Upgraded standard macbook pro vs base macbook pro with retina?

So I'm getting a new Macbook pro for college and the two I'm looking at are about the same price with different benefits. I'm looking for a versatile computer for everything I will do in college. I dont run any super intense photo programs or video editors, I just game and am a standard user. Also I plan on running bootcamp and playing some games on the computer. It's between:
-a Macbook Pro with retina display
    base specs of 8gb RAM and 2.3ghz processor and I would also buy an external optical drive
     The only Cons are that im not sure if 256gb SSD is enough for boot camp and everything i would be doing
-Macbook Pro Standard 15in
   2.6ghz processor and 8gb RAM
   750gb HDD 7200rpm
The price comes out to about the same so im really torn between a retina/portability vs 2.6ghz processor and optical/ethernet
so basically    2.6ghz vs. 2.3ghz       and        750gb HDD vs 256 SSD
any help?

If you are going to load a lot of Windows games, your would probably need the larger HD. If you are using it primarily for school work, internet then 256 SSD is probably enough. I have a Windows partition on the retina version with 256 SSD, and have 140 GB remaining free. But I do not game and use Windows only for Quicken. If you are a student and are going to be carrying around your computer a lot, you might appreciate the lighter weight of the MBP with retina display. However, other poster are correct, there is no upgrade path with either MBP.

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Will a mac pro 13 inch come out with retina display

will macbook pro 13 inch come out with retina display

Possibly. Possibly not.
We are just users who are not let in on Apple's big plans.
We also try not to discuss unannounced Apple products, as Apple has asked.

Macbook Pro 13" with Retina Display for Photography work

Hi All,
I'm looking at buying a Macbook Pro 13" with Retina Display with the following specs.
2.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz
8GB 1600MHz memory
256GB PCIe-based flash storage
Intel Iris Graphics
Built-in battery (9 hours)
I need to use this mainly to edit RAW images as I'm a photographer and will be using this whilst onsite during a photoshoot. I have been advised that due to the graphics card, when using software like Photoshop, the laptop might slow down as it won't be able to handle the large files.
The only one that has a good graphics card is the MacBook Pro 15-inch: 2.5GHz with Retina display - with the following specs.
2.5GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
Turbo Boost up to 3.7GHz
16GB 1600MHz memory
512GB PCIe-based flash storage
Intel Iris Pro Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M with 2GB
My issue with this model is the size and most of all the price. it costs 1000 more than the 13". Have any of you had the chance to use photoshop on the 13" version and how did you find it?
Thanks

Go step by step and test.
1. Reset SMC.     http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3964
    Choose the method for:
    "Resetting SMC on portables with a battery you should not remove on your own"
2.Reset PRAM. http://support.apple.com/kb/PH4405
If this does not help, you have to take the computer to the Apple store to
have it checked out.
Best.

Upgrading to Leopard From Tiger for MacBook Pro

I am currently using a MacBook Pro with the following specs:
Model Name: MacBook Pro 15"
Model Identifier: MacBookPro1,1
Processor Name: Intel Core Duo
Processor Speed: 1.83 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache (per processor): 2 MB
Memory: 1 GB
Bus Speed: 667 MHz
Boot ROM Version: MBP11.0055.B08
SMC Version: 1.2f10
Serial Number: W8613HYEVJ0
Sudden Motion Sensor:
State: Enabled
====================================
I have read about the new features in Leopard and would like to have them. At the same time I have read about dissatisfied user reviews about Leopard, mainly from non-Intel based Mac users. So I started this topic hoping to get an answer whether it is worthwhile for me to upgrade to Leopard as soon as possible, or wait til Apple releases more patches for Leopard to iron out the problems?

