Upgrade to 2013 13" Retina Macbook Pro?

[dmbpettit]

I currently use a 2012 13" Macbook Pro (Non Retina) that I have upgraded with an SSD and 16GB of RAM. I use the Macbook for general use as well as Lightroom, FCPX and Photoshop.

What performance would I gain (other than the display) by switching to Macbook 2013 13" Macbook Pro with Retina, model ME865LL? It has 8GB of RAM and a 256 SSD.

 

[maflynn]

I think the performance improvement will be too small to justify an upgrade imo. The biggest bang will be with the GPU, but to be honest, I don't think you'll see too much using Lightroom and PS.

 

[TonyYYZ]

There would be a difference in SSD performance as well. Your 2012 unit likely uses an mSATA SSD while the HAswell model uses a PCI-E based SSD which performs much better.

I'd gauge the market to see how much you could potentially sell your current unit for and see if the difference you have to make up is worth it for you to upgrade.

But at the end of the day, you already have a capable machine and if it does what you need it to do now then upgrading is just a luxury, not a necessity.

 

[AppleGoat]

It's a nice upgrade (the screen being the big reason) but it's up to you to decide if it's worth it. Now would be the time to unload it for the sake of resale value, since Apple has yet to discontinue the computer you have (so it could be considered a current generation model); still languishing in the store alongside its more appealing Retina counterparts. There shouldn't be a discernible speed difference between your computer and the latest 13" Retina. That is, once you throw an SSD into yours. PCIe is a faster interface but you're not going to see an ****** difference 99% of the time. The new Retinas also come with support for 802.11ac and now Thunderbolt 2. The 13" Retina is a very nice computer and is practically as portable as an Air --I don't know who would choose the 13" Air over the 13" Retina at this point. At least with the non-Retina MacBook Pros you have expandability (and better repairability). All the Air does better than the 13" Retina is be a little bit more anorexic.

 

[MCAsan]

Take yours to an Apple store for a comparison.

 

[Robster3]

It's a nice upgrade (the screen being the big reason) but it's up to you to decide if it's worth it. Now would be the time to unload it for the sake of resale value, since Apple has yet to discontinue the computer you have (so it could be considered a current generation model); still languishing in the store alongside its more appealing Retina counterparts. There shouldn't be a discernible speed difference between your computer and the latest 13" Retina. That is, once you throw an SSD into yours. PCIe is a faster interface but you're not going to see an ****** difference 99% of the time. The new Retinas also come with support for 802.11ac and now Thunderbolt 2. The 13" Retina is a very nice computer and is practically as portable as an Air --I don't know who would choose the 13" Air over the 13" Retina at this point. At least with the non-Retina MacBook Pros you have expandability (and better repairability). All the Air does better than the 13" Retina is be a little bit more anorexic.

Have you bought one or getting that from the Apple store visit?

 

[AppleGoat]

Have you bought one or getting that from the Apple store visit?

I haven't bought one (I wish I had the money) but I've done my homework.

 

[dmbpettit]

So I wouldn't benefit from the Haswell chipset when using FCXP?

 

[AppleGoat]

So I wouldn't benefit from the Haswell chipset when using FCXP?

Compared to Ivy Bridge, Haswell is not that much more powerful. Haswell's calling card is power efficiency, thus better battery life; see: MacBook Airs. The integrated graphics on the Haswell chip are 90% faster than the HD4000 integrated graphics on Ivy Bridge ... so that's nice. Just don't mistake it for discrete graphics. The latest 13" Retina MacBook Pro is a good buy, whether it's a good buy for you hinges on how much you can sell your '12 cMBP for. Maybe scoop one up then proceed to sell the cMBP in the 14-day return window. If you don't get a good offer for the cMBP, return the rMBP ... although it may be harder than you think once getting used to the screen.