Need opinions / insights on retina vs non-retina Macbook Pro

Question

Hi everyone! For weeks now, I have decided that I will be buying the new 13 inch Macbook Pro Retina as a replacement for my very old Acer laptop. I've been a Windows user all my life and this will be the first time that I'll be owning a Mac. So for weeks, I have been researching the pros and cons of the new MBPr versus the non-retina MBR but I have read that there's a huge problem about overheating with the new MBPr, the fans and some also say that the Mail is not working very well and the battery drains easily.
I still want to buy a MBPr because it's the newest from Apple, I love the resolution and I really like that they took the optical drive out. Does anyone of you know if they already solved the problem in overheating and the fan? This laptop is super expensive and I'll go crazy if I buy this and having to deal with these problems.
And also, I know the MBPr is the new laptop of Apple but is it that great compared to the ordinary MBP? The ordinary MBP doesn't have problems in overheating, etc... So... basically I just had doubts if I should buy the Retina or the Non-Retina of the Macbook Pro.
Thank you to anyone who will reply and give their opinions and insights

Answer 1

The 13" lacks a dedicated graphics processor, it's why it's hot, it's basically a dressed up $400 dual core office store computer with a fancy metal case, too small of a screen and a screen res too high that you really can't tell much from a non-retina anyway.
The machine is sealed up, you can't upgrade the memory or switchout the storage for something better.
Many are rather disappointed with the "Pro" label being attached to such a underperforming machine, especially the kids who come here whining they can't play many games on it.
As a power user and occassional gamer, I absolutely abhor anything below a 15" which does have the muscle with it's quad core goodness and dedicated graphics which it more than twice as fast and lasts twice as long as that stock Intel HD junk.
Run three operating systems at once if you need too. See the pics here.
Windows in BootCamp or Virtual Machine?
In fact I've got myself one of the last 17" MacBook Pro monsters which I treat with extra loving care as it's a collectors item now.
If your going to treat yourself to a expensive Mac, why short change your experience with a tiny cramped 13" screen that's going to be sitting on your chest half the time?
I want your first time experience on a Mac to be a good one, pony up for the top of the line 15" and AppleCare, use a external keyboard and mouse to keep the wear and tear off of it.
I do advise the non-retina anti-glare high res sold in the online store. That baby you can max the RAM out at 16GB, even put two drives in it if you wish with a Superdrive caddy.
Anti-glares are great for the fact that there is no reflections on the screen, use it nearly anywhere, outside etc. and not have to worry about not seeing the screen. There has been a long thread about the glossy screens bothering people's eyes here.
You can read the whole glossy vs matte screen debate online.
A little hidden secret about using Mac's, if you get one of the lower end models, you always feel like you should have gotten one of the better ones. It's because OS X is the same on all the machines regardless of performance, so it tends to feel crapped out quicker on the lower end models and the truth is, dual cores are a has been, quad cores are the new thing.
Your going to be hooked up to power regardless of what machine you buy to reduce your battery cycles as the more cycles, the less the battery lasts and will either have to be replaced, or the entire machine replaced!
IMO, getting the 13" is like walking into a Porchse dealer and walking off with one of the scratch and dent models.