What to buy: MBP (non-retina) 2.3ghz or 2.6ghz

hello
i'm going to study architecture this year and I need a new laptop.
I'm not sury what to take:
The MBP (non-retina) 2.3ghz (and upgrade the ram to 8 by myself) or the 2.6ghz?
is the 2.6ghz worth the extra money
Please help me! (i'm sorry for my bad english)

dbainbridge wrote:
The last two macs I upgraded the RAM myself and both times I was sent bad memory.
You didn't buy from a good source.
Crucial.com is Micron, they make the memory and it's heavily tested beforehand, so it's top tier RAM they sell, also Apple buys it.
I've upgraded dozens of machines and not once has Crucial RAM failed and required a replacement.
The RAM that one gets from other places is often second tier RAM, so the middle man makes a buck but your more likely to get bad RAM.
And if you shop bargin basement, your almost sure to get crappy RAM.

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I currently purchased a Mid-2012 Macbook Pro Non Retina. Model ID: MacBookPro9,2.(i7, 2.9 GHz)
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"I thought the non Retina MBPs were still connected via a SATA connection. "
That is correct and that is why I was recommending that people buy that 2012 MBP non Retina that Apple was selling until just recently. Having the SATA connection while slower than PCIe allowed you more flexibility in purchasing upgraded drives.
"I currently purchased a Mid-2012 Macbook Pro Non Retina"
So you bought one of these? Be aware that if you modify the laptop in any way your warranty will be void unless the work is done by an Apple approved tech if Apple becomes aware of it.
That said you could put a 480 SSD from OWC:
http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/SSD/OWC/Mercury_6G/
That can be had for $229 currently.
I'd be wary of installing a Samsung in there because of problems like this:
Samsung 850 EVO in Early '11 MBP
A lot of people are running that drive just fine but now and then....
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Non-Retina v.s. Retina.

Hi i bet there is bunch of questions like this, so sorry for asking.
i'm travling to USA in a few days and I thought of buying a portable laptop, in that case a macbook pro. but the problem is that i can't decide if i'm going to for a retina or a non-retina desplay. My travel in USA would just for 9 months and would be living on a budget. So the the whole thing has somthing to do with what i could afford. but on the other hand it is very likely that i'm going to study and work more with photography next year. Investing in a decent computer could be a good investment.
i'm going to use it mostly for photograpy, lightroom and photoshop but also for som writing and some futher adventures, so it need to be suitable for travels.
Is the Retina display worth the price of not having the option to upgrade?
Alternatives.
1.Non-retina $2,348.00
macbook pro 15"
2.3GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz
8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GB
500GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
MacBook Pro 15-inch Hi-Res Antiglare Widescreen Display
Backlit Keyboard (English) & User's Guide (English)
AppleCare Protection Plan for MacBook Pro - Auto-enroll
2.Non-retina $2,648.00
2.6GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz
8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GB
750GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm
SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
MacBook Pro 15-inch Hi-Res Antiglare Widescreen Display
Backlit Keyboard (English) & User's Guide (English)
AppleCare Protection Plan for MacBook Pro - Auto-enroll
3. Retina $2,648.00
2.6GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz
8GB 1600MHz DDR3L SDRAM
256GB Flash Storage
Backlit Keyboard (English) & User's Guide (English)
AppleCare Protection Plan for MacBook Pro - Auto-enroll
Thank you

Get the first one in your list.
I own a Retina Macbook Pro and let me tell you, Photoshop is much better in the non Retina Screen - kinda blurry since Photoshop doesn't have Retina support and i'm not sure when Adobe is going to release an update to support the Retina Screen. Don't get me wrong - it's a nice screen for viewing pictures and watching movies - totally different when you're editing pictures.
Also remember that once you decide to upgrade the RAM, you can't do that in the Retina.
1 and 2 will do the job just fine - if you're on a budget as you mentioned - 1 will do just fine for you.
good luck

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MacBook Pro

You're most welcome, Bacon.
I know you'll love your new MBP.
This is my 2nd, and they're just wonderful.

What to buy: MBP (non-retina) 2.3ghz or 2.6ghz

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