Expert’s Rating
Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
The price drop are welcome , especially at the top of the range where the 15 in MacBook Pro with Retina display is now £ 200 tacky . It ’s still pretty pricy at £ 1,999 , though . The late update to the 15 - inch MacBook Pro with Retina display is simply a 200 MHz gain in baseline clock stop number of the Intel Core i7 quad - core processor . With it , we see a small nudge in swiftness with applications that accent the CPU , in the fiat of six percent for many run . In the appendage of testing we did mark that in Cinebench at least , the package update from 10.9.0 to 10.9.4 may have actually slowed down multi - core carrying into action , such that last autumn ’s model could render Cinebench prove quicker than this summer ’s example . But that ’s another matter – the key result is that Intel ’s mainframe speed extrusion gives a petite second more amphetamine to some number - crunch labor , while battery life is in the same country or longer than before under our barrage fire test status at least .
The 15 - inch MacBook Pro with Retina display is Apple ’s best ever notebook computer , a portable workstation nip into an 18 mm - thick slab of milled - from - solid Al . The breakthrough conception of 2012 receive its most substantial update in October of last class , when it benefit from a SATA - fall apart innovation in storage engineering science , the latest draft-11ac Wi - Fi capability , and significant updates to its key and artwork processors .
Update : Apple reveal new MacBook Pro model at its9 March 2015 press event . For more details , take a look at ourNew 13 - inch Retina MacBook Pro ( early 2015 ) trailer . Apple also updated the 15 in MacBook Pro on 19 May 2015 , register ourreview of the 2015 15 in MacBook Pro here .
Now , in summertime of 2014 , Apple has drop the prices and refreshed the CPU in its range ofMacBooks with Retina display . The Retina - screen MacBook Pro line has received a running raise to its Intel CPU – a baseline clock speed growth of 100 MHz across the display panel for the 13 - column inch dual - core model , and 200 MHz for the quad - core 15 - inchers .
It seems probable thatApplehas made these tenuous tweaks to theMacBook Prorange preponderantly to permit it to fetch down pricing , but also because theBroadwellprocessors that are the born heir to the Haswell chips in these Macs , and the generation before them , are retard : probably a cause of frustration to Apple .
The price pearl espouse the same pattern that we saw with theMacBook AirandiMacranges originally this yr , with a step-down of around £ 100-£150 per unit , although the top of the range MacBook Pro with Retina display is now £ 200 less at £ 1,999 . It is this top of the range 2.5GHz quadrangle - core MacBook Pro mannequin , with its consecrate nVidia processor that we will be looking at in this MacBook Pros with Retina display review . Here we test this flagship ‘ adept ’ mannikin and see how it equate to its 2.3 GHz vis-a-vis of last autumn . This may not be the update we were hoping for , but the terms drop is certainly welcome .
show our other MacBook Pro reviews :
Which Mac laptop computer ? MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro comparative revaluation
Not certain which Mac to bribe ? take ourBest Mac emptor guide
New 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro: Price
In the fount of the 15 - inch MacBook Pro options there is the ‘ well ’ entry model that has been bumped up from 2.0 to 2.2GHz , while at the same time throw in price from £ 1,699 to £ 1,599 . And then there ’s the ‘ safe ’ example that includes a dedicated nVidia mainframe , which moves from 2.3 to 2.5GHz , now at the more approachable price of £ 1,999 , down by £ 200 from the 2013 MacBook Pro with Retina showing ’s top of the range price of £ 2,199 .
If you were to advance the top - of - the - range MacBook Pro with all the build - to - order options on offer it would cost a stupefying £ 2,549 , slimly more than the ledger entry - stage Mac Pro at £ 2,499 ( more on the build - to - decree options below ) .
As we mark in our review of the13 in MacBook Pro without Retina display , Apple has reduced the price of that model by £ 100 to £ 899 . As the sole persist Mac with an visual drive , this is dependable news for those who want to use candle and DVDs ; it was feared that the model would be give up .
The really sound newsworthiness for UK customers is that the US has n’t seen the same price dip . The only damage drop curtain there is for the non - Retina MacBook and the flagship 15 in fashion model , which dropped $ 100 to $ 2,499 . That ’s the combining weight of £ 1,478 , but you should remark that US pricing does n’t admit tax , so you would want to tally 20 % and other factors to the price here . Still you ca n’t deny that theMacis cheap in the States .
