Should I buy the 13' non retina MacBook Pro or the RMbP

I am looking forward to buying a new MacBook Pro this year, but I am having a hard time choosing between the newer retina base model of the MacBook Pro or the older (2012) non retina MacBook Pro. I would use the laptop for non heavy gaming, web browsing, and creating documents for school. What would be better in the long run? I know that the newer retina is non upgradable but would the 128ssd and the 4gb of ram would still be good for a couple more years?

Personally, I would spend the extra $$ and get the 13" with 8GB of RAM and 256GB Flash Storage. I bought my daughter an early 13" Retina with 8GB of RAM and 128GB Flash Storage of which she only has ~27GB left. She'll be needing an upgraded Flash Storage (OWC) soon if she doesn't offload some files to an external drive. Her rMBP is not the PCIe flash storage.

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Can you install 16gbs of ram in a 2012/2013 non retina macbook pro?

the newest non retina macbook pro on the apple website. the reason im asking is that apple only offers 4gbs and 8gbs. does apple not sell 16gbs of ram on the macbook because of price or does the computer not support it? im getting the 2.9GHz dual-core intel core i7 btw thanks for the help.

According to this usually-reliable source, two @ 8GB will work:
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/specs/macbook-pro-core-i7-2.9- 13-mid-2012-unibody-usb3-specs.html

Non-Retina Macbook Pro Vs. Refurbished Early 2013 Retina Macbook Pro

Hey guys,
Im currently shopping around for a new laptop as I start University Monday and still have not decided on a Macbook. I originally thought I'd be completely fine purchasing a Non Retina Macbook Pro with student pricing at $999. I was ready to purchase it when I found myself gaining more interest in the Retina version, which seems to be better in every possible way except hard drive space, as well as the obvious difference in price. I feel as is 128GB will be not nearly enough, and the 256GB is $1500 at student pricing, which after tax will be way out of my budget. I've narrowed it down to two choices really, the Newest Non Retina Macbook Pro 13 inch $999, and a Refurbished February 2013 Retina Macbook Pro 13 inch, Non iris and 256 GB.
http://store.apple.com/ca/product/FE...retina-Display
There's the link for it... I guess I'm simply just asking for your opinions guys. My laptop will be used for Internet Browsing, Watching shows, Simple Movie editing, Music, and the occasional low requirement gaming (League of Legends).
One of my concerns is also Resale.. I believe by 2-4 Years I will want to sell my macbook, and Im not sure anyone will even want to purchase a non retina by then, or the value will just plummet.
Also, is the difference in hardware that crazy between the Earlier Retina and current non retina? I know the current retina blows the non retina out of the water, but Im not sure about the early 2013 retina.
I've been saying retina too much lately...
Anyways, let me know what you think guys
Thanks !

First let me address the issue of refurbished MBPs. Same warranty and telephone support as a new one. I have done this three times and will also probably do it next time. In every instance there have been NO detectable cosmetic flaws.
The rertina's fast performance to large extent is due to the SSD storage. Install a SSD in a conventional MBP and you will achieve similar results. The difference in performance between the 2013 and the current models will be slight. You would barely notice and difference in normal light resource applications. My personal feeling is that storage capacity is more important that CPU speed and even RAM. External HDDs are for backups, not for storing data because of storage limitations on the computer (if possible). When I go mobile, I do not want to take an external HDD with me.
Games on any MBP are not going to be a top notch experience. They do not excel in that department.
Ciao.

Seems like non retina macbook pro is more expensive than retina macbook pro!

MacBook Pro 15-inch 2.6 GHz is $2,299.00 with the Antiglare Widescreen Display now. If I wanna upgrade it with Crucial 16GB kit ($80) and 256GB Crucial m4 2.5" SSD with Data Transfer Kit ($220) it's gonna coast $2,599.00 all together. On the other hand, with the base Retina version with the upgrades (2.6 GHz, 16GB) from Apple It only coasts 2,499.00. I even save $100 for my external DVD burner if I want to get one. Most people say on this forum non retina is cheaper than retina MAcbook pro but I couldn't figure it out how please tell me if I am missing anything!
I have been looking for most discussions in this forum about retina and non retina Macbook pro. Most people think that upgrading is the biggest issue with the Retina Macbook pro but can we upgrade the non retina version more than 16GB? if we can't it's not an issue. With the SDD I guess we can go with the external ones if we really need one and I assume that external SSD's are going to get cheaper in the time too or we can get external USB3 / Thunderbolt hard drives. I just decided to purchase one of these Macbook pro and started looking for more information online to figure out which one is better but I got more confused because the numbers say the Retina is cheaper and upgrading is not that big of a deal but most people who know about Apple products more than me on this forum say non Retina is cheaper and it can be upgraded after purchasing it.
I might be wrong with my thoughts but I need some info about upgrading. What rigs can I upgrade with the non retina Macbook pro?
(Only RAM and Hard drive or more than that?) I would like to know your thoughts and advises too?
Thanks for your help!
I am thinking of getting one of these for video editing (Final cut pro X)!

