBP has a smaller and lighter design, slightly better GPU, SSD, and better cooling. It's a really, really hard decision.
A hard Ethernet connection identies the exact location of the device. That way when our company's network monitors pick up non-business activity or company intellectual data transmissions outside the company they can quickly identify the person and take action.
I know of two cases where we were being spied upon from vehicles outside the HQ building. On one attack, we successfully caught the guys in a van who had a laser and were bouncing the beam off the office window of our CEO. They were able to pick up his conversations from the voice vibrations coming from the outside office windows. Since that day all our corporate folks moved to internal offices along with the conference rooms. Wifi was not an option after that.
I believe the rMBP is the first business-level laptop that does not have an Ethernet port as a standard feature. We would normally not even think to ask a visitor if they had an Ethernet port on their laptop.
A hard wire Ethernet connection identifies the exact chair the person is sitting in; WiFi transmission tracking cannot get that precise.
I know there are various devices that can help but if you have every user registered in some manner and have multiple access points, you can see which access point they were using and if there are issues, you can sandbox the user until the system is found.
And of course these are things you'd do if you find value in having WiFi connections. If not, then you buy a dongle
Last edited:
Here is an interesting "big brother is watching" story. I run all my new hires through the network monitor center as part of their orientation. I was showing a new guy how we can monitor traffic in our department as an example. I just happen to catch one of my "favorite" employees logging a full afternoon's activity three hours before the day was done;so he could skip out for the rest of the day. Of course he was upset at being caught and his bad luck.
A week later the password was changed on a common application that the group uses for work assignments, so for a few hours no one could pick up any new job assignments. We tracked the password change to the desk of someone who was not in that day. I asked the people who sit around the cubical if they saw who was using the pc. They positively identified my guy. That was the last day at the company for him.
You paid £250 (£2049-£1799 base price) for a Superdrive and ethernet adapter that are total £90 from Apple, and since you're buying 3rd party can be even cheaper.
And your analysis leaves out that the rMBP also has an extra thunderbolt port and HDMI. How much does it cost to add that in the uMBP, you know, to keep it even?
Thunderbolt ports can daisy chain thunderbolt devices so if you are using only T/B devices on that line then you only need 1.
You need 2 if you have to use one to be another type of port with an adaptor which is why the rMBP has an extra one to make up for the lack of ports. So a uMBP only needs 1 to be the equal of a rMBP, it has the other ports already. Except the HDMI one but hey you could always buy an adaptor.
Now let's add the 16 GB of RAM to your base rMBP with 8gb only for £1799 + £160 = £1959.
Now let's add the SuperDrive £65 = £2024
Now lets add the T/B to Ethernet adaptor £25 = £2049.
Your point was? Ah yes, you forgot the RAM and nobody else but Apple can add it and only at the point of sale.
I am only pointing out that the guy with his own screwdriver can save money and expand later too. The Apple target customer for rMBP is clearly one who doesn't want the option to do so. If you don't need 5 million pixels in a 15" display but would rather have an upgradable laptop with the same power under the keyboard it would cost less and have more lifespan.
Try adding the 16 gb RAM modules and 1 TB SSDs of the future to a rMBP. Best bet would be eBay it and buy the rev. 2.0
Last edited:
I don't see how. I have two $300 Dell U2412m 1920x1200 monitors. It costs me $13 in thunderbolt to dvi adapters to hook them up to a rMBP, and I've still got the HDMI port if I want to hook up a third. How much does it cost to hook the two of them up to a uMBP, without using a crummy a USB to DVI solution? And if you're talking about multiple thunderbolt monitors, well, then you're definitely going to be significantly more expensive with the uMBP.Thunderbolt ports can daisy chain thunderbolt devices so if you are using only T/B devices on that line then you only need 1.
You need 2 if you have to use one to be another type of port with an adaptor which is why the rMBP has an extra one to make up for the lack of ports. So a uMBP only needs 1 to be the equal of a rMBP, it has the other ports already.