Sorry about the complexity, but my purpose for the work I did, and the way I did it was to safely upgrade a nicely running Tiger installation to Leopard, with minimum downtime incase things went badly.
The MBP internal drive that Apple uses is only 5400RPM and can't transfer data to boot the operating system or applications as fast as almost any drive in a PowerMac. Even with the ram maxed out, I was not getting all the performance from Tiger that a comparable PowerMac with the same CPU and video could get. Almost all modern PC's and Macs use 7200RPM (or faster) drives which can access and transfer data about 25% faster.
I decided to install Leopard to an external FW800 drive. I used an external drive because I didn't want damage my perfectly good running Tiger installation on the Laptop. I used FW800 because it is presently the fasted port on the Mac that supports booting. eSATA cards are available, but none of them guarantee booting.
I had already tested running applications from both drives by copying the WinXP hard drive file for Parallels and timing the launch from both drives. The external drive was at least 25% faster to boot Windows, and launch other large programs like Photoshop and GoLive.
So, I bought a 500GB newerTechnology miniStack V3 FW800/USB2/eSATA drive. This covers all the bases, Mac and PC, and will be useful for many purposes over the coming years. Who knows, Apple may support booting from eSATA on my next Mac and this drive can run even faster.
I installed Leopard to the new drive a couple of times. First, a clean install with none of my files transferred. This worked perfectly as far as all the hardware compatibility, and applications including TM worked perfectly.
Then I installed Leopard again and imported my applications and settings. This led to a couple of problems that were fixed with a couple of software updates and I fine tuned TM to a degree.
During the next 2 or 3 weeks, I only had to boot back to Tiger on the internal drive 3 times (out of the office).
Once I had a seemingly nice running installation of Leopard with all the updates and Time Machine tested as working well, I decided to clone my old Tiger installation onto an older slower USB 2 drive by using SuperDuper. I booted off of the clone to make sure it was good to go and then set that drive off to the side. It will get used for other projects in a few months, so no money wasted.
I installed Leopard onto the internal drive and imported my settings and files from the external drive. I made sure the system runs and the applications and files I need are available while out of the office.
What I ended up with, is a significantly faster Mac when working in the office with a second monitor helping the workflow, and a fresh, tested Leopard installation running Parallels and WinXP while on the road. When I bring the laptop back in from a field visit I boot from the internal drive and run TM if there has been many changes, then reboot back onto the external drive to do my normal work. I only leave the office with this MBP a day or so a week, and do almost all of my production work at the office on the faster drive.
Win/Win - if you need to spend money for an external drive, get the most out of it you can. In this case, I was also able to ensure that if my MBP is stolen, or hacked while in the field, my personal and financial records would not be on the Laptop.
OK, fingers tired...

Is the 13 inch base Macbook Pro Enough for me?

Hi, i am entering college in the fall and am wondering whether the base 13 inch macbook pro is enough for my needs. i have a very tight budget.. I will most likely carry this around 5 days a week, but i do want to dabble in a little photo/video/audio editing as well. I have a midrange dslr that i love to shoot photos and videos with, and i am starting to get into home recording audio, with an audio interface running mics drums and guitars. i am wondering if the base macbook pro is enough to handle all that i throw to it. i come from an old hp with a core 2 duo processor, 4 gigs of ram and a 500gb hard drive but it is having quite a hard time with all the editing id like to do. what do you guys think?

Hey Chris,
i think the best decision you can do is that you buy the cheaper 13'' MBP and Upgrade it to 8 GB of RAM plus you buy a SSD and built it in yourself (if u have the know-how). If not there are Special Services from authorised resellers Where you can bring your SSD and Pay about 40€ for Installation (that's the way ist is Here in Germany). And until fall a 256 Gb SSD will probably Cost 170€ or less (in $ it Should be much cheaper)
Greetings from Europe
An don't forget Apples Prices for Students. With them
You will Save a Few bucks ;)

I have a MacBook Pro , Model Identifier MacBook Pro8,2 , MAC OX S 10.7.4. Question 1: Does this model have a PCI Express slot? Question 2: Can I upgrade my USB2 port in this laptop to a USB3 port? Appreciate your help & advice..

I have a MacBook Pro , Model Identifier MacBook Pro8,2 , MAC OX S 10.7.4.
Question 1: Does this model have a PCI Express slot?
Question 2: Can I upgrade my USB2 port in this laptop to a USB3 port?
Appreciate your help & advice..

No & no.

