Serious MacBook Pro - Retina or non-Retina for me?

[Misdreavus]

I'm most likely getting a new MacBook Pro, but haven't yet decided on Retina or non-Retina. I am currently leaning towards the non-Retina.

I am a college student hoping to get into the Film program, and if I do, I will need a FireWire HDD (all Film students are required to have them), and I understand that only the non-Retina has the FireWire port. I also like the non-Retina's inclusion of an Ethernet port (used to set up wireless routers or in the rare hotels that lack Wi-Fi), audio line-in and line-out ports, and above all else, an optical drive. While I know that there are adapters that can provide the Retina with FireWire, Ethernet, line-in, and line-out connectivity, along with external optical drives, these are extra accessories that I'd have to buy, and would be a bit of a hassle to use (and transport if necessary) instead of having something built in to the laptop.

The Retina, on the other hand, has that amazing display. Unfortunately, I've read that applications that are not Retina-optimized actually look worse on the Retina display. I use many applications that would fall into that category, such as user-created programs and Firefox. I will need to run Windows in Boot Camp, which I've read conflicting reports about the appearance of (though this is prior to Windows 8 support in Boot Camp). The reduction in weight is definitely a plus. The HDMI port is nice, but I don't really see myself using it thanks to Apple TV. I like the stereo microphone system. It has the potential for more memory than the non-Retina (16 GB as opposed to 8 GB), as well as more flash storage (768 GB flash storage as opposed to a 512 GB SSD). The lack of upgradability and more expensive service due to the design is not really an issue; I would just make sure to order the system with excellent specs and purchase AppleCare to avoid the need to pay for potential battery replacements, etc.

I do not have a desktop, so I guess you could say that whatever I get will need to be a desktop replacement, but still portable enough, as I will be taking it with me to class (and elsewhere of course). As a prospective Film student, I will be doing a good deal of video editing (the Film program at my college teaches on Final Cut Pro). Other than that, I will be using it for web browsing, multimedia playback, taking notes in class, homework, and occasionally programming.

Given my usage of the computer, is the display of the Retina model, decrease in size/weight, stereo microphone system, and potentially better specs (more memory and more flash storage) really worth the lack of features that I want (and an increased cost, though that isn't a huge deal)? How much of an issue would I have with applications that aren't Retina-optimized, along with Windows?

Which MacBook Pro is right for me? As I said before, I'm thinking the non-Retina - particularly the 15" model with the antiglare display.

Thanks!

 

[faint]

I don't think anyone here is going to give you a definitive answer, but I guess I can try. Considering you already pointed out the pros and cons of both machines and still can't come to a decision makes this difficult. So here's a few things to consider, etc.

Check to see if the non-retina MBP supports 16 gigs of RAM. I'm not talking about customizing it with 16 gigs, but buying a separate kit (8x8-1600) and installing it yourself. You'll appreciate the extra RAM with video editing.

Is the additional 120 GB in storage really worth it? Why not just grab an external HDD, or use the one that you'll be buying for school. Considering you're doing VIDEO EDITING you'll want as much storage as possible, but you shouldn't be saving those large files on your OS drive. 512 GB should be plenty for you.

You'll appreciate the extra pixels on the retina display when you are video editing, but keep in mind you are also working on a very small screen. Higher resolutions make more sense on large monitors since you can actually see a big difference. The screen will definitely look nicer on the retina display, but at the same time it will just look liked a zoomed out high res screen. Also keep in mind the retina MBP ships with a default res of 1440/900 or something along those lines. If you purchase the retina version be sure to change that in the settings.

]I'm thinking the non-Retina - particularly the 15" model with the antiglare display.

I'd go with this. Sounds like it fits your needs better.

 

[blarajan]

Yeah I was gonna say what Faint said, about the RAM and the hard drive space. You can physically insert more RAM, and an 8 gb stick of RAM is pretty cheap. Likewise, another hard drive is great as well. I'd also go with the non-retina, 15" w/ antiglare as Faint said.

 

[VKCA]

Don't waste your money on retina.
If you need firewire in particular for your studies/career choice I'm not even sure why you wasted your time making this thread...

 

[Shinryu]

Based on what you've listed, I'd probably go non-Retina as well, save a few bucks. Gonna guess you're probably already tied to Apple's ecosystem, otherwise I'd say consider some other PCs as well, but even then Macs allegedly are better for film editing and all that fun stuff.

 

[Misdreavus]

Thanks for the replies, everyone!

Don't waste your money on retina.
If you need firewire in particular for your studies/career choice I'm not even sure why you wasted your time making this thread...

Like I said, they make adapters that can provide the Retina model with FireWire connectivity, so that's not much of an issue... it's just that I'd prefer to have it built-in. Plus, if I don't get in to the Film program at my current college (only 10% of people do), I shouldn't need FireWire connectivity at all.

Based on what you've listed, I'd probably go non-Retina as well, save a few bucks. Gonna guess you're probably already tied to Apple's ecosystem, otherwise I'd say consider some other PCs as well, but even then Macs allegedly are better for film editing and all that fun stuff.

I'm actually not tied to Apple's ecosystem... although I am a big fan of the iPhone, I've always been a PC person, and this would be my first Mac. Macs actually lack a few features that interest me, but I'm thinking of getting one mainly due to my interest in studying Film, as I understand Macs are the industry standard there, and my college teaches on Final Cut Pro (which is exclusive to Macs). I wouldn't be required to have a Mac for those classes since there is an on-campus lab, but owning one is highly recommended.

 

[BlakBlastoise]

I know this has a (serious) tag on it, but I thought this was pretty funny.
Sorry, I don't have anything to contribute to the discussion. but i heard you can see pores in her skin.

 

[Shinryu]

I'm actually not tied to Apple's ecosystem... although I am a big fan of the iPhone, I've always been a PC person, and this would be my first Mac. Macs actually lack a few features that interest me, but I'm thinking of getting one mainly due to my interest in studying Film, as I understand Macs are the industry standard there, and my college teaches on Final Cut Pro (which is exclusive to Macs). I wouldn't be required to have a Mac for those classes since there is an on-campus lab, but owning one is highly recommended.

Kinda the same way myself actually, I love the iPhone and iPad (got both), but I personally can't stand Macs. Had to use them when I did photo classes in HS and I dunno, just never cared for it. Of course, that was back in 04 and 05, and my only experience before that was with Macintosh back in grade school, but eh...that and I could never get used to 1 click mice, just seemed so weird back then.

 

[Misdreavus]

Can anyone vouch for just how useful the Retina display, along with that model's improved thermal system, would be for video editing (particularly in Final Cut Pro)?

EDIT: I would be working with Final Cut Pro 7, not X, so my environment wouldn't be Retina-optimized.