So which is the best Price/Performance Macbook?

EatingMyHatEatingMyHat Member Posts: 1,246
edited June 2012 in Miscellaneous
For me the answer used to be simple... maxed out late 2011 MBA 13" was the best of both worlds, the perfect combinations of mobility, power and screen resolution.

Now, with Maxed out 2012 MBA 13" (dual i7, 8gb, 512 SSD) at 2,000 and "basic" New Gen MBP 15" ("basic" is 8gb, quad i7, 256 SSD) at $2100, it only comes to:
1. Physical size (MBA wins)
2. Weight (MBA wins)
3. SSD size (MBA wins)
4. CPU (MBP wins)
5. Screen (MBP wins)

I limited the options just to these two to keep the price point fairly the same. It is clear that if you don't plan to spend 2K MBP 15" is not an option and if you want something powerful, MBA is out of the game.

Comments

  • EatingMyHatEatingMyHat Member Posts: 1,246
    Go BIG! New Mac Book Pro's FTW!!!
    I agree on the storage front, but not sure what the 16gb of memory and stronger CPU will get me.
  • LanoLano Member Posts: 18
    Go with MBA..., just bought MBA 11" recently (the one with i5 Proc, 4GB RAM and 128GB Storage)... performance is superb! as light as feather...
  • LumpAppsLumpApps Member Posts: 2,881
    Go for the one with the best performance. The A stands for Air right? I don't want to pay for that ;)
    I would buy the work-horse and if I had loads of cash I would buy an air. Because it is an awesome piece of design.

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  • EatingMyHatEatingMyHat Member Posts: 1,246
    Go for the one with the best performance. The A stands for Air right? I don't want to pay for that ;)
    I would buy the work-horse and if I had loads of cash I would buy an air. Because it is an awesome piece of design.
    The Air actually cost less than the Macbook Pro... and trust me, you do want to pay for that :)

  • LeonardDeveloperLeonardDeveloper Member Posts: 4,630
    edited June 2012
    I have the highest spec MBP 13" with apple LED cinema display (Previous generation) a big expense.... But hey!
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  • StamuStamu Member Posts: 92
    I just love the air form factor
  • MarkOnTheIronMarkOnTheIron Member Posts: 1,447
    Don't go lower than 15". I have a 24" iMac and sometimes it seems so small... I can't imagine working on a 13" or a 11" screen :)



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  • UtopianGamesUtopianGames Member Posts: 5,692
    I would 2nd the "don't go for 13 inch" it seems so small...

    Darren.
  • IsabelleKIsabelleK Member, Sous Chef Posts: 2,807
    New MacBook Pro with Retina is amaaaaaaazing!
  • RPRP Member Posts: 1,990
    edited June 2012
    I'm bummed that the 17 inchers are phased out. I need that extra screen space.

    I'd say go 15" MBP for now and add the high-res screen and upgrade your ram via third party. Let them shake the issues out of the the first rev of MBP Retinas. They *may* integrate the retina displays into lower priced models later anyway, or the typical price drops will ensue as the hardware format becomes the standard. You'll also get more out of the quad core i7s, even on the basic model (more cores, more threads [if the application is willing]), but they will make the MBP hotter and eat more battery.

    If you are willing to spend more, bump your 15" MBP but don't buy the 2.7 GHz processor (you'll never see the difference, but under very few circumstances). You'll be tossing your extra $250 into wishful thinking.

    I really wish they had a Retina option for the other 15" models, I don't really care about the Flash storage or thinner design as much as I do having a machine that lets me take my office with me (I need the use of the CD/DVD drive and don't care for the old school external drive).
  • andrewm2211andrewm2211 Member Posts: 341
    I'm still rocking an Intel 2.16 core 2 duo

    And it rules!
  • EatingMyHatEatingMyHat Member Posts: 1,246
    I would 2nd the "don't go for 13 inch" it seems so small...

    Darren.
    I'm using a MBA 13" today, fairly good on real-estate given the resolution, it also runs circles around a 13" MBP from a performance prospective (SSD vs. HHD...). The 2011 15" MBP did not add much on the resolution side (1440 vs. 1600) and with HHD in many cases the MBA was still better. Yes, you can always get SSD, but the price point gets very high very fast.

    However... now it is a different game... resolution is double, SSD as default and it is lighter. Big problem. It is likely that my next one will also be MBA since mobility is key (but maybe will skip a generation and wait for the Retina MBA).

    Frankly after running GS, MS Office and Final Cut Pro X (in addition to the standard stuff like iCal, Safari, iTunes and Mail) on my 2011 MBA without breaking a sweat, performance is not a concern.

    My 2 cents - if you are mobile, you can always connect an external monitor, but you can't leave 2 lbs of your laptop at home.
  • The_Gamesalad_GuruThe_Gamesalad_Guru Member Posts: 9,922
    Why would one buy a Macbook when you could buy an ipad for mobile and a mac mini for hardcore work for about the same price? Unless you really need the power on the go.

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  • EatingMyHatEatingMyHat Member Posts: 1,246
    @FryingBaconStudios You can't work on an iPad on the go (Gamesalad is one example but there is a bunch of other stuff). I must admit that MBA killed my iPad, it is so light and powerful, I'm not taking the iPad with me that often.
  • tenrdrmertenrdrmer Member, Sous Chef, Senior Sous-Chef Posts: 9,934
    Not sure if this is all MBP's or just the retina Pro but no way i'm dropping 2-4 grand on a machine that only has proprietary parts. Check out iFixits TearDown
    http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/MacBook-Pro-with-Retina-Display-Teardown/9462/1#.T9jma449Gbg

    Cant even the HDD and RAM are proprietary and the F'n RAM is soldered to the board. Really hope they didn't jack up the regular MBP's like this.
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  • StamuStamu Member Posts: 92
    Give it time and parts will come out, for now just go will apple care and don't worrie about it
  • jonmulcahyjonmulcahy Member, Sous Chef Posts: 10,408
    It's just the retina, and it's so powerful i don't care :)

    Still trying to justify it over an air.

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  • Fredrik BixoFredrik Bixo Member Posts: 239
    Macbook air 13 inch 2nd gen ofc!
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