Apple MacBook Pro Retina 2012 A1398 i7 3820QM 2.7GHz 16GB 768GB SSD 15.4"

Heralded as the "most advanced Mac ever built," the officially dubbed "MacBook Pro with Retina Display" models combine a beautiful high-resolution LED-backlit 15.4" widescreen 2880x1800 (220 ppi) "retina" display with a thin, sleek case design that weighs a bit less than 4.5 pounds (2.02 kg). Curiously, these systems are not branded on the display bezel like earlier MacBook Pro models.

Somewhat controversially, the Retina Display models also are an essentially "sealed" design with RAM that is soldered in place and cannot be upgraded after purchase, storage that is not intended to be upgraded after purchase, and a battery that cannot be replaced readily even by technical users or third-parties, either.

This particular model -- the MacBook Pro "Core i7" 2.7 15-Inch (Mid-2012 Retina Display) technically is a "configure-to-order" configuration of the MacBook Pro "Core i7" 2.6 15-Inch (Mid-2012 Retina Display), but also is documented as a separate model for reader convenience. Other than processor (and the corresponding larger level 3 cache), these two models are identical. The MacBook Pro "Core i7" 2.7 15-Inch (Mid-2012 Retina Display) features a 22 nm "Ivy Bridge" 2.7 GHz Intel "Core i7" processor (3820QM), with four independent processor "cores" on a single silicon chip, an 8 MB shared level 3 cache, 8 GB of onboard 1600 MHz DDR3L SDRAM (which cannot be upgraded after purchase), 256 GB or 512 GB of flash storage (256 GB option available starting August 2, 2012), dual graphics processors -- a NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M with 1 GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory and an "integrated" Intel HD Graphics 4000 graphics processor that shares system memory, as well as an integrated 720p FaceTime HD webcam. It does not have an internal optical drive.

Connectivity includes 3-stream AirPort Extreme (802.11a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.0, two USB 3.0 ports, two "Thunderbolt" ports, an HDMI port, an audio in/out port, and an SDXC card slot. It does not have Gigabit Ethernet or Firewire "800," although adapters are available at extra cost.