Yep, the only things that you can upgrade on the non-Retina models is the RAM and the HD/SSD. I'm assuming that your calculations are correct, so you've just got to decide if you want to the Retina display model or not. For me, there have been too many issues with the Retina models to buy one just now - but I'm sure that there are a lot of happy Retina owners out there - we only hear from those having problems.
Clinton

Non-retina MacBook Pro advice

Hi, I need your advice concerning a non-retina MacBook Pro 15".
I have a 5 years old MacBook Pro 15 (not unibody), upgraded with RAM and SSD. It's working fine but I would have to spend about 300€ to replace battery and fix another little problem. Again, the Mac is working fine and I'm pretty satisifed with it.
Anyway, a friend who is also a certified apple tech suggested me to go for a new one.
Being a significantly investment (around 2000€), I'd like to know your opinion about the retina vs non retina models.
He told me to go for the non-retina because:
- I already own a Sata3 SSD which can be installed on the new one
- save the money I would spend for my actual mac to get the high res antiglare option
- get the firewire and superdrive
- easy ram upgrade
- slightly cheaper
- it should serve another 5 years time frame
What about it?
My main field is web development, CS6, audio production, office and common daily stuff.
One last question. Since the latest update was in June 2012, is it worth to wait for a 2013 model?
Thank you very much!

The jury is still out on the retina display for the premium one has to pay. Personally, I would examine what is available in the refurbished section. The pricing is more favorable and you get essentially new MBPs with the same warranty and Apple support as virgin new ones.
If cutting edge performance is your preference, do wait for the next generation when ever that will be. I on the other hand went 'backwards' and recently bought a late 2011 MBP. The principle reason being that I wanted the 17" display. It may not have all of the latest 'speed' options but I find it to be an excellent machine.
I also have a 2006 Core Duo and it works perfectly within the constraints of the installed hardware. It is noticeably slower in certain situations compared to the newer MBPs but unless one's requirements are for really heavy duty applications, it is more than adequate.
Determine what your real needs are and what features are really required and go from there Try to extinguish emotion in your selection and do an impartial cost benefit analysis.
Ciao.

Hello i just bought the new 15'' retina macbook pro and i also own logic pro9. how do i transfer logic to my new macbook?

hello i just bought the new 15'' retina macbook pro and i also own logic pro9. how do i transfer logic to my new macbook?
do i have to some how ask apple to send me a download link? will apple try to get me to buy another copy?
thanks for your reply.

openlampost wrote:
... im thinking that i need to download it from apple ...
The only way to do that is to Purchase it from the Mac App Store.
openlampost wrote:
... i bought the boxed set logic 9 as an upgrade from logic express9 ... i simply installed logic using dvd drive. ...
In that case... Install it on your New Mac using the Disc(s) and have all your Serial Numbers handy in case you are asked for them during the Install.
After the successful install... run Software Update to get any and all Updates... Then Restart your Mac and you should be good to go.
PS:
Make sure your MBPr is connected to the Mains for this Long process...

Can i expand the SSD on my late 2012 Retina Macbook Pro from the current 128GB to 256GB or more

Can i expand the SSD on my late 2012 Retina Macbook Pro from the current 128GB to 256GB or more?

You can look here to see if they have anything available for your model, but be advised even opening a Retina voids the warranty.
www.macsales.com

HT1947 Can I control the volume of my MacBook Pro with the remote app on my IPhone or IPad?

Can I control the volume of my MacBook Pro with the remote app on my IPhone or IPad?

Welcome to the Apple Community.
To an extent yes. You can't control the master volume, but tou can turn the volume up and down, up to the maximum set manually on your computer.

I make changes on the calendar of my MacBook Pro but the changes do not take and revert to what the entry was prior.

For the past week or so, I have made changes to the calendar on my MacBook Pro. The changes do not "stick" on my MacBook calendar and do not sync with any other device (iPhone or iPad). I just can't figure this out. Anyone have any suggestions?

By everything, I am assuming you have tried resetting the SMC (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964) and PRAM (http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1379). If you haven't tried this yet, please do!
See the following support document as well: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1367.
The update you're talking about was the firmware update. Hopefully resetting the PRAM gets you up and running. Try resetting it 3 times in a row (hold the keys down until you hear 3 startup chimes).
Message was edited by: adamb529

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

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

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.

Will upgrading the nVidia driver in Windows 7 on my Retina MacBook Pro eliminate the ability for Windows to scale resolutions?

Got my Retina MacBook Pro a couple days ago, and at first after installing Windows 7 the resolutions scaled fine. I imagine that the issue started after updating the nVidia drivers to the latest (313.95 beta at the time) and now my resolutions no longer scale, they show as an IPS monitor normally would; at actual size relative to the native resolution.
Can anyone offer any insight? 2880x1800 looks awesome... but I need the resolution to scale.

I solved the issue. Upgrading the nVidia drivers doesn't make any difference except to optimize the graphics card more and more. There are scaling settings in the nVidia control panel that affect the scaling (or lack thereof) when switching resolutions.
nVidia Control Panel > Display Heading > Adjust Desktop Size and Position > Set Scaling Mode to "Full-Screen"
I highly recommend upgrading the nVidia drivers however, especially if you're a gamer, the optimizations they add each driver update can make some dramatic improvements.

