Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Weird question...

P

Pandalorian

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 28, 2012
40
1
The antarctic
Hi everyone. Last Friday i bought a brand new 13" rMBP. I used to have a 13" Air, also 2012, and i love the retina display. But when i looked at the performance figures, and ran some tests and some more intensive apps, I realized there's really no difference between the new and the old. I also noticed that my rMBP rarely left my desk... so this next thing is gonna sound crazy. With a geekbench score of under 7000, should I return this thing while i still have 7 of my 14 days and get a seriously beefed up Mac Mini with a Quad core i7, 16GB RAM, and a 1TB Fusion Drive, which gets well over 10000 in geek bench, or should i just stick with what i have for the display's sake? I already have an external monitor that's great, so that wouldn't be a problem. Sounds like quite a switch, but all my mobile computing can really be done on my iPad, and all the intensive work can be done at home. Also, it would be a much better gaming computer. Anyway, having trouble deciding. Could anyone share thoughts/ideas? Thanks in advance. :apple:
 
Pandalorian said:
Hi everyone. Last Friday i bought a brand new 13" rMBP. I used to have a 13" Air, also 2012, and i love the retina display. But when i looked at the performance figures, and ran some tests and some more intensive apps, I realized there's really no difference between the new and the old. I also noticed that my rMBP rarely left my desk... so this next thing is gonna sound crazy. With a geekbench score of under 7000, should I return this thing while i still have 7 of my 14 days and get a seriously beefed up Mac Mini with a Quad core i7, 16GB RAM, and a 1TB Fusion Drive, which gets well over 10000 in geek bench, or should i just stick with what i have for the display's sake? I already have an external monitor that's great, so that wouldn't be a problem. Sounds like quite a switch, but all my mobile computing can really be done on my iPad, and all the intensive work can be done at home. Also, it would be a much better gaming computer. Anyway, having trouble deciding. Could anyone share thoughts/ideas? Thanks in advance. :apple:
Click to expand...

Sounds like you just need a voice outside your own head telling you to get the Mac Mini - okay


GET THE MAC MINI. It will serve you well and because RAM is cheap, get third party RAM as Apple over charges. Installing the RAM is a matter of taking off the bottom (it is meant to come off) and replacing/adding to the RAM bank slots.

Because Apple enjoys being behind on technology, consider getting the best you can afford in CPU venue. The video built in is reasonable for average work and a bit more but it is no speed demon for gaming.
 
Yet another option, I *could* get the entry-level iMac. You're probably going "whaaa..." but the main difference (and thing i need) is a discrete GPU. Gaming and other tasks are downright terrible on the HD4000 compared to ANY discrete NVIDIA card... but I'm not sure what the no flash storage, i5 processor, and non-upgradeable components would do to make it a worthwhile buy. One thing's for sure. I'm getting rid of this un-upgradeable computer planned by apple to be obsolete within 2 years... retina display or not.
 
Pandalorian said:
Yet another option, I *could* get the entry-level iMac. You're probably going "whaaa..." but the main difference (and thing i need) is a discrete GPU. Gaming and other tasks are downright terrible on the HD4000 compared to ANY discrete NVIDIA card... but I'm not sure what the no flash storage, i5 processor, and non-upgradeable components would do to make it a worthwhile buy. One thing's for sure. I'm getting rid of this un-upgradeable computer planned by apple to be obsolete within 2 years... retina display or not.
Click to expand...

Most of my mates that game do so on a custom windows rig -- unless they're just playing simple App Store games or Minecraft, in which case, the Mini excels.

I'd certainly think twice about expecting to play next year's big titles on your Mini in very high resolutions; but if you can settle for 720p, then you should fine.
 
Pandalorian said:
Also, would i need the original receipt from the purchase in order to return it? I can't quite find it... :(
Click to expand...

Shouldn't need it. When we buy from Apple stores we get an e-mailed receipt.

On the other subject, of the Mini vs. the iMac, do you mind buying an integrated monitor in order to get better graphics performance? Bumps the price up quite a bit since you already something acceptable.

As someone else said, buy just the base memory and upgrade yourself. Big savings. The mini has the easiest memory to upgrade.
 
Yes, I already own an external monitor, and it works fine. And yes, I'm planning on picking up the base $799 model from the apple store, and upgrading the RAM and hard drive to a SSD myself. Quad-Core i7 will be a welcome change from the 13" rMBP. I don't think i got a receipt in an email though...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back