Macbook Pro Retina or MBP?

Really this Question is asked over and over. Only you can decide which one fits both your Needs and your Wallet.

How in the world does anyone reading this forum know what would be better for you and the things you ar going to do on the computer. Nor would they know how the computer would feel to you when you start using whatever one you buy.

Simplest thing to do is go to an Apple store or Reseller and test out both models. You can even buy both and return the one you don't like. Apple has a 14 day No Questions Asked Return Policy. So buy both and within that 14 day period return the one you don't want.

Pete77777 wrote:

I am a designer and looking at buying a Brand new, New Apple MacBook Pro with Retina Display, Intel Quad Core i7, 2.4GHz, 256GB, 8GB RAM, with 15.4 Inch Display or the Apple MacBook Pro, Intel Quad Core i7, 2.6GHz, 750GB, 8GB RAM with 15.4 Inch Display.

I would opt for the non-Retina, antiglare. It's upgradable (RAM, boot drive) you can replace the optical drive with a another drive, you can clean the fans of dust bunnies etc. The anti-glare screen lets you work with no eyestrain/glare.

The Retina offers little, takes away a lot and brings new problems to the table, 90% of the people I've tested with say they can't tell the difference between it and the regular display.

Now i do have a 2009 standard Macbook but would like to upgrade, i sometimes play games like Call of Duty 2/4 and Counterstrike Global Offensive but its pretty hard as the laptop is barely playable online with these games.

3D games get improved on and require better video cards, which you can't change in a laptop.

If you want to 3D game, get a Windows 7 3D gaming tower, that way your compatible with everyone else, you can clean the dust out and upgrade the parts, get better keyboards, larger monitors etc. Also Windows verisons remain like they are for at least a decade, unlike OS X which changes every year and breaks games. Because once they get your money, they don't tend to come back to spend more money on such a small market share of Mac users.

Here are some pre-built 3D gaming machines

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/category_tlc.asp?CatId=114&cm_s p=Masthead-_-Computers-_-Spot%207

and here is the performance score of PC video cards, notice the Mac's are much lower on the list

http://www.cbscores.com/index.php?sort=ogl&order=desc

Here is tests of various video cards and CPU's

http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/

Shootist007 wrote:

Really this Question is asked over and over. Only you can decide which one fits both your Needs and your Wallet.

How in the world does anyone reading this forum know what would be better for you and the things you ar going to do on the computer. Nor would they know how the computer would feel to you when you start using whatever one you buy.

That's a pretty harsh answer. This particular question isn't really based on personal preference and feel. It's about gaming, so a more definitive answer is possible. Because games have specific hardware requirements, especially with graphics cards, it is less a matter of opinion and more about facts. For heavy-duty gaming Macs are not the best and a Windows tower of the type ds store describes is a much better solution at less cost.

Sure Take the rest of the post out that says to go to an Apple store and test them or buy both and return the one that you don't like.

I personally don't think it is harsh. If the OP did a simple search of this forum they would find many posts on the subject. After reading them and maybe going to an Apple store the OP could make up his own mind.

Network 23 wrote:

Shootist007 wrote:

Really this Question is asked over and over. Only you can decide which one fits both your Needs and your Wallet.

How in the world does anyone reading this forum know what would be better for you and the things you ar going to do on the computer. Nor would they know how the computer would feel to you when you start using whatever one you buy.

That's a pretty harsh answer. This particular question isn't really based on personal preference and feel. It's about gaming, so a more definitive answer is possible. Because games have specific hardware requirements, especially with graphics cards, it is less a matter of opinion and more about facts. For heavy-duty gaming Macs are not the best and a Windows tower of the type ds store describes is a much better solution at less cost.

Hey, I just bought the MacBook Pro, Intel Quad Core i7, 2.9GHz, 750GB, 8GB RAM with 13 inch display. I have been using it for mostly school. But I have also played Star Craft II a few times and it can certainly handle the game. I am running on medium resolution and quality on my mac, it does not have any lags/delays/freezes etc... So i recommend getting the mac without retina display for three reasons.

1. You can get a better equiped macbook for a way better price and WAY MORE STORAGE 750GB,1TB WOW!!

2. I think retina displays are more of a marketing scam then anything else. I love the image quality on mine. =)

3. There is no CD drive in the Retina Display one. That was the biggest factor to help me swing the way I did.

i was in the same boat as you. I ended up purchasing the Mac Book Pro, NON retina, 2.7 ghz, with the hi-res anti-glare screen.

I then replaced all the ****** components with high grade components. so I have 16gb RAM, a 512gb SSD, and I even replaced the optical drive with the internal 512gb drive that originally came with it. So now I have an SSD for the OS, and another HD internal for session files and samples.

this is the 15 inch screen.

I'm really happy with the setup. With the Retina you can't have 2 internal hds, and there is no firewire.

Only one thunderbolt on the NON retina but I don't understand why you need more than one... thunderbolt devices can be daisy chained.

Get the non retina 15" with hi res display antiglare. Great computer. You can upgrade memory and HD and maybe get an SSD. It features more ports, you get the Superdrive and you still get a powerful computer (i7 quad + dedicated graphics). Anyways you should try both yourself and decide. Get the retina display only if it's a must for your professional needs.

Best

SSDs are really faster than HDs. You will notice a huge improvement in system use, they have faster read / write speed which means a quicker boot and better programs and file management.

This would be an amazing configuration! If you can afford it, go for it! (maybe you can purchase a SSD drive later and save some money).

Yes it has a SSD but it's a build to order option. You can get it now at Apple store online or you can buy the computer with the standard HD and then upgrade it with a chaper 3rd party model.

Yes it does have a SSD but what the others and I are saying is you can buy a SSD for less then what Apple charges and then if you buy one after you get the system you Keep the Original drive. So you spend less money and you have 2 drives. Instead of spending more money and ending up with only one drive.

I hope that is clear.

Pete77777 wrote:

does this not have a SSD?

As other people state all the time, it ultimately comes down to your needs and what you will be using the machine for.

In my honest opinion, if you are at least considering the rMBP, go for it. I figure if you're already going to spend thousands of dollars on a machine, going for the optimal one will not only last you longer but will take care of any intensive work you may be doing in the future, not necessarily at this moment. Hope this helps. I was in your position a few months ago and went with the ultimate retina configuration (early 2013)