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harrisonw1998

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 18, 2011
107
3
Hi,

I have a mid 2009 13" MBP, entry level. I do a lot of video editing with Final Cut and also use Aperture, Photoshop, Dreamweaver and Xcode quite a bit. Its very slow now (takes a long time to render, a few programs open at once and they freeze, have to force quit a lot) and I am considering getting a new maxed-out retina MBP. Do you think that it is worth the upgrade now, or should I should wait another year?

Thanks!
 
Personally at this point, I'd say get the new machine. I'd also consider the non-retina 15" MBP for the following reasons
1. Larger storage available
2. User replaceable memory
3. optical drive (which you can then pull and add another drive if you buy an optibay cage)

I personally ordered the base model retina MBP with 16gb. If you can live easily within the 256GB SSD then go with the retina model, but don't dismiss the non retina :)
 
I'd upgrade based on your description. I'd also say don't dismiss the non-retina 15". The prices are pretty comprable though.
 
The only real question mark is Photoshop and Dreamweaver, since we don't know how long it will be until they get Retina-optimized versions.

The performance improvement should be great. Dual-core Core 2 Duo to Quad-core i7, 8GB or 16GB of RAM, a dedicated GPU, and probably most significantly the SSD.

Do you use an external monitor currently?
 
If you like the 13" screen size and you have a usable computer that meets your needs today then wait a year for the 13" retina. If you want a 15", then go with the 15" now. I normally wouldn't suggest the retina to people who only want to surf the web, use iTunes, and write papers... however you are using some high end software so i would think you would benefit greatly from the retina mbp.
 
harrisonw1998 said:
I have a cinema display. Thanks for the opinions!
Click to expand...

In that case, when you hook up the cinema display apps should look just like they used to. So even if Photoshop and Illustrator aren't pixel-perfect yet on the retina display they will be on your cinema display.
 
My friend told me that the processor upgrades aren't worth it. Do you agree, or should I get the 2.7?

Thanks.
 
So to confirm, the Non-Retina MBPs have user upgradeable Memory and HDD?

I have a decent monitor and do not really need the Retina Display for portable use, but would like to be able to upgrade my RAM as need be, and I also have an 512gb SSD that I would like to use.

Any help on this is greatly appreciated .
 
kman79 said:
So to confirm, the Non-Retina MBPs have user upgradeable Memory and HDD?

I have a decent monitor and do not really need the Retina Display for portable use, but would like to be able to upgrade my RAM as need be, and I also have an 512gb SSD that I would like to use.

Any help on this is greatly appreciated .
Click to expand...

The non-Retina 13" and 15" Macbook Pros have user upgradeable RAM and 2.5" HDD.

The Retina 15" MBP's RAM cannot be upgraded and the SSD is a properietary form factor that will possibly be upgrade-able through third parties in the future.

Sounds like the non-retina MBP is probably the better product for you, especially since you already have an SSD.
 
Stetrain said:
The non-Retina 13" and 15" Macbook Pros have user upgradeable RAM and 2.5" HDD.

The Retina 15" MBP's RAM cannot be upgraded and the SSD is a properietary form factor that will possibly be upgrade-able through third parties in the future.

Sounds like the non-retina MBP is probably the better product for you, especially since you already have an SSD.
Click to expand...

I appreciate the reply.
 
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