MBP Retina: 13 or 15?

T

Tyler-Durden

2[H]4U
Joined
Nov 18, 2012
Messages
2,302
I'm looking to upgrade my 2009 MBP to one of the new Retina models. I don't game or run any video/photo editing programs on my laptop. The most demanding things I do are Office apps (Word, PowerPoint, etc.), internet/e-mail/twitter/chat, watch TV/videos, update/back up my iPhone. I love the compact, new Retina 13 but am concerned the Intel 4000 is too under-powered for the 2560x1600 screen. Any thoughts from the Mac experts?
 
Anand said Facebook browsing via Safari dropped to 16 FPS in the worst case. I'd still recommend it over the 15 for your uses.

I'd read the Anand review too; it covers every inch of the system.
 
That Anandtech review was excellent. Thanks for the tip.

I found another helpful review here: http://barefeats.com/rmbp13.html

The reviews and comments suggest the 13 is excellent for portability and general to moderate computing. The 15 is geared more toward the professional sector that needs heavy computing power.
 
Pretty much it. I like my 15" rMBP...but I sometimes use it for lab demos. Example, at VMworld I ran a 3-node VMware cluster right there on the 15" rMBP for a preso in front of 1200 people. Worked great.

The size of the 15" took getting used to coming from the 13" Air but since I don't fly every often now it's not a problem and I like the larger display.
 
Also, the only site I notice laggy scrolling is Facebook. Everywhere else is just fine.
 
A friend has the 15 and it's a sweet machine. If a laptop were my only computer, I'd grab the 15.

The 13 fits my needs (and price preference) better... unless I find a slightly used 15 at a really good price. ;)
 
I think the 13" price point is entirely too high. I'd love one if I needed another laptop though.
 
BiH115 said:
I think the 13" price point is entirely too high. I'd love one if I needed another laptop though.
Click to expand...

My biggest issue is that the performance is underwhelming given the price.

According to Anandtech, the UI fps can slow down into the teens (super choppy scrolling). I would probably wait for second generation retina MBP (Haswell iGPU is suppose to be a huge improvement)
 
gwu168 said:
My biggest issue is that the performance is underwhelming given the price.

According to Anandtech, the UI fps can slow down into the teens (super choppy scrolling). I would probably wait for second generation retina MBP (Haswell iGPU is suppose to be a huge improvement)
Click to expand...

That too, should have mentioned it. I'm not a big fan of plopping down 2 grand for a 13" laptop with a great screen, only to have it slow down to a crawl. For that much money, I want it to FLY. I hear the 15" can slow down as well sometimes. Granted, resolution is huge, but c'mon. Throw a GPU in there ffs. I'll take the battery life hit.
 
The 15" has a GPU. It's a LOT of pixels. And the only time I see lag is on Facebook.
 
I actually think the 15" could use a beefier GPU as the 650M is a mid-level chip. Give it a 680M and watch that laptop cruise hyperspace with ease.

I think I'll just hang on to my current MBP for a while longer and see what improvements will be included in the 2013 retina MBPs.
 
680M would require a much beefier cooling solution which would make the MBP much thicker. Honestly the 15 with 650m is no slouch. I run games when I'm not at home on my MBP either native or via bootcamp and the machine makes me happy. Of course it is nothing compared to my home desktop but when I am on campus it is plenty to keep me running. Having both the MBP and an air is great when I'm on campus with downtime as I can play games and still view webpages/email/homework. I would not want to carry anything heavier however.
 
Last edited:
I picked up the 13" Retina when Fry's had it for $150 off a few days ago. I love it. It's an incredible machine, and definitely much more portable than my 15" MBP. It only weighs slightly more than my boyfriend's 13" Air.