My non retina macbook pro mid 2012 will read the display its connected to but does not display anything at all

Hi there,
I have a macbook pro mid 2012 non retina display and i tried using an external display for it. I hooked it up and the screen blacked out and turned back on like normal and the computer itself was reading that the display was there. The only problem is that on the display itself there is no image of the macbook being displayed. im using a thunderbolt to vga connector and all the connection check out the only problem is the display. the display works on my other macbook that i have just fine i dont understand why it wouldnt work on this new one. Keep in mind i have had this computer for only 5 days.
Thanks in Advance

Hi, cubingcouple.
Thank you for visiting Apple Support Communities.
I understand that your MacBook is not working with your external display. display shows a blank screen. Here is the best troubleshooting resource to go through when experiencing these symptoms.
Apple computers: Troubleshooting issues with video on internal or external displays
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT201177
Cheers,
Jason H.

New 2012 non retina MacBook Pro disk replacement

Hi Guys,
I'm attempting to replace my disk in my new MBP 2012 non retina. I have a really nice solid state disk that I was using in my older MBP, and I want to use that in my new one.
I've tried a couple things, and still can't seem to get it to boot to it though. Latest was to boot with Command -R and go to Lion Recovery and choose Install Lion 10.7.4 to my solid state disk plugged into USB. That seems to have copied files over to it, but does not want to boot to it. When I choose it, I see Lion install disk, but then just get the "no disk" icon.
I'm assuming I can boot to this USB disk. I don't want to take it all apart again and plug the solid state in to the mother board until I know it will work.
My next step is to do a disk util and wipe the Solid state and then try to install again using Lion Recovery.
Are there any tips I'm missing here? The Lion I have from the App store when I launch it, I get an error about not supported version.

try this. see if it sorts it out for you.
keep your ssd plugged in the USB.
open up disk utility. format/erase using Mac OS extended journaled.
once that's done, open carbon copy - free download if you don't have it.
start cloning your drive to your ssd. you will get a pop up message saying a lion recovery partition wasn't created. Create one with carbon copy.
Proceed to clone your drive. Once that's done, you can do a test boot buy selecting your ssd as your start up drive.
Once it boots up, install it in your macbook. Power up and you should be back in business.
One more thing, sometimes you have to select your SSD as your start up drive if you get issues.

I want to buy a 15 inch retina MacBook Pro what configruation do I need?

I would like to buy a 15 inch MacBook Pro with Retina display but can't decide on a confiruation to get. Here are the things I do on my computer
Use all of the pre-loaded apps Mail, Safari, etc.
Download more from the Mac App Store
Import pictures from my iPhone 5 and iPad 4 and edit them in Aperture
Use iLife and iWork
My budget is around $2600
I will either customize it so it cost less than $2600 or just buy the standard $2199 model.
Please let me know what you all think as to what configuration I should buy!
This will be to replace my 17 inch MacBook Pro from April 2010 whitch has a 2.53GHz Intel Dual-Core i5 processor, 4GB 1067MHz RAM, 500GB Hard Drive

If I were configuring a Retina model, I would make sure that I ordered the maximum 16GB of RAM and the 512GB solid state storage. If that's $2,600, then go for it.
Through MacMall, that configuration is $3,183.99. But I think that it would be worth it.
Good luck,
Clinton

Best deal for Non-Retina Macbook Pro?

I'm looking to buy a new Macbook Pro (Non-Retina) in the next month or two, and I've narrowed it down to these three options.
http://www.amazon.com/Apple-MacBook-MD101LL-13-3-Inch-VERSION/dp/B0074703CM/ref= zg_bs_16368311_1
http://store.apple.com/us_edu_307542/cart
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/macbook_pro/13
Which one of these pages offers me the best bang for my buck? I currently am using a Sony that's about a year old. It has 8 GB of RAM, an I5 2410M at 2.30 GHz, and Intel HD Graphics 3000, It's a 14.4 inch screen. I use it for gaming, watching and streaming movies, word processing and productivity, and internet browsing. I'd prefer to have 8GB of RAM in the new computer.
Looking to keep cost below $1300-$1400

phantom_tran wrote:
Honestly, I have some money to spend, and I might like to get a new laptop to play with. I've never had a Mac either. Just looking around.
OK. It was just that the one you had seemed like a decent machine already.
The prices seem so close that I would be inclined to go with the refurb i7 / 8GB RAM / 750GB storage model. But all the models have more CPU and disk space than you need for the tasks you listed, except maybe gaming where Macs are usually weak because of the graphics card. But I guess since you had an Intel 3000 graphics card the 4000 isn't a step back.
You can also save money by getting one of the 4GB RAM models and putting in a cheap non-Apple RAM upgrade yourself, ordering it from a place like OWC:
MacBook Pro 2012 upgrades
One note about Apple. I wouldn't buy refurbs from most companies, but the Apple refurb program is top-notch. They are like new, and come with a full warranty. I've had Apple refurbs that were 100% reliable, and "new" models I paid full price for that needed warranty service.

Should I buy the 13' non retina MacBook Pro or the RMbP

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