Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 (Mid 2015) Review
For the original German review, see here.
With all the attention on the impressive 12-inch MacBook, it was easy to miss the fact that Apple has also launched another new MacBook a couple of weeks ago. Although the MacBook Pro Retina 15 is not really new, it has got its first major update since the last significant refresh almost two years ago.
One of the new features is the Force Touch TrackPad, and the 15-inch device now uses the same model as its smaller sibling. The manufacturer has also promised much faster SSDs and more CPU performance, but the MacBook Pro 15 still uses quad-core processors from the old Haswell generation – it is curious that Apple has not integrated the recently announced quad-cores from the Broadwell generation or waited for the replacement, Skylake, which is expected in the late summer/autumn. Another surprise: The last remaining Nvidia GPU in a Mac, the GeForce GT 750M, can be replaced with the optional Radeon R9 M370X.
The MacBook Pro 15 is the spearhead in Apple’s notebook portfolio – so the pricing is quite confident: Even the base model with a Core i7-4770HQ, 16 GB of RAM and a 256 GB SSD is quite expensive at 2249 Euros (~$2532); our review configuration with a Core i7-4870HQ, twice the amount of SSD storage and the previously mentioned Radeon GPU costs 2799 Euros (~$3151). The online configurator also includes several upgrades (Core i7-4980HQ, 1 TB SSD) that can easily increase the price to more than 3000 Euros (~$3378).
Available configurations (excerpt):
Core i7-4770HQ |
Core i7-4870HQ | Core i7-4980HQ |
16 GB RAM |
16 GB RAM | 16 GB RAM |
256 GB (SSD) |
512 GB (SSD) | 1 TB (SSD) |
Iris Pro Graphics 5200 |
Radeon R9 M370X | Radeon R9 M370X |
IPS panel, 2880 x 1800 pixels |
IPS panel, 2880 x 1800 pixels | IPS panel, 2880 x 1800 pixels |
from €2249 |
from €2799 | from €3599 |
Similarities and Differences compared to the Predecessor
At this point, because of the numerous similarities with the predecessor, we do not want to go into details about the Case, Connectivity and Keyboard; all the relevant information is available in our previous review. Nevertheless, we will summarize the most important aspects below.
For the last three years, the 2.04 kg (~4.5 lb) chassis of the MacBook Pro 15 has been the benchmark for quality. There are no significant changes this time – but this is not an issue: Stability, build quality and design are still very appropriate in 2015, just as the port selection with USB 3.0 (unfortunately just 2x), Thunderbolt as well as triple-stream WLAN (3x3: 3). Another typical aspect of the Apple design without frills: It is very hard or even impossible to maintain or upgrade the device. The bottom cover is secured with Apple’s own Pentalobe screws, and inside the chassis is a highly integrated motherboard with other proprietary or even soldered components (including CPU, GPU, and RAM). This usually means that if there is a problem after the 12-month warranty period, you have to visit an authorized service partner or the manufacturer, which is usually a pretty expensive solution (iFixit score of the predecessor: 1/10 points).
The input devices of the MacBook Pro 15 are similar to those of the 13-inch model that we have already reviewed. Because of the wider chassis, there are wider stripes on both sides of the keyboard that accommodate the speakers. It is unfortunate that Apple did not use the available space for larger input keys – in our opinion Enter, Backspace, and the arrow keys could be slightly larger. That aside, there is not much criticism and the keyboard is impressive with its well-defined stroke, generous travel as well as a background illumination that can be adjusted.
The TrackPad is still 10.5 x 7.6 centimeters (4.1 x 3 in), but the manufacturer has implemented the new Force Touch technology, which ensures an even pressure point across the whole surface. The pad now also includes the eponymous Force Click, a kind of two-stage triggering that provides practical features such as a quick search in the browser under OS X. Nothing has changed in terms of the excellent gliding capabilities and the very sensitive response during multi-touch gestures – Windows users can be envious of this touchpad. More information about the technology and additional features are available in our review of the MacBook Pro 13.
