BIG decision!!!

thegreypatch · May 1, 2012

Basically im now in australia and have hung on for way TOO long awaiting the new MBP release, that obviously hasnt come. I am going home next wednesday and my uncle wanted to buy me the new laptop and was happy to ship it over to the UK to me.

However

The postal companies dont allow laptops to be posted by air with a battery in, making the new MBP unavailable to me which I am FUMING ABOUT as I have waited so long for this!

I am now in the position to buy a current MBP or a MBA and I am torn between the two. I will be using it for UNI work such as 3D design/photoshopping and using it for alot of Djing.

You think it would be a good option to be 15" MBP and buy an SSD and insert it?

also the reason why im doing this and not waiting to I get back to the UK is my uncle is buying it with a HUGE 40% off saving me roughly £800 which is a HUGE chunk of cash for me.

Thanks for any USEFUL replies in advance.

heeby · May 1, 2012

I feel for you. I am always moving or abroad with bad timing for such things myself. I went ahead and got a 17" knowing that it will still be great for years to come regardless of what the refresh looks like.

If it were me I'd go MBP as it gives you more power and options and longevity with upgradability.. But I know there are people who live with just an Air. I will upgrade to SSD once the price comes down but if you can afford it now I'd do it.

Look in the refurb store if you have someone in the States buying for you...even better prices.

iforbes · May 1, 2012

Do postal companies include UPS and FEDEX or DHL? They ship here so assuming (always dangerous) they would do the same there?

maflynn · May 1, 2012

I think UPS/FED-EX does ship computers with batteries because that's what apple uses to ship the laptops.

thegreypatch · May 1, 2012

thing is im not in the states, my uncle is here in australia. i dont know if they have DHL or UPS, looked but not too clear wether they would ship.. also im worried about the customs import TAX and all that crap.. really unsure what to do.

i could buy the current MBP and put in a SSD aswel as the HDD and how much does it cost to upgrade the 4GB to 8GB?

maflynn · May 1, 2012

The point is, there are carriers that ship computers (with batteries) internationally, find out which ones handle them and use them.

thegreypatch · May 1, 2012

obviously i will have a look after being recommended! what with the attitude?

heeby · May 1, 2012

Problem with shipping internationally is VAT and customs fees. You can quickly pay double what you could pay in the US if you aren't careful between said fees and shipping costs. I always try to buy my electronics in the States because buying them in Europe or shipping them there costs a LOT more.

I was looking at 4 to 8gb upgrades this week and about 50usd seems avg for the 2x4gb kit. Crucial and OWC were about that.

maflynn · May 1, 2012

thegreypatch said:
obviously i will have a look after being recommended! what with the attitude?

I'm not giving you any attitude but rather trying to help you resolve your problem. I'm stating there are carriers like ups/fedex that ship computers with batteries. Since I live in the US, I'm unfamiliar with what's available.

thegreypatch · May 1, 2012

heeby said:
Problem with shipping internationally is VAT and customs fees. You can quickly pay double what you could pay in the US if you aren't careful between said fees and shipping costs. I always try to buy my electronics in the States because buying them in Europe or shipping them there costs a LOT more.

I was looking at 4 to 8gb upgrades this week and about 50usd seems avg for the 2x4gb kit. Crucial and OWC were about that.

yeye im just trying to find out the custom fees are UK are robbing bar stuards at the minute. found australia has DHL which will ship to the UK but I reckon if i get charged maybe £250 for customs and tax i could put in 8Gb and an SSD for that anyway, only difference then would be the retina display..

thanks alot.

Furifo · May 1, 2012

thegreypatch said:
thing is im not in the states, my uncle is here in australia. i dont know if they have DHL or UPS, looked but not too clear wether they would ship.. also im worried about the customs import TAX and all that crap.. really unsure what to do.

i could buy the current MBP and put in a SSD aswel as the HDD and how much does it cost to upgrade the 4GB to 8GB?

