Seriously considering making the switch.

[+Tyranade Subscriber²]

I am still lost as to why you feel as though you NEED to get that much RAM out of the gate. I mean its a Mac.. RAM requirements are not the same as with Windows PC's.

Because I like lots of headroom. Plus if I am going to spend ?2k on a MBP ?120 for 16gb of ram isn't a lot of money.

[threetonesun]

Well from looking around I have not really heard anything about the Retina except for the fact the RAM and SSD are soldered to the Motherboard.

Well... they've been out for what, two months? :laugh:

It's a lot of first in the industry type stuff, it's just not possible that they've been able to QC a batch of them long term yet so... extended Applecare might be a good idea. I mean, it's nothing super high tech, but the early model white Macbooks had logic board and battery issues galore, and they certainly weren't fancy for their time.

[+Tyranade Subscriber²]

Well... they've been out for what, two months? :laugh:

It's a lot of first in the industry type stuff, it's just not possible that they've been able to QC a batch of them long term yet so... extended Applecare might be a good idea. I mean, it's nothing super high tech, but the early model white Macbooks had logic board and battery issues galore, and they certainly weren't fancy for their time.

Aha true I guess. The Retina display is honestly a non factor as 99% of the time it will be on a stand, closed, hooked up to a external monitor anyway. Just not sure if I should save a few pounds with the Retina or get something that is known to work.

[SMELTN]

if its going to be closed and on the stand like mine.. Then Retina is pointless honestly.

[+Tyranade Subscriber²]

if its going to be closed and on the stand like mine.. Then Retina is pointless honestly.

I guess it is. Just not looking forward to destroying the warranty on the non Retina though.

[cooky560 Veteran]

So the retina has a single 3.5mm port thats for input, output and Optical? wow, just wow.

[+Tyranade Subscriber²]

So the retina has a single 3.5mm port thats for input, output and Optical? wow, just wow.

Kinda what I thought when I looked at it.

[fusi0n]

Macbook Pro 16GB Ram + External Display

Never Look Back

[+Tyranade Subscriber²]

Macbook Pro 16GB Ram + External Display

Never Look Back

You noticed any draw backs from using the MBP as a desktop replacement?

[threetonesun]

You noticed any draw backs from using the MBP as a desktop replacement?

Nope. Especially not as far as Macs go.

[Bizkit]

If you are still thinking about getting the Retina MacBook Pro and are worried about the upgrading of the harddrive, I just watched the newest episode of Know How where they showed how to switch the harddrives out. It was super easy, but the harddrives are stupid expensive. On the episode, he said it was like 400gb harddrive for like $550us. That's pretty crazy, but atleast you can see how easy it is.

Here is a link to said episode: http://twit.tv/show/know-how/10

[@Leo]

Why not just get a Mac Mini?

[Bizkit]

Why not just get a Mac Mini?

I think he wants something more powerful. Seems he's leaning toward a MacBook (good idea imo).

[Kami-]

You noticed any draw backs from using the MBP as a desktop replacement?

There aren't many; I use mine on a desk stand (opened as a mini secondary display) plugged into an external monitor, it's very comparable to the power of the iMac, only I'd advise buying a nice external screen :p

[Bizkit]

Also I have been reading from various news sites that Apple is going to be refreshing the iMac line. If that is true, it might be worth waiting to see what happens, and a new iMac might be something you are looking for.

Link: http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2012/09/07/apple-to-unveil-new-lineup-imacs/ (I know its Fox News but this was only one of the sites, just happened to be the one I had open at the time.)

[+Tyranade Subscriber²]

Nope. Especially not as far as Macs go.

Awesome

If you are still thinking about getting the Retina MacBook Pro and are worried about the upgrading of the harddrive, I just watched the newest episode of Know How where they showed how to switch the harddrives out. It was super easy, but the harddrives are stupid expensive. On the episode, he said it was like 400gb harddrive for like $550us. That's pretty crazy, but atleast you can see how easy it is.

Here is a link to said episode: http://twit.tv/show/know-how/10

Yeah but their more expensive than a Standard SSD so yeah, it just seems stupid to me why they did that with the Retina MBP, Soldered RAM and a Proprietary SSD.

Why not just get a Mac Mini?

I already explained why...

BUT if they added a Core i7 Quad Core (Even as an upgrade, and I know the Mac Mini Server has one but yeah It comes with OS X server and I don't want that and it only has Integrated Graphics) the same one in the Macbook Pro and It then can support 16GB of RAM and had the GT 650m Graphics Chip in it I would.

I think he wants something more powerful. Seems he's leaning toward a MacBook (good idea imo).

Thanks. Although like I just said above, the Mini is due for a Refresh soon and I am hoping for a Quad Core in that and 16GB of RAM support then the mini could be perfect for me.

There aren't many; I use mine on a desk stand (opened as a mini secondary display) plugged into an external monitor, it's very comparable to the power of the iMac, only I'd advise buying a nice external screen :p

I don't like dual screens unless they are the same Size and Resolution otherwise it feels odd X_X, But I got a decent 1920x1080 screen.

Also I have been reading from various news sites that Apple is going to be refreshing the iMac line. If that is true, it might be worth waiting to see what happens, and a new iMac might be something you are looking for.

Link: http://www.foxnews.c...w-lineup-imacs/ (I know its Fox News but this was only one of the sites, just happened to be the one I had open at the time.)

I was thinking about an iMac at first but Adding a second drive to those is a PAIN IN THE ASS to put it one way ><.

[Matthew S.]

