Macbook Pro Retina 13in Configuration

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nikopappas

nikopappas

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Mar 18, 2012
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So I'll be heading to college next year and I want a long-lasting laptop. I'm not entirely sure what I'll be using it for, but it'll most likely include a little bit of everything. I'll use it for entertainment, gaming, writing documents, video chatting, etc. Therefore, I'm looking for a well-rounded and versatile laptop,

I was thinking one of these 2 builds.

1)

2.6GHz Dual-core Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz
16GB 1600MHz DDR3L SDRAM
256GB PCIe-based Flash Storage

2)

2.8GHz Dual-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz
16GB 1600MHz DDR3L SDRAM
256GB PCIe-based Flash Storage

I was also considering downgrading the ram to 8gb, but I'm not sure what the future holds and how much ram I might actually require. As for the SSD, I was thinking an external HDD would meet my needs if I needed extra memory. Any help is appreciated, thanks.
 
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t3nn1spr3p

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Jul 3, 2012
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The i5 is definitely enough. If they had an i3 option, I'd almost recommend going for that, because all that's added is virtual cores and maybe 1-2Mb of cache. Since there's no option of upgrading to a quad core without blowing a huge amount of money, and going with the 15" version, take the cheapest dual core. For a "jack-of-all-trades" college computer, you won't notice a 100-200MHz difference in speed.

As far as your dynamic random access memory, you definitely don't need 16GB. Your macbook isn't a workhorse, and the 8GB will be overkill for almost everything. Some newer games do push past that 4GB need, but you probably wouldn't be playing them on a mac anyway.

Finally, don't buy a macbook pro retina now anyway. They're at the end of their cycle.
The buyer's guide at macrumors.com recommends to not buy one now. link
Wait a few months; apple will probably wait until Broadwell is released, so might not be released till Christmas. If you absolutely can't wait and you need a computer for college... I don't know. Pretty tough choice.
 
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nikopappas

nikopappas

Honorable
Mar 18, 2012
35
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10,540

Yeah I basically need it now and I saw that link as well. I realize that it's not a huge jump in efficiency but I the hyperthreading on the i7 is supposed to give it quite a bit of an edge. While it is my college computer, it's my computer for everything, and therefore I don't want it to be severely underpowered in a year. That's why I was considering the 8gb, mostly for future proofing it as the current retina macbooks aren't able to be upgraded post purchase.
 
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t3nn1spr3p

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Jul 3, 2012
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Btw, I've been a windows person my whole life until a little while ago. I tried out a macbook pro retina for a few weeks and loved it! Good choice going with mac for a laptop.

Also, I game a lot (have several large games on my computer at any one time), run autocad, inventor, matlab, download and watch tons of tv shows, have years of financial records stored for reference (I'm a treasurer), and a lot of school papers, homeworks, homework/exam solutions, pictures, etc. So, as a point of reference, I only ever use about half of my 256GB solid state drive. It's the only drive I have for my gaming desktop.

With proper management of what you save, deleting downloads, movies after you watch them, programs that you stopped using, etc, you should be fine with 256GB. Of course a cheap external hard drive is a good option if you want to back-up as well as store other stuff on it.
 
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