Boot Camp and Windows 8.1
As usual, we used Apple’s Boot Camp assistant to install a trial version of Windows 8.1 in parallel with OS X. Usually this procedure is pretty fast and simple, thanks to the automatic hard drive partitioning and driver installation – unfortunately not in this case. After an unusually long time, the installation of the Boot Camp support software stopped with an error resulting in a partially functional operating system. While we were able to install the drivers for WLAN, sound and the webcam later, we could not use the right-click functionality of the touchpad or the function keys of the keyboard (brightness, keyboard illumination, sound). We can only hope that Apple will solve these software problems quickly – but potential buyers should note that every MacBook was primarily designed for OS X and that a smooth operation is only guaranteed with this operating system.
Display
Compared to rivals like the Asus ZenBook Pro UX501, the Dell XPS 15 or the Asus G501JW, all of which are equipped with UHD displays and 3840x2160 pixels, the 2880x1800 pixels of the MacBook seem almost mediocre – instead of 282 ppi, the pixel density is "just" 221 ppi. However, it is arguable whether differences of this magnitude are important: Apple’s Retina display produces razor-sharp fonts and symbols, and the available space on the desktop depends on the scaling factor of the OS in both cases (a native operation at 100% font size is hardly possible with more than 200 ppi). One interesting aspect is that the 15.4-inch MacBook has an even larger display area compared to the 15.6-inch competition (688 vs. 671 cm²) since the aspect ratio is different (16:10 instead of 16:9).
The brightness of the screen can be adjusted either automatically or manually in 17 steps, which covers a generous range between 0 and 315 cd/m². The picture appears to be very even with high brightness settings and we could not notice any problems such as screen bleeding or clouding. Another advantage: The MacBook Pro is one of the few available notebooks without any PWM flickering (is created by periodical activation and deactivation of the LED illumination to influence the brightness via duty cycle).
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Brightness Distribution: 82 %
Center on Battery: 341 cd/m²
Contrast: 1003:1 (Black: 0.34 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 2.07 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 1.9 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
91% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
58% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
62.9% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
90.8% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
61.4% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.62
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 2880 x 1800 (IPS) | Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2013-10 2880 x 1800 (IPS) | Asus UX501JW-DS71T 3840 x 2160 (IPS) | Asus G501JW 3840 x 2160 (IPS) | Dell XPS 15 (9530-0538) 3840 x 2160 (IPS) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Display | -18% | -18% | 6% | ||
Display P3 Coverage | 61.4 | 50.2 -18% | 50 -19% | 64.9 6% | |
sRGB Coverage | 90.8 | 75 -17% | 75 -17% | 96.1 6% | |
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 62.9 | 51.8 -18% | 51.6 -18% | 66.9 6% | |
Screen | -1% | -67% | -58% | -6% | |
Brightness middle | 341 | 332 -3% | 278.1 -18% | 336.8 -1% | 349 2% |
Brightness | 315 | 302 -4% | 281 -11% | 317 1% | 365 16% |
Brightness Distribution | 82 | 83 1% | 89 9% | 77 -6% | 87 6% |
Black Level * | 0.34 | 0.3326 2% | 0.293 14% | 0.53 -56% | 0.282 17% |
Contrast | 1003 | 998 0% | 949 -5% | 635 -37% | 1238 23% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 2.07 | 1.95 6% | 8.78 -324% | 7.02 -239% | 2.65 -28% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 3.27 | ||||
Greyscale dE 2000 * | 1.9 | 2.11 -11% | 6.29 -231% | 4.01 -111% | 3.77 -98% |
Gamma | 2.62 84% | 2.34 94% | 2.25 98% | 2.1 105% | 2.41 91% |
CCT | 6514 100% | 6489 100% | 6197 105% | 6642 98% | 6786 96% |
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 58 | 60.6 4% | 48.31 -17% | 47.67 -18% | 61.02 5% |
Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 91 | 72.54 -20% | 96.1 6% | ||
Total Average (Program / Settings) | -1% /
-1% | -43% /
-55% | -38% /
-47% | 0% /
-3% |
* ... smaller is better
Despite the identical specifications, the IPS display of the 2015 MacBook has a new model number (APPA02E) – an indicator of possible improvements? At least the black value (0.34 cd/m²) and the contrast ratio (1003:1) have remained unchanged compared to our last review, but this does not mean the screen has to hide behind the rivals. They manage similar results, only the Asus G501JW falls behind in a direct comparison. However, significantly higher contrasts would only be possible with other display technologies such as VA (5000:1 and higher) or OLED (almost infinite, thanks to perfect blacks), but they have other issues or the manufacturing would not be very economical.