HT1338 when i try and upgrade my macbook pro with retina i get an error message that is not compatible

when i try and upgrade the OS on my new macbook with retina i get an error message that it is not compatable

Hello, i have the same problem i have my brand new MacBook Pro retina display with mountain lion, but i can´t upgrade any app or installing from App Store, because all that app are compatible with 10.8.2 and not with 10.8.1 i ´ve been downloaded the upgrade from this link http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1581?viewlocale=es_ES, and i try to install it and they said that my Hard Disk is not compatible with this software. ***!!!! is the last new machine and i can´t upgrade!!!! please i need a solution, or a link whatever. i tried to re-install the mountain lion and is the same problem, today at the afternoon i will try with my time machine hard drive to see what happened beacuse in my ex macbook air 2012 i have the last O.S.

Since upgrading to mountain lion on my macbook pro, i cannot email photos from iphoto.

Since upgrading to mountain lion on my macbook pro, i cannot email photos from iphoto.
i can select the picture but when sending it, an error symbol appears.
Any ideas ?

This doesn't work for me at all. I tried entering exactly the same information that I used to set up my regular email account and I'm still getting an error message. I even tried switching to using my gmail account and neither one worked. Then it got hung up and had to repair my database! I have a lot of photos on my Mac (thank goodness they're backed up) and I was really sweating it for a moment.
Apple is so easy until it's not. I find this to be really aggrevating and I'm irritated that it hasn't been fixed. In fact I did an online search and someone described this same problem in detail and it was exactly what was happening to me. Same error messages.
I'm frustrated that Apple keeps updating it's operating system and then we go through these glitches.
And while I'm at it, I have never had such a frustrating time using my login information as I have to get into this forum! Why do they make it so difficult? There's just something about the way it's worded that get's me messed up every time. Meanwhile, at least get iPhoto fixed!

Please, help! After upgrading to Yosemite, my dock has disappeared, along with the dashboard and the wallpaper! Can anyone help? I'm using a MacBook Pro, retina, bought it last year.

Please, help!
After upgrading to Yosemite, my dock has disappeared, along with the dashboard and the wallpaper! Can anyone help? I'm using a MacBook Pro, retina, bought it last year.
Thanks

Have you been trying to download from the app store? Did you get a message?
As a suggestion, you might go to an Apple store (genius bar appointment) for help. As far as I know, there should be no charge.
Barry

I have a MacBook Pro 15" laptop with Retina running OSX 10.8.5. It will not recognize that my android device (Samsung Galaxy Note3). I am using the standard USB that came out of the box to connect my device to my MAC. Deleted Kies 4 MAC. Help Pls!

I have a MacBook Pro 15" laptop with Retina running OSX 10.8.5. It will not recognize that my android device (Samsung Galaxy Note3). I am using the standard USB that came out of the box to connect my device to my MAC. Deleted Kies 4 MAC. Help Pls!

Dee002 wrote:
MacBook's only have 2.0 USB ports.
Wrong.
If you're not going to provide correct advice then don't repsond at all.
http://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/specs-retina/

HT4718 I recently upgrade my OS and now my MacBook Pro will not boot up

I recently upgrade my OS and now my MacBook Pro will not boot up

Reinstall Lion, Mountain Lion, or Mavericks without erasing drive
Boot to the Recovery HD:
Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.
Repair
When the recovery menu appears select Disk Utility. After DU loads select your hard drive entry (mfgr.'s ID and drive size) from the the left side list. In the DU status area you will see an entry for the S.M.A.R.T. status of the hard drive. If it does not say "Verified" then the hard drive is failing or failed. (SMART status is not reported on external Firewire or USB drives.) If the drive is "Verified" then select your OS X volume from the list on the left (sub-entry below the drive entry,) click on the First Aid tab, then click on the Repair Disk button. If DU reports any errors that have been fixed, then re-run Repair Disk until no errors are reported. If no errors are reported then click on the Repair Permissions button. When the process is completed, then quit DU and return to the main menu. Select Restart from the Apple menu.
Reinstall Mountain Lion or Mavericks
OS X Mavericks- Reinstall OS X
OS X Mountain Lion- Reinstall OS X
Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet
if possible because it is three times faster than wireless.

