MacBook Pro - Non Retina, the better choice for pro's?

Posted by Tinckerbel on August 9, 2012 08:56 pm 50

I'm considering buying a Macbook Pro with Retina display to replace my 2009 Macbook Pro, but not just yet, the MBP (non-retina) looks like a really viable option too. I've read the reviews, saw the specs and was blown away by the Retina Display, but in the end i need to know if all these impressive specs give me the platform on wich i can perform.

The point of this part is to get an answer if can get actual (pro) work done and buy myself a machine that feels truly next gen when using it. That is where the confusion starts and hopefully you come in.

My main points of concern in no particular order are the following wich i will try to explain in more detail later on:

1. Does the MBP Retina feels sluggish in common daily tasks like browsing, scrolling documents, watching movies, because of all the extra pixel pushing and pixel doubling in the background.
2. Can you get actual work done using Photoshop, meaning, judging image quality on any given zoom size when the Display settings are assumptions of resolutions ("looks like 1920x1200") instead of native resolutions?
3. Is the latest Macbook Pro 15 inch (non-retina) the better choice to get professional work done and have that truly next gen feel?

1. Does the MBP Retina feel sluggish in common daily tasks?

The best way to explain myself is by comparing the performance of the MBP 15 inch (retina) against the latest MBP 15 inch (non-retina). Since they both share the same graphic and processor horsepower but differ in screen resolution and the way of rendering the content on display. That said, if i would visit a complex website with each machine and scroll up and down through the page my assumption would be that the MBP (retina) would perform much slower then the MBP (non-retina) because of two things.

• It has to render twice as much pixels. (Even on 'best for retina settings' wich looks like 1440 x 900).
• It has to quadruple each pixel on the screen with some trick running in the background.

My assumption would be that in daily tasks, when visting websites or scrolling through al kinds of documents (Indesign, Word, PDF etc). The machine has to work a lot harder to get the job done. Wich could make the machine feel much more sluggish from a real world performance view and not feel truly next gen, despite the specs.

2. Can you get actual work done using Photoshop?

Despite Photoshop CS6 is getting an update to support the Retina display and any CS5.5 user are probably left in the dust. I'm very curious to learn about how can you can get actual work done in Photoshop given you would probably work with "Best for Retina display" settings. My main points of concern are:

• Can you reliable judge image quality when using a setting other then native 2880 x 1800 because of the doubling?
• When the pixels are doubled ( 1 px = 4 px ) does zooming in and out effect the quality of the image?

3. Is the latest Macbook Pro 15 inch (non-retina) the better choice?

This one doesn't feel like a concern, but could become one if i'm missing out on something. Based upon my assumptions i would consider buying a non-retina MacBook Pro full options (SSD, 1680 by 1050 pixels etc.) over the Retina because i think it would feel truly next gen (because the same horsepower is used more efficient) and i wouldn't have to 'guess' to what i'm looking at while getting work done. It gives me peace of mind to know that 1680x1050 is exactly that and not something that looks like it.

Off course i would miss out on the new chassis but it's not about showing off but getting work done, so that's a small penalty for me. I would really love to know what you think, indulge me!