Now Broadwell is shipping a MacBook Pro Retina update may be just around the corner : Read about the2015 Retina MacBook Pro going datealso read ourMacBook Air with Retina display release escort article .
New 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro: Specs
We look around this Mid-2014 MacBook Pro with Retina show , and bump the same stipulation as last year , as well as the same constituent and features throughout . join the Intel C.P.U. is the same nVidia GeForce GTX 750 M graphics processor with its own 2.0 GiB of dedicated television store , and the same raw PCIe - bind fanfare drive that decimate that in any other laptop computer SSD currently on sales event . The high - end MacBook Pro with Retina showing maintains its 16 GB RAM , but the entrance - layer 15 - in also boast 16 GB RAM , up from 8 GB in the last generation .
For anyone not familiar with the layout of the 15 - inch MacBook Pro with Retina display , it is a premium all - metallic element notebook computer with an ultra - high resolution screenland , plan and build with substance abuser puff in mind .
There ’s no attempt to go off on a touch - sensitive sieve – instead it has a more workable user - input agreement in the form of prominent multi - touch trackpad with silky methamphetamine top , and an eminently typable backlit keyboard .
Around the slope are what could be described as a reckon natural selection of data ports . There ’s one USB 3.0 on each side of the body , arguably rather scotch , and no ethernet port . Apple ’s long - favor FireWire larboard is also now missing in action . But replacing all these to some extent are two high - speed Thunderbolt 2 ports on the left . With the consumption of disjoined adapter a Thunderbolt porthole can be turn into Gbit ethernet , or FireWire 800 ; or for external display connection , there are adaptors to practice Thunderbolt ’s DisplayPort capability to connect to HDMI , DVI or VGA varan inputs .
So what does this new contemporaries model have that its forerunner did n’t ?
New 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro: Processors
The quad - core processors in the two 15 - inch MacBook Pro models have a slightly higher clock - speed than last twelvemonth ’s models . The top - of - the - range MacBook Pro with Retina display now sport a Core i7 2.5GHz CPU , bumped from 2.3GHz . These chips are still Core i7 Haswell processors , as they were last yr . In the typesetter’s case of the entry - level 15 in , the C.P.U. is now a 2.2GHz Core i7 , up from 2GHz .
Because this is a quadruplet - heart and soul , Core i7 setup , it ’s far quicker than the twofold - gist frame-up of the 13 in models – do n’t presume the depleted identification number means the machine is slower – there are four C.P.U. core . This is one of the key difference of opinion between the 13- and 15 - inch MacBook Pro models – the fact that the 13 in models have a two-fold core CPU , while the 15 in models have a quad - pith processor . These quad - essence processors mean than the speedmark score of the 15 in models is around 60 percent higher Speedmark 9 grievance than their 13 - inch twin .
However , despite the small increment in processor speed we did n’t see much of an increase in our benchmark sexual conquest for this year ’s MacBook Pro Retina compared to the 2013 mode . Indeed , where our US Macworld Labs found that the results were slightly better than last year , we found that this year ’s model was slower .
For our processor test we used Cinebench , this is the standard benchmark peter to show differences between computer workstations . We ’re used to seeing little incremental gain in the benchmark distributor point grade as newer PCs with fast central processor are released . What we ’re not so familiar with is quicker - clocked processors of the same family return down numbered termination . But that ’s exactly what we visualize in both the Cinebench 11.5 and Cinebench 15 multi - core central processor tests .
We go in to more detail about these findings in this article : Latest version of OS X Mavericks causes poor multi - core bench mark results for Retina MacBook Pro . To summarize our finding here , in the Cinebench 11.5 single - core tests we found that this year ’s best model scored 1.55 point , compared to 1.46 for last twelvemonth ’s best model . A 6 pct gain .
However , things got queer when we ran the muiti - essence tests . Last year ’s ‘ best ’ exemplar make 6.82 points in multi - core manner , but this year ’s top 15 - inch MacBook Pro scored 6.48 points in the same trial . That ’s around a 5 percent decrease in its point score compared to the Late-2013 , 2.3GHz good example .
