Which MacBook Pro is faster?

[Jingol2]

Hi every body

I have decided buy MacBook Pro

I will use MacBook for browse in Internet and sometime Photoshop

Which MacBook is faster when open 10 tab with safari and play music and edit document by office at the same time ?

MD102 or MD212 ?


MacBook Pro : MD102LL
13-inch
2.9GHz dual-core Intel Core i7
Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz
8GB 1600MHz memory
750GB 5400-rpm hard drive

OR

MacBook Pro : MD212LL
13-inch with Retina display
2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz
8GB 1600MHz memory
128GB flash storage


MacBook speed with 2.9GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 processor but hard drive is better or 2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 with flash storage ?

 

[Siavash]

Regarding to your workload, you are memory/disk bound. So CPU power won't make too much difference for such tasks. I would go with MD212LL for super fast disk access.

 

[Jingol2]

Thanks a lot

I have 3TB External HDD so 50GB internal storage SDD is enough for me even.

I had read a review that 13" rMBP took longer to display when several tab and app opened together because with no dedicated GPU and high resolution, processor must push it

It's true ?

 

[Siavash]

I think worst scenario to blast all of CPU cores is playing high definition video clips, which both CPUs will handle pretty smooth. Core i3/5/7 series have HT (Hyper Threading) technology which makes each core to run two process in parallel, so you will have 4 virtual cores. They also support AVX (Advanced Vector Extension) SIMD extension which makes them more efficient under multimedia work load.

And another note, the laptop with Retina display provides 2x pixel density compared to other one, which should provide crisper texts and graphics. However, I don't think you will notice any difference on such small display.

In conclusion, the laptop with SSD and your external HDD will be the best choice in my humble opinion.

 

[Jad Chaar]

Well, can you hold off on buying a MBP till June or so? That is when Apple will refresh the lineup and revamp the whole lineup. Also, the GPUs will be a ton more powerful with the next generation CPUs. The lagging issue you stated above may have been solved by the latest firmware updates. I am not sure though.

 

[vkmarketing]

If you want to have amazing speed just go for Core i7, MacBook Pro : MD212LL undoubtedly it will run faster than its counterpart you have mentioned.

 

[Jad Chaar]

Apple robs you when they say i7! They disable 2 cores unless you go with the $2500 version.

 

[Jingol2]

I heard can't upgrade the 13" MBP hdd to a SSD easily ! confirm ?

 

[Jad Chaar]

I heard can't upgrade the 13" MBP hdd to a SSD easily ! confirm ?

Well, not really a Mac expert so I wouldnt know. But for the Retina line, most stuff is hard to replace since they are so thin.

 

[SNGX1275]

If you are talking about the one with a regular mechanical hd, then I don't see any reason it is terribly hard to replace. Now, the retina one has an SSD that is not easily replaceable because it is a proprietary drive. This will help - http://www.ifixit.com/Device/MacBook_Pro

 

[Jad Chaar]

If you are talking about the one with a regular mechanical hd, then I don't see any reason it is terribly hard to replace. Now, the retina one has an SSD that is not easily replaceable because it is a proprietary drive. This will help - http://www.ifixit.com/Device/MacBook_Pro

Also, it is mSATA.

 

[captaincranky]

I heard can't upgrade the 13" MBP hdd to a SSD easily ! confirm ?

I'd look into that on a model specific basis. AFAIK, some of the ultra slim portables don't even have an SSD per se, and the flash memory that comprises the "SSD", is actually soldered to the mainboard.

If that is indeed the case, then you would need to order a unit with all the drive capacity you anticipate needing, right from the jump. Or big time aggravation and cost would ensue later, should you not do so

Feel free to check the facts on this, I'm not entirely certain about any of it. I'm reasonably certain this applies to tablets such as the iPad, but other products, dunno. Possibly the MacBook "Air" also?

 

[Raoul Duke]

FWIW I tried a WD Blue drive into a mid-2009 MacBookPro and for reasons I never could figure out (suspect bios or Mac equivalent) the hard drive never worked well enough with the laptop to be useable. Despite having much better specs. than the old 250 GB Seagate, it just wouldn't work. Put Seagate drive back in, all works! Spent many an hour trying things and researching to get the new drive going, just couldn't do it. Moral of the story: know what is in the model you are planning to buy and any proposed changes you want to make works, Macs can be a real pain for after the sale changes.

 

[SNGX1275]

That seems odd Raoul Duke. I've replaced the hard rive on a couple mac laptops with normal notebook drives and never had any issues. Once, back in the PPC days I had some issues with a cheap stick of RAM, but I don't know that that is any more common with Macs than certain PC motherboard manufacturers (*cough*asus*).

 

[Darth Shiv]

I think worst scenario to blast all of CPU cores is playing high definition video clips, which both CPUs will handle pretty smooth. Core i3/5/7 series have HT (Hyper Threading) technology which makes each core to run two process in parallel, so you will have 4 virtual cores.

Talking about Haswell's, I don't believe i5's have hyperthreading. Also i3's do have hyperthreading but don't have turbo boost.

For Ivy Bridge, I believe it is the same.

 

[captaincranky]

Talking about Haswell's, I don't believe i5's have hyperthreading. Also i3's do have hyperthreading but don't have turbo boost.

For Ivy Bridge, I believe it is the same.

i3 Haswell is a couple tenths Mhz faster across the line, and they consume less power. Against desktop specs, Sandy draws 73 watts TDP, Ivy, only 53 watts.

Assuming that relative differential carries across to laptops, longer battery life for Ivy, maybe?

I ran across this looking to verify speeds and TDP, on Haswell i3: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116947 This is step up graphics, and only 35 watts TDP. It's only 2.9 Ghz, but with hyper threading is not a Pentium class CPU.

 

[yukka]

I've upgraded the hdd in a non retina 13" MacBook Pro today. It was an i5 bought 5 months ago. You will need a star drive screwdriver to remove some tiny screws used to hold the hard drive in place but the rest is easy.

As far as the MacBooks go, I prefer the retina one given the choice. It's lighter and slimmer. The retina is a higher resolution so it's always going to be slower but would it be noticeable with an SSD? Probably not. You could always go to an apple store and try a demo model in the flesh.

 

[SNGX1275]

Thread is over a year old...

 

[yukka]

Not a lot of activity in the alternate os forum then..

 

[bluejolls]

I got a new MBP MD102 i7 , 8gb , 750 HDD. Works great for me!