Traditionally, Apple puts a lot of emphasis on an accurate color reproduction and the new MacBook Pro 15 is no exception. The deviations of the colors (DeltaE 2.07) and the grayscale (DeltaE 1.93) are already impressively low with the factory settings, and a calibration can remove the deviations almost completely (DeltaE smaller 0.5). The color space coverage is slightly smaller compared to the last generation (only 90.6% sRGB) – overall a very decent result and the screen is suitable for professional picture editing.
Considering the size, weight and the glossy display surface, there are certainly better notebooks for outdoor use than Apple's 15-inch notebook. However, thanks to the high luminance that is not reduced on battery power, the MacBook also masters this scenario and there will be no problems when you use it in the shade.
Outdoor use (afternoon, shade)
Not all IPS displays are the same: The technology is often used as a synonym for wide viewing angles, but there can actually be pretty big differences between different manufacturers and models. While the picture of the ZenBook Pro noticeably loses contrast and saturation when you look from an angle above or below, the picture of the MacBook does not change – these details are some of the reasons why Apple charges much higher prices than some other manufacturers.
Performance
The Core i7-4870HQ (2.5 to 3.7 GHz) in our review unit is right between the Core i7-4770HQ (2.2 to 3.4 GHz) of the entry-level configuration and the optional Core i7-4980HQ (2.8 to 4.0 GHz). This means the clocks were raised by 200 MHz compared to the model from 2013 – a very modest increase, but the main reason is the long lifecycle of Intel’s Haswell architecture. The new quad-core CPUs from the Broadwell generation are only available from the beginning of June, and are supposed to be much faster with comparable power consumption (TDP of 47 watts) thanks to the 14-nm manufacturing process (Haswell: 22-nm). However, it seems that Apple has skipped this generation completely and there will only be a complete refresh with Skylake at the earliest opportunity.
All Intel processors are once again equipped with the integrated top GPU Iris Pro Graphics 5200 that comes with 128 MB eDRAM. This memory, which acts as a L4 cache and can also be used by the CPU cores, reduces the dependency from the memory bandwidth and therefore improves the performance. You have to get a model with a dedicated graphics solution if you need more 3D performance: According to Apple, the optional Radeon R9 M370X is supposed to be up to 80% faster than the GeForce GT 750M of the predecessor, which would result in roughly twice of the performance compared to the Iris Pro. The notebook switches to the more frugal graphics processor while idling, but unfortunately, this only works with OS X.
Besides the soldered 16 GB DDR3L-1600 (dual-channel), the memory equipment of the MacBook includes a proprietary PCIe SSD with a capacity of 256, 512 GB or 1 TB. The manufacturer is very proud of the fact that the transfer rates of the new drives are supposedly twice as fast as before – a promise that we will check later.
Processor
According to the specifications, the Core i7-4870HQ reaches impressive maximum clocks of 3.7 GHz during single-core applications and 3.5 GHz when you stress all four cores, respectively – but it will require certain conditions (power consumption, core temperature). And this is actually a problem: The CPU does at least start at 3.3 GHz in the Cinebench Multithread tests (battery and mains identical), but consumes far more than 60 watts and reaches almost 100 °C (~212 °F). As a result, the clock drops to around 2.8 to 3.0 GHz after a few seconds and can maintain this level. This means that unfortunately, the i7-4780HQ is not any faster than the old i7-4850HQ; the i7-4770HQ and the i7-4980HQ should be on par under sustained load as well, which means the performance differences between the different models will be limited to short peak load or poorly parallelized software. Single thread benchmarks are executed with around 3.5 to 3.6 GHz, so the Turbo utilization is quite good.
Overall, we can say that the MacBook Pro can convince with a lot of performance reserves, but it cannot really take advantage of the CPUs that are very costly compared to the rivals. The eDRAM is only an advantage in some exceptions like WinRAR, but it increases the consumption and reduces the Turbo potential.
WinRAR - Result (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
Asus UX501JW-DS71T | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 13 inch 2015-03 |
Storage Solution
Simple SATA-SSDs were yesterday – modern high-end devices use the PCIe interface for the flash storage to reach even higher sequential transfer rates. The 512 GB SSD in our MacBook is attached via four PCIe-3.0 lanes and can also use them: Depending on the benchmark, the drive manages record-breaking transfer rates (read & write) of more than 1.5 GB/s. The advertised doubling of the SSD performance is therefore true, although in practice, this will only be a benefit when you copy large files. The SSD even falls behind many SATA models in the tests with small 4K files.