Things did n’t look up when we ran the Cinebench 15 tests . Here last class ’s model score 126 and 623 points , severally , for single- and multi - core modes . This class ’s model mark 134 and 599 period , again we insure a descent when all eight virtual cores were mesh in the multi - core run
you may read more about our findingshere , but our conclusion , based on the fact that the hardware components are identical between generations , is that the difference between mannequin has to be the installed operating system of rules .
When we try out the belated 2013 - multiplication of MacBook Pro with Retina exhibit its OS was the then make - new OS X Mavericks . The late 2014 model is also shipping with Mavericks pre - put in , but a previous loop – 10.9.4 versus the 10.9.0 on the old exemplar . This theory was proven when we ran the Cinebench trial again on the 2013 MacBook Pro with the modish 10.9.4 operating system .
In those tests , the Late 2013 model scored 1.46 and 6.82 points for single- and multi - core modes . With 10.9.4 the same machine scored 1.46 again ; but 5.96 decimal point in the multi - core psychometric test . That ’s a 14 percent low spot score .
Similarly in the Cinebench 15 bench mark test , comparing effect on the same notebook between two OS edition , the exclusive - gist result was the same at 126 points , while multi - inwardness was low-pitched with the new OS update : now 527 alternatively of 623 points . That ’s an 18 percent miserable account . We go in to more point inthis article .
When both role model were compare , running the same rendering of the operating system , our test showed a 6.3 pct increase in point grade in single - gist mood ; and 13.7 percentage gain in multi - core . In Cinebench 15 , there was a alike 6.2 percentage increase in single - burden mode ; and 8.7 percentage in multi - core mathematical operation .
Our tentative conclusion from these results is that the Mid-2104 MacBook Pro computer hardware is indeed several percentage quicker than the Late-2013 model , as indicated by Cinebench run outcome when both machines are running OS X 10.9.4 .
It would seem , however , that the update from 10.9.0 to 10.9.4 has reduced performance somewhat in multi - processor mode , at least when testing with either v11 or v15 versions of the Maxon Cinebench test .
In our Geekbench 3 trial , we discover no such discrepancy between OS versions . The latest Mid-2014 MacBook Pro with Retina showing here scored 3658 in single - kernel mode and 14360 point in time in multi - gist – both these results onwards of the 3461 and 13571 stop results of last twelvemonth ’s model . And significantly , showing a consistent multiplier figure , albeit of around 3.92x .
Compared directly to the recent 2013 manikin with its 2.3 gigahertz processor , the Mid 2014 15 - inch MacBook Pro was 5.7 percent faster in Geekbench 3.1.6‘s single - core way , and 5.8 percent faster in its multi - core mode .
In Macworld US ’s lab tests they found that the 2014 15 in Retina MacBook Pro/2.5GHz score 280 , while the 2013 Retina MacBook Pro/2.3GHz rack up 282 . The reason for this decline in performance may be a result of the changes described above . However , the 2014 15 in Retina MacBook Pro/2.2GHz score 246 , while last year ’s Retina MacBook Pro/2.0GHz tally 241 , in the same test .
Macworld US noted that the new models performed better than last year ’s models in the program tests using Photoshop , Aperture , iTunes , iPhoto , iMovie , and Handbrake , however , the unexampled models did n’t do as well as we would have trust in the Finder psychometric test : Copy , Zip , UnZip . This could be due to different SSD drive being used , as we found with the MacBook Air .
New 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro: RAM
It ’s worth remark that the entry - level 15 - inch also sees a doubling of its installed storage , so now has 16 GB , the same as the top - specification model .
This move brings both new 15 - inch Retina MacBook Pros into line with the six - core Mac Pro , the only other Mac to amount with 16 GB tup as standard .
take down that it is not possible to upgrade the RAM at a later date as the RAM is soldered onto the motherboard , there is n’t a chassis to dictate point of sales agreement pick for adding more Aries the Ram to the 15 in MacBook either .
At least 16 GB should stand you in safe lieu for the foreseeable future .
There have been suggestions that the redundant random memory will serve this Mac well once Yosemite launches .
New 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro: Graphics
The graphics in the 15 in Retina MacBook Pro models are on the nose the same as last yr ; after all , the processor has n’t change ( other than the fastness rise ) so we would n’t gestate to see a new graphics microchip . As such the Intel Iris Pro Graphics stay , a boost from the Intel Iris Graphics in the 13 in models .
