MacBook Pro with retina help!

Hi I currently have a 2009 white MacBook but am looking to upgrade

I was thinking of getting the rMBP with 128gb memory but not sure if it will be enough?

I download quite a bit of tv but I don't actually store it on my computer very often and I also have an external hard drive I could use.

I had almost decided to go with the 128gb but the more I read the more I think it won't be enough!

I'm toying with the idea of paying a similar amount of money for the air with 256gb but I feel like I should be getting the most up to date model available! What do you think?

It depends entirely on YOUR uses, and what YOU like.

For ME.. I Like (love)/have the Retina MBP.. I went w/ the 500gb SSD, as it is not user upgradeable.

I did put both my iTunes music library, some movies, and my iPhoto Library on external drives. This has left me with 331GB of free space on my rMBP, which is ample, but 128GB SSD would not have been enough for me. personally.

For all the reasons 9to5 Mac reported, I favor the non-Retina MacBooks. Just too many problems to justify the price. I also favor the maximum storage as well as the maximum memory I can get as a small effort toward future proofing the machine as well as ensuring that it is as speedy as possible.

MacBook Pro with Retina display: Problems in every dimension | 9to5Mac

Argh more confused than ever! Maybe I should add that I feel like I have a lot of music but even that doesn't fill a 32gb iPod.

This laptop needs to last me a good few years I suppose I just need to think about what memory I will need in the future,

Does the display slow down the machine at all? I'm not tech savvy as you can tell!

wolfpuppies3 said:

For all the reasons 9to5 Mac reported, I favor the non-Retina MacBooks. Just too many problems to justify the price. I also favor the maximum storage as well as the maximum memory I can get as a small effort toward future proofing the machine as well as ensuring that it is as speedy as possible.

MacBook Pro with Retina display: Problems in every dimension | 9to5Mac

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Just read the article, that would be so annoying if I got one that was faulty!

Do you have an air? Do you know if they are reliable? I saw an article where one guy was saying he was sure he would never change from an air until he saw how good the display was on the rMBP.

I have an ipad with retina & am worried I would really notice the difference, although using my current old macbook doesn't bother me

Georgie4 said:

Argh more confused than ever! Maybe I should add that I feel like I have a lot of music but even that doesn't fill a 32gb iPod.

Click to expand...

It's really not that confusing. A 128gig SSD is not that large by today's standards.

The standard traditional hard drives Apple includes in laptop computers these days is a 500gig or 750gig. The reason why the capacity of SSD drives are so small (that Apple offers with stock configurations) is they are darn expensive. If you wanted to upgrade to a 512gig SSD...it would cost you an extra $500-$600.

Looks at things this way as well:

- You want to have 10gig-20gig of your SSD for the operating system.
- The average full length movie takes up around 4gig.
- 250 mp3's take up about 1gig of storage space
- personal photos and videos can take up a lot of space
- Add up how much space you will need for applications (productivity apps, games, etc.)

Subtract all of this from 128gig of SSD storage (actual formatted capacity of a 128gig SSD is around 120gig)...and this is what you have left for future needs.

Also keep in mind that the SSD in a retina MacBook Pro is not designed to be upgradeable...so you kind of have to purchase as much storage space as you will need (now & in the future) when you purchase/configure the computer.

It is theoretically possible that SSD upgrading can be possible. It mostly depends if 3rd party suppliers design upgradable SSD drives for retina MacBook Pro's.

Georgie4 said:

This laptop needs to last me a good few years I suppose I just need to think about what memory I will need in the future...

Click to expand...

FYI...the capacity of an SSD drive is referred to as "storage space". "Memory" is the term used with ram.

HTH,

- Nick

I own both the rMBP and the Macbook Air..
The rMBP is by far my favorite Mac I have ever owned.. and that is a lot.
Mine has been perfect since the day I bought it (5 mos ago.).. THough, I did have a mouse issue due to having mice hooked up at the same time.
My screen has been perfect, and simply stunning, (I recommend SwitchResX) the performance is amazing, etc Bar none.. the best Mac ever... for me.

If this rMBP were to be lost, I'd buy another in a heart beat.

As mentioned above.. 128gb wouldn't cut it for me though.
If your budget doesn't allow for upgraded storage space on a rMBP, I'd probably go with the non-retina Macbook Pro.

Brill that does help thanks, there is so much to think about. It doesn't help that I have no idea about the capacity of my macbook to compare it with.

I have a retina ipad that I can play any games on etc so I won't be downloading any games on my laptop.

I generally always have to get the best model I can but maybe I should just bite the bullet and get an air if the rMBP has problems with the display.

Hmmmm the mind boggles

RiDE said:

I own both the rMBP and the Macbook Air..
The rMBP is by far my favorite Mac I have ever owned.. and that is a lot.
Mine has been perfect since the day I bought it (5 mos ago.).. THough, I did have a mouse issue due to having mice hooked up at the same time.
My screen has been perfect, and simply stunning, (I recommend SwitchResX) the performance is amazing, etc Bar none.. the best Mac ever... for me.

If this rMBP were to be lost, I'd buy another in a heart beat.

As mentioned above.. 128gb wouldn't cut it for me though.
If your budget doesn't allow for upgraded storage space on a rMBP, I'd probably go with the non-retina Macbook Pro.

Click to expand...

I could afford it but its whether I can bring myself to spend that much money on something that might have screen issues (although the mentioned article is the first I'd heard of any)

I know I'm thick what is switchresx?

Georgie4 said:

I could afford it but its whether I can bring myself to spend that much money on something that might have screen issues (although the mentioned article is the first I'd heard of any)

I know I'm thick what is switchresx?

Click to expand...

TUAW did a poll over the weekend that showed about half of all rMBP owners are absolutely thrilled with no issues whatsoever. Lol. I feel like I'm selling you.. That's not my intention... I just absolutely love mine.

SwitchResX is an app for the rMBP that allows you to switch the resolution to any specific resolution you'd like. It's awesome. I use 2048 x 1280, and if I REALLY need some extra screen real estate I switch to 2560 x 1600, but only temporarily as that is pretty small for me.