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13" MBP...Should I get 1?Urgent help required!!!

R

rohit6060

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 22, 2010
97
0
Hi guys,
I've been planning(rather saving) to buy a laptop for past one year or so.I use a four year old HP laptop which I surely have extended much beyond its usual lifespan.
I'm a portability freak and hence I'm interested only in 13" MBP.I'm not at all a gamer and neither do all thez audio/video encoding.I need a laptop which looks good,performs well,has a good battery life and can run some games which I would play rather occasionally...
As such I feel base model 13" is a perfect choice for me.I've read a lot about its GPU and just can't decide how good/bad is it actually.Geekbench for CPU sounds really impressive.I'm a first time mac user and just don't wish to buy another windows crap just to save a few bucks.
My other major concern is the lifespan.Although I'm a big tech freak but I don't really enjoy updating my gadgets that often.I use my gadgets for there full life span and then go for an update.
My experience with my HP laptop has been horrible and the case is similar for many of my frnds having other models of HP/dell laptops.Usually I've seen thez laptops start loosing there steam after 2 year.Battery will die down,You'll have to format every 6 months due to some unknown viruses etc. etc.
As such I feel a MAC will be a better OS suiting my purpose.I plan to use it for next 4-5 years.U guys think macbooks really have that much of life span?
talking of specs,320gb is enough for me,an i5 is more then enough for me(I was actually expecting a i3 in base model)4gb ram,thunderbolt etc. all sounds good...
I've really not experienced the 1280*800 macbook graphics visibility.I mean I do watch a lot of movie,usually 720p or blu ray prints.Is this resolution sufficient enough for me?Watching movies might just be the only thing where I might regret a discrete GPU or a low res screen...
What do u guys suggest?
And ya I must mention I really LOVE the design of current MBPs.I just don't like the wedge shaped design of MBA.So even if I wait for a year more I'm scared they might just switch to wedge shaped designs..
 
Any1 here to help,
After going through some of the other threads I'm really worried if the display is really that BAD!!!
 
I think the new Macbook Pro 13" will be more than enough for you. If you enjoy watching HD movies, but are usually watching them in 720p, the screen resolution is more than enough, as the resolution of 720p is 1280x720, whereas the Macbook Pro is 1280x800. There are plenty of members here who use a 5 year old+ Mac for their primary machine and have no problems with it. Make sure you are buying AppleCare just for peace of mind in those first 3 years in case anything does go wrong.

Go ahead and get yourself a new 13". :)
 
If you aren't running any games (even older ones will work alright under lowest settings) and the CPU is enough for you, I would say go for it by all means. That graphics card will do anything 2d you want to throw at it, Intel does excel in that area, 3d (in games and such) is the only thing it will really choke on. The only other thing that may pose an issue is if you try to hook it up to a super high resolution external display, but I'm thinking it should even be fine hooked up to a 1080p TV.

You said most of what you watch is in 720p, which as the above poster mentioned, will work on the screen just fine (and the hardware will support it no doubt).

It seems to fit your needs, so I would say go for it and enjoy your new mac!
 
If I had to get a Macbook Pro right now, I would by the base 13" model. It will definitely suit your needs.

And yeah, about your old computer, many people look at the initial cost for Macs, and go with a PC w/ Windows. What they don't realize is that Macs are less of a hassle to deal with, run better, and last longer.

I've used my 27" iMac for over a year, and its performance basically the same as when I bought it...I have a feeling it's going to last a while (5+ years).
 
Hi. I'm one of these guys that sold the 2010 MBP 13" expecting something great in the 2011, now i regret but this is not the point: the screen is PERFECT to watch movies, resolution is a little more than 720 p (as said).

The thing is that i used the 2010 MBP as a mediacenter to watch 1080p movies in my 40" LED. Used and enjoyed. With that crappy Intel HD i don't know if that would play so fine...

Same playing Starcraft II!


So now i doubt between the new MBP 13" or the new Sony Vaio S, which offers everything i want... but has no Mac OS X...

