your views on new macbook pro

(Vote): Yes- Definitely buy it if money is not an issue
(Vote): No - Do not buy it because it is definitely not worth $2000
(Vote): Maybe yes - There are more good features than downsides
(Vote): Maybe no - There are more downsides than good features

Hello,
I'm horrible with computers and need your opinion on Apple's new 15inch macbook pro with retina display.

I only play tf2, s4 league and sc2 on it, watch youtube and write college papers so nothing too fancy like photo or video making.

For my needs, is the retina display that useful, if not, are the other components good? Is this computer really worth 2000$?

thank you

Last edit: 2012-07-12 19:24:38

Praetorial United States. July 07 2012 23:02. Posts 3631

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Never ever ever is a Macbook pro worth the money.

With $2000, you could buy a topnotch PC, prebuilt or otherwise, or an insane gaming laptop.

With a Macbook Pro, you get a pretty aluminum shell and a glowy keyboard.

FOR GREAT JUSTICE! Bans for the ban gods!

Strafe578 Canada. July 07 2012 23:08. Posts 66

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With the Macbook pro and its GT650M gaming on it with it's native resolution would be very difficult and since there are very little programs (pictures videos etc.) that can fully utilize its retina display makes it not as useful. Another problem with the new Macbook pro is that there is no potential to upgrade it (no expansion slots, RAM is soldered in etc.) LINK.

You can get the same specs as the Macbook pro without the retina display for around 1100 USD. All in all, the retina display is truly gorgeous and the only selling pont in the Macbook pro.

Jaso United States. July 07 2012 23:40. Posts 1505

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On July 07 2012 23:08 Strafe578 wrote:
With the Macbook pro and its GT650M gaming on it with it's native resolution would be very difficult and since there are very little programs (pictures videos etc.) that can fully utilize its retina display makes it not as useful. Another problem with the new Macbook pro is that there is no potential to upgrade it (no expansion slots, RAM is soldered in etc.) LINK.

You can get the same specs as the Macbook pro without the retina display for around 1100 USD. All in all, the retina display is truly gorgeous and the only selling pont in the Macbook pro.

Show me where you can get a 256GB SSD, 8GB RAM, top-notch quad-core processor and 650M for $1100.
You can't. Maybe for $1500.

If you only look at the specs, never is a Macbook Pro worth it. If you care even the slightest about the physical aspects (screen which is undeniably the best laptop screen out there right now, case construction, weight, design, etc) then a Macbook Pro might be worth it. And IMO one of the #1 perks of Apple products is the warranty service.. if you're covered (or sometimes even not) and bring it into an Apple store chances are they'll have it fixed really quick, or if you're lucky they'll replace it on the spot. No need to deal with 1-hour waits on the phone for customer service and shipping the laptop yourself.

If you can get an education discount you'll be able to grab it for $1999. Still a terrible deal for the internal components, but consider the perks and if they're valuable to you. I have an older Macbook Pro from 2009 and I love it. I run Windows on it primarily, but I could never go back to a PC (except Vizio which now has a decent line, but even theirs are a bit too thick for my liking).

edit: The retina display might not actually benefit you, but the Retina MBP is a better deal than the higher end 15" regular MBP anyways. Most games won't support 2880x1800 but everything will still look really nice. It will do most games on high/ultra but at a lower resolution. Example: Skyrim, ultra, 1200p

Oh yeah. Also if weight matters, the retina MBP is like 4.5 pounds, which is easily 1-2+ pounds lighter than any laptop of similar specs. If you're carrying it around a lot that might be better 10-pound ASUS or something.

Last edit: 2012-07-07 23:49:11

derp

NeonFox July 07 2012 23:48. Posts 2355

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Keep in mind that everything in the new macbook pro is either soldered or glued in.

You have to be ready to accept that if any internal composant fails after your one year warranty you will have to replace the whole laptop, even if it's just faulty ram.

If you really insist on a macbook pro, get one of the older ones.

Edit : there also are reports of screen issues popping up on the new one.

Last edit: 2012-07-07 23:50:52

Jaso United States. July 07 2012 23:54. Posts 1505

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On July 07 2012 23:48 NeonFox wrote:
Keep in mind that everything in the new macbook pro is either soldered or glued in.

You have to be ready to accept that if any internal composant fails after your one year warranty you will have to replace the whole laptop, even if it's just faulty ram.

If you really insist on a macbook pro, get one of the older ones.

Edit : there also are reports of screen issues popping up on the new one.

