Which MacBook Pro should i choose?

[jeeeep]

Assuming the CPU is the same. Would it be better to choose 256GB SSD with 16GB or 512GB SSD with 8GB?

What do you think? Which one is the better computer and most futureproof? Price is the same.

 

[Marty62]

Go for the larger SSD, you can always add more ram later

M.

 

[fenjen]

Assuming the CPU is the same. Would it be better to choose 256GB SSD with 16GB or 512GB SSD with 8GB?

What do you think? Which one is the better computer and most futureproof? Price is the same.

Well, if you're comfortable with opening your macbook you could always upgrade your ssd later with an aftermarket one (which is probably cheaper). You could also just buy an external hd for general storage that doesn't have to be accessed all the time so that it doesn't matter that the drive is slower.

Ram however can never be upgraded as it is soldered to the logic board.
Therefor I would recommend the one with more ram.

----------

Go for the larger SSD, you can always add more ram later

M.

No you can't?

 

[maflynn]

I'd go with the larger SSD.

It's funny, people are so fixated on the ram, thinking that if you have need for more then 8GB the computer will stop working. Thanks to OSX's efficient memory management this is not a problem.


To put it another way. I'd need to use external drives or try one of those extremely pricey SSD upgrades on my rMBP if my internal storage filled up. In essence the computer will stop working if storage is used up.

If ram utilization is so high, OSX swaps memory pages out to disk, thus allowing the user to keep working. OSX's memory management has been one of the major hallmarks to the OS since its inception yet because of the soldered ram in the rMBPs people are losing fact of this

 

[yjchua95]

Go for the larger SSD, you can always add more ram later

M.

You can't add more RAM after purchasing. RAM is soldered to the logic board.

The SSD can be upgraded once the XP941 PCIe SSDs become widely available on the market.

 

[jeeeep]

So people are saying that choosing ram/memory is the better choice?

 

[Marty62]

You can't add more RAM after purchasing. RAM is soldered to the logic board.

The SSD can be upgraded once the XP941 PCIe SSDs become widely available on the market.

My Bad - I forgot that the latest versions have soldered ram !!

( why did they do that ? )

M.

 

[RMXO]

I would go with higher RAM since you can't add it later as everyone is saying.

 

[Meister]

Ram threats...

An epic one: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1661841/

Some more anyone? ...

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1679074/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1677342/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1676379/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1674620/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1700457/

--> https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1672540/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1701330/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1663530/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1659895/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1658626/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1658044/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1652401/

This certainly didnt work: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1662700/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1629455/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1599554/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1702313/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1700462/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1698538/

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1700551/

 

[heisenberg123]

if you need to ask about RAM than you only 8GB maybe less, people who need 16GB of RAM know it

 

[yjchua95]

if you need to ask about RAM than you only 8GB maybe less, people who need 16GB of RAM know it

Quite true.

I have 32GB on my iMac and 16GB on both my 15" MBPs because I frequently run several virtual machines together, or run at least one virtual machine and having Photoshop open in OS X.

 

[Commy1]

I would recommend the 16GB Ram 256 SSD option. The SSD is just about the only thing in the Late 2013 range that can be removed at all, I believe third party upgrades will hit the market in due time.
And this is the config. I'm running at the moment. Very satisfied across the board.

 

[Tmdlkwd]

You can't add more RAM after purchasing. RAM is soldered to the logic board.

The SSD can be upgraded once the XP941 PCIe SSDs become widely available on the market.

Going from 256 to 512 is about a $170 diff for the mid 13 refurb

Is there any idea what the " approximate " price above PCIe SSD will be once available?

Or just a wait and see?

Thanks

 

[leman]

So people are saying that choosing ram/memory is the better choice?

That completely depends on what you intend to do with the computer. Fo some users, both options is a waste of money.

Ram threats...

Thats quite a collection you've got there, Meister

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The SSD can be upgraded once the XP941 PCIe SSDs become widely available on the market.

Is it really compatible with Macs though? I thought XP941 is a M.2 based module while Apple uses their own interface?

 

[yjchua95]

Is it really compatible with Macs though? I thought XP941 is a M.2 based module while Apple uses their own interface?

Only the Ivy Bridge rMBPs use the proprietary Apple interface, which is based on SATA3.

The Haswell ones use the M.2 NGFF design. iFixit tore it apart and confirmed that it's the M.2 NGFF SSD.

