Photo Credit: Bbaughman.info
Disclaimer: All the laptop models mentioned on this FAQ page have been discontinued. Nevertheless, this is up-to-date and can still be helpful for anyone interested in any of these laptops from the used market.
The three (3) 15-inch “Early 2013” Retina Display MacBook Pro models are: (1) the MacBook Pro Core i7 2.3 (Retina 2013), (2) Core i7 2.7 (Retina 2013), and (3) Core i7 2.8 (Retina 2013). These are very similar to the models they replaced, the Mid-2012 Retina Display MacBook Pro laptops — (1) the MacBook Pro Core i7 2.3 (Retina), (2) Core i7 2.6 (Retina), and (3) MacBook Pro Core i7 2.7 (Retina).
Noticeably, these Apple laptops are easily mistaken for one another as these models are only typically differentiated by configurations, identifiers, and processors. This FAQ page is for general similarities and differences while an in-depth evaluation of other specifications may be useful.
External Similarities
An essentially “sealed” wafer thin, aluminum, and glass design is used for both the Mid-2012 and Early 2013 Retina Display MacBook Pro laptops. While the MacBook Air is tapered from back to front, the 15-inch Retina Display MacBook Pro laptops are uniformly designed with these physical dimensions: 0.71-inch thick, 14.13-inch wide, 9.73-inch deep (when closed), and a little less than 4.5 lbs in weight.
All these laptop models have the full-size “chiclet-style” backlit keyboard, the same high-resolution LED-backlit widescreen 2880 x 1800 (220 ppi) Retina Display in 15.4 inches, a glass “no button” trackpad with “inertial scrolling” support, integrated 720p FaceTime HD webcam and stereo speakers, but none have the optical drive built-in to the system.
Connectivity Similarities
It is pretty much identical for these laptop lines as far as connectivity is concerned. They all have the 3-stream 802.11 a/b/g/n, two (2) USB 3.0 ports, two (2) Thunderbolt ports, Bluetooth 4.0, an audio out port, an SDXC card slot, an HDMI port, and a “MagSafe 2” power connector port.
Although these laptops do not have Gigabit Ethernet or Firewire 800, at additional cost, both the Thunderbolt-to-Firewire 800 adapter and the Thunderbolt-to-Gigabit Ethernet are available.
Identification Differences
The same external A1398 model number and MacBook Pro10,1 model identifier in software are shared between the Mid-2012 and Early 2013 Retina Display MacBook Pro lines.
For more unique external identification, the EMC number is a better method to identify these laptops. The 15-inch Mid-2012 Retina Display MacBook Pro models have EMC number 2512 while the Early 2013 Retina Display MacBook Pro laptops have EMC number 2673. Techable.com has the list of these specifications for more detailed documentation if you need to check it out.
Internal Similarities & Differences
The 15-inch Mid-2012 and Early 2013 Retina Display MacBook Pro laptops have similar features internally. The same “Ivy Bridge” architecture with quad-core Intel Core i7 processors is used for differing clock speeds, and onboard 1600 MHz DDR3L SDRAM is soldered in place which cannot be upgraded after purchase. Also, both models have dual graphics processors – an “integrated” Intel HD Graphics 4000 graphics processor that shares system memory and an NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1GB dedicated GDDR5 memory.
The internal flash storage is not intended to be upgraded after purchase, however, it is possible to upgrade to a larger capacity for future use, and this is mounted on a removable module, too!
In Apple tests, the built-in lithium-polymer battery (95 watt-hour) provides up to 7 hours of runtime, but actual run time may vary. The internal battery is glued in place which means it is effectively not possible to replace without replacing the entire upper case as well, even if you are highly skilled technically in this area.
Comparison Chart
|
15-inch Retina (Mid-2012) |
15-inch Retina (Early 2013) | |
| Processor Speeds | 2.3 GHz, 2.6 GHz* | 2.4 GHz, 2.7 GHz** |
| Processor Type | Core i7 (I7-3615QM) Core i7 (I7-3720QM*) | Core i7 (I7-3635QM**) Core i7 (I7-3740QM**) |
| Shared L3 Cache | 6MB* | 6MB** |
| Direct Media Interface | 5 GT/s | 5 GT/s |
| Standard RAM | 8GB | 8GB, 16GB |
| Maximum RAM | 16GB† | 16 GB† |
| Internal Storage | 256GB, 512GB | 256GB, 512GB |
| Dedicated Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M | NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M |
| GDDR5 VRAM | 1GB | 1GB |
| Display Size | 15.4-inch widescreen | 15.4-inch widescreen |
| Display Resolution | 2880 x 1800 (220 ppi) | 2880 x 1800 (220 ppi) |
| Battery Life | 7 hours | 7 hours |
| SDXC Card Slot | Yes | Yes |
| Dimensions | 0.71 x 14.13 x 9.73 | 0.71 x 14.13 x 9.73 |
| Weight | 4.46 lbs (2.02 kg) | 4.46 lbs (2.02 kg) |
| Order Numbers (US) | MC975LL/A MC976LL/A | ME664LL/A ME665LL/A |
| EMC Number | 2512 | 2673 |
| Model Identifier | MacBookPro10,1 | MacBookPro10,1 |
*For an extra $250, the Mid-2012 Retina Display MacBook Pro models can also be custom configured with a 2.7 GHz Core i7 (I7-3820QM) — this custom processor has an 8MB level 3 cache.
**For an additional $350, the Early 2013 Retina Display MacBook Pro models can also be custom configured with a 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Core i7 (I7-3840QM) processor — this custom processor has an 8MB level 3 cache.
†Both laptop models are upgradeable to 16 GB of RAM for an extra $200 cost, but only at the time of purchase. RAM can not be upgraded after purchase as it is soldered in place.
