Waiting for Haswell MBP Mega Thread

[mcarling]

If the next MBP will be able to use 16GB ram in the 13", then I should definately wait.

No doubt 8GB will be the standard RAM configuration in the 13" Haswell MBP, but I would not be surprised if 16GB were to be available as a BTO option.

I'm getting by with 4GB and looking forward to 8GB. I personally would not spend the extra money for 16GB this year, but I'm sure some people can make good use of 16GB.

 

[APPLE-FANATIC]

Curious to know if Apple will offer 32GB in the rMBP this time around since from the looks of it, Haswell supports 32GB of ram.

 

[brandonx76]

Curious to know if Apple will offer 32GB in the rMBP this time around since from the looks of it, Haswell supports 32GB of ram.

I think I'd get it if it's available...wasn't aware of the processor limitation...interesting. But I also wonder if a lot of apps will need to be updated to really support it (thinking of Audio programs / plug ins)

 

[Apple Mac Daz]

I think I'd get it if it's available...wasn't aware of the processor limitation...interesting. But I also wonder if a lot of apps will need to be updated to really support it (thinking of Audio programs / plug ins)

Didn't think there be room on the logic board but dread to think of the costs to upgrade to 32GB if it's possible

 

[Stetrain]

I think I'd get it if it's available...wasn't aware of the processor limitation...interesting. But I also wonder if a lot of apps will need to be updated to really support it (thinking of Audio programs / plug ins)

As long as they are 64-bit applications they should handle that much memory just fine.

----------

Curious to know if Apple will offer 32GB in the rMBP this time around since from the looks of it, Haswell supports 32GB of ram.

That's going to depend mostly on the cost and availability of higher density RAM chips.

 

[PaulSpr]

Didn't think there be room on the logic board but dread to think of the costs to upgrade to 32GB if it's possible

Technically it's possible. But it's indeed about the room on the logic board.

I believe there haven't been any RAM density improvements since the last rMBP release. So the available RAM chips still hold as many GBits at the same size as last year. So that currently means that more RAM would mean more room on the board. Maybe next year double the RAM will fit on the same chip size. 32GB will likely be an option then.

 

[Qaanol]

Technically it's possible. But it's indeed about the room on the logic board.

I believe there haven't been any RAM density improvements since the last rMBP release. So the available RAM chips still hold as many GBits at the same size as last year. So that currently means that more RAM would mean more room on the board. Maybe next year double the RAM will fit on the same chip size. 32GB will likely be an option then.

Is it plausible that eliminating the dGPU might allow for expanded RAM capacity?

 

[brandonx76]

Is it plausible that eliminating the dGPU might allow for expanded RAM capacity?

Very controversial idea

 

[Nive]

Very controversial idea

And a pretty stupid one.. Would piss a lot of users off I guess.

 

[Apple Mac Daz]

And a pretty stupid one.. Would piss a lot of users off I guess.

Pretty sure that wouldn't bother too much tho.

The dGPU doesn't take that much room up on the logic board so can't see them getting much more Ram on it if they went that route

 

[brandonx76]

And a pretty stupid one.. Would piss a lot of users off I guess.

I'm not saying the dGPU should be shelved in favor of more ram - but I can see how retiring it would open up additional alternatives (battery life, more circuit board room), if they keep a similar form factor.

 

[Nive]

I'm not saying the dGPU should be shelved in favor of more ram - but I can see how retiring it would open up additional alternatives (battery life, more circuit board room), if they keep a similar form factor.

Yeah, I get what you're saying. I'm just mentioning it would be a stupid move on Apple's part to pull that. But who knows

 

[spybenj]

It could be a clue because the time frame fits for a release after the earnings call. But I agree that there is no way B&H is going to tell anybody anything now.

This is what he said
The item from Apple MCB RETINA is so new that we have very little information on it.

So, he could be wrong, but from what he said it does appear as if it is a new model.

 

[Redferrari]

Guys I need your help. I will be going to college near the end of August and I really want the rMBP, however I fear it may not be out yet. I am currently waiting in hope that they release is soon for the increased battery life and hopefully at least a 750 dgpu. Please share your thoughts, opinions and advice.

 

[PaulSpr]

Is it plausible that eliminating the dGPU might allow for expanded RAM capacity?