BiH115 said:
That too, should have mentioned it. I'm not a big fan of plopping down 2 grand for a 13" laptop with a great screen, only to have it slow down to a crawl. For that much money, I want it to FLY. I hear the 15" can slow down as well sometimes. Granted, resolution is huge, but c'mon. Throw a GPU in there ffs. I'll take the battery life hit.
Click to expand...
After installing Webkit (instead of Safari) there is no slowdown when scrolling web pages. I really don't have any performance issues with it, and I'm pretty surprised the integrated graphics can keep up as well as it does. The UI is very responsive for the most part, and I'm pretty picky (although I hear plugging in an external monitor is kind of a disaster, performance-wise)
 
BiH115 said:
I think the 13" price point is entirely too high. I'd love one if I needed another laptop though.
Click to expand...

I wanted to upgrade from my 13" Air, but the 13" Retina is just too expensive. You can get a 15" Retina for $2100 from B&H Photo. You get a 256GB SSD, quad-core CPU, and a dedicated graphics card for not much more $.
 
I just got the 15 rMBP and it's amazing. Like it's already been said, it's an incredibly powerful machine for it's size. I was playing Skyrim on it today at 1920x1200 with 8x aa/af with high res texture packs and the frame rate was solid. Really impressed and I would totally get it over the 13.
 
I just got a tip on a barely used retina 15 that a neighbor is looking to dump. He won it in a company raffle, several weeks ago. He's not a Mac guy, so wants to sell it and buy an -- prepare to cringe -- HP. I sent an e-mail offering $1700 for it. Will keep you posted...
 
Tyler-Durden said:
I just got a tip on a barely used retina 15 that a neighbor is looking to dump. He won it in a company raffle, several weeks ago. He's not a Mac guy, so wants to sell it and buy an -- prepare to cringe -- HP. I sent an e-mail offering $1700 for it. Will keep you posted...
Click to expand...

Good luck. Def worth it at that price!
 
The 13 is a ripoff IMHO for the difference in price that gets you 16 GB max ram (vs 8), a thiner machine, a dedicated graphics card (most important thing espeically with such a high resolution machine), quad core vs dual core CPU and twice the SSD storage standard.

I would stay away from the 13 inch model. I have the 15 inch retina macbook. Not really a mac guy though I mainly run linux on it.
 
Tyler-Durden said:
I just got a tip on a barely used retina 15 that a neighbor is looking to dump. He won it in a company raffle, several weeks ago. He's not a Mac guy, so wants to sell it and buy an -- prepare to cringe -- HP. I sent an e-mail offering $1700 for it. Will keep you posted...
Click to expand...

Why cringe when someone wants to save a G to use the same hardware? $1000 dollars in my pocket sure as hell wouldnt make me -- prepare to cringe --
 
nissanztt90 said:
Why cringe when someone wants to save a G to use the same hardware? $1000 dollars in my pocket sure as hell wouldnt make me -- prepare to cringe --
Click to expand...
I cringe anytime someone willingly wastes money on crap hardware and piss poor customer service from HP.
 
The intel 4000 is plenty strong for that high res display. If you don't need the 15 inches, or are short on cash - the 13" will suit you just fine.
 
i would go for the 15" instead of the 13" this because only looking at the video card inside tells me enough! onboard for a retina 13"? thats soo lame..
 
koek said:
i would go for the 15" instead of the 13" this because only looking at the video card inside tells me enough! onboard for a retina 13"? thats soo lame..
Click to expand...

it actually seems to work pretty well. oh well, i must be full of shit because i own one. it's probably painful to use and i am only trying to justify my purchase, right? ;)

the 13" is a perfect size for a portable coding rig. i commute on trains a lot and walk a mile to work from the station. so it's nice to have something light and powerful, with a beautiful screen and great keyboard.
 
Oops, I forgot to update my own thread. ;)

I ended up getting that Retina 15 from my neighbor. I paid the same price for his barely used 15" as I would have for a new 13" so I consider it a good purchase. I'm really shocked at how thin it is compared to my '09 15" MBP. The screen is pretty amazing with a higher resolution than my 30" desktop LCD. It's definitely more computer than I need for a laptop, but for $1700, an irresistible bargain. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top