Which 15" macbook pro?

I'm going to buy a new macbook pro tomorrow but still unsure as to which to get.... with or without retina?!
I am not a very heavy user so specifications don't bother me too much, looking at base models of either macbook. My concern is that if I buy the standard now then non-retina may well become obsolete in coming years and then the re-sale value (if I do) will be alot lower. Have heard lots about image retention and flagging of programs/website on retina too.
Is 256GB flash storage on the retina enough for someone who is a non-work/heavy user of the macbook?
Just very confused.... my head says standard MBP but heart says shiny new retina! Any advice?

Don't buy a computer based on potential resale value in the future. Buy based on what your needs are today and what you can reasonably foresee. Don't get caught up in the retina display hype. The 15" MacBook Pro (with the upgraded display) has a beautiful display. And, if you ever use an external display (HD TV for example) you won't benefit from the retina display anyway.
Oh, and any computer will be obsolete in a few years. The real question you have to answer is whether or not it will be "obsolete" for your needs. I doubt that you will be dissappointed with the standard MacBook Pro.

Similar Messages

I have a Lacie hard drive which my Macbook pro doesn't recognise any ideas why and can I solve this problem?

I have a Lacie external hard drive which my Macbook Pro doesn't recognise is there a soloution to this as I have work files that I need to access? Thanks

Hi..
Open the Finder. From the Finder menu bar top of your screen click Finder > Preferences > General
Make sure: External disks is selecteed.

The software i use to play video cause for multi display in which my Macbook pro has only a single display. Is theres a way to get a multi display added to to my computer

The software i use to play dj music videos cause for multi disply in which my Macbook pro has a single display funtion. Is the ant way to get multi monitor display added to my computer

If the monitor can be detected your Displays preferences should show it in its Arrangement panel. You may have to play around with your Display panel to get the desired resolution. And also may have to click detect displays and gather windows to see both sets of preferences on your main screen.

Which new MacBook Pro is best for a graphic design student?

Hi there, I was just wondering if anyone could give me some advice on which new MacBook Pro to get. I'm a graphic design student who would like to be able to use Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator at the same time, while also web browsing (I tend to have a million windows open). I won't be using the computer for any video work or heavy gaming.
Here's what I do know: I'd like the retina display, and I need the 8GB of memory (do I need more?). Other than that, I'm not too sure about what specifications I need. I'm not super knowledgeable about all of this, so apologies if these are very elementary questions. Any help would be much, much appreciated. Here are my main questions:
1. Would you recommend getting the quad core i7, or is i5 fine? For i5, do I need to pay attention to the difference between 2.4GHz and 2.6GHz?
2. What exactly is PCle-based flash storage, and would you recommend 256GB or 512GB?
3. What's the difference between Intel Iris Pro and Intel Iris?
Thanks so much!

1) Depending on which software you'll be using most of the times a quad core has more benefits (since it's more future proof). Not all software supports multiple cores (and thus rendering the extra cores of the quad "useless" if it's not supported).
2) PCI-e is what we use in desktops to attach for example a graphic card. Previous hard drives used a cable to connect it with the motherboard (in the old days we used IDE, now recent hardware uses SATA3). Basically because it's directly connected to your motherboard (there's more to it but to keep it simple) this will allow it to read and write faster from and to it. (Double the speeds of your regular SSD)
3) I reckon (haven't checked into it) that the base core speeds are clocked higher on the Iris Pro and probably has more dedicated ram to it.
What a graphical student wants would be most likely a quad core CPU with a dedicated graphics card. The extra is storage is nice if you reckon you'd need it. (I mostly work on cloud but keep my current projects on my drive because then I'd have faster access to it).

Which 15" MacBook Pro will be best for my planned use?