There are images of the Iris Pro chip online. It looks to be a bigger chip than the non-Iris Pro CPU's. I don't think it will make that much of a difference in space. The dGPU is pretty small already. Don't know about the dGPU RAM though.

 

[thundersteele]

There are images of the Iris Pro chip online. It looks to be a bigger chip than the non-Iris Pro CPU's. I don't think it will make that much of a difference in space. The dGPU is pretty small already. Don't know about the dGPU RAM though.

They could eliminate one of the two fans if they remove the dGPU. That would be a lot of free space.


32 GB of RAM are supported by the CPU at least since Sandy Bridge. For the cMBP, RAM is limited by the unavailability of 16 GB Ram modules. For the rMBP, logic board space is the biggest issue. Without size reduction of the RAM modules, I don't think 32 GB is possible in the rMBP. But maybe they could fit 24 GB there.

More importantly, I wonder if they can make more space for RAM on the 13'' rMBP. 8 GB maximum is a bit weak for a "Pro" machine. Maybe they can at least offer a 12 GB option?

 

[kirsh]

I'd appreciate any advice as I've been struggling with buying a cmbp/rmbp (waiting for the new line) and this seems like the forum for it. I run 3d rendering software, adobe and want the ability to edit video. The mbp im on now is from 2007. I've switched out the hd, ram and battery (2 times). You obviously cant do that in the rmbp which to me is a downside and has the potential to greatly decrease the new machines lifespan. The 500 gb hd I have now is full. So if I go retina I would pay many hundreds more for a 768 gb ssd. The current cmbp gives me the ability to have a bigger hd than upgrade myself (potentially adding another to the optical bay) once ssd prices come down. Given the conference changes made to the air line it looks like all haswell will really do is extend battery life a few hours. But on the other hand it feels wrong not waiting for the next release on a big purchase like this. For reference im looking to spend 2k which would get me a 2.6 ghz, 750 gb hd, high res anti glare screen and do my own upgrade to 16 gigs of ram or risk waiting for the new rmbp which could also be the day apple discontinues the cmbp entirely...

 

[Lunfai]

I'd appreciate any advice as I've been struggling with buying a cmbp/rmbp (waiting for the new line) and this seems like the forum for it. I run 3d rendering software, adobe and want the ability to edit video. The mbp im on now is from 2007. I've switched out the hd, ram and battery (2 times). You obviously cant do that in the rmbp which to me is a downside and has the potential to greatly decrease the new machines lifespan. The 500 gb hd I have now is full. So if I go retina I would pay many hundreds more for a 768 gb ssd. The current cmbp gives me the ability to have a bigger hd than upgrade myself (potentially adding another to the optical bay) once ssd prices come down. Given the conference changes made to the air line it looks like all haswell will really do is extend battery life a few hours. But on the other hand it feels wrong not waiting for the next release on a big purchase like this. For reference im looking to spend 2k which would get me a 2.6 ghz, 750 gb hd, high res anti glare screen and do my own upgrade to 16 gigs of ram or risk waiting for the new rmbp which could also be the day apple discontinues the cmbp entirely...

The cMBP line is most likely being discontinued, I'm afraid. If you're working on 3D software and editing files have you ever considered using an external drive (typically USB 3 drive)? or maybe a LaCie d2 3TB Thunderbolt USB 3.0 External Hard Drive? I've never had to keep all the files on the computer at one time, I always shift several projects in and out, and once they're completed I move them externally and upload them to the Cloud (if it's not too big, I have 50GB Dropbox space).

I mainly work on graphics and some video editing/3D modelling. I normally use multiple computers for this work, so I've always kept them externally so that I can plug and play around. Having it all on the machine is a great convenience but with a little work with an external drive, it's pretty easy to avoid having to pay such a costly upgrade.

The Thunderbolt drive is around 195 Read/205 Write, which is enough for most users and faster then most typical transfer rates. If not you can get an external SSD drive plugged via USB 3 or TB.

 

[thundersteele]

Guys I need your help. I will be going to college near the end of August and I really want the rMBP, however I fear it may not be out yet. I am currently waiting in hope that they release is soon for the increased battery life and hopefully at least a 750 dgpu. Please share your thoughts, opinions and advice.

If you read the last 5 or 10 pages of this thread, you will find many thoughts and opinions on exactly this question.
A fair but maybe not so helpful summary:
We don't know when the new models will appear, but it could be as late as october. We don't know if it will come with a discrete GPU and whether it will be the 750M or a different model. If you need a laptop now, buy one, if you can wait, wait!