Unlike the recently reviewed 12-inch MacBook, the drive in our current review unit, SM0512G, is not from Apple, but provided by Samsung. Unfortunately, the SSD does not support the modern NVMe standard, which includes a more efficient administration of parallel accesses, but only uses the conventional AHCI protocol to communicate with the system.
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 Apple SSD SM0512G | Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2013-10 Apple SSD SM0512F | Asus UX501JW-DS71T Samsung SSD SM951 512 GB MZHPV512HDGL | Asus G501JW Samsung SSD SM951 512 GB MZHPV512HDGL | Apple MacBook Pro Retina 13 inch 2015-03 Apple SSD SM0128G | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
AS SSD | -34% | 31% | 30% | -26% | |
Seq Read | 1550 | 731 -53% | 1402 -10% | 1410 -9% | 1233 -20% |
Seq Write | 1441 | 592 -59% | 1112 -23% | 1118 -22% | 616 -57% |
4K Read | 19.3 | 15.56 -19% | 39.75 106% | 39.75 106% | 20.6 7% |
4K Write | 29 | 27.86 -4% | 93 221% | 92.6 219% | 30.2 4% |
4K-64 Read | 619 | 406.4 -34% | 977 58% | 937 51% | 891 44% |
4K-64 Write | 344.2 | 233.7 -32% | 351.6 2% | 362.8 5% | 221.2 -36% |
Copy ISO MB/s | 1395 | 820 -41% | 1097 -21% | 522 -63% | |
Copy Program MB/s | 608 | 476.5 -22% | 502 -17% | 285.5 -53% | |
Copy Game MB/s | 1014 | 904 -11% | 628 -38% | 408.1 -60% |
System Performance
It does not matter if you use OS X or Windows: Thanks to the fast quad-core CPU and the fast PCIe SSD, the MacBook Pro is a very powerful working device, which also manages the most demanding tasks like HD video editing, RAW editing or simulation calculations. Thanks to the 16 GB of RAM, even excessive multitasking is not a problem. However, we have to be fair and say that the predecessors from 2014, 2013 and even 2012 were not much slower – all generations are basically on par in PCMark 7. A switch to the current generation can still pay off thanks to longer battery runtimes and faster GPUs.
PCMark 8 | |
Home Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
Asus UX501JW-DS71T | |
Asus G501JW | |
Creative Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
Asus UX501JW-DS71T | |
Asus G501JW | |
Work Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
Asus UX501JW-DS71T | |
Asus G501JW |
PCMark 7 Score | 5480 points | |
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2 | 3821 points | |
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2 | 4662 points | |
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2 | 4638 points | |
Help |
GPU Performance
This brings us to the next important aspect, the new Radeon R9 M370X. The term "new" should however, be used very carefully, because the underlying Cape-Verde chip is actually more than three years old (announcement: February 2012 on the desktop Radeon HD 7770). But the technical specifications are actually not too bad for today’s standards, at least for a notebook chip: 640 GCN shaders and 40 TMUs as well as 2 GB of GDDR5 memory (128-bit interface) in combination with a clock of 800/4500 MHz (core/memory) should result in a decent performance advantage compared to the previous GeForce GT 750M.
The M370X actually manages an advantage of 34% over the GT 750M in 3DMark Fire Strike, which is the best simulation of the demands of current games. A GeForce GTX 950M or GTX 960M, which are in a similar TDP range of 50 up to 60 watts, however, are even 30 or 60% faster, respectively – there is currently no alternative to the Maxwell architecture in terms of power efficiency. Maybe the AMD GPU is not only a result of technical and financial reasons, but also the problematic relationship between Apple and Nvidia …?
Since neither the Iris Pro nor the Radeon R9 have an integrated HEVC/H.265 decoder, the corresponding videos have to be rendered by the CPU. The powerful quad-core manages even 4K videos smoothly depending on the bitrate, but this solution is certainly not very efficient and can also result in a very audible fan noise. Ordinary H.264 videos are not affected by this.
