Help buying MacBook Pro?

Pebbleheed · Nov 11, 2012

Since buying my iPhone 4S I've been tempted by further apple products. I now want a MacBook Pro.

Sadly I'm not rich and I have outgoings in life. On top of that MacBook Pro laptops appear to be overpriced. That aside, I still want one.

So I'm looking at the £999 option. The 13" 2012 non-retina version. It's mostly budget making this decision but looking at the other options I don't think the other models justify the extra expense.

I have a ps3 do gaming. I use my windows 7 laptop for Internet browsing, emailing, photo editing, the odd bit of web development and site management and occasionally a few games of c&c red alert 3.

I'm guessing the standard 13" is going to be fine for me?

Couple of other questions,

1) can windows 7 or 8 run in boot camp? How well does this work?

2) does the iPhone 4S and the MacBook Pro integrate at all?

3) does Apple TV work well with both my phone and the MacBook Pro?

Thanks.

----------

Further to the above,

The model I'm looking at can I add extra ram to it myself and is the hard drive user upgradable?

T5BRICK · Nov 11, 2012

The base i5 13" MacBook Pro is a great computer. There is good upgrade potential in this model if you decide you need more RAM or a SSD in the future.

1. You can run Windows 7 or 8 just fine in Boot Camp. They will work just as well on the Mac as they would on a PC with the same specs.

2. Integrate? I guess so, you can sync things through iTunes. In my opinion, iTunes works a lot better on Macs than it does on PCs, so thats a plus.

3. Yes, the AppleTV is a new accessory for iPhones and newer Macs. You're able to stream music and video from your devices to your television, you can even mirror what you're seeing on the iPhone or MacBook Pro screen on the TV if you'd like.

Pebbleheed · Nov 11, 2012

Sounds exactly what I'm looking for. Just working on persuading the wife.

Is it easy enough to move from windows to osx?

I moved from android to iOS quite easily and prefer iOS. Hoping the same is the case from windows 7 to osx.

T5BRICK · Nov 11, 2012

Pebbleheed said:
Sounds exactly what I'm looking for. Just working on persuading the wife.

Is it easy enough to move from windows to osx?

I moved from android to iOS quite easily and prefer iOS. Hoping the same is the case from windows 7 to osx.

It depends on how you use the computer. I spent a lot of time using OSX at a job and after about a year of working there I ended up buying my first Mac. The transition at that point was very easy for me. It was a little more difficult for my family when they switched to a Mac, but even my father who is basically computer illiterate can use it just fine.

I have to say that my favorite thing about Apple laptops is the trackpad. Once you learn some of the gestures, you'll wonder why nobody else has been doing this.

Pebbleheed · Nov 11, 2012

Thanks for the advice.

How is the £999 model in terms of life span?

Will it be obsolete any time soon?

T5BRICK · Nov 11, 2012

Pebbleheed said:
Thanks for the advice.

How is the £999 model in terms of life span?

Will it be obsolete any time soon?

I'm still using my MacBook Pro from mid 2009. I've maxed out the RAM and upgraded the HDD to an SSD and it should easily last me another year. I usually expect 3 to 5 years from an Apple laptop.

They'll probably update the MacBook line again in 6-8 months when Intel releases the Haswell based processors.

Pebbleheed · Nov 20, 2012

I got the 2012 Macbook Pro 13. I love it

crispytreat · Nov 20, 2012

Pebbleheed said:
I got the 2012 Macbook Pro 13. I love it

Same here. I have had it for a month and I am very happy with it. I have maxed out the RAM and installed a SSD.

Pebbleheed · Nov 20, 2012

Mine came with 4GB of ram. I was wondering if it would make a difference to increase this? And how easy it is to do it myself. I used to install ram to PC laptops quite often so I am semi-technical at times.

I'm not too fussed about the SSD at present, I prefer the capacity over the speed increase.

Berknip · Nov 20, 2012

T5BRICK said:
I'm still using my MacBook Pro from mid 2009. I've maxed out the RAM and upgraded the HDD to an SSD and it should easily last me another year. I usually expect 3 to 5 years from an Apple laptop.

They'll probably update the MacBook line again in 6-8 months when Intel releases the Haswell based processors.

I'm in the exact same position. Mid 2009 mbp with maxed RAM and SSD (mine is in the optical drive bay). Still works perfectly well with VMs too. Just decided to wait for Haswell. Each of my mbps have lasted 3-4 years easily.

davidlv · Nov 20, 2012

Pebbleheed said:
Mine came with 4GB of ram. I was wondering if it would make a difference to increase this? And how easy it is to do it myself. I used to install ram to PC laptops quite often so I am semi-technical at times. I'm not too fussed about the SSD at present, I prefer the capacity over the speed increase.

