Retina Display..... or gaming PC?

Question

Hi everyone,
I'm in the market for a new computer, currently using my 27" iMac from 2009. What I purchased it in '09 I maxxed out all the specs to get the longest time out of it. 3 years later, that time has come. The time to upgrade.
When the MBP w/ Retina Display was announced I started to feel that was the upgrade for me. But am I trying to fit me to suit the retina MBP, as opposed to the other way around? Help me decide here!
I always customise to the maximum specs to get as long as possible from my machines so if I went with the MBP, it's have the top i7 with 16GB RAM, but I'll leave the SSD at 512 as my music and movies can stay on my iMac.
I will be using it mostly for gaming, a bit of video editing, but mostly gaming. Potentially throwing bootcamp on there for the occassional title FIFA13 (Which will apparantly be on OSX, but if it's anything like FIFA12 on OSX, will be stripped down with limited online options), Assassin's Creed 3, ETC . I'll be attending university next year as well, so having a portable machine for uni work will be helpful, but to be honest, it'd mostly be used at home.
It's that or build a gaming PC. Yuck. I know.
I'd be looking at an i7, around 3.0GHz, 16GB RAM, 2GB GPU with 512GB SSD.
I've made a list of Pro/Cons for each choice, so I'd love your input!
Retina MBP
Pros
- Fantastic performance.
- Portable
- Will connect to TV/iMac and effectively save me from purchasing a PS3.
- Main games I play (Diablo 3, FIFA13, WoW) will run natively on OSX.
- It's a Mac and I love my Macs.
- Looks gorgeous.
- Can always connect external monitor.
- Small
Cons
- Expensive. Could build a more powerful machine and save around $500 or so.
- Don't know if I NEED the portability.
- One day, battery will die wether I use it or not.
- AppleCare is very expensive for 15" MBPs, and its really a MUST for the retina.
- As is. Can't upgrade componants later. (But will I really need to?)
- Bootcamp required for many new release games.
Custom PC
Pros
- Cheaper.
- More powerful.
- Upgradeable.
- Don't need to switch between OS's for games.
Cons
- Windows
- Doesn't look as nice.
- Not portable at all.
- Maximum 12 months warranty.
- Need to buy display (which won't look as nice) in addition to tower.
- Takes up more room.
- Owned PCs in the past and hated reinstalling windows when it started running badly twice a year.
- Virus protection required.
Feel free to add or if you have any advice or experiences with a similar dillema!
Honestly, I'm leaning toward the MBP retina.... or maybe I'll await an iMac refresh!
Thanks so much!

Answer 1

If your a online competitive 3D gamer, you need to see this.
http://www.cbscores.com/index.php?sort=ogl&order=desc
Malware comes from the Internet, web sites, email and traded files.
Keep the Win 7 PC off of those only for updates/gaming and it runs like a champ, you only use it long enough to boot the games anyway.
Win 7 has System Restore disks, burn a few DVD's and you can restore from that if your machine ever gets hosed.
Microsoft Security Essentials is free, and good enough to keep you safe.
Windows has all the games anyway and you need to keep your Windows skills up as employers use Windows.
Now for your personal/portable/Internet use you can slim down to a MacBook Air, the 13" MBP is rather hot bugger.
If you need to see the screen well, then the 15" anti-glare. The glossy ones are hard on the eyes.
If you can't spring for a Windows gaming tower where you can switch the video card for a new one (try that on a Mac ha!) then get a $250 PS3, inexpensive, powerful and plenty of people online willing to play. It also doubles as a DVD and BlueRay player, media center (upload your pictures, music and videos) to watch on your large screen HDTV.
Another benefit of the PS3, you can get Netflix streaming unlimited for $8 a month. Watch just about anything anytime.
With the PS3, it's a hardware level playing field. Your not going to get your head sniped off because your video card is weak and can't render distance in detail.
However you will need a fast reliable Internet connection for anything now even for reinstalling OS X, no shared dorm malwre infected mess. So that's $60 a month or so plus a $99 dual band router with 5Ghz for the gaming.
Have fun with your choices.