Macbook Pro Retina - Need help picking on for design school

[Karbonkreationz]

Hello All,

I am an avid PC user and will soon be switching to a Macbook Pro Retina for design school in the fall and wanted to get some input. My main area of focus will be UI/UX Design using programs such as Sketch, Photoshop, Fireworks, Illustrator and the like.

I plan to purchase either refurbished or slightly used from Apple direct or Amazon. I am zeroing in on the 15.4" models with Retina (2012-2014) or a newer model (2013+) 13.3" with Retina and wanted to ask a few questions as well as get some feedback.

1.Are these year range/model ranges sufficient enough to handle Adobe CC and other design software?

2.Is the 15.4" a better buy overall or simply for the fact of a larger screen?

3.I am looking at models with 16gb of memory in the 15", but is 8gb sufficient enough?

4.How about the graphic card options? Will I see a dramatic benefit from the dedicated graphics in the 15" models? (GT 650M/GT750M)

I have worked on Mac towers before in previous design courses but have always had a custom built PC or Windows based laptop while at home. These graduate level courses are requiring a Macbook Pro with Retina display and since this will be my first Macbook Pro purchase, I just want to be sure before spending that amount of cash.

Any feedback, input or recommendations would be greatly appreciated

Thank you!

 

[Construkt]

1. Any year can handle Photoshop, really. If you go for a 15.4" model, dedicated graphics are an option. Regardless, MBP's use Low voltage processors rather than the usuall ULV procs and have better integrated graphics than most.l

2. 15.4" MBP's have more powerful CPU options and dedicated graphics potential, but it depends on which model you're looking at.

3. 8GB is sufficient. 16GB is nice, but 8GB will handle that work easily enough. Just keep in mind if you get an MBP 13, you won't be able to upgrade it after the fact, as it's soldered onto the board.

4. In most cases, no you won't notice the dedicated GPU unless you were doing some really complicated work or you decided to game.

 

[dudeman509]

16 GB, i7, SSD, dedicated graphics, 15" is what I'd want for that.

My brother has a 2012 15" Pro (Ivy Bridge architecture) and it's still quite relevant for ANYTHING thrown at it. Processor performance hasn't changed much over the years.

 

[Karbonkreationz]

Thank you both for the input. I am debating between the following 15.4" models:

2014 - MGXC2LL/A - 15.4" Macbook Pro Retina

2.5 GHz Intel Core i7 (Crystalwell)
16GB of Onboard 1600 MHz DDR3L RAM
512GB PCIe-Based Flash Storage
NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M Graphics (2GB)

Late 2013 - ME294LL/A - 15.4" Macbook Pro Retina

2.3 GHz Intel Core-i7 quad-core processor (Turbo Boost up to 3.5GHz) with 6MB shared L3 cache
512 GB PCIe-based flash storage; 16GB 1600MHz DDR3L onboard memory
15.4-inch (diagonal) Retina display, 2880x1800 pixel Resolution; LED-backlit with IPS technology
NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M with 2GB of GDDR5 memory

Early 2013 - ME665LL/A - 15.4" Macbook Pro Retina

2.7 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 Processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.7 GHz
16 GB 1600MHz DDR3L Memory
512 GB Flash Storage
NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1GB memory


I was really hoping to pick up a late 2014 or early 2015 and still have the possibility of adding on AppleCare for an additional year or two, however I am having a hard time finding one in my price range.

Any feedback or comparison info between these other 3?

Thanks for the continued help

 

[dudeman509]

Either of the first two - more powerful graphics card. Processor speed difference between the two matters very little.