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2013-10 | |
Asus UX501JW-DS71T | |
Asus G501JW | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
MSI GS30 Shadow |
3DMark | |
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Graphics (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2013-10 | |
Asus UX501JW-DS71T | |
Asus G501JW | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
MSI GS30 Shadow | |
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2013-10 | |
Asus UX501JW-DS71T | |
Asus G501JW | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
MSI GS30 Shadow | |
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2013-10 | |
Asus UX501JW-DS71T | |
Asus G501JW | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
MSI GS30 Shadow | |
Fire Strike Extreme Graphics (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
Asus G501JW |
3DMark 06 Standard Score | 18481 points | |
3DMark Vantage P Result | 13155 points | |
3DMark 11 Performance | 3942 points | |
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score | 92723 points | |
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 11048 points | |
3DMark Fire Strike Score | 2350 points | |
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score | 1145 points | |
Help |
Gaming Performance
Even though the differences fluctuate significantly from game to game, our gaming benchmarks confirm the previous statement: The GeForce GT 750M (GDDR5 model) is roughly 30% slower than the Radeon R9 M370X, which is another 30% behind the GeForce GTX 950M. Unfortunately, the M370X is not powerful enough for the native display resolution, so it is recommended that you reduce the resolution to 1680x1050 in combination with medium graphics settings. Rivals like the ZenBook Pro or the Aspire V 15, both equipped with a GeForce GTX 960M, are certainly better options for gamers.
Unfortunately, the MacBook Pro is affected by a very annoying problem when you use Windows, which results in frame rate drops during prolonged gaming sessions: The Radeon GPU cannot maintain its core clock of 800 MHz. The clock often fluctuates between 675 and 725 MHz, but occasionally drops to 400 MHz. The resulting stutters are very annoying, particularly when you play shooting games, and seem to be caused by thermal throttling when the core temperature reaches around 74 °C (~165 °F).
Diablo III | |
1920x1080 High AA:on (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
One K56-3F | |
1366x768 High AA:on (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
One K56-3F | |
1366x768 Medium / low (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
One K56-3F | |
1024x768 Low / off (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
One K56-3F |
Counter-Strike: GO | |
1920x1080 (Very) High, FXAA AA:4x MS AF:8x (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
One K56-3F | |
1366x768 High AA:2x MS AF:4x (sort by value) | |
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One K56-3F | |
1366x768 Medium (sort by value) | |
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One K56-3F | |
1024x768 (Very) Low (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
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One K56-3F |
Crysis 3 | |
1920x1080 Very High Preset AA:2xSM AF:16x (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Dell XPS 15 (Late 2013) | |
One K56-3F | |
1366x768 High Preset AA:FX AF:16x (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Dell XPS 15 (Late 2013) | |
One K56-3F | |
1366x768 Medium Preset AF:16x (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Dell XPS 15 (Late 2013) | |
One K56-3F | |
1024x768 Low Preset (sort by value) | |
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SCHENKER M505 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Dell XPS 15 (Late 2013) | |
One K56-3F |
Dota 2 | |
1920x1080 High / On, Render Quality: 100 % (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
Dell XPS 15 (Late 2013) | |
Schenker M503 | |
1366x768 Medium / On, Render Quality: 70 % (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
Dell XPS 15 (Late 2013) | |
Schenker M503 | |
1024x768 Low / Off, Render Quality: 40 % (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
Dell XPS 15 (Late 2013) | |
Schenker M503 |
Battlefield 4 | |
3840x2160 High Preset (sort by value) | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:4x MS (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
Dell XPS 15 (Late 2013) | |
Schenker M503 | |
1366x768 High Preset (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
Dell XPS 15 (Late 2013) | |
Schenker M503 | |
1366x768 Medium Preset (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
Dell XPS 15 (Late 2013) | |
Schenker M503 | |
1024x768 Low Preset (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
Dell XPS 15 (Late 2013) | |
Schenker M503 |
Thief | |
1920x1080 Very High Preset AA:FXAA & High SS AF:8x (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
Asus UX501JW-DS71T | |
Asus G501JW | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
Schenker M503 | |
1366x768 High Preset AA:FXAA & Low SS AF:4x (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
Asus UX501JW-DS71T | |
Asus G501JW | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
Schenker M503 | |
1366x768 Normal Preset AA:FX (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
