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    Retina Macbook Pro 13-inch vs Competitors (Sony Vaio S & Lenovo U410)

    Discussion in 'Apple and Mac OS X' started by raptorstv, Dec 2, 2012.

  1. raptorstv

    raptorstv Notebook Guru

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    I need you guys' opinion on which one would be a better buy? I've been considering which laptop to get... I use my laptop for casual gaming, entertainment, and work using various accounting software. Which one would be the most suitable/good buy? I am currently an accounting student close to graduation

    MacBook Pro with Retina 13-inch ($1,599 student pricing)
    2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
    Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz
    8GB 1600MHz memory
    128GB flash storage1
    Intel HD Graphics 4000
    1.62kg

    Sony VAIO S 13.3" ($999, but sometimes it goes on sale for $100/$200 off)
    Intel® Core™ i5-3210M (2.50GHz/3.10GHz)
    6GB RAM
    750GB HDD
    Intel® HD Graphics 4000 + NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 640M LE hybrid graphics
    1.72kg

    Lenovo U410 14-inch ($899, but sometimes it goes on sale for $200 off)
    Dual-core Intel Core i7-3517U 1.90 GHz
    8GB RAM
    750GB
    24GB SSD
    NVIDIA GeForce 610M / Intel HD Graphics 4000
    1.90 kg
     
    raptorstv, Dec 2, 2012
    #1
  2. Karamazovmm

    Karamazovmm Overthinking? Always!

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    I would go for the s13.

    since gaming is something that you want to do, the 640m le in it will be a good advantage there. and get the model with the 900p panel.
     
    Karamazovmm, Dec 2, 2012
    #2
  3. kornchild2002

    kornchild2002 Notebook Deity

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    There is a section of the forums dedicated to helping people pick out which notebook works best for them, it is located here. I suggest you go to that area so you can gain more insight and someone might even suggest a notebook you didn't even know about. You don't have to do a poll either.
     
    kornchild2002, Dec 2, 2012
    #3
  4. Mitlov

    Mitlov Shiny

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    S13 is going to be much better for casual gaming than the rMBP 13, since (1) it's got a respectable dedicated GPU, and (2) you'll need Windows for many games, which adds cost to the already-expensive rMBP 13. Plus, adding a second partition on a 128-gb drive? Makes already limited space even tighter.

    If you do go with the S13, I'd consider the upgrade to an SSD considering the lower base price gives you some room. The performance difference between an SSD and an HDD is huge in just about everything you do.
     
    Mitlov, Dec 2, 2012
    #4
  5. voinea

    voinea Notebook Enthusiast

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    how about Vaio Z2 ? isn't that a good competitor for 13" rMBP ?
     
    voinea, Dec 10, 2012
    #5
  6. Jarhead

    Jarhead 恋の♡アカサタナ

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    The Vaio Z is one of the rMBP's competitors, though note that the GPU on that system is external, sort of the same way that an external hard drive plugs into a laptop. Not a problem at your desk, but can be a hassle when you're on the go. Besides that, it's a good choice over the rMBP if you're bent on spending a lot of money on a laptop.

    Otherwise, the Vaio S is your best option out of the three presented in your original post, in light of Miltov's post as to why the rMBP is a bad choice.
     
    Jarhead, Dec 10, 2012
    #6
  7. voinea

    voinea Notebook Enthusiast

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    i own VPCZ2 vaio. Good power, good screen, good keyboard.

    i hate speakers and sometime build quality of the case (comparing with my wife's mac book air 13 or even a zenbook 13 I've had in my hand at electronics shop ... Z2 have bad speakers and Asus use bang and olufsen in UX31A :|
     
    voinea, Dec 11, 2012
    #7