help choosing macbook

[Com74]

Hi,
I'm new in this forum, and my english is quite poor...
My hp 15" notebook (core 2 duo, 4GB Ram) is very slow to open, manage and convert my Canon 7D RAW files (with DPP or PS).
I Want to try apple systems and I'm evaluating a 15" macbook pro.
Can someone help me to choose between these:
- classic: base model with anti-glare display and buy ram and ssd disk aftermarket
- retina: base model with 16 gb ram?

What difference between the two models and displays?

Has someone tried both?

 
 
 
 

[popnfresh]

IMO, the extra $300 - $400 for the retina display isn't worth it. Get the other configuration with the HD display option. It uses the same graphics chipset as the retina models and you have the same CPU options as well.

[Ken Bennett]

I agree. At this point I think the most useful option for the money is the 15 inch Macbook Pro with the 2.6gHz processor and the hi-res antiglare screen. It looks like you can get a 16GB RAM option from a vendor like OWC (macsales.com) and install it yourself - but I would want to verify that before buying.

I'm not sure about the hard drive. I have the Apple 256GB SSD in my Macbook Air, and it has worked well, but I don't keep a lot of photos on my laptop; they go straight to the server when I have finished editing and processing them. So 256GB is more than enough for me. That is a ~$400 option from Apple pre-installed. I would probably do that just for the convenience of having it already installed.

Hope this helps.

[Com74]

Ok, thanks!

Yesterday I've seen all two models in a store. But antiglare display is available nowhere!
Retina display is less reflective than the normal one. It's look very sharp and brilliant. Colours are vivid in both displays
I'm not so confident on getting antiglare display without have seen it!

Costs:
The 2.6 Ghz classic model with anti glare display option is 2400€ from Italy!! then I should buy an ssd and Ram...
The retina base model (2.3 GHz) with 16GB RAM is 2500€.

There are only 100€ of difference (adding RAM are the same price).

In this case why should I prefer the first choice?
I thought that choosing the 2nd, in the future, I could substitute SDD with a bigger and cheaper one if necessary.

What about other alternatives or considerations?


 

[francois]

Ok, thanks!

Yesterday I've seen all two models in a store. But antiglare display is available nowhere!
Retina display is less reflective than the normal one. It's look very sharp and brilliant. Colours are vivid in both displays
I'm not so confident on getting antiglare display without have seen it!

Costs:
The 2.6 Ghz classic model with anti glare display option is 2400€ from Italy!! then I should buy an ssd and Ram...
The retina base model (2.3 GHz) with 16GB RAM is 2500€.

There are only 100€ of difference (adding RAM are the same price).

In this case why should I prefer the first choice?
I thought that choosing the 2nd, in the future, I could substitute SDD with a bigger and cheaper one if necessary.

What about other alternatives or considerations?


 

Well, for that little €100 price difference, I would choose the Retina model. Be aware that the Retina compatible SSD uses a "special" connector and form factor (here) and I don't think that too many SSD replacement alternatives exist at the moment.

[Ken Bennett]

There are only 100€ of difference (adding RAM are the same price).

In this case why should I prefer the first choice?

That's perhaps less of a difference than I've seen here. The only real difference then is the processor speed - you get about a 10% bump from the 2.6gHz. That will make some slight difference in processor-intensive tasks like batch raw processing, but perhaps not enough to justify the price difference. (And the regular one is even more when you add in the extra RAM and SSD.)

In your case I would probably get the Retina with 16GB.

[Graham Clark]

The Retina display is - in my opinion - the single largest technology advantage available to photographers today. The pixel density is so extremely high you can't actually see the pixels. This is a milestone technology for processing and printing.

Graham