Asus UX501JW-DS71T | |
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Schenker M503 | |
1024x768 Very Low Preset (sort by value) | |
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Asus UX501JW-DS71T | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
Schenker M503 |
GRID: Autosport | |
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:4x MS (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Schenker M503 | |
1920x1080 High Preset (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Schenker M503 | |
1366x768 Medium Preset (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Schenker M503 | |
1024x768 Ultra Low Preset (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Schenker M503 |
Sims 4 | |
1920x1080 Ultra Preset (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Schenker M503 | |
1920x1080 High Preset (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Schenker M503 | |
1366x768 Medium Preset (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Schenker M503 | |
1024x768 Low Preset (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Schenker M503 |
Fifa 15 | |
3840x2160 High Preset (sort by value) | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
1920x1080 High Preset AA:4x MS (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Schenker M503 | |
1366x768 High Preset AA:2x MS (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Schenker M503 | |
1280x720 Low Preset (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Schenker M503 |
Alien: Isolation | |
1920x1080 Ultra, On, Shadow Map 2048, HDAO AA:2x SM AF:16x (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Schenker M503 | |
1920x1080 High, On, Shadow Map 1536, Standard SSAO AA:FX AF:8x (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
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1366x768 Medium, On (AA & SSAO Off), Shadow Map 1024 AF:4x (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Schenker M503 | |
1024x768 (Very) Low, Off, Shadow Map 512 AF:1x (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Schenker M503 |
F1 2014 | |
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:4x MS (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
Asus G501JW | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Schenker M503 | |
1920x1080 High Preset (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
Asus G501JW | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Schenker M503 | |
1366x768 Medium Preset (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Schenker M503 | |
1024x768 Ultra Low Preset (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Schenker M503 |
Civilization: Beyond Earth | |
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:4x MS (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Schenker M503 | |
1920x1080 High Preset (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Schenker M503 | |
1366x768 Medium Preset (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Schenker M503 | |
1024x768 Minimum Preset (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Schenker M503 |
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare | |
1920x1080 Extra / On (Cache Shadow Maps Off), 2x Supersampling AA:2x SM (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Schenker M503 | |
1920x1080 High / On (Cache Shadow Maps Off) AA:FX (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Schenker M503 | |
1366x768 Normal / On (Cache Shadow Maps Off) (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Schenker M503 | |
1024x768 Low / Off (Shader Preload On) (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Schenker M503 |
Evolve | |
1920x1080 Very High Graphics Quality AA:1TX SM (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
Schenker M503 | |
1920x1080 High Graphics Quality AA:FX (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Schenker M503 | |
1366x768 Medium Graphics Quality (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Schenker M503 | |
1024x768 Low Graphics Quality (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Schenker M503 |
Battlefield Hardline | |
1920x1080 Ultra Graphics Quality (DX11) AA:4x MS (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
Asus UX501JW-DS71T | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Schenker M503 | |
1920x1080 High Graphics Quality (DX11) (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
Asus UX501JW-DS71T | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Schenker M503 | |
1366x768 Medium Graphics Quality (DX11) (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
Asus UX501JW-DS71T | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Schenker M503 | |
1024x768 Low Graphics Quality (DX11) (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
Asus UX501JW-DS71T | |
SCHENKER M505 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Schenker M503 |
Dirt Rally | |
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:4x MS (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Schenker M503 | |
1920x1080 High Preset (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Schenker M503 | |
1366x768 Medium Preset (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Schenker M503 | |
1024x768 Ultra Low Preset (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Schenker M503 |
The Witcher 3 | |
