Which mbpr would best suit my needs?

[snissa4]

Hi,

I am looking to shop for a mbpr 15.
I am debating between 16 and 8gb of ram for MY uses for the next 2-4 years.

I will probably have a vm with windows 8 running 24/7, and occasionally ubuntu.
Chrome, adobe reader, google drive sync, desktop facebook messenger will also run 24/7. I will also be using eclipse regularly for coding.

Ill be using this machine primarily for school work as a Comp sci major at UIUC. I do not have a big background in hardware specs and what they mean as we primarily just work on theoretical software side.

 

[RadDave]

Hello & welcome to the forum!

In March of '13, I bought a rMBP 13" w/ 8GB RAM & a 256 GB SSD - I'm retired now and this computer has served my modest needs.

Looking at the current specs of the MBP 15" offerings (pic below), basically the 8 GB RAM model is similar to mine except for screen size. Your needs are MUCH greater and you want to use the machine for up to 4 yrs - I suggest the more expensive one w/ a doubling of RAM & storage - good luck in your selection. Dave
.