The top - of - the - range 15 - inch model , tested here , retains its dual graphics scorecard frame-up with the same NVIDIA GeForce GT 750 M distinct graphics mainframe in coincidence with Intel Iris Pro Graphics . Only one computer graphic card is used at a time , rather than both being used at the same sentence as is the case with the Mac Pro .
With no alteration to the nVidia GeForce GTX 750 M card between poser , we would not expect to see any significant difference of opinion in graphics performance .
In Cinebench 15 , the 2013 and 2014 mannikin rendered with effectively the same framerate , 53.56 and 53.86 fps , within the tolerance of data-based computer error . Cinebench 11 showed a little difference of a few soma per 2nd – 44.92 rising to 48.24 Federal Protective Service . That interruption was close to few than 2 fps when last year ’s mannikin was retested with the current OS disco biscuit 10.9.4 .
Game players should find the MacBook Pro with nVidia nontextual matter is just as capable as before . InBatman Arkham Cityit averaged a framerate of 61 Federal Protective Service when do to 1280 x 800 - pixel resolving power , for both Medium and gamey detail preferences .
InTomb Raider ( 2013)both contemporaries could play with the same average framerate when set to 1440 x 900 , and Normal and High detail – 33 and 31 Federal Protective Service severally .
apropos , while these framerates are dependable enough for most players , we found the game could play almost 50 percent faster when ‘ utilize Legacy OpenGL ’ was selected in the game ’s configurations . With the same solution and configurations , it put down up to a 46 fps average , and crucially with a minimum framerate that never dropped below 34 Federal Protective Service .
In the Unigine Heaven benchmark , we also saw the same results as from the 2.3GHz framework – 35 Federal Protective Service at 1280 x 800 , and 29 Federal Protective Service at 1440 x 900 , both tests set at Medium character .
New 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro: Display
We do n’t have quantitative measurements of the showing quality of the belated 2013 15 - column inch MacBook Pro , but it would seem that the same panel is in use . In our instance it was a Samsung LCD ( LSN154YL01 - A01 ) although we ’ve also attend LG / Philips in some deterrent example of the MacBook Pro with Retina display .
In our tests with a Datacolor Spyder4Elite tintometer , we found this panel to have 96 pct coverage of the sRGB colour gamut , and 80 percent of the more ambitious Adobe RGB gamut .
Its direct contrast ratio in a chequerboard test was 680:1 when coiffe to 50 percent brightness ( corresponding to 62 cd / m^2 ) , 720:1 at 75 percent smartness ( 152 cd / m^2 ) and 810:1 at full luminance ( 330 cd / m^2 ) .
color fidelity of the calibrated display was excellent , averaging just 1.34 Delta atomic number 99 from a 48 - swatch test , with largest deviation found with the common ‘ 1F ’ cyan / teal colour pure tone .
Colour uniformness at various brightnesses was upright , around 1 percent deviation from 50–100 percent brightness , but luminance uniformness was much less consistent . The top ( and specifically , top - right ) of the screen was vivid than the bottom , with the bottom third as much as 30 percentage darker than the top .
immanent rating of this Retina display advise it ’s still about the fine calculator monitor useable on any forward-looking computer , in malice of the light discrepancy we measured .
And thanks to OS X ’s HiDPI mode there are none of the user interface legibility job we see when Windows laptops have try on to copy this model using peachy - than - HD resolution display . This frequently ensue in programs being try too small to be usefully assure , made worse when you ’re expected to control lilliputian elements by fingertip on Windows 8 touchscreen laptops . The latter touchscreen Windows 8 laptops also face more troubling screen - reflexion issue , since the touch - control projection screen inevitably lacks the anti - broody coating found here that enables current MacBook Pro notebooks to be catch in daytime conditions , despite a high - burnish destination .
New 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro: Battery life
Apple tell that the battery life on the 15 in MacBook Pro with Retina exhibit is 8 hours . This is less than the 9 hour offer by the 15 in edition , and the 7 hours of the non - Retina model .
We persist our common battery rundown trial , looping an MPEG-4 film ( 1920 x 1080 , 30 fps ) played wirelessly from a NAS drive . reproducible concealment brightness is paramount since the exhibit luminance level can greatly alter overall runtime . We ’ve recently update our screen calibration technique and can now cope with sieve brightness to within around 1 percent of the target address level of 120 cd / m^2 .
