Macbook Pro Vs Macbook pro Retina

simonm8

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Simon
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Quick question..

what would people choose fromt he following 2 specs.... its main use is going to be running osx server for managing ipads within the school, and using imovie to edit podcats and edit a few pictures in photoshop CS5.. is the retina worth the extra £276

Macbook Pro
13"
2.5ghz i5
8GB Ram
500GB Hd
Intel hd 4000 Graphics
CD Drive
£832

or

Macbookm Pro Retina 13"
2.6ghz i5 or 2.4ghz for £66 less
8GB RAM
256gb Flash Drive
Intel Iris Graphics
No Cd Drive
£1108
 
I'd say so.

rMBP
+ higher resolution display
+ faster processor (similar clock speed, but latest generation in rMBP)
+ faster RAM (1600MHz v 1333MHz)
+ SSD v HDD (this is where you'll notice the biggest improvement, and it's a PCI-e SSD too, so still faster than installing a SSD into the MBP) OK, so it's half the capacity but about 10x the speed!
+ GPU significantly faster (again, latest generation in rMBP and Intel 4000 wasn't well regarded anyway)
+ No CD drive means a thinner chassis and when was the last time you used a CD/DVD? External USB drives are pretty cheap if you really need one
+ battery life will be significantly better too

The only positive I can find on the MBP is that both the RAM and HDD are user upgradable, so you could increase to 16GB and put in a SSD for the £276 you'd save, but it's still a generation out of date
 
If you are just running it as a server and a simple edit station I can't see the need to opt for the retina model as you are not going to see the advantage. The image quality on the Retina model is much better but I don't think you have the need for it. If the Mac is going to be stationary then possibly look at a Mac Mini with an external monitor. Might be an even cheaper option
 
Still ironic that apple offer no server-grade hardware, given how dependant some businesses are going to be on them!

Mac Mini would be better in my opinion, assuming it has to run 24/7?
 
As some have pointed out, you get faster basic hardware in the retina MBP, but there is no hardware upgrade path. If the MBP-retina will never need more internal storage or memory then it should be OK, but otherwise the old MBP or a Mac mini will be a better choice.
 
Needs to be portable has where the trolleys are scatted over the school with the ipads in it, it easy just to plug the macbook in each trolley to sync and do the updates. Plus i will be doing the inital set up of the 185 ipad mini we getting in during the holiday at home so easy for me for it to be a macbook.

Doesnt need to be running all the time, at the moment i have to use my peronal macbook to sync the ipads, but we are going from 12 on site to nearly 200... its main use will be editing podcats videos and updating website via contribute.

Also im trying to perswade the head to let me have it has my work laptop so ideal for me for editing pics with CS5 for personal use..

Cost to be honest is not a problem,
 
Then an MBP retina is a no-brainer, but see if you can't get a version with 16 GB RAM, since 8 isn't terribly future-proof for image editing (or video editing, if they might want to do that in the future).
 
If you are going to edit pictures on the MBP, Id opt for the non Retina model and get an external monitor. The 13" is a bit small for decent editing. The minimum I'd use is the 15" If you are buying direct from Apple I'd also add a Superdrive. as these Macs don't have the ability to handle CD/DVD's . I'm not sure where your software will come from but an external drive would be a safeguard. You can get similar drives for about 1/2 the price but if you are doing the whole thing via an Apple purchase it will probably be easier
 
I'm not sure where your software will come from but an external drive would be a safeguard. You can get similar drives for about 1/2 the price but if you are doing the whole thing via an Apple purchase it will probably be easier

Really, I am not sure where my software comes from too. Maybe from the moon because I don't have the drive for 2 years now and I am still alive and doing work.
 
Really, I am not sure where my software comes from too. Maybe from the moon because I don't have the drive for 2 years now and I am still alive and doing work.

Sometimes being a smart-arse doesn't actually look that great in public. :p
 
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