"Another user responded that he took his new MacBook Pro to Apple's Genius Bar, where an employee ordered him a new MacBook 'due to the burn-in.'" Source

Though if replacement concerns you to the point where you wouldn't buy the retina MBP, then either look for an older version from 2011/early 2012 or don't get one. The higher-end non-retina MBP is not worth it at all.

derp

Cyro United Kingdom. July 07 2012 23:56. Posts 5765

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On July 07 2012 22:52 CommanchyWattkins wrote:
Hello,
I'm horrible with computers and need your opinion on Apple's new 15inch macbook pro with retina display.

I only play tf2, s4 league and sc2 on it, watch youtube and write college papers so nothing too fancy like photo or video making.

For my needs, is the retina display that useful, if not, are the other components good? Is this computer really worth 2000$?

thank you

The retina display has a native resolution of 2880x1800 (5.184 million pixels) which is extremely high relative to standards (250% of "1080p")

Unfortunately for standard video, youtube or pretty much any download, it is extremely rare to go above 1920x1080 as the vast vast majority of people dont have the hardware to view it, and the macbook pro does not have the hardware required to run the vast majority of games at such a resolution with anything more than single digit or teen FPS AFAIK, so it seems pretty pointless in my eyes, especially with the other hardware issues (some pointed out in thread) that make it a questionable investment.

Im sure the Mac OS equivelant of notepad looks really really nice, though.

To quote Anandtech, "The GT 650M is fast enough to drive the rMBP’s 2880 x 1800 panel at native resolution at playable frame rates, around 18 fps on average." on Diablo 3. If you consider 18fps as playable though, you are probably not the type trying to optimise for playability and skillcaps

Last edit: 2012-07-08 00:09:12

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NeonFox July 07 2012 23:59. Posts 2355

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On July 07 2012 23:54 Jaso wrote:

Show nested quote +

"Another user responded that he took his new MacBook Pro to Apple's Genius Bar, where an employee ordered him a new MacBook 'due to the burn-in.'" Source

Though if replacement concerns you to the point where you wouldn't buy the retina MBP, then either look for an older version from 2011/early 2012 or don't get one. The higher-end non-retina MBP is not worth it at all.

Oh yes of course Apple will take care of you if you have a faulty display, but it still is a hassle backing up all your data, having to wait for a new one and re-installing and configuring everything if you don't have a (costly) time machine.

It's a risk everytime a company goes for a type of hardware they didn't have before, the first generation can have some problems.

I would still recommend he gets an older one if he still wants a macbook, based on price and the fact that you'd have to replace the whole laptop if it has a problem.

Edit : time capsule not machine.

Last edit: 2012-07-08 00:00:17

Paradise` United States. July 08 2012 00:15. Posts 200

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Factor in that you can resell it later on... You cant do that with a PC and the screen is amazing im typing on it now.

Womwomwom July 08 2012 00:19. Posts 5518

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On July 07 2012 23:56 Cyro wrote:

Show nested quote +

The retina display has a native resolution of 2880x1800 (5.184 million pixels) which is extremely high relative to standards (250% of "1080p")

Unfortunately for standard video, youtube or pretty much any download, it is extremely rare to go above 1920x1080 as the vast vast majority of people dont have the hardware to view it, and the macbook pro does not have the hardware required to run the vast majority of games at such a resolution with anything more than single digit or teen FPS AFAIK, so it seems pretty pointless in my eyes, especially with the other hardware issues (some pointed out in thread) that make it a questionable investment.

Im sure the Mac OS equivelant of notepad looks really really nice, though

Mac OS has proper support for the retina display. Although the true resolution is 2880x1800, if you pick the "recommended" settings, you will get 1440x900 actual space to deal with. This is exactly half of the true resolution and will provide the best image quality possible since there's no interpolation involved. If you want more space (1920x1200 god tier resolution), you can let the software do a very good job of interpolating everything for you.

If you can't run at native resolution, you can run it at half the resolution or even 1920x1200. The tight pixel pitch is enough to save it from any problems.

If software uses Apple's APIs for rendering text and whatnot, everything will look sharper than any other screen on the market. There's actually proper software support for this display.

For the OP, the display is the best you're going to get and yes it is noticeable. The question is whether or not you even want it since there are a decent number of alternative options that still pack decent resolutions but aren't quite so expensive or exotic in terms of hardware (1st generation hardware and all).

Last edit: 2012-07-08 00:33:11

ToF Suriname. July 08 2012 00:27. Posts 39

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Retina display is a marketing buzzword, it means the display has a certain pixel density, which makes any display with a high enough resolution to size ratio a 'retina display'

awakenx United States. July 08 2012 00:32. Posts 309

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On July 07 2012 23:40 Jaso wrote:
Show me where you can get a 256GB SSD, 8GB RAM, top-notch quad-core processor and 650M for $1100.
You can't. Maybe for $1500.