I'm VERY unfamiliar with importing goods into the UK but they like ripping money off of us over here so I'm fairly sure there will be some customs import tax/VAT added onto whatever you import here.

If I were you and had the option of buying a 2011 15" MBP with a huge £800 saving attached to it then I would completely forget about the upcoming 2012 MBP and just buy the 2011 and be happy with it. I'm a University student too and trust me, I appreciate how much money £800 is when you're a student.

IMO, the jump between 2011 MBP -> 2012 MBP won't be as significant as the jump from the 2010 MBP -> 2011 MBP. I don't think that you would be missing out on much performance-wise by buying the 2011 MBP which is a very capable machine.

There are rumours of a possible refresh and you might miss out on a redesigned MBP but, again, if I had the opportunity to buy a 2011 MBP today with an £800 discount and escape the likely probability of a huge chunk of tax coming my way if I waited for the 2012 MBP, I would not think twice and would just buy the 2011 MBP.

thegreypatch said:
i could buy the current MBP and put in a SSD aswel as the HDD and how much does it cost to upgrade the 4GB to 8GB?

A 2011 15" MBP with an SSD and 8GB of RAM? That machine would scream. SSD prices are falling by the day over here in the UK. A crucial M4 128gb is now under £100 (http://tinyurl.com/bnx2dqr) although I suspect you would probably want a larger capacity SSD.

8GB of ram (4gb x 2) can be had for very cheap as well thesedays: http://tinyurl.com/cstqfpv

In summary, imo:
A 2011 MBP today + 8gb ram + SSD -> A 2012 MBP tomorrow with the possibility of being hit with import taxes

theSeb · May 1, 2012

thegreypatch said:
thing is im not in the states, my uncle is here in australia. i dont know if they have DHL or UPS, looked but not too clear wether they would ship.. also im worried about the customs import TAX and all that crap.. really unsure what to do.

i could buy the current MBP and put in a SSD aswel as the HDD and how much does it cost to upgrade the 4GB to 8GB?

Of course Australia has DHL and UPS.

thegreypatch · May 1, 2012

Furifo said:
I'm VERY unfamiliar with importing goods into the UK but they like ripping money off of us over here so I'm fairly sure there will be some customs import tax/VAT added onto whatever you import here.

If I were you and had the option of buying a 2011 15" MBP with a huge £800 saving attached to it then I would completely forget about the upcoming 2012 MBP and just buy the 2011 and be happy with it. I'm a University student too and trust me, I appreciate how much money £800 is when you're a student.

IMO, the jump between 2011 MBP -> 2012 MBP won't be as significant as the jump from the 2010 MBP -> 2011 MBP. I don't think that you would be missing out on much performance-wise by buying the 2011 MBP which is a very capable machine.

There are rumours of a possible refresh and you might miss out on a redesigned MBP but, again, if I had the opportunity to buy a 2011 MBP today with an £800 discount and escape the likely probability of a huge chunk of tax coming my way if I waited for the 2012 MBP, I would not think twice and would just buy the 2011 MBP.

A 2011 15" MBP with an SSD and 8GB of RAM? That machine would scream. SSD prices are falling by the day over here in the UK. A crucial M4 128gb is now under £100 (http://tinyurl.com/bnx2dqr) although I suspect you would probably want a larger capacity SSD.

8GB of ram (4gb x 2) can be had for very cheap as well thesedays: http://tinyurl.com/cstqfpv

In summary, imo:
A 2011 MBP today + 8gb ram + SSD -> A 2012 MBP tomorrow with the possibility of being hit with import taxes

thanks for that, have really made my mind up, just dont want to void the warrenty that is all and i will become a 2 year late student in september in Leeds

.. would rather use the £800 for something more productive! thanks for the great reply!

Furifo · May 1, 2012

thegreypatch said:
thanks for that, have really made my mind up, just dont want to void the warrenty that is all and i will become a 2 year late student in september in Leeds .. would rather use the £800 for something more productive! thanks for the great reply!

No problem

As long as you're careful and don't touch any of the other components, swapping out the HDD and RAM should leave your warranty intact.