Holy...
 
As expected,this seems to be the most PERFECT computer for me.Given my usage this processor also seems to be future ready...
Thanks to all u guys..
I'm planning to buy it in student discount,can't hold my nerves by then
 
soulreaver99 said:
Why not get a refurb 2010 MacBook Pro and toss in an SSD? I think there is more value to getting that vs the 2011 MacBook Pro
Click to expand...

R u really suggesting ths?
Even if I use this laptop for next 2 years,u really think a c2d has that much of life left?
Secondly,
when u go for selling it after 2-3 year an i5 MBP will surely fetch 100-150$ over an C2D and an SSD anyway I can get sometime down the line if I feel this i5 is not serving me well
 
Go with the base 13", you're gonna love it. This is a pretty substantial refresh, don't let the naysayers change your mind. The base model 13" may have gone one step down in the GPU department, but a flight of stairs up in the CPU department. I'd be happier than a pig in **** if I were in your situation, a great time to convert to Mac as well.
 
I'm about to walk out the door and pick up a 13''. I was hoping for the higher resolution screen but everything else looks great as far as I'm concerned. I went yesterday with the intentions of getting the 15'' but just couldn't justify the $1800 and the sheer size of it was too much for me bu the 13'' looks like it has a great processor and Apple makes reliable as hell products. I hate the SSD's cost so much though. A 256gb SSD would be perfect for me. Even a 128gb but that is a $225 upgrade!
 
Do u guys suggest me to buy some of thez skins(phantom skinz,zagg,best skins ever etc.) for MBP?Also since the same form factor has been retained in this year's pro r there any exclusive laptop bags available for MBPs?
 
The skins are a personal decision. Just do a Google Search, there are plenty of bags designed for this computer.
 
going to the apple store now to exchange one i bought yesterday. might just trade for another one. just posted a couple threads. check them out and also check out the one titled "2011 mbp total fail" or something like that.
 
suckatcomputers said:
check them out and also check out the one titled "2011 mbp total fail" or something like that.
Click to expand...

After the launch I was pretty well convinced that this is the right notebook for me.But with thez thousands of threads stating that its not a good upgrade I'm seriously considering my decision.More so because I've actually extended my budget from 1k to 1200 just because I liked the aesthetics of PRO and also I thought it would last longer.I am the kind of person who use-his-laptop-till-the-hard-disk spins!!!Moreover given my usage I think thats the right thing to do.I bought this HP at the beginning of my graduation and had spent full 4 years with this piece of plastic thinking I would get a MAC someday.And now before joining my job I was all set to buy the latest macbook but it doesn't happen to be good enough...Even if I wait for a year more I don't think there'll be any major speed bump,may be some graphics improvements...
What to do guys....I'm really in a fix...Can't spend my money until I'm FULLY convinced...
 
Unless you have a student discount or something like that you wouldn't be able to get the baseline 13" MBP for less than $1,200. In any event, it's a good computer. I purchased one over the weekend and I think it's been a great investment so far. This is my first mac and like you, I switched over from an HP (around 7 years old and it actually still works great). My usage is similar to yours and IMO it's the right mac at the right price and size. At some point I'll probably swap in an SSD and more RAM but that's another story.
 
people have played starcraft 2, left 4 dead 2, and other similar games with about 30-40 fps on medium flawlessly with the 2011 13" pro when running in OSX. The problem with the graphics is coming form most people gaming through bootcamp and windows 7 and windows drivers are not as good for the 3000HD as the OSX ones are.

So if you just going to play a casual game here or there that has a mac version then use that if you plan on doing real gaming the high end 15" seems the way to go since it has discrete graphics with 1gb VRAM.

for your needs the 13" will run fine and play pretty much any game you want.

The 13" will handle most stuff at about medium settings in OSX and LOw for more demanding games. to me it wouldnt be worth the 900-1000$ to go to the high end 15" jus for gaming and your needs.
 
