06-17-2007, 08:52 PM | #1 (permalink) |
Addict
Location: P-Town, WA
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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?
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Old signature just wasn't doing it for me anymore, so now I have this new one. It's equally as stupid but at least it looks really long. I'm probably just going to keep typing until I run out of things to babble about and see how many people actually read this. I once ran down a hill, fell down and hurt my elbow; my mom said I would be ok, she kissed it and made it all better. I've run out of things to say now, so if you have read this whole thing, congratulations you get a gold star! |
06-17-2007, 09:00 PM | #2 (permalink) |
spudly
Location: Ellay
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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.
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Cogito ergo spud -- I think, therefore I yam |
06-17-2007, 09:33 PM | #3 (permalink) |
Addict
Location: P-Town, WA
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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. =/
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Old signature just wasn't doing it for me anymore, so now I have this new one. It's equally as stupid but at least it looks really long. I'm probably just going to keep typing until I run out of things to babble about and see how many people actually read this. I once ran down a hill, fell down and hurt my elbow; my mom said I would be ok, she kissed it and made it all better. I've run out of things to say now, so if you have read this whole thing, congratulations you get a gold star! |
06-17-2007, 09:58 PM | #4 (permalink) |
... a sort of licensed troubleshooter.
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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? |
06-17-2007, 10:15 PM | #5 (permalink) |
Addict
Location: P-Town, WA
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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.
__________________
Old signature just wasn't doing it for me anymore, so now I have this new one. It's equally as stupid but at least it looks really long. I'm probably just going to keep typing until I run out of things to babble about and see how many people actually read this. I once ran down a hill, fell down and hurt my elbow; my mom said I would be ok, she kissed it and made it all better. I've run out of things to say now, so if you have read this whole thing, congratulations you get a gold star! |
06-18-2007, 08:09 AM | #6 (permalink) | |
Huggles, sir?
Location: Seattle
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So, my MacBook Pro just shipped today, in fact. From SHANGHAI, CHINA according to FedEx tracking.. 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.
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seretogis - sieg heil perfect little dream the kind that hurts the most, forgot how it feels well almost no one to blame always the same, open my eyes wake up in flames |
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06-18-2007, 08:14 AM | #7 (permalink) | ||
... a sort of licensed troubleshooter.
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Yes, the RAM upgrade is stupid, but I love having the best of the best. I'll just sell my kidney or something. Last edited by Willravel; 06-18-2007 at 08:16 AM.. Reason: Automerged Doublepost |
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06-18-2007, 11:55 AM | #8 (permalink) |
Adequate
Location: In my angry-dome.
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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.
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There are a vast number of people who are uninformed and heavily propagandized, but fundamentally decent. The propaganda that inundates them is effective when unchallenged, but much of it goes only skin deep. If they can be brought to raise questions and apply their decent instincts and basic intelligence, many people quickly escape the confines of the doctrinal system and are willing to do something to help others who are really suffering and oppressed." -Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media, p. 195 |
06-18-2007, 12:05 PM | #9 (permalink) |
Winter is Coming
Location: The North
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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... |
06-18-2007, 12:10 PM | #10 (permalink) | ||
... a sort of licensed troubleshooter.
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06-18-2007, 01:00 PM | #11 (permalink) | |
Friend
Location: New Mexico
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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.
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“If the Americans go in and overthrow Saddam Hussein and it's clean, he has nothing, I will apologize to the nation, and I will not trust the Bush administration again.” - Bill O'Reilly "This is my United States of Whateva!" |
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06-18-2007, 01:19 PM | #12 (permalink) | |
... a sort of licensed troubleshooter.
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06-18-2007, 04:41 PM | #13 (permalink) |
Adequate
Location: In my angry-dome.
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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.
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There are a vast number of people who are uninformed and heavily propagandized, but fundamentally decent. The propaganda that inundates them is effective when unchallenged, but much of it goes only skin deep. If they can be brought to raise questions and apply their decent instincts and basic intelligence, many people quickly escape the confines of the doctrinal system and are willing to do something to help others who are really suffering and oppressed." -Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media, p. 195 |
06-18-2007, 06:18 PM | #14 (permalink) |
Addict
Location: P-Town, WA
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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.
