Very specific questions about cMBP and rMBP

[Ultra AleM]

Hey guys, I wanted to make specific questions about these two notebooks.
Hope you'll help me.

1) Is a going back from Retina to Matte High Res possible?

2) Is the IPS so better than the Glossy and/or Matte?

3) Which is the most valuable in the future between the two?

4) Is the SSD/RAM upgrade on cMBP easy and fast (I saw 512GB of SSD is just 250-300€)

5) Do non-retina things look that better on the regular screen? On the Retina they are blurry

6) Is 1680x1050 way better than the 1440x900? For normal things like reading, too?

7) Which one has the best cooling system?

8) I saw the cMBP has the subwoofer: does it mean the audio's better?

9) Is the cMBP that heavier?

10) Thanks.

 

[B...]

Hey guys, I wanted to make specific questions about these two notebooks.
Hope you'll help me.

1) Is a going back from Retina to Matte High Res possible?

2) Is the IPS so better than the Glossy and/or Matte?

3) Which is the most valuable in the future between the two?

4) Is the SSD/RAM upgrade on cMBP easy and fast (I saw 512GB of SSD is just 250-300€)

5) Do non-retina things look that better on the regular screen? On the Retina they are blurry

6) Is 1680x1050 way better than the 1440x900? For normal things like reading, too?

7) Which one has the best cooling system?

8) I saw the cMBP has the subwoofer: does it mean the audio's better?

9) Is the cMBP that heavier?

10) Thanks.

I think I have answered most of these questions, but ok.

1) On matte, the colors will not look as deep or pure, but if you can not really notice the retina, it should be fine.
2)yes; better colors, viewing angles, less glare
3) The retina will most likely have better resale value, but the cMBP is better in that it is easily upgradable.
4)Yes
5) Things will be adjusted to retina in time; when it does, everything will look great.
6) High res is better than low res
7) Retina, by far
8) Retina sound is better with its dual spekers and surround sound.
9) If you travel, you will notice the extra weight.

Hope this helps.

 

[Ultra AleM]

I see you love my topics shah

 

[B...]

I see you love my topics shah

Any other questions?

 

[leman]

1) Is a going back from Retina to Matte High Res possible?

Yes, but the difference will probably bug you at first

2) Is the IPS so better than the Glossy and/or Matte?

Yes!

3) Which is the most valuable in the future between the two?

I believe that the retina model will very quickly lose its value as future updates to the line are likely to be much cheaper.

4) Is the SSD/RAM upgrade on cMBP easy and fast (I saw 512GB of SSD is just 250-300€)

Yes, its very easy.

5) Do non-retina things look that better on the regular screen? On the Retina they are blurry

No, everything looks better on the retina. The blurry stuff is distracting because of the contrast between the HiDPI and normal content.

6) Is 1680x1050 way better than the 1440x900? For normal things like reading, too?

It is a personal preference. I like 1680x1050 much better.

7) Which one has the best cooling system?

The retina one

8) I saw the cMBP has the subwoofer: does it mean the audio's better?

yes, but it is still a laptop. The sound quality is rather impressive though

9) Is the cMBP that heavier?

Yes, its very noticeable if you have to carry it around a lot

 

[Asuriyan]

1) All my previous MBPs had the matte screen. I still have my 2006 and 2010 models and use the 2006 rather frequently for legacy apps. The difference is night and day going back and forth, leading me to number 2:

2) Black levels and viewing angles are the most noticeable differences between the TN screens and and the Retina's IPS. To me, the resolution is just an added bonus. 1680x1050 is "good enough" in a 15" laptop. Having higher res does help with eyestrain.

3) Who can say? The 15" MBP has never had a starting price below $2000 if I recall correctly, so I don't see future revisions knocking the bottom out of the used market. Take good care of it and it will resell well. That's generally true for all Apple products.
Upgradeability on the current Classic models isn't going to matter as much vs. a maxed out Retina in terms of RAM, since the Classic isn't likely to ever support more than 16GB anyway (no 16GB modules at present, only 2 DIMM slots, and no guarantee that 16GB modules would work in it when released).

