MacBook Air, MacBook Pro Retina, or Non- Retina for academic high school student?

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jj20205 Author

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MacBook Air, MacBook Pro Retina, or Non- Retina for academic high school student?

I will be going into high school in September and am thinking of getting a MacBook for school. This is my first computer except for the family PC desktop. I am in all academic classes, and am taking business and exploring technology ( designing and building things) I would use the laptop for schoolwork as well as gaming ( nothing too intense, just stuff like portal and Garry's mod), internet, iTunes, and ilife. It will be a gift from at least 7 people, so price is important, but not a huge factor. I think a 13" screen in perfect for my needs. Would a MacBook Pro Retina, a MacBook Pro non- retina, or a MacBook Air be the best choice for me?

MacBook

Posted on Apr 22, 2014 6:38 PM

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Answer 1

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Nova Boss

Level 1

10 points

Apr 23, 2014 4:53 PM in response to jj20205

If you use DVDs and CDs more than often (most people don't) then go for the MacBook Pro nonretina. I would go for the MacBook Air or pro retina because their graphics cards are much better then get a $40 usb DVD drive to load movies and other content. The MacBook Air and MacBook Pro retina also have "flash storage" and haswell chips making them super fast at opening files and applications and boosts oversell performance. You sound like you're not going to be doing any editing or graphics intense work so I would recommend the MacBook Air with 8gb ram and however much storage as you want. For around $100 more you could get the MacBook Pro retina that has the amazing display and better graphics. In the end, if the retina display would be the only real upgrade for you and price is in consideration, I would recommend the MacBook Air (also apple usually releases new model macbook airs in June so you could get one now or just wait. I would wait).

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Answer 2

Apr 23, 2014 6:25 PM in response to jj20205

It's funny that you asked that question because I'm also heading into highschool next year and also need a computer. For me I'll get the MacBook Pro retina because I need the extra processing power to do video editing and rending. I also loved the retina display after seeing one at the apple store. Hope I helped!

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