I just upgraded from my 2008 MacBook to a new Macbook Pro. How do I get my time capsule to work on my new MacBook? I did data migration, but the time capsule did not pick it up. Any ideas?

I just upgraded from my 2008 MacBook to a new Macbook Pro. How do I get my time capsule to work on my new MacBook? I did data migration, but the time capsule did not pick it up. Any ideas?

If you migrated all the info from time machine to your new MBP. The TM will usually ask to connect to the old backups.. sorry I am not sure is this what you want to do.. Personally I think you start a fresh backup.
BTW Time Capsule does not do anything.. it is a dumb hard disk in a box.. it is TM that does everything.
Look at B5 and B6 here about connecting to your backup.
http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html

I have a MacBook pro version 10.6.7 with snow leopard. After an scheduled software upgrade I could not open Quicken (It said it could not open the files). Now I can only open it if I have my external drive on. Can you help?

I have a MacBook pro version 10.6.7 with snow leopard. After an scheduled software upgrade I could not open Quicken (It said it could not open the files). Now I can only open it if I have my external drive on. Can you help?
All the information that I had input on Quicken is gone. I have to have the external hard drive that I use to back up to be able to use quicken now. It is as if it was erased from the laptop hardrive

Try repairing permissions. My favorite way is with a utility called AppleJack. Info and download here. It's free. It only works when you boot in Single User Mode. When restarting or booting, hold down the Command key and S keys.
You will get a very different startup screen that looks like the Terminal app has hijacked the screen. Just let the lines of text scroll by. When that happens you will get a text entry prompt. Type in "AppleJack" without the quotation marks.
A DOS looking menu will appear. Choose 1 or d to run Disk Repair. If you get a message that Disk Repair found and corrected errors, run it again. Repeat until you get the "your disk appears to be ok" message. This rarely happens with my experience, though. This does the same thing as as booting from an external drive and running Disk Utility's repair. Only, no external drive is required!
Next, choose 2 or p to repair disk permissions. This will take a little while. AppleJack warns that it will take up to an half hour to run repair permissions. It'n never taken more than about ten minutes for my MacBook Pro.
As permissions are repaired, you will see each repair scroll on the screen. When done, the menu returns, choose q to quit. Then at the prompt, enter "exit" without the quotes. Your MacBook Pro should restart into Mac OS normally after this.
Hope this helps.

Can I upgrade the solid-state drive in a MacBook Pro with retina display after purchase?

There used to be an option to upgrade the solid-state drive when configuring a MacBook Pro on the Apple Store online, but it is now gone. This makes me wonder if Apple's SSDs are built into the computer like the RAM is. So, is it possible to upgrade the SSD later? I don't want to pay so much more to upgrade everything else, so I'd love it if it's possible to just upgrade the SSD later. Thanks!

You will void the warranty. Here are the available post purchase upgrades. http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/OWC/Air-Retina/Apple-MacBook-Pro-Retina-2012- Drive-Internal-Flash
You should order it with as much storage as you can afford rather than doing a post purchase upgrade because of the warranty being voided.
Message was edited by: BobTheFisherman Sorry. I just noticed I posted the link to a 2012 retina flash upgrade.
Here you go http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/SSDAP12R480/
Read the specs carefully to ensure this will work for the model Macbook Pro you are getting.

Selling macbook Pro 2011. It came with Lion, I upgraded to mountain Lion and Mavericks. Can license be transfer to new owner? how?

selling macbook Pro 2011. It came with Lion, I upgraded to mountain Lion and Mavericks. Can license be transfer to new owner? how?

Good question now that Mavericks is free to all.
It used to be - and is probably still the case - that to comply with the license you should erase and re-install the OS that came pre-installed on the Mac when new. If there were restore disks they needed to be passed on with the Mac.
I'm happy to be corrected on this by someone who's more au fait with the legalese, but an upgraded OS is tied to an AppleID whereas the original OS is tied to the computer, not an AppleID.
My guess is, that if you launched the Recovery HD, erased the drive using Disk Utility and re-installed the OS, Lion would be installed.
Be interesting to see what others say.

Upgraded standard macbook pro vs base macbook pro with retina?

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