1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+) (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
Schenker M503 | |
1920x1080 High Graphics & Postprocessing (Nvidia HairWorks Off) (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
Schenker M503 | |
1366x768 Medium Graphics & Postprocessing (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
Schenker M503 | |
1024x768 Low Graphics & Postprocessing (sort by value) | |
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 | |
SCHENKER S413 | |
Schenker M503 |
low | med. | high | ultra | |
Diablo III (2012) | 190.3 | 106.6 | 98.4 | 69.2 |
Counter-Strike: GO (2012) | 265 | 218 | 159.3 | 103.4 |
Crysis 3 (2013) | 62.7 | 50.6 | 32 | 12.3 |
Tomb Raider (2013) | 195.3 | 94.2 | 62.8 | 28.5 |
BioShock Infinite (2013) | 160.2 | 85 | 71.4 | 25.7 |
Metro: Last Light (2013) | 82.5 | 53.8 | 32.4 | 16.1 |
Dota 2 (2013) | 119.8 | 106.5 | 50.8 | |
Battlefield 4 (2013) | 97.1 | 59 | 41.5 | 16.6 |
Thief (2014) | 53.7 | 35.5 | 31.6 | 17.2 |
GRID: Autosport (2014) | 207.7 | 90.6 | 48.6 | 26.8 |
Sims 4 (2014) | 162.9 | 99.9 | 54.5 | 46.8 |
Fifa 15 (2014) | 140.9 | 98.5 | 57.9 | |
Alien: Isolation (2014) | 100.3 | 59.7 | 35.6 | 28 |
F1 2014 (2014) | 119 | 113 | 84 | 50 |
Civilization: Beyond Earth (2014) | 85.7 | 39.2 | 26.8 | 22.7 |
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (2014) | 99.5 | 48.4 | 30.3 | 16.4 |
Evolve (2015) | 62.5 | 40.4 | 21.6 | 18.5 |
Battlefield Hardline (2015) | 103.2 | 67.3 | 27.6 | 18.5 |
Dirt Rally (2015) | 316.7 | 79.6 | 40.1 | 21.2 |
The Witcher 3 (2015) | 40.7 | 25.9 | 14.9 | 7.8 |
Emissions
System Noise
Even though the two chassis fans already run at 2000 rpm while idling, our review unit is almost silent. Even moderate workloads like browsing the web, picture editing or light multitasking do not really increase the noise levels – a very remarkable performance for such a slim quad-core notebook, which is mainly a result of the defensive fan curve. The fan speed is not immediately increased, even if the CPU briefly reaches 80 or 90 °C (~176 or 194 °F). This applies to both OS X and Windows; but the MacBook is generally most often silent when you use OS X.
Apple cannot beat the physics under sustained CPU and GPU load, either: The fan speed and noise level will continuously rise up to 6000 rpm and 46 dB(A), respectively, in 3DMark 06 or in our stress test. This might be quite loud on paper, but the low frequency and consistent murmur is subjectively much quieter than it really is.
The fan characteristics have not changed compared to the predecessor, so we took the following frequency response for different fan speeds from our previous review.
Noise Level
Idle |
| 28.9 / 28.9 / 28.9 dB(A) |
Load |
| 46 / 46 dB(A) |
| ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min: , med: , max: Voltcraft SL-451 (15 cm distance) |
Temperature
Thanks to the slow but continuous spinning of the fans, the manufacturer does not have a problem with the temperature development in everyday use. The chassis never gets inconveniently warm or even hot, and it is no problem to use the device on your lap. The situation is better than expected under load: The heat development of up to 43 °C (~109 °F) is mainly limited to a small stripe above the keyboard, but users do not touch this spot very often anyway.
Once we had noticed some occasional GPU throttling, it is hardly surprising that the losses in the stress test are even more dramatic. After our one-hour stress test with Prime95 and FurMark (Windows), the CPU runs at only1.2 GHz, while the graphics card is also limited to just 400 MHz. Even though devices from Asus, Acer & Co. also throttle, none of the direct rivals loses that much performance. The performance of the MacBook was much better under OS X, but the tools (Cinebench and Unigine Heaven) are not that demanding for the hardware.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 43.2 °C / 110 F, compared to the average of 36.9 °C / 98 F, ranging from 21.1 to 71 °C for the class Multimedia.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 39 °C / 102 F, compared to the average of 39.1 °C / 102 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 28.6 °C / 83 F, compared to the device average of 31.2 °C / 88 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 30.2 °C / 86.4 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.8 °C / 83.8 F (-1.4 °C / -2.6 F).
Speakers
As you would expect from a very expensive multimedia notebook, the MacBook is equipped with two decent stereo speakers that are more than sufficient for occasional video or music playback. The maximum volume and the bass are slightly above average, the speakers are very clear and there are no distortions at the highest volume. Once again, there is no noticeable difference compared to the previous generation, so we show the frequency responses from the 2013 model.
Energy Management
Power Consumption
While the 15-inch device is quite frugal with 6.0 to 13.3 watts while idling in OS X, the consumption dramatically explodes when you use the Microsoft operating system: 10.7 to 25.6 watts show that neither the deactivation of the Radeon GPU nor the various energy-saving features of the processor work properly. This is also the reason for the previously mentioned differences in terms of system noise and temperature development.