I am heading back to school and am required to get a MacBook Pro for class (I am a Design, Art & Technology - AKA Multimedia - major). The suggested specs from the school are as follows:
15-inch MacBook Pro
2.7GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7, NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1GB GDDR5 memory
8GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x4GB
750GB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm
I am in the process of researching if this is the best computer for my needs. I am upgrading from my current laptop - a 2.53 GHz 15" MacBook Pro from '09 with 4GB of RAM and 7200 RPM 750 GB HDD (upgraded from a 5200 RPM 250 GB HDD) running 10.6.8 - which has been holding up great for four years. At this point though I need a second computer that has a quadcore processor.
My normal/expected usage:
I will likely be working on projects in web design, some light game design, app design, interactive installation, etc. for class. I anticipate working on video editing software and Photoshop as well. I regularly use Ableton Live with an external audio interface, MIDI devices and third party plugins for music production (20 to 40+ track mixing & mastering) and may start to use it for live or interactive projects. I run an external monitor as a second screen when at home and do a good amount of multitasking work with the second display where quickness switching between applications is key.
I stopped by the local Apple store today and had a conversation with one of the sales reps exploring the possibilities of deviating from my school's suggested bundle above. We talked about the benefits of SSD's on performance but the drawbacks on storage size to $$ ratio (I need at least 500GB of storage space, preferably 700GB). The rep suggested multiple times that the Retina display model would be best for me because it is a more durable computer and makes more sense than dropping the 2.7 GHz processor to a 2.6 GHz on the above recommendation and using the money to upgrade the hard drive to an SSD (since it would be a similar computer but without the hi-res screen). But the Retina models were in stock, while the custom non-retina model I was considering building online was not, so I do not know if the rep was just doing his job as a salesperson and trying to move what the store had in stock...
What I am hoping to get opinions on is: Given my planned usage, will the school's suggestion be sufficient/will my downgrade of proccessing power to fund an SSD be insufficient/does it make sense to really stretch my budget and get the Retina 15" 2.7 GHz with 8GB RAM and 512/768 GB SSD? Even with the educational pricing and my usage, I don't know if the upgrade to the Retina 15" is justified - but I am not very experienced in comparing computers. Any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks!

I say DITTO to what Clinton just told you, AND what woodmeister said.
As to use of the External HD use same for all large media files, PDF , pics, movies etc.
Keep your internal SSD for programs and primary (use it every day) working files of small size.
Yes, I would replace the SSD as upgrade and RAM myself.
Ram takes 30 seconds to do, anyone can do that nearly with eyes closed. EASY
SSD, youd need to use carbon copy cloner or likewise, clone your internal HD to the SSD, check with a boot to make sure all ok........then install the SSD, very easy, like Clinton said, .....done it many times.
You asked:
Are you able to reference info on them without moving the data to the internal SSD?
Yes, you can alter, open close etc files off the external HD same as you can the internal SSD, however access speed will be slower, but plenty fast enough for anything you want to do, watch movies off same, work on/ alter/ create files on internal and then backup to external
You need an external HD at any rate for Time Machine backup, and backup in general. NEVER trust any internal HD, or a single copy of anything.
In fact you should always have at least 2 backups for data, in which case a 2nd external HD is highly recommended.

Which Retina MacBook Pro Model to Buy?

Hi everyone!
I am studying engineering and are about to buy a new notebook. I have been using macs since 2008, so that is an obvious choice. I am also sick of my hard drive, so I want SSD models for sure. And I have tried out the retina models and I am certain I want one of those. Beyond that I am hesitant which one to buy.
I am an engineering college student. Here is what I need it for:
- mostly everyday stuff
- I don't mind if I can edit a full HD video conveniently on it once in a while, I don't mind however if I have to wait 3 minutes longer for it to export a video
- I regularly have to do some CAD editing (that would be done under windows) this is however merely stuff that are needed for college, so we are not talking about entire power plants with billions of parts being loaded onto the screen, but rather smaller constructions
- I never play video games. Somehow I don't feel the need, so that's not a factor for me whatsoever
- I have tested the 13 and 15 for wheight, and I find the 15 to be fairly light too, so I don't think portability is a major issue with either machine
However performance-wise I can't decide.
For the activities listed above should I go for 15 or would a 13 suffice? I am aware of the imminent upgrades, and OS X Mavericks as well.
Thanks for your advice.

