Help - MBP vs. iMac

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Hey guys, I was looking forward to purchasing a new apple computer today, and with the Mac Pro ruled out of the equation, I can now chose between the iMac and the Retina MBP. I understand that this is a bit of an uneven fight, seeing as the iMac missed out on an update (when will it get one? If only we knew..), but try and take it as if the iMac will be updated shortly.

I'm a student and will be using the computer for CS6, etc.

However, I have some questions:

- How will the GPU in the Retina MBP perform in comparison to the current iMac GPU (or suspected updated GPU for the next imac update)? Wouldn't the fact that it has so many more pixels to drive reduce its speed/efficiency? How good is the 650M - good enough for HD work in CS6? Will I notice a significant difference vs. iMac?

- Can I upgrade RAM in the Retina MBP?

- Comparing CPU's in the MBP - is it worth upgrading to the 2.6 Ghz model? This computer will be used for many years and I have the money, but is it really worth it?

- AppleCare (for both imac and MBP) - it's worth it, right? As expensive as it is. Just would like to get general opinions on this.


Obviously the screen-size is also a factor, but in the future I may be able to get my hands on a thunderbolt display, used for a good price. So I'm not too worried about that.

Would Retina have a negative impact on graphics performance (significant)? Is it worth just buying a normal MBP? I'm just kind of lost right now...


Thanks
 

pigoo3

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However, I have some questions:

- How will the GPU in the Retina MBP perform in comparison to the current iMac GPU (or suspected updated GPU for the next imac update)? Wouldn't the fact that it has so many more pixels to drive reduce its speed/efficiency? How good is the 650M - good enough for HD work in CS6? Will I notice a significant difference vs. iMac?

Don't you think that it's a little early to be asking this??;)

The new products were only announced a couple hours ago. Why not wait a bit for some of the Macintosh info/tech sites to get their hands on some of the new stuff, gather their thoughts, and then we can read reviews & benchmarking info.

- Nick
 
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Don't you think that it's a little early to be asking this??;)

The new products were only announced a couple hours ago. Why not wait a bit for some of the Macintosh info/tech sites to get their hands on some of the new stuff, gather their thoughts, and then we can read reviews & benchmarking info.

- Nick

Fair enough, hahah - I've just been waiting for a long time, I suppose I'm overly anxious. :p
 

pigoo3

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Fair enough, hahah - I've just been waiting for a long time, I suppose I'm overly anxious. :p

The other important point is...REALLY evaluate your mobility/portability needs.

If you really need mobility...then a MacBook Pro (of some sort is what you need)...since an iMac is not portable. If you can decide (narrow things down)...between a desktop or a laptop...this will go a long way in reducing the complexity of your purchase decision.

- Nick
 
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The other important point is...REALLY evaluate your mobility/portability needs.

If you really need mobility...then a MacBook Pro (of some sort is what you need)...since an iMac is not portable. If you can decide (narrow things down)...between a desktop or a laptop...this will go a long way in reducing the complexity of your purchase decision.

- Nick

Yes, true. I was debating getting an iPad to go with the iMac (seems to be a popular compromise), but it's just not the same.

I've read some stuff online & looked at some benchmarks now - and it seems that the retina display has little effect on graphics performance. Is 1GB of video memory enough? I'm surprised there's no 2GB option or something, but then again - I probably won't need that.

How does a Macbook CPU compare to an iMac CPU? It looks to me as if the fact that it's a "M" CPU doesn't seem to make much of a performance difference from looking at benchmarks.

And yeah - I'm really struggling with the decision to buy Apple Care... It is expensive, and I do plan on taking very good care of this very expensive machine.. is the one year of coverage enough? Like, if there was a fault in the design or anything, certainly they would cover it anyways... Whatever.

Thanks.
 
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if you have the means to get the next generation mbp, go for it, with basic ssd drive and 8gb ram should be good enough for the start. Later you can upgrade the drive and ram yourself.
in my opinion, apple care has its advantage, if you are taking care of your mbp, should not be needed, with a 3 year warranty is not worth the money, consider the mbp I own lasted 5+ years easy. If the end comes then worry about it.
 
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if you have the means to get the next generation mbp, go for it, with basic ssd drive and 8gb ram should be good enough for the start. Later you can upgrade the drive and ram yourself.

by all accounts that i have read the Retina MBPs will not have user serviceable RAM, and possibly even the SSDs (meaning they are both soldered in and not removable)..

with that in mind, get all you can afford in the Retina MBP.. since you probably won't be able to update them yourself after the fact...

iMacs on the other hand are user upgradable.. but like you said in your first post.. who knows when and with what they will get upgraded too..

hth
gl
 
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by all accounts that i have read the Retina MBPs will not have user serviceable RAM, and possibly even the SSDs (meaning they are both soldered in and not removable)..

with that in mind, get all you can afford in the Retina MBP.. since you probably won't be able to update them yourself after the fact...

iMacs on the other hand are user upgradable.. but like you said in your first post.. who knows when and with what they will get upgraded too..

hth
gl
you are absolutely right. nothing can be up graded on mbp.
 
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The RAM on the MBP Retina is soldered to the logic board and cannot be upgraded. The SSD is on a proprietary connector. Other World Computer is working on SSD upgrades for the MBP Retina models, so stating the SSD cannot be upgraded is incorrect.

The MBP Retina computers will blow away the iMac in everything you do simply because they ship with SSDs. Upgrading the hard drive to an SSD in an iMac is ridiculously expensive. This is not a user-replaceable part unless you have advanced hardware technician skills.

Why not consider the non-retina MBP? Replacing the hard drive in one of those is a five-minute operation. If you get really greedy for speed you can get an OWC Data Doubler and install two internal SSDs. This is the direction I'm leaning to replace my 2009 13-inch MBP.
 

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