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Worth it to wait for Haswell rMBP

A

applepie555

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 7, 2012
114
0
I am planning on getting a 15" rMBP for the new school year. I was hoping that the Haswell rMBPs would be released today, but unfortunately that was not the case.

I've been reading and am asking myself, is it worth waiting? I can wait until October-November, I can use an older laptop, but rumors say at least for the 15 inch there will only be small improvements.

The CPU will apparently be 10% faster or so, but versions with Iris Pro will run slower than the ones without it.

I'd like to be able to play some games and I'd much prefer a discrete nvidia chip over intel graphics, as I've heard that intel graphics will still be slower than the GT650/750M, plus I can over clock the nvidia chips.

Originally I thought that it was pretty much certain that the rMBP would be getting a discrete gpu, but after WWDC not so much. As others have already said, the HD4600 versions are already available, but the 5200 not so much. Maybe apple is waiting for the 5200, because if they were going the discrete gpu route they could have released it today.

Based on what the rumors say and what I've gathered, it appears that on the refurb store, I can get a rMBP and get the same performance plus more ram and storage space for 10 dollars cheaper.
For
$2189 (originally $2799?) now I can get a 2012 rMBP with:
2.6ghz proccessor
16gb ram
GT650m
512gb ssd :D

If I waited and assuming apple kept similar specs for $2199 I'd be getting this:
2.4ghz haswell proccessor
8gb ram
GT750/760/Intel Iris Pro
256gb SSD

I'm only willing to wait if the new model will bring better performance than what I can get today for the same price

Would the higher clocked ivy bridge plus the fact that the cpu doesn't have to handle graphics (if it didn't have a discrete gpu) make up for the speedier Haswell processors?

Is Iris Pro really faster than a 650m that has been overclocked by apple, plus further by me? How likely is it now that the rMBP will be getting a discrete gpu, and will there be any significant performance gains if it does?

Is it really worth waiting? :confused:
 
I'm in a very similar boat to you. I need a laptop soon, and I was hoping for a rMBP refresh today, being as besides for a mine CPU bump its around a year old. The haswell processor isn't just about performance increases, it would give the rMBP better battery life as well. I'm hoping for an upgrade before the fall...
 
If you continue to wait, something better will always come along. Just buy the current rMBP. It's an amazing machine and will last you a long time.
 
CPU wise that jump really won't mean much the thing is powerful enough to throw anything on it. In terms of the dGPU it's good for gaming and based on benchmarks the Iris 5200 is still slower compared to the 650m. The new series that are coming out are just rebranded versions of the current ones (similar to how the CPUs are just small bumps) so just expect a 5-10% increase with the newer cards.

When it comes down to it, buy now if you need and wait if you can.

Either way the jumps are not huge for both CPU and dGPU if that's what you're worried about.

Don't wait just because you want the latest and greatest because there's already something new coming out next year.
 
I bought new 15" rMBP 20% off just before WWDC simply because there was no indication of an upgrade and haswell don't offer a substantial performance increase clock for clock, just superior battery life which is useless for any one who needs the horsepower of this machine as you will plug in anyway.

Just buy it. Mine gets delivered today.
 
Sym0 said:
I bought new 15" rMBP 20% off just before WWDC simply because there was no indication of an upgrade and haswell don't offer a substantial performance increase clock for clock, just superior battery life which is useless for any one who needs the horsepower of this machine as you will plug in anyway.

Just buy it. Mine gets delivered today.
Click to expand...

whered u get 20% off
 
I'm pretty sure the new rMBP will also have all day 12 hour battery like the MBA. So if you are okay with the conventional 7 hours it won't make much sense to wait. I would also ask about Mavericks if you plan to buy it soon.
 
I need a new MacBook to replace my 2009 13" MacBook Pro. I decided to wait until after the keynote to see what was announced. Since there has been no update to the rMBP I decided to buy a refurbished base 15" rMBP for the newly reduced price of £1319. Last week the same model was £1409. A new base rMBP will almost certainly cost £1700+ when it is released and I really can't justify spending an additional £400. Granted I would probably be getting a computer with better performance and battery life in a few months time but the computer I am getting is at least 3 times faster than my current cMBP with a much better display.
 
I'm surprised people are so quick to gobble up the previous (current?) models. The next revision is not a mere spec bump, and will include some new standards:
- 802.11ac
- Thunderbolt 2 (maybe)
- Better GPU
- Longer battery life
- Slimmer design (maybe, on 13")

If you buy the current model, you're committing to a soon-to-be outdated wireless standard, significantly lower GPU performance (13"), significantly less battery life, and possibly a thicker design (13"). This will actually affect how you use the machine, as opposed to a mere spec bump, which probably wouldn't result in any noticeable difference.

I keep my computers for 5 years +, so this is probably a bigger issue for me than others. But still...
 
Chuck-Norris said:
whered u get 20% off
Click to expand...

David Jones, Australia online web store.

They had a 10% off thread and I picked up a tip from whirlpool.net.au regarding an online promo code for an additional 10% off.

Received it yesterday and it is lovely, also has the Samsung screen.

