# mac laptop users - to retina or not to retina



## twelvefiftyfive (Jul 1, 2014)

hi everyone. i've been a member for a while now but for some reason (probably too many email accounts), i had to register again after a forgotten password. so, hello again! hope you're all well.

short version - to retina or not to retina?

long version - i'm looking for thoughts/comments/advice from mac laptop users on whether to go retina or not.

i've got a full desktop set up with a 27"
screen in my studio, but because i travel very often and post-process while traveling, i've become very accustomed to working on my 13" laptop. and it's time to upgrade. 

for about the same price, i can get a 13" macbook air or a 13" macbook pro with retina that are roughly equivalent, same i7, same solid state drive, same ram. but different graphics processors and, then, retina or no retina. weight difference seems negligible, but when you're traveling with gear even a small difference counts. 

again, i'm well-accustomed to working on a screen of this size, and either new laptop i've described would be an upgrade to the hacked together and upgraded over the years machine i've been using, and i don't view this as a long term investment so i don't need to get into the fact that upgrades post-purchase aren't possible anymore, it's really just a matter of thoughts from retina users on whether retina is worth it.

so, sorry for the long read, would appreciate any thoughts or comments or advice. thanks everyone


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## LDS (Jul 1, 2014)

Beyond resolution (which may make easier to work with photos and related software), I'd check about screen color rendering and graphic card quality between the two models - and how important are for you to justify the price.


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## LetTheRightLensIn (Jul 1, 2014)

twelvefiftyfive said:


> hi everyone. i've been a member for a while now but for some reason (probably too many email accounts), i had to register again after a forgotten password. so, hello again! hope you're all well.
> 
> short version - to retina or not to retina?
> 
> ...



retina, retina, retina!
and a 4k 24" external monitor like the UP2414Q


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## twelvefiftyfive (Jul 1, 2014)

thanks very much


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## alexturton (Jul 1, 2014)

LetTheRightLensIn said:


> retina, retina, retina!
> and a 4k 24" external monitor like the UP2414Q



+1

My mpbr has 99% srgb coverage.


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## twelvefiftyfive (Jul 1, 2014)

yeah, that's looking like the way to go. thanks.


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## e17paul (Jul 1, 2014)

The separate graphics card will be a big boost to the performance, except that a (big?) portion of that gain will be soaked up by the need to display more pixels for the retina resolution.

If you intend to process RAW file, retouch images or do other heavy tasks apart from photography on the MacBook, then the extra cost and small extra weight of the Pro with Retina is worthwhile. Otherwise, the Air is an awesome machine, and even more portable. The better 15" with separate graphics card would see a more significant difference, but are probably too much of an investment for a second machine.

My crystal ball is not always reliable, but I would expect the Pro with Retina to last for longer before Apple's now annual updates to OS X make it feel long in the tooth. The Pro with Retina also has more ports for plugging in accessories, which may not be important if this is a second machine.

If buying is not urgent, check out the Mac section of http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/ - the Air has recently been updated by Apple, but the Pro with Retina looks likely to see improved specs for the same price in the coming months. Also, neither is easily upgradeable like the older MacBooks, so make sure that you have more RAM and SSD than you think you need from the beginning.

I would go Retina! Alternatively, if editing on the move is not required, then maybe an iPad with maximum storage.


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## Niki (Jul 1, 2014)

LetTheRightLensIn said:


> twelvefiftyfive said:
> 
> 
> > hi everyone. i've been a member for a while now but for some reason (probably too many email accounts), i had to register again after a forgotten password. so, hello again! hope you're all well.
> ...



+1 
this and the new 7d…2…??


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## twelvefiftyfive (Jul 1, 2014)

thanks for the great comments everyone,
much appreciated!


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## Northstar (Jul 1, 2014)

I have the 13" mbp retina. Bought it last December. Spent considerable time researching this particular decision. I spent an hour in the store playing with each....my thoughts:

If the weight difference and a few dollars aren't that important....the decision is a no brainer, get the mbpR.

Since I got mine, my 27" iMac has seen much much less use...the mbpR is that good. (Also, I much prefer sitting on the couch managing and editing versus sitting at a desk!)

As others have said...make sure you get at least 8gb ram and 256gb flash. (I regularly move files off the laptop to my iMac/backup so having a large amount of flash might not be necessary...it's expensive)


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## viggen61 (Jul 1, 2014)

alexturton said:


> LetTheRightLensIn said:
> 
> 
> > retina, retina, retina!
> ...



+2!


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## mackguyver (Jul 1, 2014)

alexturton said:


> LetTheRightLensIn said:
> 
> 
> > retina, retina, retina!
> ...


Very impressive for a laptop! How well does it cover Adobe RGB?


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## R1-7D (Jul 1, 2014)

Retina.


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## rs (Jul 1, 2014)

It's more than just the colour gamut. The non-retina MacBooks have TN displays (high quality ones, unlike those found in cheap windows laptops), so the colours and white point vary quite a lot with changes in viewing angle. All the retina models have IPS, so they should be much more consistent.


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## Harry Muff (Jul 3, 2014)

Retiina... Very Retina.


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## dslrdummy (Jul 3, 2014)

Definitely Retina for photography. I bought the 15" MBP for the bigger screen and separate graphics card. If you have in mind linking to a 4k monitor down the track it might be worth considering.


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