 

[leman]

Only the Ivy Bridge rMBPs use the proprietary Apple interface, which is based on SATA3.

The Haswell ones use the M.2 NGFF design. iFixit tore it apart and confirmed that it's the M.2 NGFF SSD.

Would you be so kind to provide a source on that? All reviews I know say that Apple blade SSD is based on M.2 but is incompatible with it.

 

[yjchua95]

Would you be so kind to provide a source on that? All reviews I know say that Apple blade SSD is based on M.2 but is incompatible with it.

Only the Ivy Bridge blade SSDs aren't compatible, because it's not M.2. Rather, it's based off a variation of SATA3 or mSATA.

May I ask where is your source saying that third party M.2 drives aren't compatible with Apple's M.2 slots?

PCIe is PCIe, and it's no different anywhere. All you need to do is just to get an XP941 and format it as Mac OS Extended (Journaled).

 

[leman]

Only the Ivy Bridge blade SSDs aren't compatible, because it's not M.2. Rather, it's based off a variation of SATA3 or mSATA.
May I ask where is your source saying that third party M.2 drives aren't compatible with Apple's M.2 slots?

PCIe is PCIe, and it's no different anywhere. All you need to do is just to get an XP941 and format it as Mac OS Extended (Journaled).

First of all, M.2 is not 'PCIe'. M.2 is a standardised connector which encapsulates both SATA and PCIe, in addition to USB3. Its has its own custom notch layout. A 'normal' PCIe connector layout is very different from M.2. You need to distinguish between 'PCIe' as the data transport technology (bus) and a 'PCIe' connector (of which there are different flavours).

Some sources that Apple's connector is not M.2:

http://www.thessdreview.com/daily-news/latest-buzz/understanding-m-2-ngff-ssd-standardization/2/

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7058/2013-macbook-air-pcie-ssd-and-haswell-ult-inside

 

[yjchua95]

First of all, M.2 is not 'PCIe'. M.2 is a standardised connector which encapsulates both SATA and PCIe, in addition to USB3. Its has its own custom notch layout. A 'normal' PCIe connector layout is very different from M.2. You need to distinguish between 'PCIe' as the data transport technology (bus) and a 'PCIe' connector (of which there are different flavours).

Some sources that Apple's connector is not M.2:

http://www.thessdreview.com/daily-news/latest-buzz/understanding-m-2-ngff-ssd-standardization/2/

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7058/2013-macbook-air-pcie-ssd-and-haswell-ult-inside

I hereby stand corrected. Or rather, I sit corrected

 

[abcdefg12345]

go for the bigger ssd 8 gb ram on mavericks compressed memory is like having more than 10gb ram

 

[jeeeep]

Went with i7/256GB SSD/16 GB RAM with 13 inch rmbp. Got the best of the best and now have a piece of mind.

 

[blooperz]

It doesn't really matter which configuration you choose, they will all be obsolete (relatively) in 4 years.... just pick what you need/want now...8 gigs is more than 90% of users on here "need". Trying to future-proof a non upgradeable computer by stacking ram is silly. Everyones cramming 16 gigs of DDR3 memory when DDR4 is coming out soon /faceplant

 

[accountforit]

It doesn't really matter which configuration you choose, they will all be obsolete (relatively) in 4 years.... just pick what you need/want now...8 gigs is more than 90% of users on here "need". Trying to future-proof a non upgradeable computer by stacking ram is silly. Everyones cramming 16 gigs of DDR3 memory when DDR4 is coming out soon /faceplant

Maybe no one cares about DDR4. You will notice a difference with 16gb over 8gb before you are going to notice DDR3 vs DDR4.

 

[disasterdrone]

It doesn't really matter which configuration you choose, they will all be obsolete (relatively) in 4 years.... just pick what you need/want now...8 gigs is more than 90% of users on here "need". Trying to future-proof a non upgradeable computer by stacking ram is silly. Everyones cramming 16 gigs of DDR3 memory when DDR4 is coming out soon /faceplant

If you're staying on the Apple train learn to throw these machines away after a few years.

 

[brdeveloper]

Assuming the CPU is the same. Would it be better to choose 256GB SSD with 16GB or 512GB SSD with 8GB?

What do you think? Which one is the better computer and most futureproof? Price is the same.

Most future-proof: 16GB RAM. I would get the 16GB one if I could afford AND if I wanted a rMBP (read my signature).