Extreme Scripts Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 Buyin a MacBook Pro as I need it for some modules at University in my masters year, need help choosing the best one out of these two. Mostly going to use it for VMWare, IntelliJ small Java based games, you get the jist no video editing that I care about: First Mac: £1470: 13 Inch Retina Display 3.0GHz dual core i7 Processor 16GB RAM 512 SSD Intel Iris Graphics (5100) Second Mac: £1359.60: 15 inch Retina Display 2.2GHz Quad Core i7 Processor 16GB RAM 256GB SSD Intel Iris Pro Graphics (5200) Please post below your recommendation and a short sentence or two on why, I know the obvious choice is the 15-inch however I'm a fan of small screens and I was wondering if the two processors would really make a noticeable difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eliot Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 If you prefer the smaller screen size, and based on what you'll be using it for, I'd suggest the first option (the 13-inch). If you're not going to multi-tasking much the dual core will feel faster. It has a bigger SSD, which is always nice. The graphics card probably doesn't matter much for what you described. So yeah, I pick #1. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwitchFast Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 I would pick the second laptop, the difference between the processors would be minimal to your general OS experience, but for virtual machines you will benefit from the extra cores. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoomScape Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Do you really need 16gb ram? And if you need the extra stuff, get the 15 inch but upp the storage. 200gb is shit storage and 500 won't last very long depending on how you use it tbh. Unless you plan on upgrading in the enar future, I'd go with a higher storage. SSDs really aren't that expensive anymore, just apple likes the green things in life so they're keeping their prices up for that extra mula. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 If you can wait, then wait for the new mac to come out with the new intel processor "Broadwell". Early - Mid 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwitchFast Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 If you can wait, then wait for the new mac to come out with the new intel processor "Broadwell". Early - Mid 2015Speaking from experience, it's not worth waiting for the next architecture(s) to come out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master Chief Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Speaking from experience, it's not worth waiting for the next architecture(s) to come out. This, plus it will just be a nice extra load of cash to get a newer one as apposed to the older I would say depends on your case. I would go with the first one myself, but for practicability then use what you need. If you can make do with the second one fine, then get it. A bit smaller so it's easier to transport, and you will be saving a bit of money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Speaking from experience, it's not worth waiting for the next architecture(s) to come out. Enlighten me with your experience? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwitchFast Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Enlighten me with your experience?Waiting for Haswell over Ivy Bridge was a waste of time, a very minimal increase of IPC and higher temperatures wasn't worth it. Considered waiting for the 900 series as opposed to my 780 Ti, once again, not worth it. TL;DR, It's better to make a purchase while you can, instead of repeatedly questioning your own decisions aimlessly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
