TR Forums

I currently have

Macbook Pro
2.4GHZ Core 2 Duo
320M Graphics Card
8GB Ram
256 SSD (limited to 250MB/s bc of Sata II)

I want to use the new computer for some light gaming, iOS Development, Java Development and it needs to be mobile since I am always on the go.

I am considering the following computers

* Next Gen Haswell rMBP 13".
** My issues is the original Haswell CPU's will not have a significant boost in GPU power.

* Current Refurbished rMBP 15"
** Current GPU comes for 1K laptops

* Open to other ideas

Solved: Wait till next gen CPU's come out in rMBP's!

If you have to ask you should wait.

What is the current one slouching at that you want to be better?

Waco wrote:

What is the current one slouching at that you want to be better?

Almost everything (I have the same model). Works fine for "general" tasks (email/browsing/video watching), kinda slow for everything else. Especially gaming (especially using OSX).

Haswell MBP wouldn't give you much of a CPU boost compared to the current-gen IB ones, while the current gen has discrete graphics.

I would go with current gen (unless you're concerned about hauling a 15" MBP vs. 13").

nicbrownn80 wrote:

I currently have

Macbook Pro
2.4GHZ Core 2 Duo
320M Graphics Card
8GB Ram
256 SSD (limited to 250MB/s bc of Sata II)

I want to use the new computer for some light gaming, iOS Development, Java Development and it needs to be mobile since I am always on the go.

I am considering the following computers

* Next Gen Haswell rMBP 13".
** My issues is the original Haswell CPU's will not have a significant boost in GPU power.

* Current Refurbished rMBP 15"
** Current GPU comes for 1K laptops

* Open to other ideas

Up to you, really - the next-gen MBP with Haswell will most likely be slightly faster for CPU performance and similar to current GT650M in terms of GPU performance (especially in OSX, where such thing as "video driver improvements" is almost irrelevant), according to Intel's own demos they've already shown. It will also most likely be more expensive, so... Whatever you decide.

@Waco Going from my core 2 duo to any CPU I would see a huge performance boost. For some reason after some time (maybe the 10.8 update) I see my mac is freezing for a few seconds at a time and taking FOREVER to go to sleep mode. I tend to play SC2 while having a windows 7 VM running downloading some stuff in the background and my computer still does OK.
@JohnC ... I just want to play a game with low settings without lag. I think over the last few years Mac has done a lot for gaming.
@NeelyCam .... I have a feeling that the new rMPB will have a better GPU and at 2K+ computer I can just wait.

I was thinking about getting a Macbook air (1K current gen refurbished) + desktop gaming computer but decided that might not really work since my xbox 360 is now sitting collecting dust

Overall I want to see what next gen mac products holds and worst case I can pick up a rMBP for an awesome discount!

JohnC wrote:

nicbrownn80 wrote:

I currently have

Macbook Pro
2.4GHZ Core 2 Duo
320M Graphics Card
8GB Ram
256 SSD (limited to 250MB/s bc of Sata II)

I want to use the new computer for some light gaming, iOS Development, Java Development and it needs to be mobile since I am always on the go.

I am considering the following computers

* Next Gen Haswell rMBP 13".
** My issues is the original Haswell CPU's will not have a significant boost in GPU power.

* Current Refurbished rMBP 15"
** Current GPU comes for 1K laptops

* Open to other ideas

Up to you, really - the next-gen MBP with Haswell will most likely be slightly faster for CPU performance and similar to current GT650M in terms of GPU performance (especially in OSX, where such thing as "video driver improvements" is almost irrelevant), according to Intel's own demos they've already shown. It will also most likely be more expensive, so... Whatever you decide.

Haswell GPU equal to the GT650M will only come out in Q3 of 2013. Waiting that long scares me.

nicbrownn80 wrote:

@NeelyCam .... I have a feeling that the new rMPB will have a better GPU and at 2K+ computer I can just wait.

If you can wait, by all means do so. Maybe the prev-gen MPBs sell at discounts (at Ebay, if nowhere else) once Haswell gen hits the stores

You'll always get something better by waiting, but obviously you have to actually buy something at some point or your old system will eventually keel over.
Honestly, if you want amazing 3D gaming I don't know if Haswell or even a mobile discrete GPU will do anything great on a retina display unless there is the pixel-quadrupling going on to reduce the effective resolution into something more manageable. If your graphics needs don't include 3D games, then Haswell's GPU will serve you just fine (but then again, so will the discrete cards in the older models).

Here's a question: How important is battery life? Haswell *will* excel in that department, and unless Tim Cook decides he wants to castrate the batteries in the macbooks in the name of anorexia, then you will get some impressive battery life out of a Haswell system.

chuckula wrote:

You'll always get something better by waiting, but obviously you have to actually buy something at some point or your old system will eventually keel over.
Honestly, if you want amazing 3D gaming I don't know if Haswell or even a mobile discrete GPU will do anything great on a retina display unless there is the pixel-quadrupling going on to reduce the effective resolution into something more manageable. If your graphics needs don't include 3D games, then Haswell's GPU will serve you just fine (but then again, so will the discrete cards in the older models).

Here's a question: How important is battery life? Haswell *will* excel in that department, and unless Tim Cook decides he wants to castrate the batteries in the macbooks in the name of anorexia, then you will get some impressive battery life out of a Haswell system.

So here is what was my biggest fear .... waiting for a few months and then getting only ~+15% CPU & GPU performance. For starters we I don't need more CPU power. GPU is something we also want more of and Battery Life is a nice to have but since that usually doesn't change from generation to generation not something that was on my radar. Honestly I need my battery to last 1 hour while gaming.