I am in the same boat as TC
I have actually pre order one from the apple store near my house last week, but i ve been lurking here and i ve read many complains about the very loud fan, worse keyboard than before and bad graphics.
I m not going to try to play crysis 2 with this laptop but i wanted to be able to play Team fortress 2 and maybe WoW at decent settings for the price i m paying i should be able to but it seems like thats not the case with this new laptop :(
Also the 7 hr batter life ( worse than last years ) its another turn off.

Still i like the OS, (i owned a white macbook before so i know apple)
but like i said before the bad graphics and the fan issues are of big consern
 
rohit6060 said:
R u really suggesting ths?
Even if I use this laptop for next 2 years,u really think a c2d has that much of life left?
Secondly,
when u go for selling it after 2-3 year an i5 MBP will surely fetch 100-150$ over an C2D and an SSD anyway I can get sometime down the line if I feel this i5 is not serving me well
Click to expand...

The C2D is a good processor.

The best "deal" is a used C2D. There a plenty of them in the for sale forum. I would go that route if I didn't have one already. :p
 
i got a 13" 2010 mbpro - and it does everything i need...

i got mine at a discount and a few other things instead of waiting for the refresh.

i hear the cpu on the new is awesome - but i needed the 320M i aint a intel gfx fan at all but i've had experience with them for years...

the c2d works a okay for me.
 
rohit6060 said:
After the launch I was pretty well convinced that this is the right notebook for me.But with thez thousands of threads stating that its not a good upgrade I'm seriously considering my decision.More so because I've actually extended my budget from 1k to 1200 just because I liked the aesthetics of PRO and also I thought it would last longer.I am the kind of person who use-his-laptop-till-the-hard-disk spins!!!Moreover given my usage I think thats the right thing to do.I bought this HP at the beginning of my graduation and had spent full 4 years with this piece of plastic thinking I would get a MAC someday.And now before joining my job I was all set to buy the latest macbook but it doesn't happen to be good enough...Even if I wait for a year more I don't think there'll be any major speed bump,may be some graphics improvements...
What to do guys....I'm really in a fix...Can't spend my money until I'm FULLY convinced...
Click to expand...

Apple has never had a computer update cycle that wasn't criticized. Yes, there are lots of posts about how bad the new machines are... it's always been that way. But the majority of 13" MBP buyers are not on macrumors and are very happy with their machines... they don't post. We all tend to complain about something we don't like than praise something we do like.

That said, I have a 18 month old 13" MBP and I just love it. Use it everyday. The new MBPs are even better than what I have and will serve you just fine.
 
There is one reason you could wait until Summer. If you can make use of the educational discount... every summer Apple has a program where you buy a Mac and can get a free iPod Touch or get very discounted iPod Touch. It's worth looking into and thinking about as June is 4 months away. Another thing is that would give Apple time to get any build issues out of the machines (if there are any).
 
SolidSnak3 said:
I am in the same boat as TC
I have actually pre order one from the apple store near my house last week, but i ve been lurking here and i ve read many complains about the very loud fan, worse keyboard than before and bad graphics.
I m not going to try to play crysis 2 with this laptop but i wanted to be able to play Team fortress 2 and maybe WoW at decent settings for the price i m paying i should be able to but it seems like thats not the case with this new laptop :(
Also the 7 hr batter life ( worse than last years ) its another turn off.

Still i like the OS, (i owned a white macbook before so i know apple)
but like i said before the bad graphics and the fan issues are of big consern
Click to expand...

13" MBP was never for hardcore gaming.We talk of intel hd3000 being bad at games?Even 320GM is not that gr8.So comparing 2010 and 2011 I think thr is no doubt 2011 is better.
Secondly,battery backup is SAME as before,its just that they now present it differently,in fact I was reading some reviews and its battery life actually lasted for 7 hours 24 min. more than what they've mentioned on wifi and 50% brightness,sorry but I forgot to note down the link...

Lastly I'm from India and here education discount is just 8-10%,no free ipod touches:(
 
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