Speaking of warranty, if your uncle can sort you out with some cheap AppleCare in Australia then I'd really recommend buying it because while it may be very, very useful to have, it's quite expensive over here in the UK.

I think if you purchase AppleCare, you can take your mac into any genius bar regardless of country? Can anybody confirm this?

thegreypatch · May 1, 2012

Furifo said:
No problem

As long as you're careful and don't touch any of the other components, swapping out the HDD and RAM should leave your warranty intact.

Speaking of warranty, if your uncle can sort you out with some cheap AppleCare in Australia then I'd really recommend buying it because while it may be very, very useful to have, it's quite expensive over here in the UK.

I think if you purchase AppleCare, you can take your mac into any genius bar regardless of country? Can anybody confirm this?

thanks mate, will look into the applecare, also I think apple products are under warrenty wherever your are as they are a worldwide country and not franchise or banches? mistake me if im wrong someone!

MOKHAN · May 1, 2012

thegreypatch said:
obviously i will have a look after being recommended! what with the attitude?

Haha, that's gold.

BiggAW · May 1, 2012

MBP plus SSD is a winning combo. I put the SSD in place of the Superdrive, and have my HDD as a storage drive. Storage for all my stuff, plus great speed! Best of both worlds!

danetello · May 1, 2012

thegreypatch said:
yeye im just trying to find out the custom fees are UK are robbing bar stuards at the minute. found australia has DHL which will ship to the UK but I reckon if i get charged maybe £250 for customs and tax i could put in 8Gb and an SSD for that anyway, only difference then would be the retina display..

thanks alot.

boss, you can just send it like normal and put the value as something small (around $50-80 USD)
you may have to pay around £10-20 VAT but its better than £250!
you can ask your uncle to mark the parcel as a gift and say it has electronics inside
there should be no problems

thegreypatch · May 1, 2012

danetello said:
boss, you can just send it like normal and put the value as something small (around $50-80 USD)
you may have to pay around £10-20 VAT but its better than £250!
you can ask your uncle to mark the parcel as a gift and say it has electronics inside
there should be no problems

problem is he works with immigration and has to fill the form out, so even if he put the net worth to be £30-40 they are going to see anyway, also if it got lost it would be a major loss, im just going to be happy with my £800 saving and buy an SSD and 16or8GB RAM

mfuchs88 · May 1, 2012

thegreypatch said:
obviously i will have a look after being recommended! what with the attitude?

Dude, instead of having other people do the research for you and then giving them **** for it, how about doing the work yourself? It only takes a quick Google.... I swear people online just want everything done for them nowadays..

heeby · May 1, 2012

mfuchs88 said:
Dude, instead of having other people do the research for you and then giving them **** for it, how about doing the work yourself? It only takes a quick Google.... I swear people online just want everything done for them nowadays..

Or you could just ignore them if it bugs you instead of posting pissy replies. People take the time to berate posters and tell them to go to google but can't be bothered to just answer. I will never understand why people are such jerks on forums sometimes.

thegreypatch · May 2, 2012

mfuchs88 said:
Dude, instead of having other people do the research for you and then giving them **** for it, how about doing the work yourself? It only takes a quick Google.... I swear people online just want everything done for them nowadays..

how about i looked and couldn't find any info on the websites, therefore i asked online, why are forum members on macrumors such @55holes?

mfuchs88 · May 2, 2012

heeby said:
Or you could just ignore them if it bugs you instead of posting pissy replies. People take the time to berate posters and tell them to go to google but can't be bothered to just answer. I will never understand why people are such jerks on forums sometimes.

I would have answered, but he already got an answer. What I just did is on an equal level to what he did. He jumped on this guy for not giving him an answer and waited for other people to google it for him. He called him out for it instead of just googling it himself, because he wants someone else to do the work for him. I'm glad to help people, but only if they've already done their part and are willing to accept advice. I only ask for help under the same conditions. Not trying to be mean, I was just being honest here. That's all, no harm intended.

BIG decision!!!

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