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

You need a 15-inch MacBook Pro. It has got a big HDD to store everything, 4 GB of memory and two graphic cards (an Intel HD Graphics 4000 and a NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M). Why I tell you to buy a Mac with 4 GB of memory? Because third-party memory works and is much cheaper than the Apple memory.

Officially, the 15-inch MacBook Pro supports 8 GB of memory, but you can install 16 GB. You can buy the memory in OWC or Crucial

The MacBook Pro with Retina display comes with 8 GB of memory, but you can't install more after buying the computer. Also, you don't need a Retina display for gaming (performance will be terrible with that screen resolution)

What I suggest that you do is buy the most powerful (CPU and GPU) non-Retina MacBook Pro (the 15", of course) with the smallest hard drive and the least amount of RAM.

Then install 16GB of RAM and a nice 512GB+ SSD in the machine.

That's what I have and my machine just screams.

Clinton

clintonfrombirmingham is right, for performance you will need a powerful processor and graphics processor, and they cannot be replaced on MacBook Pros in any circumstances. So when you buy, I would also recommend considering what they are and leaving the RAM and HDD for after as you can upgrade them.

Whilst the Retina machine will perform faster using apps that are not graphics intensive, gaming will become a problem because not all games will be programmed to use the higher resolution.

Best bet: 15" non-Retina MacBook Pro with the maximum Core i7 at 2.7GHz and the 8GB of RAM option as that would benefit you too. Don't forget, the hard drive will be cheap to upgrade and if you wish you can then decide to get an SSD for even faster read/write speeds.

Good luck!

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..

It's not a belief it is a simple fact. Please point out where I am wrong.

Oh and I do help out on Windows forums. As most all computer users are clueless about certain facts of running a computer and all seem to need help from time to time. That also includes me every now and then.

Good Luck & Best Wishes.

ShaneBunting, greetings: The issue is gaming. One can get a Hewlett Packard laptop for $1000 less than a similarly equipped MBP, but with a 17" display and a GPU with 2 GB of dedicated RAM. I suggest that would result in a better gaming computer

If you search this forum, you should be able to find other discussions regarding playing games on a Mac compared to PCs and the general consensus is that Macs are second best in this respect.

Ciao.

You are wrong in saying a 'PC' handles games better than a MacBook Pro. And for not recommending one to the OP who specifically asked about a Mac portable. They do not run hotter as the fans run faster in order to keep it cool. And this does work, because when I game on my MBP the fans reach up to 6000 RPM and the machine is no more than 'warm' from the fact it is on. Windows laptops with similar spec sport a lousy design and bad comparability, this is a well known issue with many windows machines..

First I was not the poster that originally suggested the OP get a PC for gaming. That was Ogelthorpe.

Second my reply was to you, not the OP, about your contention that Ogelthorpe was wrong in not saying the Mac's are better at gaming then a similarly configured Windows PC.

Thirdly in your repeated posts about how you think and believe that Mac's are intrinsically better at gaming, or in any other respect, then a PC is completely incorrect.

What sets a Mac apart from a Windows PC is the case they come in, the Operating system they run and the cost of them over a similarly configured Windows PC from any other manufacturer. Other then that there is no real difference between them.

Thank you.

Good Luck & Best Wishes. I am out of this thread. Have a great day.

ShaneBunting wrote:

You are wrong in saying a 'PC' handles games better than a MacBook Pro. And for not recommending one to the OP who specifically asked about a Mac portable. They do not run hotter as the fans run faster in order to keep it cool. And this does work, because when I game on my MBP the fans reach up to 6000 RPM and the machine is no more than 'warm' from the fact it is on. Windows laptops with similar spec sport a lousy design and bad comparability, this is a well known issue with many windows machines..

Take a look at this link, http://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/specs-retina/

Don't buy the MacBook Pro with Retina display. Everything is soldered and you won't be able to upgrade anything, except the flash storage, but this is very expensive