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13" uMBP - This sound decent?

nullx86

nullx86

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 26, 2009
884
1
Wilmington/Jacksonville, NC
With me starting college soon, i decided to get a real mac and join the flagship/cult (however you perceive it is up to you), but I wanted to get some buying advice before I do anything. My budget is 1500USD or under. So far I priced out the baseline 13" MBP and just added some upgrades and I'm at $1368.54 (Baseline w/250GB HDD, 4GB memory, Apple remote and MiniDisplay to DVI). Now I know that the 13" only comes with the 9400M and I think this will be ok for me (I'm currently running a hack with a old GeForceGo 7300 and its providing just enough, so 9400M will be an upgrade :D). I wont be able to get this until around October so it might change then, but this is just my general plan. So is this something good to get or should something else be bought instead? Like i said this is my first apple buy, so i want this one to be a good one. thanks
 
sounds good. you could also go for a white MacBook for a bit less which is only a little slower but without the extras and not quite as future proof. or get a refurbished 13" MBP.

also if you want buy memory and the hard drive elsewhere. you could then sell the stock hard drive and memory (easy to remove) and get some money back.
 
upgrade hard drive/RAM yourself

From my experience, Apple charges way too much for hard drive/RAM upgrades. If you buy the hard drive and ram yourself, you can install it relatively easily (apple even shows you how) and save a lot of money.

They are great machines, the 13" uMBP. You will be very happy with it, especially if you go with the ram upgrade. Remember that the integrated graphics of this model means it shares graphics memory with the computer so the more ram you have on board the more it can allocate to the graphics.
 
bjorn is right... upgrade hdd and ram urself, its relatively simple
signature_SmileyFace.jpg
but apple some how charge about $80 for 1gb ??
 
Jack Flash said:
Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo - $999.00

image-3160356-10521304
Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM - $60.99

image-3160356-10521304
Seagate 7320GB 7200 RPM 16MB HDD - $69.99

Mini DisplayPort to DVI Adapter - $9.75

Total before applicable taxes and shipping: $1,139.73. Save a little money, get a faster HDD.
Click to expand...

iBookG4user said:
Then use the remaining savings to purchase AppleCare, it has really saved me in the past :)
Click to expand...
you can get AppleCare on a refurb?

richthomas said:
sounds good. you could also go for a white MacBook for a bit less which is only a little slower but without the extras and not quite as future proof. or get a refurbished 13" MBP.

also if you want buy
image-3160356-10521304
memory and the
image-3160356-10521304
hard drive elsewhere. you could then sell the stock hard drive and memory (easy to remove) and get some money back.
Click to expand...

For me the reason of MB vs MBP is the polycarbonite shell versus the alum shell, alum is better for me, the plastic will get scratched too easily.

bjorn989 said:
From my experience, Apple charges way too much for hard drive/RAM upgrades. If you buy the hard drive and ram yourself, you can install it relatively easily (apple even shows you how) and save a lot of money.

They are great machines, the 13" uMBP. You will be very happy with it, especially if you go with the ram upgrade. Remember that the integrated graphics of this model means it shares graphics memory with the computer so the more ram you have on board the more it can allocate to the graphics.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I've been looking at the disassembly guides on iFixit and it looks pretty simple to take apart. Yeah, I know about the 9400m sharing the ram, if i had the money I would get the 15" with the 9600M GT in a heartbeat, but I dont.

MacKiddyWiddy said:
bjorn is right... upgrade hdd and ram urself, its relatively simple
signature_SmileyFace.jpg
but apple some how charge about $80 for 1gb ??
Click to expand...


Thanks guys, I really appreciate the feedback. So get the refurb with the stuff "Jack Flash" listed above right? Can I get the refurb with my education discount? And reason for getting a refurb over a new one other than cost? Just wondering because my last expierence with refurbs was not good (Dell, if you must ask - XPS M1530, bad GFX die and bad HDD, out for two weeks for repairs, i wasnt happy about that to say the least), so are Apple's any different? Thanks guys!
 
nullx86 said:
you can get AppleCare on a refurb?
Click to expand...

Yes, you can get AppleCare on a refurbished Mac.

nullx86 said:
Thanks guys, I really appreciate the feedback. So get the refurb with the stuff "Jack Flash" listed above right? Can I get the refurb with my education discount? And reason for getting a refurb over a new one other than cost? Just wondering because my last expierence with refurbs was not good (Dell, if you must ask - XPS M1530, bad GFX die and bad HDD, out for two weeks for repairs, i wasnt happy about that to say the least), so are Apple's any different? Thanks guys!
Click to expand...

There is no educational discount on the refurbs, and the biggest reason to get a refurb would be the price. Some say that refurbs have even tighter quality check than new Macs, so you should be fine on that front :)
 
iBookG4user said:
Yes, you can get AppleCare on a refurbished Mac.

There is no educational discount on the refurbs, and the biggest reason to get a refurb would be the price. Some say that refurbs have even tighter quality check than new Macs, so you should be fine on that front :)
Click to expand...

Ok, well that puts my mind at ease then. Really? You sure cause I was sure you could get a refurb with either the education discount or the ADC Student discount. Oh well, at $999, its a bargin anyways so i wont complain. How long does AppleCare last on the refurb and how much would I be looking at?

ecstasy said:
I swear I remember some site selling 4GB for much cheaper than $61.
Click to expand...

I bet there is some site out there, just takes a bit of looking.
 
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