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Old signature just wasn't doing it for me anymore, so now I have this new one. It's equally as stupid but at least it looks really long. I'm probably just going to keep typing until I run out of things to babble about and see how many people actually read this. I once ran down a hill, fell down and hurt my elbow; my mom said I would be ok, she kissed it and made it all better. I've run out of things to say now, so if you have read this whole thing, congratulations you get a gold star! |
06-18-2007, 07:43 PM | #15 (permalink) |
Adequate
Location: In my angry-dome.
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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.
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There are a vast number of people who are uninformed and heavily propagandized, but fundamentally decent. The propaganda that inundates them is effective when unchallenged, but much of it goes only skin deep. If they can be brought to raise questions and apply their decent instincts and basic intelligence, many people quickly escape the confines of the doctrinal system and are willing to do something to help others who are really suffering and oppressed." -Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media, p. 195 Last edited by cyrnel; 06-18-2007 at 07:50 PM.. |
06-18-2007, 09:41 PM | #16 (permalink) | |
Addict
Location: P-Town, WA
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Quote:
__________________
Old signature just wasn't doing it for me anymore, so now I have this new one. It's equally as stupid but at least it looks really long. I'm probably just going to keep typing until I run out of things to babble about and see how many people actually read this. I once ran down a hill, fell down and hurt my elbow; my mom said I would be ok, she kissed it and made it all better. I've run out of things to say now, so if you have read this whole thing, congratulations you get a gold star! |
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06-18-2007, 09:55 PM | #17 (permalink) |
Browncoat
Location: California
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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.
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"I am certain that nothing has done so much to destroy the safeguards of individual freedom as the striving after this mirage of social justice." - Friedrich Hayek |
06-18-2007, 10:30 PM | #18 (permalink) |
... a sort of licensed troubleshooter.
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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). |
06-19-2007, 03:48 PM | #19 (permalink) | |
Browncoat
Location: California
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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?
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"I am certain that nothing has done so much to destroy the safeguards of individual freedom as the striving after this mirage of social justice." - Friedrich Hayek |
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06-19-2007, 05:13 PM | #21 (permalink) |
spudly
Location: Ellay
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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.
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Cogito ergo spud -- I think, therefore I yam |
06-19-2007, 06:53 PM | #22 (permalink) |
Browncoat
Location: California
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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.
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"I am certain that nothing has done so much to destroy the safeguards of individual freedom as the striving after this mirage of social justice." - Friedrich Hayek |
06-19-2007, 06:57 PM | #23 (permalink) |
spudly
Location: Ellay
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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.
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Cogito ergo spud -- I think, therefore I yam |
06-19-2007, 08:32 PM | #24 (permalink) | ||
... a sort of licensed troubleshooter.
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06-24-2007, 11:50 AM | #25 (permalink) | |
Browncoat
Location: California
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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?
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"I am certain that nothing has done so much to destroy the safeguards of individual freedom as the striving after this mirage of social justice." - Friedrich Hayek |
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06-24-2007, 12:01 PM | #26 (permalink) |
Adequate
Location: In my angry-dome.
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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.
__________________
There are a vast number of people who are uninformed and heavily propagandized, but fundamentally decent. The propaganda that inundates them is effective when unchallenged, but much of it goes only skin deep. If they can be brought to raise questions and apply their decent instincts and basic intelligence, many people quickly escape the confines of the doctrinal system and are willing to do something to help others who are really suffering and oppressed." -Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media, p. 195 |
07-09-2007, 12:05 PM | #27 (permalink) |
change is hard.
Location: the green room.
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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.
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EX: Whats new? ME: I officially love coffee more then you now. EX: uh... ME: So, not much. |
07-11-2007, 07:37 PM | #28 (permalink) |
Insane
Location: Lone Star State,USA
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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? |
07-15-2007, 12:02 PM | #30 (permalink) |
Crazy
Location: USA
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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!
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08-25-2007, 01:27 PM | #31 (permalink) | |
warrior bodhisattva
Super Moderator
Location: East-central Canada
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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.
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Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing? —Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön Humankind cannot bear very much reality. —From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot Last edited by Baraka_Guru; 08-26-2007 at 03:49 PM.. |
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