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Sifinity

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jun 11, 2014
322
1
Texas
im going to be buying a mac for college the 15" 750m version ; im wondering if its better to take apple's usual $100 gift card back to school deal or to wait for the next upgrade ? (850m DGPU ; which is probably going to be the only major upgrade besides spec bumps ; since broadwell isnt coming till 2015)
 
It is probably worth waiting for the new dGPU - but you should realise that most likely it will be included in the new Macs along with Broadwell, so late 2014 or early 2015.
 
Personally I think it's worth waiting. The 750m is just a re-branded 650m and the difference between them is very minimal. The 850m and 860m are both new architecture parts and have significant gains over the 750m.
 
You'll be better off buying refurb. Most macbooks run at about $350-400 off, which is more than the educational discount and the $100 gift card put together (by double actually).

The only reason to buy new from apple is if 1) you want the box. 2) its a new release and there are no refurbs for the model you want yet.

If your getting the 750m, get refurb.
 
Personally I think it's worth waiting. The 750m is just a re-branded 650m and the difference between them is very minimal. The 850m and 860m are both new architecture parts and have significant gains over the 750m.

well thats the thing , you guys don't think the 850m or 860m will be coming out with the spec bump? cause i don't want to wait for the broadwell chips as previous history shows that when ever haswell was coming out the rMB didnt get it till Q3 of the next year , so i don't want to wait a whole year though .

cause as usual the MBA will get it in Q1 or Q2 and then the Retina gets it in late Q3 or Early Q4
 
Can you wait till Q4 of this year or Q1 of 2015? Do you have a computer to use in college until then?
 
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i can wait till Q4 of this year but idk know since the wait is just going to keep on increasing , the processor that is required in the rMB won't comeout till Q1-Q2 2015 , so the 15" rMB won't release till late 2015 - i don't think i can wait a year lol
 
This thread as the hundreds before it boils down to the OPs needs.

If you need a new Mac for September/October time frame, buy the current version of the rMBP. It is quite a capable computer and will serve you well in the short and long term. If your a student wait until Apple starts it back to school promo in the next month or so.

If you can wait until Q1 for a new computer then wait. Broadwell will be quite capable and a good upgrade, but their is always something new on the horizon (ala Skylake).

well thats the thing , you guys don't think the 850m or 860m will be coming out with the spec bump? cause i don't want to wait for the broadwell chips as previous history shows that when ever haswell was coming out the rMB didnt get it till Q3 of the next year , so i don't want to wait a whole year though .

cause as usual the MBA will get it in Q1 or Q2 and then the Retina gets it in late Q3 or Early Q4

Broadwell chips for the MBA are expected to start shipping late this fall (in the October time frame). rMBP Broadwell chips will likely start shipping in Q1, so expect an update in the January/February range for the rMBP.

This is speculation, but Apple is extremely unlikely to release updates to the rMBP until Broadwell is available - ergo Q1 2015. Apple has rarely if ever released updates with the MBP range just for graphics hardware - and with their current push for integrated graphics I doubt its much on their radar.
 
One thing of note, your model you buy today will retain a huge amount of value if you decide later that you want the Broadwell-equipped rMBP. You could just sell it for a high price and pay the difference. That may allow you to test the current version against your requirements and switch later if you find it to be a need. Otherwise, buy today and just enjoy. I'm not a huge fan of technology releases as they often have a few bugs to work out. An example is the retina display MBP's when they first released. They're great now, but were a bit of frustration for users who got on the train early.

It may cost a bit to buy now and upgrade later, but at least you'll have a great machine in the meantime and you could find you don't even need the newer model when it releases.
 
You'll be better off buying refurb. Most macbooks run at about $350-400 off, which is more than the educational discount and the $100 gift card put together (by double actually).

The only reason to buy new from apple is if 1) you want the box. 2) its a new release and there are no refurbs for the model you want yet.

If your getting the 750m, get refurb.

noid imo if im spending $2000+ on a laptop , i might as well buy it new cause its going to last me 4-5 years hopefully , nothing wrong with refurb but in my opinion if im putting so much money into the laptop i can't justify saving a $100 or $200 and getting a refurb
 
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