Tuesday, December 12, 2017

13 in. Macbook Pro With Retina Display 2 Year Review.

I have had my 13 in. MacBook pro with retina display since early 2015.  After taxes I believe I paid somewhere around $1250 for it.   These are the main stats of the computer from Apple.com.

Display

  • Retina display
  • 13.3-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display with IPS technology; 2560-by-1600 native resolution at 227 pixels per inch with support for millions of colors
  • Supported scaled resolutions:
    • 1680 by 1050
    • 1440 by 900
    • 1024 by 640
  • 300 nits brightness
  • Standard color gamut (sRGB)
  • 900:1 contrast ratio

Processor

  • 2.7GHz - 128GB
    2.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor (Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz) with 3MB shared L3 cache
    Configurable to 2.9GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 (Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz) with 3MB shared L3 cache or 3.1GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 (Turbo Boost up to 3.4GHz) with 4MB shared L3 cache.
  • 2.7GHz - 256GB
    2.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor (Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz) with 3MB shared L3 cache
    Configurable to 2.9GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 (Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz) with 3MB shared L3 cache or 3.1GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 (Turbo Boost up to 3.4GHz) with 4MB shared L3 cache.
  • 2.9GHz
    2.9GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor (Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz) with 3MB shared L3 cache
    Configurable to 3.1GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 (Turbo Boost up to 3.4GHz) with 4MB shared L3 cache.

Memory

  • 8GB of 1866MHz LPDDR3 onboard memory
    Configurable to 16GB.

Storage1

  • 2.7GHz - 128GB
    128GB PCIe-based flash storage
  • 2.7GHz - 256GB
    256GB PCIe-based flash storage
  • 2.9GHz
    512GB PCIe-based flash storage
    Configurable to 1TB flash storage.

Size and Weight

  • Height: 0.71 inch (1.8 cm)
  • Width: 12.35 inches (31.4 cm)
  • Depth: 8.62 inches (21.9 cm)
  • Weight: 3.48 pounds (1.58 kg)2

Graphics and Video Support

  • Intel Iris Graphics 6100
  • Dual display and video mirroring: Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display and up to 3840 by 2160 pixels on up to two external displays, both at millions of colors.
  • Thunderbolt digital video output
    • Native Mini DisplayPort output
    • DVI, VGA, dual-link DVI, and HDMI output supported using Mini DisplayPort adapters (sold separately)
  • HDMI video output
    • Support for 1080p resolution at up to 60Hz
    • Support for 3840-by-2160 resolution at 30Hz
    • Support for 4096-by-2160 resolution at 24Hz

Why did I buy the MacBook?

The reason I saw it to be a good purchase was because I am not much of a gamer anymore, and was looking for a computer that worked good for video editing, as well as getting started with different eCommerce types of businesses.

I also really love the build quality and the way Mac is set up compared to Windows.  Lets talk about the build quality first.

I really despise when I am looking at a computer with great specs and the screen is super flexible or bends real easily.  The MacBook screen does bend but you really have to try to compared to other computers, and the bend is very slight.

As for liking the setup of Mac over windows, that is all personal preference.  I find it to be very simple and easy to use, especially for the photos app on Mac compared to Windows.  Maybe I just really got used to how Mac operates, but it seems so much easier to find the photo I am looking for and to quickly get it into iMovie to edit it.

The trackpad is actually useable.  This is the first laptop that I have been more comfortable using the deftly trackpad than an actual mouse.  I have used regular mice with it, and even the Magic Mouse by Apple.  Both of with worked perfectly fine, however I just found that the trackpad on the MacBook to be way better (and you won't have to waste money on a mouse).

What problems I have had over the last 2 (almost 3) years?



In mid 2016 I had the first very rare and major problem with my MacBook.  I was doing yoga one day and after I decided to close the screen and charge it (something I have always done without a problem).  Well on this particular day it decided not to turn back on.  (I decided to buy a back up laptop for the time being a Toshiba Satellite). A few weeks later when it did turn on again it acted like I was holding shift down and no matter what I did I couldn't sign into the computer because "my password was incorrect"  A pretty troubling experience over the course of 2-3 months.  We even took the shift keys off to see if one was stuck or something, they weren't.  A couple months into this problem we take it to the Apple Store and they gave me a price of I believe $300 to replace the motherboard which isn't too bad.  I decided to hold off on it, and after a week or so of letting it sit and not touching it at all I decided to try and turn it on.  Surprisingly it powered up normally and hasn't given me trouble since.  I cannot explain why this happened or how but it was a pretty huge problem.

I only have 2 other minor problems with it and one is my fault.  The first is that I don't know how to put the shift keys on correctly from when I took them off, so they are on and work, but they are not as neat in the computer like they rest of the keys.  

The next is that it seems that one pixel in the screen randomly disappeared and left a mark on the screen. 

Both of the last 2 aren't huge problems to me, but the first problem was a real pain in the ass and a lot of stress.  At least it works prefect now and didn't cost me anything to repair it.  I haven't heard of that many people having that problem so it could be a 1 in 1,000,000 type of thing.

Closing thoughts

If you are someone who likes to edit video, a blogger, a vlogger, or someone that has an amazon, eBay, or any type of eCommerce store, and is willing to spend over $1,000 this is the computer for you.  If you are a gamer I would recommend sticking with a gaming computer/laptop which can also do all the things that the MacBook can do, along with gaming as well.  Or you could even spend around $700 and get a computer with comparable specs, but I the MacBook is a very strong computer on the outside, either way, it all comes down to what you prefer in a computer. 

For me it works great for everything I do on Youtube, for video editing, for the blogs I write, and for drop shipping.  I will definitely buy a new one in the future, but for now I am going to stick with mine since it is working great for everything I do.

I also recommend buying new so you know that you are getting a MacBook that has never been through anything before.  I hope this helped you make a decision on a MacBook, if it did here is a link to purchase your very own! 


No comments:

Post a Comment