EZ

Sager NP6165. It's an 11 inch laptop though, but you didnt specify screen size. From Xotic PC, a 6165 w/ Crucial M4 56 GB SSD, i7-3610QM, 8 GB Ram, 650M w/ GDDR5 VRAM, for $1114. If you're in Nebraska or outside of the US, you're out of luck, though.

Last edit: 2012-07-08 00:34:21

WorstMicroNA

Paradise` United States. July 08 2012 00:38. Posts 200

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On July 08 2012 00:32 deathtrance wrote:

Show nested quote +

EZ

Sager NP6165. It's an 11 inch laptop though, but you didnt specify screen size. From Xotic PC, a 6165 w/ Crucial M4 56 GB SSD, i7-3610QM, 8 GB Ram, 650M w/ GDDR5 VRAM, for $1114. If you're in Nebraska or outside of the US, you're out of luck, though.

Lol.....

User was warned for this post

Womwomwom July 08 2012 00:41. Posts 5518

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He probably should have mentioned that the screen has to be somewhat decent and the build has to be adequate. That 11" laptop is based around the Clevo W110ER and packs, unsurprisingly, your bargain bin TN screen with below 200:1 contrast. Basically what you're paying for is a bunch of silicon shoved into a plastic box, which seems to be what people who think Macbook Pros are overpriced are looking for.

Unless things have changed with the Sager version, the Clevo isn't particularly good with battery life (idle or load), obviously gets very hot, and throttles due to temperatures and doesn't activate turbo boost when the GPU is active.

Last edit: 2012-07-08 00:48:46

awakenx United States. July 08 2012 02:05. Posts 309

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On July 08 2012 00:41 Womwomwom wrote:
He probably should have mentioned that the screen has to be somewhat decent and the build has to be adequate. That 11" laptop is based around the Clevo W110ER and packs, unsurprisingly, your bargain bin TN screen with below 200:1 contrast. Basically what you're paying for is a bunch of silicon shoved into a plastic box, which seems to be what people who think Macbook Pros are overpriced are looking for.

Unless things have changed with the Sager version, the Clevo isn't particularly good with battery life (idle or load), obviously gets very hot, and throttles due to temperatures and doesn't activate turbo boost when the GPU is active.

Yeah, if he included that, then it's gg for the w110er. Although battery life from W110ER users have been around 4 hours; some even pulled out 5, screen quality is bad and heats up

but the raw performance/price is incredible.

WorstMicroNA

RoyalCheese Czech Republic. July 08 2012 02:42. Posts 734

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Looks very cool. I would probably buy it if
a] i had the money for it
b] i didn't hate os x

Last edit: 2012-07-08 02:43:32

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Blurio Germany. July 08 2012 03:52. Posts 218

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It's probably worth 2000 Dollars for the screen alone. But since you don't do shit that needs an amazing display like that you would probably get much more bang for the buck if you just buy a pc and a nice monitor, like a Dell U2412M or whatever the newest version of that is. But rest assured, all your need will somewhat decent run on the machine and you get a really amazing display. If you have the money to throw out, go for it.

Blurio Germany. July 08 2012 03:53. Posts 218

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On July 08 2012 00:27 ToF wrote:
Retina display is a marketing buzzword, it means the display has a certain pixel density, which makes any display with a high enough resolution to size ratio a 'retina display'

Well, there is no other display like that, so they can marketing buzzword all they want.

Blurio Germany. July 08 2012 03:56. Posts 218

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On July 07 2012 23:59 NeonFox wrote:

Show nested quote +

Oh yes of course Apple will take care of you if you have a faulty display, but it still is a hassle backing up all your data, having to wait for a new one and re-installing and configuring everything if you don't have a (costly) time machine.

It's a risk everytime a company goes for a type of hardware they didn't have before, the first generation can have some problems.

I would still recommend he gets an older one if he still wants a macbook, based on price and the fact that you'd have to replace the whole laptop if it has a problem.

Edit : time capsule not machine.

Time machine is just a program on your mac. You can run it with every external hard drive you can find. And it's really easy to use. Plug it in, configure it once, it runs every time you plug your hdd in. Then restore from it on the new one. It's a hassle cause it needs some time to copy all the stuff, but it's not costly or anything.

Lord Lunga Sweden. July 08 2012 05:23. Posts 28

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Cost to replace battery on MacBook Pro, Retina: CA$209 pre taxes.

And no, you cannot change it yourself, because the computer is screwed together with safety screws AND glued.

Source: http://www.apple.com/support/macbookpro/service/battery/

Don't buy one, and don't buy anything Apple.

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