Apple MacBook Pro 15-Inch Retina Display (2014)

Pros

Brilliant Retina display. Higher-than-1080p HD screen. Two Thunderbolt 2 ports. HDMI. Almost nine hours of battery life. Intel Iris Pro graphics performs like a discrete GPU. 16GB of system memory is standard. Comes with iLife and iWork software suites.

Cons Glossy screen; no matte option. Ethernet requires adapter. Older apps can look blocky.

Bottom Line

Apple's latest 15-inch MacBook Pro represents a slight upgrade to the best system mobile Mac power users can buy. And while the Windows competition is breathing down its figurative neck, it's still our top choice for high-end desktop-replacement laptops.

SPEC DATA:

Apple MacBook Pro 15-Inch Retina Display (2014)

Type: Desktop Replacement

Processor Name: Intel Core i7-4770HQ

Processor Speed: 2.2 GHz

Operating System: Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks

RAM: 16 GB

Storage Capacity (as Tested): 256 MB

Graphics Card: Intel Iris Pro 5200

Screen Size: 15.6 inches

Weight: 4.36 lb

Screen Type: Widescreen

Native Resolution: 2880 x 1800

Storage Type: SSD

Rotation Speed: SSD

Networking Options: 802.11ac (2.4+5.0 GHz Dual-band)

Battery Rundown - Standard Battery: 8:55 hrs:min

Heaven 4.0 - Medium Quality - 1366 x 768 - Off: 22

Heaven 4.0 - Ultra Quality - Native - 4X: 6

Valley 1.0 - Medium Quality - 1366 x 768 - Off: 23

Valley 1.0 - Ultra Quality - Native 4X: 7

Handbrake 0.9.9: 1:17 min:sec

CineBench R15: 297

Photoshop CS6 Multimedia Tests: 3:25 min:sec

BENCHMARK

Photoshop CS6 Multimedia Tests	3:25
Heaven 4.0 - Ultra Quality - Native - 4X	6
Valley 1.0 - Medium Quality - 1366 x 768 - Off	23
Valley 1.0 - Ultra Quality - Native 4X	7

Handbrake 0.9.9	1:17
Heaven 4.0 - Medium Quality - 1366 x 768 - Off	22
CineBench R15	297
Battery Rundown - Standard Battery	8:55