MacBook Pro with Retina display vs MacBook Pro
The new MacBook Pro with Retina display is now available, and since its release it has made a lot of great impression and many people are eying on it. The MacBook Pro with Retina Display is like the big brother of the first MacBook Pro, only smaller and slimmer, and faster too. The new MacBook Pro features Retina display which gives an unparalleled rich display at higher resolution compared to its predecessors and other Ultrabooks or high end laptops. But the new MacBook Pro with Retina display is quite expensive, compared to its previous model. To answer our question “Should I get MacBook Pro with Retina display or MacBook Pro?” let us compare their specifications and see if the price difference is really worth it for you.
Specifications Difference
Since the new MacBook Pro with Retina display is powered by an Intel Core i7 quad core processor, We will be comparing it with the previous 15 inch MacBook Pro also powered by the same Intel Core i7 quad core processor.
MacBook Pro with Retina Display specs | MacBook Book 15-inch specs |
|
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D): | .71″ x 14.13″ x 9.73″ / 1.8cm x 35.89cm x 24.71cm | .95″ x 14.35″ x 9.82″ / 2.41cm x 36.4cm x 24.9cm |
| Weight: | 2.02kg / 4.46 lbs | 2.56kg / 5.6 lbs |
| Processor: | 2.3GHz Intel Core i7 quad core Ivy Bridge processor with Turbo boost up to 3.3GHz and 4MB L3 cache / 2.6GHz Intel Core i7 quad core Ivy Bridge processor with Turbo boost up to 3.6GHz and 6MB L3 cache | 2.3GHz Intel Core i7 quad core Ivy Bridge processor with Turbo boost up to 3.3GHz and 4MB L3 cache / 2.6GHz Intel Core i7 quad core Ivy Bridge processor with Turbo boost up to 3.6GHz and 6MB L3 cache |
| Memory: | 8GB DDR3L memory at 1600MHz | 4GB to 8GB DDR3 memory at 1600MHz |
| Storage Type and Capacity: | 256GB to 512GB solid state drive (SSD) | 500GB to 750GB hard drive at 5400rpm (platter-type hard drives) |
| Graphics: | Intel HD Graphics 4000 and NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1GB GDDR5 memory | Intel HD Graphics 4000 and NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 512MB GDDR5 / 1GB GDDR5 memory |
| Display: | 15.4-inch Retina Display, LED backlit with IPS technology at 2880×1800 display resolution | 15.4-inch LED backlit glossy / high resolution glossy / high resolution antigalare display, 1440×900 native resolution (configurable to 1680×1050 in high resolution option) |
| Camera: | 720p FaceTime HD Camera | 720p FaceTime HD Camera |
| I/O Ports: | 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 | 802.11n WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 |
| Connectivity: | MagSafe 2 power port, Two Thunderbolt ports, Two USB 3.0 ports, HDMI port, Headphone port, SDXC card slot | MagSafe power port, Gigabit Ethernet port, FireWire 800 port, Two USB 3.0 ports, Thunderbolt port, Audio line in, Audio line out, SDXC card slot and Kensington lock slot |
| Optical Drive: | None | SuperDrive with double-later DVD support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) |
| Batter Life: | Lithium-polymer, 95-watt-hour, up tp 7 hours | Lithium-polymer, 77.5-watt-hour, up tp 7 hours |
Price Difference
The MacBook Pro starts from $1,799.00 up to $2,199 (or more) depending on your processor, storage capacity, and additional configuration. While the new MacBook Pro with retina display starts from $2,199 up to $2,799 (or more), also depending on the type or processor, storage capacity and other additional configuration.
You may check the MacBook Pro lowest price today here
Or check the MacBook Pro with Retina Display lowest price today here
Graphical Comparison
Click image for larger view
Click image for larger view
Reasons why you should choose MacBook Pro with Retina Display
Although the MacBook Pro and the new MacBook Pro is somewhat similar to one another, there are things that you need to consider. Below are some reasons why you should go for the new MacBook Pro with Retina Display:
- Built with Retina display capable of 2880×1800 high resolution
- Slimmer and lighter compared to the previous model
- More faster drive since it has solid state drives instead of hard drives, but lesser storage capacity
- Great for working on high resolution graphics like photo editing or video editing.
Reasons why you should choose the regular MacBook Pro
Even though the new MacBook Pro with Retina display has great features on it, there still reasons why you should choose the regular one. And here are some of them:
- Cheaper compared to new MacBook Pro with Retina Display, specially the 13 inch vesion
- More storage capacity, and cheaper storage solution since it has platter-type HDD. But at lesser speeds compared to solid state drives (SSD)
- Has SuperDrive (DVD burner/writer)
- More I/O ports available
Well there you have it, I hope you can decide which one you should get. If both the MacBook Pro with Retina Display and MacBook Pro is too expensive for you and you are looking for a cheaper and more portable solution, then you might want to consider MacBook Air. The MacBook Air has smaller built compared to the new MacBook Pro with Retina display, like an the Asus Zenbook, and starts at a lower price.
You may check the MacBook Pro lowest price today here
Or check the MacBook Pro with Retina Display lowest price today here
or check the MacBook Air lowest price today here
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