I've been waiting for a few weeks for the newly upgraded MacBook Pros to come out to make my first Mac purchase. After they finally came out yesterday, I've been comparing models and played with a few yesterday at the Apple Store.
I'm currently debating between the base 13 inch version and the base 15 inch version. The 13 inch MacBook Pro is a pretty affordable $1,099 after my student discount, and the 15 inch is a less attractive $1,699. I'd like to get the HD, anti-glare screen, but it's only available on the 15 inch computer for $150 more. In either case, I'd be getting the three-year Apple Care coverage, which is $183 for the 13 inch and a surprisingly more expensive $239 on the 15 inch.
After adding the Apple Care to the 13 inch MacBook Pro in my cart on Apple.com, I found I'd be spending $1,282 before tax. The 15 inch, though, will cost $1,938 without the HD, anti-glare screen and an unbearable $2,073 with it.
I'm leaning toward the 13 inch MacBook Pro because of the price difference, but it's missing many of the new features that came with most of yesterday's upgrades: an Intel i5 processor, Intel HD graphics and a less sophisticated NVIDIA graphics card. However, I'd be saving $600 on the notebook alone by opting for the 13 inch.
I plan on doing a little bit of photo editing and graphic design with Adobe InDesign and Photoshop CS4/CS5, and I need this computer to last me at least five years. This is definitely an investment for both my college coursework and my marketing job, and I want something fast and reliable. But I also don't want to spend $600 on a high-end processor and a bottomless hard drive I would never use.
So here are a few questions. What is the biggest difference between the Core Duo and i5 processors, and at what kind of workload would I even notice a difference? Will the HD graphics greatly improve my resolution on photographs, layouts and video? Will the amped up graphics cards handle photos and video with more ease? Is there any reason the 13 inch wouldn't last me as long?
Thanks, Ben.
I'm currently debating between the base 13 inch version and the base 15 inch version. The 13 inch MacBook Pro is a pretty affordable $1,099 after my student discount, and the 15 inch is a less attractive $1,699. I'd like to get the HD, anti-glare screen, but it's only available on the 15 inch computer for $150 more. In either case, I'd be getting the three-year Apple Care coverage, which is $183 for the 13 inch and a surprisingly more expensive $239 on the 15 inch.
After adding the Apple Care to the 13 inch MacBook Pro in my cart on Apple.com, I found I'd be spending $1,282 before tax. The 15 inch, though, will cost $1,938 without the HD, anti-glare screen and an unbearable $2,073 with it.
I'm leaning toward the 13 inch MacBook Pro because of the price difference, but it's missing many of the new features that came with most of yesterday's upgrades: an Intel i5 processor, Intel HD graphics and a less sophisticated NVIDIA graphics card. However, I'd be saving $600 on the notebook alone by opting for the 13 inch.
I plan on doing a little bit of photo editing and graphic design with Adobe InDesign and Photoshop CS4/CS5, and I need this computer to last me at least five years. This is definitely an investment for both my college coursework and my marketing job, and I want something fast and reliable. But I also don't want to spend $600 on a high-end processor and a bottomless hard drive I would never use.
So here are a few questions. What is the biggest difference between the Core Duo and i5 processors, and at what kind of workload would I even notice a difference? Will the HD graphics greatly improve my resolution on photographs, layouts and video? Will the amped up graphics cards handle photos and video with more ease? Is there any reason the 13 inch wouldn't last me as long?
Thanks, Ben.