If you didn't like the Mac Mini, you want an iMac then. The current laptop-based Macs only take up to 8GBs of RAM, and honestly that's all you need. You'd have to go up to a 15'' Macbook to get a decent video card.

And yeah, the 27'' iMac with an SSD + HD + 16 GBs of RAM + a decent GPU is going to cost you mint.

Did you try gaming in OSX, or Windows? The performance can be vastly different for most Mac games. A lot of things that are unplayable on my Macbook (320M) run fine at native resolution in Windows.

Thats not entirely true. It officially only supports 8GB but unofficially they do indeed support 16GB. I have 16GB in my late 2011 15-inch MacBook Pro.

[+Tyranade Subscriber²]

Thats not entirely true. It officially only supports 8GB but unofficially they do indeed support 16GB. I have 16GB in my late 2011 15-inch MacBook Pro.

That is one thing I don't get with apple. They could make more money if they offered a 16GB option yet they are saying it isn't supported and most people believe them.

[+Tyranade Subscriber²]

Sorry for the double post. Edit is disabled.

Anyway, As someone suggested I think I will wait till the iMac refresh and see what that is like before I decide on the MacBook Pro or the iMac since it will be used as a desktop anyway so portability is a non factor (I am looking into a MacBook Air as a laptop as I like them to be portable and light which is going to cost me ?1500 itself). If I do go with the iMac what I will do is Add 16GB of RAM myself, and if a 256GB SSD is not standard I will buy my own and put it in there as changing the hard drive, while not as easy as I'd like is much easier than trying to cram a second one in there. And If 256GB SSD is standard on the top end 27 inch Model that means I don't have to tear it apart at all and I will just go for External Storage.

Or if some Miracle happens and the Mac Mini gets a Quad core i7 and the same Graphics chip as the iMac when they both eventually get refreshed I might go for a Mac Mini if the benchmarks show the Mac Mini to be close or on par with the iMac. *Shrug who knows with apple xP.

I have set aside about ?350 - ?400 for Accessories for whichever Mac I but and I was wondering what accessories do you like.

3 Thing I am particularly set on is Good quality small speakers (don't have to be audiophile quality), a 2TB+ External HDD (USB 3 or Thunderbolt) and a USB Headset.

[Shadrack]

Thats not entirely true. It officially only supports 8GB but unofficially they do indeed support 16GB. I have 16GB in my late 2011 15-inch MacBook Pro.

Hmm... I wonder if I can get 16GB in my mid-2009 MBP, then... hmm....

[Noir Angel]

But I'd much rather have the Ferrari ;) Sometimes, the speed at which something runs isn't the only factor. A cheap PC instead of a Mac is the equivalent of buying a Vauxhall Corsa instead of a BMW M3. I'd rather work in comfort, on the best screens, the best trackpads, the best keyboards, the best build quality etc, and still smokin' fast.

.

Which would be a great argument if Apple computers were the only ones capable of doing that with. The computer I built myself can do all of that, and it cost me just over ?1400 to build including the monitor. The closest iMac I could get to that configuration would have cost me ?1999 and that's with an inferior CPU (2600k vs 2700k), inferior GPU (6970M vs 6950 dedicated), and no SSD. Being ripped off doesn't always guarantee a better setup.

Now some actual advice for the poster: If you're intent on a mac don't build a hackintosh. In the long run you're more likely to have issues.

[.Neo]

Which would be a great argument if Apple computers were the only ones capable of doing that with. The computer I built myself can do all of that, and it cost me just over ?1400 to build including the monitor. The closest iMac I could get to that configuration would have cost me ?1999 and that's with an inferior CPU (2600k vs 2700k), inferior GPU (6970M vs 6950 dedicated), and no SSD. Being ripped off doesn't always guarantee a better setup.

Does your configuration also fit into a slim all-in-one design? Despite to what you might think some people actually do care about that. When I bought my iMac there wasn't a single other company that offered me the same specs in an all-in-one.

That said the iMac is long overdue for an update. Apparently Apple's suppliers are having issues with the new displays being used.

[+Tyranade Subscriber²]

Which would be a great argument if Apple computers were the only ones capable of doing that with. The computer I built myself can do all of that, and it cost me just over ?1400 to build including the monitor. The closest iMac I could get to that configuration would have cost me ?1999 and that's with an inferior CPU (2600k vs 2700k), inferior GPU (6970M vs 6950 dedicated), and no SSD. Being ripped off doesn't always guarantee a better setup.

Now some actual advice for the poster: If you're intent on a mac don't build a hackintosh. In the long run you're more likely to have issues.

Yeah but one of the reasons I wanted an iMac is I can have a screen and a computer all in one, it runs OS X AND it looks pretty darn sleek, and I want to modernize my work area so I am going for a nice glass desk, hard wood floors, and going kind of minimalist but nice and sleek at the same time.

Does your configuration also fit into a slim all-in-one design? Despite to what you might think some people actually do care about that. When I bought my iMac there wasn't a single other company that offered me the same specs in an all-in-one.

That said the iMac is long overdue for an update. Apparently Apple's suppliers are having issues with the new displays being used.

The iMacs are getting new displays?

[SoCalRox]

The current laptop-based Macs only take up to 8GBs of RAM

Please don't tell my Macbook Pro (June, 2012) that. It thinks the 16GB I installed works. Here I've been all happy with 16 gigs...

[.Neo]

The current laptop-based Macs only take up to 8GBs of RAM, and honestly that's all you need.

Yet two of my close friends have 16 GB installed in their MacBook Pros. How very interesting. Also, you're hardly in any position to decide what others need.