MacBook for College: Memory and retina display question

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Level 1

1 points

MacBook for College: Memory and retina display question

Hi, in the fall I will be starting college as an economics and biology double major. I need a laptop that will have enough memory and be fast enough to use for all four years. My colleges minimum recommendation for RAM is 4gb and hard drive is 128 gb of SSD or 500 gb of HDD.

With the Apple for Education pricing, a 4gb RAM, 500 gb HDD MacBook Pro 13 will cost $1000 plus cost of upgraded RAM and hard drive to 1 Tb if I need it.

A 4 gb, 128 gb SSD macbook pro 13 w/ retina display will cost $1200 plus upgraded RAM if needed

A 8 gb, 256 gb SSD w/ retina display will cost $1400

Do you believe the retina display is worth the extra money? What amount of memory do you believe I will need and what configuration of RAM and Hard Drive upgrades would be most cost effective? Price isn't really an issue but I don't want to waste money on a large amount of storage that I will never need. Thank you in advance for the help.

Mitch

Posted on Jul 10, 2014 6:23 PM

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Answer 1

dominic23

Level 10

83,904 points

Jul 11, 2014 4:45 AM in response to konadog

Retina Display is not that important.

Buy a Mac with 8GB RAM and 250GB + SSD storage.

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Answer 2

OGELTHORPE

Level 9

57,305 points

Jul 11, 2014 4:54 AM in response to konadog

Macbook Airs are an option that you should consider in your selection process. They are easier to transport and have a significantly longer battery run time.

Their performance is more than adequate for the needs of a college student and in my opinion are the ideal notebook in a scholastic environment.

Ciao.

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Answer 3

Jul 11, 2014 7:27 AM in response to konadog

My recommendation is get the 15". You will be happier at 2:00am when you are trying to finish a report or do some graphic analysis. The 13" in my opinion just does not have enough screen real estate for doing heavy duty documents or graphics for 4 years of university..

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Answer 4

Jul 11, 2014 7:29 AM in response to dominic23

dominic23 wrote:

Retina Display is not that important.

Buy a Mac with 8GB RAM and 250GB + SSD storage.

Agreed, but would seriously consider a HD larger than 250 GB.

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Answer 5

konadog Author

Level 1

1 points

Jul 11, 2014 9:24 AM in response to konadog

The MacBook airs seem too delicate for me. I just worry about durability.

Thank you for the responses though. The recommendations on storage and the retina display made my decision much easier.

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Answer 6

Jul 12, 2014 3:49 AM in response to konadog

FRAGILE RETINA DISPLAY

WINDOWUSER
2 weeks ago (Show more)

I HAVE JUST HAD TO REPLACE A NEW MAC BOOK PRO SCREEN. THE 15 INCH IS THREE WEEKS OLD. THE SCREEN CRACKED. I WAS NOT NOT AWARE WHEN I BOUGHT THIS THAT THERE IS SOME HISTORY OF BREAKS ON THESE…

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Csound1 (to WINDOWUSER) 2 weeks ago

Then we will just disagree, the web is full of unsubstantiated scare stories, there are always some who will believe them (especially if they break their own screen)

To all potential Retina purchasers: there are no endemic issues with the Retina screen, mine goes back and forth in checked baggage from the UK to the USA, it has yet to break with all that throwing around.

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WINDOWUSER (to Csound1) 2 weeks ago

I guess i don't disagree with you.

I also would not wish to dissuade anyone form buying a macbook, but if your,re needing to have absolute confidence when you are on the move then you should think twice. I offer only that to the community. Luckily i was able to get mine fixed pretty quick. It still remains to say that the fact of life with Macbook pros is that you can't always make them thin and stronger at the same time. If your honest about that then we agree.

It's horses for courses if you want indestructible then get a tough book.

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The_Scort (to WINDOWUSER) 2 weeks ago

If you need something that will survive a helicopter crash, get a Toughbook.

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Csound1 (to WINDOWUSER) 2 weeks ago

WINDOWUSER wrote:

I guess i don't disagree with you.

It's horses for courses if you want indestructible then get a tough book.

Yes, those statements make sense. A Macbook Pro (any of them) is a relatively fragile device, all laptops (with the exception of the ToughBook) are. Normal care and a decent case will make them much stronger.

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WINDOWUSER (to Csound1) 2 weeks ago

I see that we agree that the Retina display is a fragile thing of beauty.

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Answer 7

Jul 12, 2014 4:08 AM in response to WINDOWUSER

If you are going to college you want a sturdy piece of kit that won't let you down.

Retina display versus study bit of kit? Good question.

Second off if you go for the slim looks your budget needs to cover all the adaptors to plug in your external monitors and ethernet cables and should you want to use DVD's you will need a external drive.

Have you got plenty off $$$? or rich mom and dad, Then go for it.

Don't get me wrong i have one myself but i have insurance and have bought a protective case to stiffen the back and absorb any knocks. Not much you can do about the front. It is a thin fragile screen. If you buy one you need to take care of it. Older models seem to be tougher. They don't publish the tensile strength or impact resistance in the specifications it is difficult to give you hard facts, but most users will probably agree that they don't make em like they used to.

But i imagine you won't be going to any parties or having rowdy booze sessions at your dorm at college so you should be OK.

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