Not sure you know this but you can put a SSD in any standard computer, including all Macbook Pro models. Nothing new about that. It is just Apple doesn't offer the standard MBP with a SSD as standard equipment. A SSD can be included during the ordering process or you can install one yourself. An even better option is to install one of the hybrid SSD+Rotating HDD being offered by Seagate. It combines the speed of a SSD and the storage space of a conventional HDD for much less than a real SSD.

I'm a recently graduated film student and my macbook pro needs an upgrade... Will be using FCPX, Adobe CS6 etc. Which 15' macbook pro will be best suited for me? I'm most concerned about the processor speeds (what do they really mean in english?)

I need a new 15" MBP for film editing. The processor speed numbers are confusing.

The Tech Specs for the MBPr are here:http://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/specs-retina/ and you can see both 15" models come with the i7 processor, one at 2.0 and the other at 2.3 GHz. The processors are identical except for the clock speed, which directly indicates how many calculations a second they can perform. If you are doing things like editing or rendering or ray tracing, heavy duty computational things, the faster the processor, the less time it takes to do the task.
But the 2.3 GHz machine has even more, twice the memory and twice the storage capacity. With film work that will get to be important since you can load more directly into memory where it is readily accessible to the processor, and twice the storage so you do not have to move material to an external drive so soon. Both of which will contribute to faster workload turn around for you.
For your needs, the faster machine with twice the memory and twice the SSD storage will be the thing you need. And, keep in mind that the MBP cannot be upgraded after purchase like in the past. So get all you will need now at the time of purchase.

Which new MacBook Pro for Logic 9 bigger sessions?

Hello!
I'm fixin to buy a new MacBook Pro to make records while on the run. I generally work in Logic 9.1.7 with many layers of VSL, Guitar Rig, and Battery and such and have hit the limit at times on my old machine. Can anybody weigh in on which new model to buy? retina or not? specs?
you rock.
Grabbin'

Ram & HD speed will make the most difference with audio recording, although you could always use an external drive to record on. You could buy the On-the-Go USB3 2.5 external drive and it will fit in your hand and allow for a lot of tracks. Buy a 2.5 drive with 7200 RPM for that external drive. You could also load the MBP with an SSD HD and 16 Gigs of RAM and have all the speed in the world.
However, I would recommend the (mid) 2012 MBP 2.3Ghz 15.4", which will allow for upgradable RAM & HD. Upgrade to a SSD drive and 8 Gigs of RAM. You won't need the Retina, if fact you're better off without it, for now.
Happy Recording!!

Which version macbook pro is this? and how much ram?

Hi Everybody!
I just bought this 2.4ghz core 2 duo macbook pro 2nd hand:-)
It's probably the mid 2007 version. It's annonced with a max RAM upgrade of 3 gb, but it's to cheap to buy 4gb (2x2)!!
How does it work? Does OSX used the last gig of ram from 3-4gb? or it is just a waste of money?
I use my macbook pro for normal use, and production in logic pro.
Thanks!
Kasper

Yes, it's the Santa Rosa chipset. And yes, you have an LED backlit display and the faster frontside bus (that will read 800 MHz in System Profiler).
The MBP chipsets are:
• Core Duo - clock speeds of 1.83, 2.0 or 2.16 GHz
• Core 2 Duo - clock speeds of 2.16 or 2.33 GHz (2.0 GHz C2D chips are only in MBs, not MBPs)
• Core 2 Duo "Santa Rosa" - clock speeds of 2.2, 2.4 or 2.6 GHz, with a 4 MB L2 cache
• Core 2 Duo "Penryn" - clock speeds of 2.4, 2.5 or 2.6 GHz, with 3 or 6 MB L2 cache
+Feel free to tune out for this part, the info you need is above.+
I'm using the terms "Santa Rosa" and "Penryn" as they are commonly used on these boards. "Santa Rosa" actually refers to a combination of the Merom-refresh CPU chip with other chips for graphics/wireless (i.e. it's a platform, not a chip, and thus was technically never in an MBP because only the Merom-refresh chip was used, not the whole platform - but the original C2Ds were Merom-based, and "Santa Rosa" sounds better than "Merom-refresh", I suppose). Merom chips (like the Yonah Core Duo chip) were made with the 65 nm process, whereas Penryn is the successor to Merom and is made with the newer 45 nm process.

