Hey everyone. Right now, my computer is an outdated and overused 2008 Macbook which at this point has difficulty even typing things into the Google Chrome search bar Because of this, I plan on upgrading my computer after Christmas, hopefully with a lump sum of cash from said holiday. I've narrowed it down to three options and I'd like your guys's opinions on which would be the best value and which I should go with. Some other important information before I post the computer stats. With my current laptop I really only browse the internet, do homework, Skype, and play Minecraft. I would like to get into some Steam gaming and such since there is a pretty decent selection of OS X games available, but am limited by my current machine. I'd like the new one to be able to play games like Garry's Mod, Portal 2, TF2, etc, as well as running Minecraft amazingly. In addition, I plan on taking this computer with me to college, where I will be doing a lot of programming with IDE's and things like that, so it needs to run all of that smoothly. Lastly, if possible I'm considering running a Linux partition off of this to allow some more freedom while learning programming. Finally, yes, I am looking for a Mac. I have nothing against PC's, it's really just personal preference based on the OS and the feel of a Macbook. I am aware that I could get comparable or far better stats for the same price, but want a Mac despite that. If you're only going to post "get a PC" please just refrain from posting. Option 1: 13-inch Macbook Pro with Retina Display 2.8 Ghz Dual-Core i7 processor, Turbo Boost up to 3.3 Ghz 8GB 1600MHz DDR3L SDRAM 512 GB PCle-based Flash Storage Intel Iris Graphics on the i7. Retina Display (I heard this can slow down FPS, anyone know?) No Disc Drive $1,999 Option 2: 13-inch Macbook Pro 2.9 Ghz Dual-Core i7 processor, Turbo Boost up to 3.4 Ghz 8GB 1600MHz DDR3L SDRAM 500 GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm Intel HD Graphics 4000 $1,449 Option 3: 15-inch Macbook Pro with Retina Display 2.3 Ghz Quad-Core Intel i7 processor, Turbo Boost up to 3.5 Ghz 8GB 1600MHz DDR3L SDRAM 512 GB PCle-based Flash Storage Intel Iris Pro Graphics on the i7 Retina and No Disc Drive like Option 1 $2,399 So, some overarching questions I have in addition to which one you'd recommend would be what difference the Retina Display is going to have, or if the Iris Graphics and Flash storage are worth the $500 bump up from the cheaper 13-inch. (option 2). Whats the minimum RAM and Ghz I'm going to want to do what I need my laptop to do? Thanks in advance for the feedback
Go with Option 4: none of the above. But I can see that I can't change your intent to buy a Mac, so go with option 3, since 13 inches is hardly enough monitor space to use. If you can get it in a non-Retina form though, that would be better.
I know you said that you don't want a PC, but since you mentioned liking the OS, I think that a look in this direction could be fun/helpful for you. http://www.hackintosh.com/ Thats the base site, and I found this from a link on there. http://www.macbreaker.com/2012/09/best-hackintosh-laptops-2012-mountain-lion.html Now I know Mountain Lion isn't the newest one, but it should still work out, plus there are Maverick tuts on the website too. You could get one of those laptops, and triboot with windows being used for gaming. Just an idea.
I'd go for option 3, but it's fairly expensive, so option one is likely the best. I'm not sure if the retina display lowers FPS rates or not. If it does, then maybe you're better getting the standard 13 inch model.
Option 2 is the best in every regard. Retina displays do cause lag, more pixels is always more lag. *EDIT* Just noticed it's dual core. Still, Intel HD is much more.. viable.. than the alternative.
The alternative being the Intel Iris? And is there going to be a noticeable difference having a Serial ATA drive instead of the Flash storage?
I own a 13 inch macbook and that is really enough for me. 13 inch is also lighter and has better battery life.
Serial ATA is slower, meaning longer load times, boot times, and transfer times. Also, upon further research I've learned that Iris is just little bit better than HD 4000. The only one that doesn't seem worth it (relatively) is option 3. Choose between 1 or 2, as you feel inclined.