The MacBook Pro with Retina show and 2.5 GHz Core i7 C.P.U. was able to run for a little under 8 hours ( 7 hr 57 Hokkianese ) before fit into its sopor state .
When we tested the belated 2013 adaptation with nVidia graphics ( automatically switched to Intel Iris Pro under battery test conditions ) , it lasted 7 hour 46 mins , although we can not be confident of screen reference brightness being so exactly mate .
Then our colleague at Macworld Labs in the US run their battery test the results were less positive . There stamp battery lifetime was tested by looping a play list of show downloaded from the iTunes Store . Wi - Fi was rick off and brightness set to 200 cd / m2 . The new 2.2GHz 15 in manage 7 60 minutes , 13 minutes , while the young 2.5GHz model managed 6 hours , 48 minute . Compared to last yr ’s models , the 15 in 2.0GHz managed 7 hour and 18 minutes , while the 2.3GHz model managed 7 hours and 32 minutes .
New 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro: Storage
As best we can narrate , Apple is still the only designer of notebook computer computers to specify the highly fix PCIe - attach flash ( solid - state of matter ) drive , or SSD . With now three different OEMs supplying these parts to Apple ( Samsung , SanDisk and Toshiba ) there is some variability in public presentation between dissimilar sample of ostensibly the same computer , depend on drive manufacturing business .
In a recent lab examination we had two MacBook Air sample ( 11- and 13 - column inch , Mid-2014 ) with example of Toshiba and SanDisk parts respectively . See : MacBook Air 2014 , 13 in , review , & 11 in 2014 MacBook Air followup .
In this 15 - inch MacBook Pro we found a Samsung PCIe - attached flash parkway ( SM0512F ) with 512 GB storage electrical capacity . In our test this had the same carrying out as that find in October 2013 ’s 15 - inch MacBook Pro ( 15 - inch , Retina , later 2013 ) , also fitted with the same SM0512F entrepot drive . And this is one passing quick wink drive – its newspaper headline sequential pep pill averaged 784 Bachelor of Medicine / s read and 737 MiB / s for writes ( 20–100 MB data ) . That ’s nearly 50 per centum faster than the very fastest SSDs you ’ll come up in any other brand of personal computer , which are all restricted by the bottleneck of the SATA Revision 3 interface with which they connect to the PC .
search at random modest - file performance as measured by QuickBench , when average out with files sized between 4 and 1024 kB , we see read at 199 MB / s and pen at 351 MB / s. These are impressive figures , and serve excuse the completely lag - free ‘ snappiness ’ you feel when launch applications and opening and saving file cabinet .
New 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro: Build to order options
When purchasing a 15 in reading of the Retina MacBook Pro you have the option of updating from the baseline mannikin with its 2.2GHz i7 central processor to a 2.5GHz i7 quadriceps femoris - essence processor for £ 80 , or a 2.8GHz i7 quad - substance processor for £ 240 .
The 15 in MacBook Pro also offers progress - to - order computer memory options include the addition of a 512 GB flash drive for £ 240 , or a 1 TB flash cause for £ 640 .
There is no option to upgrade the computer memory in the 15 in models from the received 16 GB RAM .
Apple 15-inch MacBook Pro vs iMac
The newfangled price of £ 1,399 for the entry - level MacBook Pro with Retina makes it corresponding to the first appearance - grade 27 - inch iMac priced at £ 1,499 .
What would the extra £ 100 get you if you were to buy the iMac ? Whereas the £ 1,399 MacBook Pro offers a 2.2 GB quad - substance i7 CPU , the 27 - inch iMac offers a 3.2GHz quad - core central processor . It also features a 1 TB grueling disk , as opposed to the 512 GB Flash parkway in the MacBook , although the conclusion here comes down to whether you prefer the f number associated with Flash storage or the redundant capacity . The MacBook also offers 16 GB RAM , compared to 8 GB in the iMac .
Essentially this decision will probably moil down to portability . Despite the faster mainframe in the iMac it is likely to be slowed down by its hard drive , while the Flash campaign in the MacBook Pro will hotfoot things up . We ’ll publish our benchmarks here as presently as we ’ve been able to thoroughly test the building block . Read our comparison of a MacBook Pro and iMac here .
Read:2014 iMac with Fusion Drive reviewand2014 budget iMac review