Which Apple MacBook Pro has the most RAM and HDD memory?

I would like to know this because I plan on buying a MacBook Pro and I just want to make sure I'm buying the one with the most RAM and HDD memory and not some other one. Why do I need specifically this? Because I'm a gamer; I like playing games. I'm a watcher too; I like watching movies. Last but not least, I would like to sync my iPhone to a device that's from the same company. I don't know why, but I guess it's because I don't like uncoordination, or something like that. In short, I don't believe in "clashing". Even electronics.

The Hardware In Any Mac is Exactly the same as used in Any PC of like model year and included hardware. i7 being faster then an i5 CPU.
Apple uses the same exact Intel CPUs and Chipsets that all other computer use manfacturer today. There is No difference.
Ogelthorpe is comppletely correct that Windows, by nature of the OS, is better for running games and the hardware it comes on, by nature of the way they are manufactured even though it is the same hardware as in a Mac, is better for gaming because of the way they are cooled and the overall case design. More air vents and better air movement across the parts that get hot while gaming.
Mac notebooks on the other hand don't cool as well by nature of the air intake and exhaust systems. Both air intake and exhaust are at the screen hinge and the fans are designed to be quieter then on most Windows PC notebooks. Even if Windows is installed on Mac that Mac will run hotter then a PC with the same exact hardware configurations. This is a fact and experienced by many Mac users. Including myself.
Mac fans run all the time. From the second you start them up to the second they shut down completely. I personally don't know of any Windows PC notebook that do that. My Dell E6420 with the exact same CPU and more RAM, 16GBs in the Dell and 8 in my Mac, with the Dell having 2 drives, one a SSD the other a Spinner in the media bay, and the Mac having only one Seagate XT series in the main bay the Dell fans rarely come on unless I am taxing the system in some way. They are not on continuously and certainly not when I turn the system on. So Apple has designed the Mac to run the fans continuously to try and keep the system cool from the first power on.
So your statement is completely false. But it is what most people think even though it is unfounded.
ShaneBunting wrote:
This is not true. The hardware is simply better on a Mac. Even when running Windows on a Mac, you'll have a far better experience than on a PC..

Which 2013 Macbook Pro for Video Editing? "Help"

