New Mac
 

Ok, so tomorrow I'm going down to the Mac Store to look at some MacBooks, but I wanted some opinions from you all. For those of you that have macs and are more knowledgeble than me, please, clue me in.

I'm going to ask for a MacBook for Christmas most likely and I can't decide if I should ask for the high end MacBook 13" or if I need to just go full out and ask for the MacBook pro. I will be mostly using it for school, photography and music, I'm sure that WoW will suck me back in at some point by that isn't really a consideration as far as which notebook to get. This will be my first mac ever so I'm looking for some well thought out advice.

I was chatting with a 'Macspert' online earlier and she was able to tell me the hardware differences such as the LED backlit screen on the Pro and the fact that the pro has a video card with 128mb of dedicated memory as apposed to the standard which has 64mb of shared; and half the memory of the pro just to start.

Which should I get, and why?

This could be easy: if you play games, you'll definitely want the Macbook Pro. The dedicated graphics card will make a lot of difference.

If you're not a gamer, the Macbook may be good for you. I just bought one today (third Mac) and it seems good. I think you'll want 2 gigs of RAM though - I got 1 and I'm pretty sure I'll upgrade it myself soon.

In my mind, small laptop and large external monitor is the way to go. That way, when you haul it around it is light and small, but you can still have the luxury of a large screen at home when you are doing serious work.

The monitor thing was the way I was thinkin, I really want something that is small, but that graphics card issue makes it almost a non-issue. =/

I'm planning on getting the Macook Pro, 15", 2.4 Ghz, with 4 gigs of ram, and this monitor. I plan on this being my main computer for the next 2-3 years. I've had Macs all my life, and I, personally, love them to death.

WoW will run a lot better on the Pro, but this really comes down to how much computing power you need and for what. What kind of photography do you like? Are you listening to music, or composing it?

listening to music. I'll be getting a new DSLR soon also, so i will be importing alot of photos and using picasa / cs3 for finishing and adding effects.

I am also getting a 2.4 ghz 15" MacBook Pro, but only with 2gb of ram (upgrading ram at Apple is retardedly expensive), and without a monitor for now due to space limitations. We're laptop buddies! <3

So, my MacBook Pro just shipped today, in fact. From SHANGHAI, CHINA according to FedEx tracking.. :shakehead: Definitely get it from a physical Apple Store location if you can, waiting for it to ship from ordering online and then having it come from China is ridiculous.

Well more RAM will help with that, but the 2GB the Pro comes with should be more than enough. My current computer (antiquated 2nd release eMac, 1Ghz G4) has only 1 GB of RAM and it handles iPhoto like a champ, while running a movie and posting on TFP and downloading a 4.7 GB season of The Shield.

Hahaha.... yes, in October. I'm going to wait until October so that I can get Leopard for free with the computer instead of shelling out even more money for it. God knows I'm spending enough already on this thing. I could get a decent used car for $3400. Or like 8 crappy Dells.

Yes, the RAM upgrade is stupid, but I love having the best of the best. I'll just sell my kidney or something.

Will, Mushkin 2GB sticks are going for $145. (Newegg item# 20-146-684) Donate the $450 you save to a better charity.

MBP Applecare can be had on ebay for $180ish vs. the $349 apple store price.

Buy the Apple HD you want. They're painful to install compared with other options.

That is a damn sexy monitor, will, and for a great price. I really want to get myself a 1920x1200 native, but those don't seem to really appear until the ~24" range and I'm not sure I can afford the extra money for a few inches and pixels. I'm also not at all sure I could see a meaningful difference between those two resolutions, either.

I dropped $4k on a PC laptop 4 months before the MacBook Pros came out and I'm still bitter about the timing. Ah well...

Do those work with Mac?
I did a lot of homework on monitors and found that my preference is Samsung. I'm even getting a monitor arm for it, and I'll post pics later this year when I've got the whole thing set up. I'll admit, it's pretty self indulgent, but I do a lot for other people. Willravel's gotta get his!

I recently realized that most all RAM works with Macs. I just added another gig to my first edition MBP (since those can only have 2GB max) and it's nice.

I am extremely jealous of the new MBP's. 2.4 GHz Core2duo, 2GB of RAM, 160GB HDD, Geforce 8600 GT with 256 MB of VRAM, 3 USB ports, and Firewire 400/800 for the same price i paid for my 2.0 GHz CoreDuo, 1 GB of RAM, 100 GB HDD, Radeon x1600 with 256 MB of RAM, 2 USB ports, and Firewire 400. :(

I'm really going to have to look into that. If I can get the RAM cheaper, we can eat this month!!

If you don't like comparing the specs you might find it easier to check with manufacturer sales websites. For instance, Micron (crucial) and Kingston are both good about guiding your purchase based on computer model instead of spec. Buy there, or use the specs you find from their site to do more comparison shopping.

Even the RAM manufacturers sometimes list incorrect parts, usually early in a product cycle, but if you compare a few sites against Apple techinfo you'll quickly find the correct common spec and best price. In my experience, both Kingston and Crucial have excellent warranty and general customer service so you can't go very wrong.

As for the Mushkin memory I mentioned earlier, yep, works great. (Mushkin is rarely a bad choice.) Of course my experience with these sticks is limited to this now obsolete c2d MBP. :)

lol @ the hijacked thread, but no big. I went down to the Apple Store today and was VERY impressed at the selection. I saw some HUGE screen attached to a G5 desktop where someone was playin with Aperture and it almost made me poop. But I think I've decided on the MacBook Pro 2.2ghz w/ 2gb of ram. They start at like $1999 for that model iirc.