The 85-watt power adaptor is hardly adequate and limits the consumption to around 90 watts – which means that the MacBook cannot maintain the maximum clock for the CPU and the GPU simultaneously, even when the temperatures are very low. However, the temperature development will result in throttling after a couple of minutes anyway, so it would not make much sense to replace the PSU with a more powerful model. Our measurement device only showed around 72 watts at the end of the stress test.
Off / Standby | 0 / 0.1 Watt |
Idle | 6 / 12.8 / 13.3 Watt |
Load |
82.4 / 91.8 Watt |
Battery Runtime
The generously sized battery capacity of the predecessor has been further increased for the new model and is now specified with an enormous 99.5 Wh – neither the Asus ZenBook Pro (96 Wh) nor the Dell XPS 15 (91 Wh) can keep up with this. However, replacing the glued in batteries is a challenge even for professionals, which is unfortunately typical for Apple, so you will have to use the expensive repair service of the manufacturer if the battery is damaged.
We cannot confirm the advertised runtime of 9 hours, at least in our practical test. Our tests determine realistic runtimes of around 7 hours of wireless browsing or HD video playback if you adjust the display brightness to around 150 cd/m². Because of the higher power consumption, the battery will only last for less than 5 hours when you use Windows 8.1. Depending on the load you can realize much longer (idling OS X and minimum brightness: more than 17 hours) or much shorter runtimes (Unigine Heaven at the highest brightness: almost 2 hours). The 15-inch version cannot keep up with the stamina of the smaller MacBook Pro 13 Retina – but the results are more than impressive compared to the Windows competition.
A full recharge of the battery takes about 2.5 to 4 hours depending on the simultaneous use of the notebook.
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05 99.5 Wh | Apple MacBook Pro Retina 13 inch 2015-03 74.9 Wh | Asus UX501JW-DS71T 96 Wh | Dell XPS 15 (9530-0538) 91 Wh | Acer Aspire VN7-591G-727P 52 Wh | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Battery Runtime | 30% | -8% | -27% | -61% | |
Reader / Idle | 1039 | 1690 63% | 361 -65% | 216 -79% | |
H.264 | 413 | 581 41% | 176 -57% | ||
WiFi v1.3 | 432 | 539 25% | 263 -39% | 314 -27% | 166 -62% |
Load | 105 | 94 -10% | 190 81% | 58 -45% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict
This time, we want to start our verdict with the negative aspects, and there are some despite the final rating of 88%. We cannot understand the decision to launch a device with Haswell processors at this time. The new quad-core CPUs from the Broadwell generation are already being shipped and have higher power efficiency, which result in some significant advantages, especially in a thermally limited laptop like the MacBook. You can also argue about the dedicated graphics card: The new Radeon GPU is certainly faster than the previous GeForce GT 750M and convinces with a great OpenCL performance, but Nvidia’s Maxwell would have been even faster. A lower clocked, probably even partially deactivated GM206 chip would have even included HDMI 2.0 as well as a HEVC decoder – innovations that you should be able to expect for a retail price between 2250 and 3600 Euros (~$2533 and ~$4053). We would also like to see better support for Windows including graphics switching.
On the other hand, you get advantages like the (especially in OS X) great TouchPad, the extremely fast PCIe-SSD or the surprisingly long battery runtimes for this notebook class. Apple puts all of this in a flawless aluminum unibody chassis, which is still the quality benchmark even three years after its launch. The familiar Retina display may have fallen behind the rivals in terms of the pixel density, but it can easily compensate this disadvantage with extremely wide viewing angles and a color reproduction that is suitable for professionals.
All things considered, the Apple MacBook Pro Retina is probably still the best multimedia notebook on the market – but the competition is closing the gap pretty quickly.
If you are still undecided between the MacBook and the Windows alternatives like the Asus ZenBook Pro, the Acer Aspire V 15 Nitro or the Asus G501JW, which have been available for quite a while now, you should probably wait a few weeks longer: Dell announced its new XPS 15 with a frameless Infinity display at Computex, which will probably be equipped with Broadwell processors (or maybe even Skylake?) besides Windows 10. The battle for the first spot in our Top 10 ranking remains exciting.
Apple MacBook Pro Retina 15 inch 2015-05
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02/24/2016 v5(old)
Till Schönborn