I found 4GB of RAM not enough with Mountain Lion, 8Gb should be enough but 16GB is so cheap now that it is easy to buy even if it is overkill for most people.
The MBP is easy to open (you need a #00 Philips head screwdriver for the back cover and the small bracket near the internal HD, and a Torx #6 for the lugs on the side of the HD if you decide to change the HD. If you are only going to change the RAM, you will only need the #00 Philips head screwdriver. Be careful, the screws are really small and like to drop off and hide in the rug or roll under a desk! Pesky little rascals

.
You can find videos on that at the ifixit HP. Enjoy that MBP!

zackkmac · Nov 20, 2012

Pebbleheed said:
Mine came with 4GB of ram. I was wondering if it would make a difference to increase this? And how easy it is to do it myself. I used to install ram to PC laptops quite often so I am semi-technical at times.

I'm not too fussed about the SSD at present, I prefer the capacity over the speed increase.

It's very easy. I just picked up the same model as a replacement while Apple fixed my 17" model but decided to keep it too.

All you do is remove the 10 phillips screws from the bottom cover and the RAM is right there to swap.

I upgraded my 13" to 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD I happened to get for $100. It made a remarkable difference and it is a speedy, quiet machine. Absolutely awesome.

richnyc · Nov 20, 2012

zackkmac said:
I upgraded my 13" to 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD I happened to get for $100. It made a remarkable difference and it is a speedy, quiet machine. Absolutely awesome.

Same here

Loving my new cMBP with lotsa RAM, an overkill for now, and a speedy SSD... The start time, from pressing on/off button to my login screen is 6-7 seconds

BTW, love the MBP's trackpad. I got used to it soooo fast that when I switch back to my dell xps laptop and start using its touchpad, it takes me a couple of seconds to realize that gestures won't work

Pebbleheed · Nov 21, 2012

I thought the MBP 13 (2012) could only take 8Gb max? Can I really get to 16GB?

Does it void my Apple warranty etc. to put the memory in myself?

T5BRICK · Nov 21, 2012

Pebbleheed said:
I thought the MBP 13 (2012) could only take 8Gb max? Can I really get to 16GB?

Yes, the 2011 and 2012 models can take 16GB of RAM.

Does it void my Apple warranty etc. to put the memory in myself?

No, the RAM and HDD are user serviceable parts in the 13" and 15" MBP. That being said, Apple obviously won't cover the warranty of 3rd party parts that are installed in your computer. Additionally, some service centers tend to blame any issues on the 3rd party parts, so it's a good idea to keep the original RAM and/or HDD so you can put it back in before taking it in for repair(they're also good for troubelshooting purposes).

takeshi74 · Nov 21, 2012

Pebbleheed said:
I'm guessing the standard 13" is going to be fine for me?

Impossible for us to tell you. Have you checked out in person to assess the physical aspects? As for system requirements you need to compare what you need to run versus what the 13 offers.

Pebbleheed said:
Is it easy enough to move from windows to osx?

Subjective matter. I had no problems and I was new to OSX. Others do have trouble. Again, it's impossible to speak for you without knowing you.

Pebbleheed said:
How is the £999 model in terms of life span?

Will it be obsolete any time soon?

Again, subjective. Some can use X (insert any tech product for X) for years. Some feel it's obsolete almost immediately. It depends on what you need and your preferences. For what you've listed so far you should get a good, long serviceable life out of the 13" MBP.

Pebbleheed said:
Mine came with 4GB of ram. I was wondering if it would make a difference to increase this?

Again, subjective. Depends on what you do with it and whether or not RAM is a limiting factor. You'd have to monitor your usage to determine this. I don't have links handy but there are a number of threads on how to determine if more RAM will benefit you.

Pebbleheed said:
I thought the MBP 13 (2012) could only take 8Gb max? Can I really get to 16GB?

What Apple states and what the actual max are can be different. Use Everymac as a resource. Assuming you have the i5 13" MBP:
http://www.everymac.com/systems/app...re-i5-2.5-13-mid-2012-unibody-usb3-specs.html

Naimfan · Nov 21, 2012

Pebbleheed said:
I got the 2012 Macbook Pro 13. I love it

Fabulous machine!

Best value in Apple's lineup.

Don't worry about it becoming "obsolete" - you can upgrade the RAM and storage if and when needed. NB - it will use 16 GB of RAM.

Enjoy!

Pebbleheed · Nov 21, 2012

I've ordered a 16gb kit for it, we'll see how much of a difference it makes in the next few days.

Pebbleheed · Nov 23, 2012

I'm really annoyed. Today I see the MacBook Pro dropped by nearly £100 in the store. Several days after I got mine

bchreng · Nov 23, 2012

Is it possible for you to return your current one (without incurring a restocking fee) and purchase a new one at the lower price?

Pebbleheed · Nov 23, 2012

Possibly. However I've loaded software, photos and music on to it now. It would be hours lost.

BB.King · Nov 23, 2012

If you have Time machine setup, it is quite easy to backup the contents of your current machine and restored them to the new machine.

It takes a bit time to backup and restore, so it is up to you if you think the saving is worth it or not.

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