:) Sorry for my bit in that. :) I kind of figured we were contributing to the greater good of a new system purchase.

/rationalizing off

I've had good luck with 2GB. It would be plenty, but I'm a heavy Parallels user which eats 1+GB out of the gate, so for me 3+ is just right. Seems crazy to be saying I need 3GB.

Have we ignored source options? And what about apple refurbs? You should have a nice selection of c2d mbp's available when you buy yours, and for a healthy savings. Then there's Amazon who always discounts the latest to some extent.

eh? Source Options? c2d mbp's? I'm probably going to ask for it for christmas (which will also get me Leopard).

I have a Mac question of my own:

I am the proud owner of a four year-old iMac. It's by far the best computer I've ever owned. I'm probably going to replace this with a new iMac in the near future. Most of my time on the computer is spent surfing the internet and sending e-mails. I occasionally play games, but it's usually stuff like Age of Empires (the more graphically intense games are played on my X-Box 360). How much computer do I really need? I know that faster is generally better, but I see no point in spending a whole bunch of money for power I won't use. :confused:

What's your budget?

A good replacement might be the 2.0 GHz 17 inch iMac. It has a full 8x superdrive, 1GB of RAM, 160GB HD, Radeon 1600 graphics card, and all the usual refinements (built in iSight, remote, and the amazing applications).

If you want a bigger screen, you can get the Mac mini and the monitor I linked above. My little bro has a Mac Mini, and I use one at work. The're cheap, quick, and fun. Also, you get the 'that's the whole computer?!' thing, which is fun (for a time).

I wouldn't want to spend more than $3500 or so. I could if I had to, but at that point I would seriously start to wonder if I was going overboard. But I don't know if I need to spend near that much to get a computer that will meet my needs for the next few years.

I took another look at the Apple web site. I noticed that with the iMac with the 17 inch monitor you can upgrade the processor to 2.16 GHz. The models with the 20/24 inch monitors can be upgraded to 2.33 GHz. They also have 256MB video cards available. How much will this stuff affect performance for a casual gamer/internet surfer?

I was also looking at the MacBook Pros. How much faster would the model with the 2.4 GHz processor be than a 2.33 GHz iMac?

The processor and video card will make a big difference if you are running more complicated apps. I've not used the 2.4 yet, but if it's anything like the difference between the 2.16 and 2.33, it's a marked difference.

Telluride, for $3500 I'd buy a 15" MBP and a 23" monitor with keyboard and mouse and still be under budget. Then upgrade the RAM later.

Save some money for things like external HD, an Aiport Extreme base station to hook it into, and all the nifty little sub-$30 programs people write for OSX.

Thanks for the advice, willravel and ubertuber. I really appreciate it.

I'm thinking that the MacBook Pro may be the best choice. And I'll probably splurge and drop in the 4GB of SDRAM right when I buy it. :crazy:

Telluride - consider the RAM one more time before you buy. It's SO easy to upgrade it yourself, and you'll save a lot of money.

BTW, I'm a big believer in Apple Care. I've bought it for all 3 of my Macs. Never needed it once, but it's worth being comfortable.

No problem, any time.
heheh... that's the good stuff. With that kind of thinking power, you won't need to upgrade your computer for 4+ years.

I'm a big believer in Apple Care, too. I got it for my current iMac which has never had any real problems.

If I bought Apple Care with my computer and then installed the RAM myself at a later time, would it void the Apple Care coverage?

No, so long as you don't do something horrible. Don't strip the screws badly or run around on the carpet in your wool socks, etc. If you have any fear of it being a problem just return it to factory state before going to the service center.

Yup, I'm on my black macbook right now and I actually resold my macbook pro for it. I know that sounds weird but I'm still a student and the pro was way too bulky. If you are going to go macbook I recommend the black, and try to max out the variables because it's worth it (RAM 2GB is needed for sure, and the 200GB hard drive will save my life). Definitely better then any PC you could get.

I have had Windows/Microsoft computers so far (since 1980) but now I
want an APPLE. Thinking of buying a iMAC 20inch computer. See and
play with the ones on display at FRY's Electronics store locally . Now I
hear that the 17 inch iMACs will be discontinued in late August when the
new iMACS will be out,this time with a brushed aluminum case in place of
the cool white plastic one. I want one. What do you guys hear?

Muuhahahah...I can't say what I've heard....

I had PC laptops for 10 years. I switched to Apple this year.I got the Macbookpro 2.16 with 2 gigs of ram, have bootcamp (both windows and mac os) and it RULES! Can't think of usining anything else now. I use Mac OS for pleasure and Windows for work related stuff. Microsoft - after mac - can't believe i have used it that long. MacBook Pro the way to go!

I'm getting a Macbook really soon. Macbook Pro is out of my price range, but I'm torn between the 2.16GHz versions. Black or white?

I've heard conflicting stories between the fingerprint/smudges issues.

Is the extra $200 really just about the 40GB of hard drive space and the black "cool factor"?


EDIT: I picked up my MacBook today. I went with the white 2.16GHz version. I'm happy with my choice, given the options. I can't wait to put this baby to work.