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sennacherib

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 4, 2013
3
0
So after owning two PC laptops that died out after two years of use I want to get a MacBook Pro. My main uses for the laptop will be recording, photo editing, a 200gb library of music, and watching movies.

I was thinking about getting the low-end 13" and upgrading the RAM and Hardrive myself while also replacing the optical drive with an SSD. With my student discount the Pro would be 1,100 and about 1,350 after upgrades.

I want the laptop to last longer than 2 years and not gradually decrease in performance like my PC laptops. I pick the low-end 13" because it's the cheapest and the i5 seems sufficient enough.

I've heard the upgradeable Pros are going to be replaced this July so I figure I have until then to do this. I'm just wondering if it's a good time to go for this plan now? And how good will this laptop be after upgrades? If anyone has done something similar to this what are the pro's and con's you've experienced? If you think I should go with a different Pro setup what do you recommend?

Thanks for your time. :eek:
 

xShane

macrumors 6502a
Nov 2, 2012
814
37
United States
So after owning two PC laptops that died out after two years of use I want to get a MacBook Pro. My main uses for the laptop will be recording, photo editing, a 200gb library of music, and watching movies.

I was thinking about getting the low-end 13" and upgrading the RAM and Hardrive myself while also replacing the optical drive with an SSD. With my student discount the Pro would be 1,100 and about 1,350 after upgrades.

I want the laptop to last longer than 2 years and not gradually decrease in performance like my PC laptops. I pick the low-end 13" because it's the cheapest and the i5 seems sufficient enough.

I've heard the upgradeable Pros are going to be replaced this July so I figure I have until then to do this. I'm just wondering if it's a good time to go for this plan now? And how good will this laptop be after upgrades? If anyone has done something similar to this what are the pro's and con's you've experienced? If you think I should go with a different Pro setup what do you recommend?

Thanks for your time. :eek:

If you main use is going to be photo editing, a low-end 13" (r)MBP might not be sufficient enough.
 

alphaod

macrumors Core
Feb 9, 2008
22,183
1,245
NYC
If you main use is going to be photo editing, a low-end 13" (r)MBP might not be sufficient enough.

Depends on the OP's definition of photo editing; in any case any of the late model Macs are sufficient for the majority of "photo editing" done out there. In fact my late Ultrabook/Windows 8 slate purchase even with only 4GB of RAM, runs Photoshop fine; it's only slower than my MacBook Pro, but it still works.
 

sennacherib

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 4, 2013
3
0
Photo editing would not be intensive at all. Just for a class I have to take. My main concerns are the questions posted at the end.
 

T5BRICK

macrumors G3
Aug 3, 2006
8,313
2,387
Oregon
I want the laptop to last longer than 2 years and not gradually decrease in performance like my PC laptops. I pick the low-end 13" because it's the cheapest and the i5 seems sufficient enough.

Neither Macs or PCs gradually decrease in performance over time. The hardware stays the same(unless you change something) but the software gets more demanding. This applies to Macs and PCs.

Anyway, the base 13" model is a good one if you're not doing anything processor intensive. Id suggest checking out the refurb store, you'll get a better deal there than you will with your student discount.
 

sennacherib

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 4, 2013
3
0
Okay, thanks for advice. I will wait for some more opinions to finalize my decision. But also, can someone link me to a thread here that will explain how to replace the 4gb of ram with 8, replace the 500gb HDD with a 1 or 2 TB drive, and how to replace the optical drive with a 128gb SSD and reinstall the OS on it?
 

dukebound85

macrumors Core
Jul 17, 2005
19,123
4,099
5045 feet above sea level
I would rather always get the base, save on the upgrades (in terms of cpu and whatnot) and put aside that money for a newer base model down the road.

So I would get the base and up the ram and hdd
 

jchase2057

macrumors regular
Dec 6, 2010
234
2
Detroit
The macbook will age a day at a time like your other machines. If you want os x then by all means get a mac. If you think they hardware is any different then you are mistaken.
 

yusukeaoki

macrumors 68030
Mar 22, 2011
2,550
6
Tokyo, Japan
If its a light photo editing, the low end should be fine.
But dont expect to do intensive work.

You can get upgrades like Optibay, SSD, RAMs etc later if you want.
 

mike5065

macrumors newbie
Jan 31, 2013
15
1
Toronto
Okay, thanks for advice. I will wait for some more opinions to finalize my decision. But also, can someone link me to a thread here that will explain how to replace the 4gb of ram with 8, replace the 500gb HDD with a 1 or 2 TB drive, and how to replace the optical drive with a 128gb SSD and reinstall the OS on it?
i did exactly as you are suggesting. base model for under 1K, then added 16GB RAM and dual SSD. no regrets.

best instructions are at ifixit. the optibay caddy can be found on amazon fairly cheap.

http://www.ifixit.com/Device/MacBook_Pro_13"_Unibody_Mid_2012
 
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