Hello, I am new to the Apple forums and this is my first post. I'm a 19 Years Student and I'm actually attending a cinematography and television school
I am looking for a Macbook Pro 15" for Video Editing, the sowftware I'm be using and studying are Avid Media Composer, Adobe AE and Premiere , and Photoshop.
My budget is around 2500 - 3000 Euros, And I've been reading every kind of post about the Macbook Retina 2012 and Macbook Pro 2012, but I Really don't know what to get, and if some video editors here can help me would be awesome! So, Let's getting started:
( Both models "Costs" the same, I don't mind paying 100-200 more Euros for a 2500 Macbook so i'd love to have to find the perfect balance with Performance/Design and everything else!)
I'd Like to get a Retina to be honest, but I know every kind of problem that the retina has at this moment: Expensive Repair Costs, High Framerate Drops, Choppy Interface, Burn-in screen and ghosting. I've seen by myself these errors and I don't know if there's a true fix, my opinion is that the GPU is not enough to use smootly the Retina Resolution, and I'm afraid that If I'll buy a macbook retina, the low and suffering GPU will decrease a lot the performance of these software when Rendering, Exporting, and when working with big files. ( I'm asking you if this is true, because I don't have a macbook so I couldn't test by myself how a rMBP works under pressure for atleast 3 hours with one of these softwares, my experience with retina is limited to an Apple Store Experience ). Happy that Final Cut X and CS6 Suit now Supports Retina anyway!
But, Since the retina has all these problems, I'll not be buying THIS version of the retina. I've readed every kind of rumor and even talked to some Genius in my Apple Stores, in June 2013 the New Haswell processor might come, I don't know exactly how it works but Intel says that the GPU performance might be increased by 20 - 40%. Do you think it will resolve all the problems that this rMBP has? In The apple store I've also heard that in June 2013 the Macbook Pro Line will be RETINA ONLY, and this is going to be a issue for me if the retina will still have all these little problems, because I don't want to buy a machine that makes me work bad
The Macbook Retina I'd Like to get by now is the 15" Quad 2.7Ghz 16 Ram 512 SSD = 2800 Euros
The Other Macbook is the Macbook PRO 2012, It still good looking, but placing inside it an SSD makes it so **** expensive, and apple won't put inside more than 8 GB of Ram inside of it, so, If I'd choose to buy one and buy the 16 GB of Ram from 3rd Part, and is aroudn 200 euros, Plus a 600 Euros Samsung 512 SSD since the Apple one costs 700 euro. And it doesn't come with retina display, remember, it's not needed I know and the screen is gorgeus, but I feel and fear that the Macbook Pro hardware is outdated, and might not catch the other in the next years ( I might be wrong, but I believe that Retina motherboard and Retina Chipset are more Fast/Good than the 2012 Macbook Pro, even if everything is glued in there and is not user-friendly )
If I buy the 2012 Macbook Pro By following Apple Products, I'd be spending 3000 Euros, and I found it too much since It doesn't come with retina, I might be wrong.
If I buy the 2012 Macbook Pro By placing the Ram and SSD by myself i'd be spending 2800 Euros, but 3rd part hardware is not under apple warranty.
If I buy the 2012 Macbook Pro WITHOUT SSD, but a 750 GB 7200 and by placing 8 GB Ram It's 2500 Euros.
So, here it is, I don't know what to do :\ Actually I don't like the retina and I hope that in June 2013 they'll change the Processor, Fix all the problems, and maybe add a solid Graphic Card, ( I doubt the'll change the graphic card, just the integrated intel graphic card might change, not the Nvidia for sure, because the rMBP thin )
But, If I wait June 2013 I Fear that the 2012 Macbook Pro will disappear, and if there's only a Not-So-Good Retina left, I'll really not know if to buy it or wait more monts.

Hello Andrea,
I edit video and am familiar with the MacBookPro models. Both the 15" MBP and the 15" rMBP will be fine for editing with Avid Media Composer, Adobe AE, Premiere and Photoshop. But there are some differences that may be important to you, depending on the external equipment you plan to use:
The regular MBP has the following i/o ports:
1 FW800 port
1 Thunderbolt port
2 USB3 ports
1 SDXC slot
Audio line-in port
Audio line-out/headphone port
The rBMP has the following i/o ports:
2 Thunderbolt ports (no native FW port)
2 USB3 ports
1 SDXC slot
Headphone output port (no audio-in)
HDMI output port (output, not input)
The lack of audio line-in port and native FW800 in the rMBP rule out that model as far as I am concerned.
Also, you need to be aware that you cannot upgrade the RAM memory after purchase. There are no RAM slots in the current MacBook Pro models (rMBP included), so no after-market upgrades are possible.
I would not recommend purchasing the very expensive SSD. I suggest configuring a MBP with the 750GB, 7200rpm SATA hard drive and invest the savings in external hard drives - you are going to need them for video work & backup.

Which 13in Macbook Pro to get?

So i'm a student who does do some occasional design work in illustrator and photoshop. I do listen to quite a bit of music and watch my fair share of streaming videos. I'm torn between getting the stock 13in 2.6Ghz macbook pro or upgrading the Processor, Ram, or both. I want my macbook to last for 4 years with this kind of usage.
Please any suggestions in helping me figure this out would be greatly appreciated!