[...] The 500 gb hd I have now is full. So if I go retina I would pay many hundreds more for a 768 gb ssd. The current cmbp gives me the ability to have a bigger hd than upgrade myself (potentially adding another to the optical bay) once ssd prices come down.
[...]

I feel that you should rethink your storage strategy. Do you need those 500 GB of data on your laptop all the time? How much storage would you need in the future?
If you need more than 500 GB now, 768 GB might not be enough in the future. Even the cMBP is somewhat limited, although you can probably get up to 1.5 TB if you use the optibay.
It might be better if you look into professional grade external storage that connects via thunderbolt. For the cost of the 768 GB upgrade you can get several TB of external storage. Look e.g. at the WD Thunderbolt Duo.

 

[PeterJP]

Guys I need your help. I will be going to college near the end of August and I really want the rMBP, however I fear it may not be out yet. I am currently waiting in hope that they release is soon for the increased battery life and hopefully at least a 750 dgpu. Please share your thoughts, opinions and advice.

When you start using those strong phrases like 'really want' and 'I fear it may not be out,' you have a serious problem. Your problem is not Apple's release plans. Your problem is your attitude towards a normal purchase of a tool. Get out of your room, disconnect your Internet connections and go for a walk. For going to college, whatever happens to be available in more than a month's time will be sufficient and is not worth pulling your hair out now.

 

[macshoair]

When you start using those strong phrases like 'really want' and 'I fear it may not be out,' you have a serious problem. Your problem is not Apple's release plans. Your problem is your attitude towards a normal purchase of a tool. Get out of your room, disconnect your Internet connections and go for a walk. For going to college, whatever happens to be available in more than a month's time will be sufficient and is not worth pulling your hair out now.

PeterJP, YOU are the one who has a serious problem of attitude to judge people and talk about someone like this. You have an authoritative, parental, and judgmental attitude. This is an open forum and everyone can express their opinions, fears, or uncertainty about a purchase decision as long as they respect the forum rules. If the Mac is a toy for you and you can buy a bunch, may be it's a big deal for others. It's also not always a financial mater. Some people cannot live with buyer's remorse if they buy something that they probably know it's gonna be outdated in a couple of days or a couple of months at most. So, anyway, I hope you can change YOUR attitude!

 

[andreasholm]

Hm?

I was just going to buy the 2.7Ghz/16GBRAM/512GB rMBP today for 3688 USD (I'd buy it in Spain) but I could get a 2.6Ghz/8GBRAM/512GB (late 2012 model) and that would save me 900 USD.

I will mainly use it for Lightroom/Photoshop and a little bit of Final Cut Pro.

I guess the only difference would be the extra 8GB of ram. Worth it?
Will there be a big difference in speed?

Thanks

 

[Watabou]

I was just going to buy the 2.7Ghz/16GBRAM/512GB rMBP today for 3688 USD (I'd buy it in Spain) but I could get a 2.6Ghz/8GBRAM/512GB (late 2012 model) and that would save me 900 USD.

I will mainly use it for Lightroom/Photoshop and a little bit of Final Cut Pro.

I guess the only difference would be the extra 8GB of ram. Worth it?
Will there be a big difference in speed?

Thanks

Get the 16GB. You're never going to able to upgrade the RAM and it's nice to have 16GB even when you don't think you will need it.

Also, skip the 2.7 since .1Ghz will not make enough difference to justify the price. You will be fine enough with the base 2.4GHz if you want to save some more money. Processor upgrades aren't really worth it if you're not doing some serious processing.

 

[andreasholm]

It has to be 2.6 with 8GB (save 900USD) OR 2.7 with 16GB.
They have an offer for the 2.6 with 8GB ram.

I'll probably get the 2.7 with 16GB RAM.

Still. 900 USD for +8GB Ram feels way to expensive.

Get the 16GB. You're never going to able to upgrade the RAM and it's nice to have 16GB even when you don't think you will need it.

Also, skip the 2.7 since .1Ghz will not make enough difference to justify the price. You will be fine enough with the base 2.4GHz

 

[Watabou]

Well in that case, I would go with the 2.7. $3688 seems a bit much when here in the US, the same config will cost you $2599 with the student discount.