----------
nope7308 said:
I'm surprised people are so quick to gobble up the previous (current?) models. The next revision is not a mere spec bump, and will include some new standards:
- 802.11ac
- Thunderbolt 2 (maybe)
- Better GPU
- Longer battery life
- Slimmer design (maybe, on 13")

If you buy the current model, you're committing to a soon-to-be outdated wireless standard, significantly lower GPU performance (13"), significantly less battery life, and possibly a thicker design (13"). This will actually affect how you use the machine, as opposed to a mere spec bump, which probably wouldn't result in any noticeable difference.

I keep my computers for 5 years +, so this is probably a bigger issue for me than others. But still...
Click to expand...

802.11ac - Not required, N-Standard sufficient for HD movie streams and more
Thunderbolt 2 - not going to increase the accessory selection or lower prices, hardly a feature if you as me
GPU - Not much good for those who don't play games, most people just doodle around and waste the enormous processing power we have now
Longer battery - 7 hours is about 3 times more than I will ever need, ever
Slimmer design - thats like saying newer colours, who cares, not a feature.
 
nope7308 said:
I'm surprised people are so quick to gobble up the previous (current?) models. The next revision is not a mere spec bump, and will include some new standards:
- 802.11ac
- Thunderbolt 2 (maybe)
- Better GPU
- Longer battery life
- Slimmer design (maybe, on 13")

If you buy the current model, you're committing to a soon-to-be outdated wireless standard, significantly lower GPU performance (13"), significantly less battery life, and possibly a thicker design (13"). This will actually affect how you use the machine, as opposed to a mere spec bump, which probably wouldn't result in any noticeable difference.

I keep my computers for 5 years +, so this is probably a bigger issue for me than others. But still...
Click to expand...

Hi, not trying to be a smart arse. But how do you know all these things are going to happen?

Look how many people were certain about the new rMBP update. Not even a whisper.

I don't expect the Macbook Pro's to have a significant update until this time next year.
 
nateofmelb said:
Hi, not trying to be a smart arse. But how do you know all these things are going to happen?

Look how many people were certain about the new rMBP update. Not even a whisper.

I don't expect the Macbook Pro's to have a significant update until this time next year.
Click to expand...

There will at least be 802.11ac and better battery life, not to mention PCIe SSDs.
 
Im not waiting

Heres my thought. If your going to wait at this point your not just waiting until october 23 when its released, you also will have to wait a month or two to even get it like what happened with the iMacs. so unless you are ready to wait until december for your macbook, pull the trigger. i am.
 
RobinHood5 said:
Heres my thought. If your going to wait at this point your not just waiting until october 23 when its released, you also will have to wait a month or two to even get it like what happened with the iMacs. so unless you are ready to wait until december for your macbook, pull the trigger. i am.
Click to expand...

Wise thoughts. And if push comes to shove, if Haswell is ground breaking, you can always sell up and upgrade. But I think we're forgetting that the Macbook Pro Retina is a beautiful machine currently as it is :)
 
Sym0 said:
David Jones, Australia online web store.

They had a 10% off thread and I picked up a tip from whirlpool.net.au regarding an online promo code for an additional 10% off.

Received it yesterday and it is lovely, also has the Samsung screen.

----------



802.11ac - Not required, N-Standard sufficient for HD movie streams and more
Thunderbolt 2 - not going to increase the accessory selection or lower prices, hardly a feature if you as me
GPU - Not much good for those who don't play games, most people just doodle around and waste the enormous processing power we have now
Longer battery - 7 hours is about 3 times more than I will ever need, ever
Slimmer design - thats like saying newer colours, who cares, not a feature.
Click to expand...

base model?
 
sarakn said:
Macmall has it for $500 less than apple - 15" rMBP with 768GB storage and 16GB memory is $2700; apple has it for $3200.
Click to expand...

And macmall doesn't charge sales tax right? That makes it an even sweeter deal. I don't quite get how they can charge such prices, unless they thought rMPB was going to be refreshed and were trying to clear stock (but like all of us... they were wrong...)
 
nateofmelb said:
Wise thoughts. And if push comes to shove, if Haswell is ground breaking, you can always sell up and upgrade. But I think we're forgetting that the Macbook Pro Retina is a beautiful machine currently as it is :)
Click to expand...

Thanks, and you make a valid point, if a earthshaking release comes out one could probably sell the current model and buy the new one for a few hundred dollars max.
 
Sym0 said:
David Jones, Australia online web store.

They had a 10% off thread and I picked up a tip from whirlpool.net.au regarding an online promo code for an additional 10% off.

Received it yesterday and it is lovely, also has the Samsung screen.

----------



802.11ac - Not required, N-Standard sufficient for HD movie streams and more
Thunderbolt 2 - not going to increase the accessory selection or lower prices, hardly a feature if you as me
GPU - Not much good for those who don't play games, most people just doodle around and waste the enormous processing power we have now
Longer battery - 7 hours is about 3 times more than I will ever need, ever
Slimmer design - thats like saying newer colours, who cares, not a feature.
Click to expand...

Those things are a pretty big deal to the rest of us. I couldn't shrug them off like you did. The poster you quoted has a point.
 
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