rMBP 13' Late 2013 Upgrade Options

So I have finally decided to go with a Retina Macbook Pro 13' model.


I am having the hardest time figuring out what I want to do in terms of upgrades though.


From what I can clearly see the me865ll/a (256 ssd/8gb ram) is the "sweet spot."


Now I have been trying to decide if I want to upgrade any part (CPU ->i7 2.8ghz / RAM ->16GB).


I do have a desktop computer already so this would be macbook would be a nice addition.


My needs are:

  • Gaming (League of legends and some other NON GRAPHIC intensive games)
  • Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Powerpoint)
  • BASIC html coding (although at some point I am sure I will get more advanced with this, I know it isn't super criitcal I have an ultra fast PC)
  • Email/Web browsing/YouTube

    No content creation here, merely content viewing

  • Streaming content (movies/gameplay) from computer(s) to Apple TV which is plugged into a 50' LED TV


Now to restate my question.

Would the added benefit of upgrading the CPU or RAM heavily impact me? I know that the benchmarks on the CPU are only slightly better and if I truly wanted to see a day and night difference for just a tiny bit more money I should go macbook 15'


I will note this, I am one of those people who absolutely hates it when technology is not working as is. This means:

  1. I nerd rage when I lag (gaming)
  2. I nerd rage when apple tv streaming lags (which is why I understand I should just hardwire myself in via HDMI or thunderbolt... this one I get)
  3. I nerd rage when my computer stuff breaks down

    I take immaculate care of my computer stuff, I've had a Surface Pro (February 7, 2013 release day), Alienware (2009) Desktop and they've all lasted very well (alienware HDD is failing, I understand that because it was a cheap WD green drive and I am replacing it with a WD black)

So in the interest of points 1 and 3, would it be financially worth to upgrade the CPU or RAM?

Would upgrading 8GB ram -> 16GB ram increase the lifespan of the product?


Would upgrading the core i5 Haswell chip -> core i7 Haswell chip be a noticeable difference (I saw the benchmark scores and they were a few hundred points off, I don't know if it would make a noticeable difference in my gaming experiences)


The main reason why I am considering the i7 is because of my occasional gaming (and the nerd rage that comes with it). Yes I understand that getting a dedicated graphics card would be a day and night difference as well, but I am not going back to windows 8 (even though I thoroughly know how to use it and can teach anyone how to use it) and I am not spending $2600 on a 15' macbook pro that I would only use occasionally for gaming.


The main reason why I am considering the 16GB ram is for future proofing. I understand that most of the programs that I will use won't need more than 8, but I figured 16 would give me a nice cushion should anything major come my way in the future.


I know both options are only available to be upgraded at point of ordering so this is why I have my big decision.


Thank you to anyone that responds to this.

MacBook Pro with Retina display

Posted on Dec 12, 2013 12:37 PM

Reply
4 replies

Dec 12, 2013 12:47 PM in response to Thriller1990

I would strongly recommend upgrading the CPU because Apple doesnt allow you to upgrade it on your own (they soughter the CPU into the socket). RAM is really simple to upgrade after purhcaing. The quad core Intel i7 is a very good processor, and it would be a good idea to upgrade to that. As for the RAM, I would say dont worry about purchasing the RAM upgrade from Apple. But the CPU is a very good upgrade.

Dec 12, 2013 12:54 PM in response to GabeAlan

Before I making my following statements, don't take anything personally.


The i7 in the macbook pro 13' is a dual core not a quad core.


This means:

  1. It is a small bump from 2.4GHZ -> 2.8GHZ
  2. Iris Graphics 5100 -> Iris Pro Graphics 5200


The RAM in the macbook pro 13' is soldered onto the motherboard.


All of this information is regarding the late 2013 Retina Macbook Pro 13' models (me864ll/a, me865ll/a, me866ll/a).

Dec 12, 2013 1:39 PM in response to Thriller1990

A couple of points.


If you understand that a MBP will not give you the best game performance, then you will not be disappointed.


Regarding the RAM aspect, with SSD, RAM become far less crucial when compared to a MBP with a HDD. Examine this graphic which displays the impact of RAM and a SSD using a resource hungry application:


User uploaded file

You will note that the SSD has a greater imact on performance than the RAM.


16 GB RAM would be nice to have if the bank account allows, but it is not going to be essential, even in the long run. I say, let your wallet be your guide.


Ciao.

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rMBP 13' Late 2013 Upgrade Options

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