4) Yes, it's fairly easy. At least compared to my 2006 MBP1,1 which has 19 Philips and 2 T6 screws just keeping the top case together

5) Windows 7 looks better on my older MacBooks just in terms of resolution, as Windows scales poorly. What little time I spent with Windows 8 was an improvement.

Mac OS looks better on the Retina. Even 'blurry' scaled content isn't much of an issue. You get used to it quickly, and the number of apps that are 'Retina-aware' have increased exponentially since launch.

6) It's a big improvement in almost every regard- bigger workspace, clearer text, etc. I wouldn't buy a cMBP without it.

7) Retina. Dual intake on the sides and dual exhaust through the hinge. Negligible sonic profile, machine is completely cool during normal use, almost no chance of blocking the vents completely by accident (unlike almost every Windows laptop I've ever used) and since intake and exhaust are in different locations it's not as loud as older MBPs that do both through the hinge gap.

8) Retina's speakers are clearer and louder. They are a bit lacking in bass punch but they have the best high- and midrange on any laptop I've heard, and crank high enough to fill a room easily.

9) You'll notice the thickness more than the weight when carrying it around, most likely, but both are quite noticeable. I have people mistake the Retina for an oversized MBA quite regularly.

 

[Ultra AleM]

So you think I should just keep my rMBP?

I have the problem of the blurry thing (I cannot watch a 720p video at its native res) and the laggy UI (it seems like the HW isn't ready for all those pixels).

 

[B...]

So you think I should just keep my rMBP?

I have the problem of the blurry thing (I cannot watch a 720p video at its native res) and the laggy UI (it seems like the HW isn't ready for all those pixels).

Definitely keep! All problems will get better in time.

 

[Asuriyan]

So you think I should just keep my rMBP?

I have the problem of the blurry thing (I cannot watch a 720p video at its native res) and the laggy UI (it seems like the HW isn't ready for all those pixels).

I'm curious how close to the screen you are when watching video. I don't really notice any difference between screens when the resolution of the content is the limiting factor.

I don't get the UI lag thing either. It's not the number of pixels that matter. The Retina iPads push 3MP on a low-voltage ARM chip with an on-SOC graphics solution, for crying out loud- the 15" rMBP is 5MP and has a quad core with roughly 10x the computing power, as well as dedicated graphics. The problem is software scaling, and it's improved so much from initially having the computer (on 10.7) that I hardly notice anymore.

If it bothers you so much, the Classic is a fine machine, but I can't tell you which you would like better. Try them both out and decide!

 

[xShane]

Hey guys, I wanted to make specific questions about these two notebooks.
Hope you'll help me.

1) Is a going back from Retina to Matte High Res possible?

2) Is the IPS so better than the Glossy and/or Matte?

3) Which is the most valuable in the future between the two?

4) Is the SSD/RAM upgrade on cMBP easy and fast (I saw 512GB of SSD is just 250-300€)

5) Do non-retina things look that better on the regular screen? On the Retina they are blurry

6) Is 1680x1050 way better than the 1440x900? For normal things like reading, too?

7) Which one has the best cooling system?

8) I saw the cMBP has the subwoofer: does it mean the audio's better?

9) Is the cMBP that heavier?

10) Thanks.

1. Yes.
2. Not sure.
3. Tough to say. Depends on whether or not Apple drops the cMBP anytime soon.
4. Yes.
5. I've never had a problem with the screen on my cMBP.
6. Depends. You will have slightly more screen real estate.
7. Doubt you'll notice much of a difference. Depending on what you're doing, they both can run very hot.
8. Yes, the audio is better on the cMBP.
9. No, only about a pound. If it obstructs you from everyday routine, then I think you'll have other issues to worry about.