Unless you really need to splurge TODAY for tax reasons, I would wait a couple of weeks for the i5/i7 MacBook Pros. They will be dual-core, as well, but they should be considerably faster.
As for 4GB vs. 8GB: The difference should be more or less noticeable depending upon what you do - if you use huge virtual instruments like The Grand or Vienna Strings in parallel with a bunch of other plug-ins, 8GB will give you a lot more peace of mind.
HOWEVER: on the current machines, you need 4GB sticks to get to 8GB, and those are disproportionately expensive at the moment. I'd live with 4GB and upgrade in a year or so, when the prices have dropped enough to make it a no-brainer.

Which new MacBook Pro should I buy?

I am currently running a mid 2009 MacBook Pro with 4 GB of memory and 2.8 GHz processor. I run Parallels and a GIS system. It is now running like a dog, although I realise I need to do a bit of cleaning up. However the GIS is getting bigger and I have the opportunity to upgrade. I need to be portable and as light as possible. Is a thunderbolt drive going to be of any help.
Your input much appreciated.

I have a mid-2009 MacBook Pro with the 2.66 GHz processor and run parallels on it and use it for application development. I've upgraded mine to have maxed out RAM of 8GB, upgraded the internal drive to 1TB and, best of all, replaced the never used DVD drive with a OWC data doubler holding an OWC 240GB 3G SSD as my boot drive. The computer is very fast indeed, I am very pleased with this setup. As long as you are not CPU bound in your tasks, adding an SSD drive and maxing RAM can cheaply (compared to a new Mac) extend the useful life of a machine.

Which New MacBook Pro for Aperture...?

I'm need to get another Mac laptop and would like to get one of the new 15" MacBook Pro models. It seems like the entry-level model is the sweet spot this time. I would have to pay $500 more to get more VRAM and 50GB more disk space and a slightly faster processor. For Aperture it's all about the graphics card and both of the 15" models have the same card except the cheaper one has 256mb VRAM and the other has 512.
Would I notice the difference (with Aperture) between 256 and 512 on the VRAM? I think this is the deciding factor.
Thanks,
Robert

I'm not so sure about the need for 512 MB as opposed to 256. I'm running Aperture on a two year old iMac with 128 MB of GPU RAM and it works just fine. A 512 MB card is not inherently faster than a 256 card; in fact, unless those extra 256 MB are used, they are just as fast.
On the other hand you will most certainly benefit from the larger L2 cache. There is no question that the 2.5 model is a faster computer when running Aperture but I personally think that the $500 price difference between the 2.4 and 2.5 model is just a little too much. I will probably order the cheaper model and save that $500 towards a D300 instead!
/Martin

Which new MacBook Pro matches my needs

Hey all,
I'm in the market for a new laptop. I've owned windows laptops before, but that one crapped out on me in 2011. I bought a dell desktop to replace it, and have had to replace the motherboard and sound card since then. I have always had problems with all my computers, and think its time for a change.
I have always considered a mac, and now am comfortable making the switch to mac from windows. I'm looking for a laptop with enough power under the hood for the following:
Mild gaming, such as WOW (mostly), Diablo 3, Starcraft 2, minecraft, sim city, all on medium settings.
Heavy photoshop CC.
Browsing the interwebs.
Possible podcasts/radio
Heavy programming/cadsoft eagle circuit board design.
Basically I want to know if the $2599 15" MacBook Pro configured with 2.6Ghz is overkill for me, and I should just go for a 13" MacBook Pro with an i7 and 16 gb ram :)
Money is not an issue

I think for gaming the 15" MBP is sutable but for other purpose 15" is a big one. Considering your requirements I recommend you to use the 13" with more features. For more information please go to : http://store.apple.com/us/buy-mac/macbook-pro
Thank you.

Which 15" macbook pro?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for