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15' i7 - 5400 RPM or 7200RPM and matte option question

A

anthsindustries

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 22, 2010
2
0
I've come to the conclusion that I will be opting for the 15" i7 MBP, after originally wanting to go for the 13' (due to lack of ix processor and such).

My dilemma is that I want to purchase the MBP through Bestbuy/Futureshop, mainly so I can go on a payment plan of around $100 per month, rather than dishing out $2000+ in one shot.

The issue with this is i am unable to BTO my MBP, so I will be stuck with the 5400RPM HD. Is it really that much of a difference from the 7200RPM HD? I'm used to a 7200RPM HD on my imac, so I don't want to feel any slowdowns.

Also, on my 20' early 2009 iMac, I notice that I need to turn my brightness down to about 3/16 (can't really explain it any other way. i guess this would be good with the MBP, as i'd get longer battery life, haha) or else i'll get a headache fairly easily after about 30-45 mins of use. Would the matte option help with the headaches?, as I assume the glossy screen is part of the cause for the headaches on my imac. I had originally returned the 24' imac i purchased and went for the 20' because the screen was too large.

So I am somewhat torn between going for the 15' i7 from a reseller, or just biting the bullet and ordering through the apple site.

Long time reader, first time poster. Any help would be appreciated and valued, as the majority of the people on here seem to know what they are talking about.

Thanks
 
I wouldn't go for a payment plan *unless* the computer was going to be earning me money. I would wait and save up.

If I was cash strapped I definately wouldn't buy the top of the line processor - the price/performance just isn't there.

Unless you have specific needs, then I don't see the point in 7200rpm drives - better off saving up for SSD IMO.

I will be buying matte, because I hate glossy. YMMV
 
I have more than enough money saved-- it's not so much about the cash, mainly because for $100 a month for 24 months i could get a macbook pro through futureshop, which translates to $4.15 interest a month over that time (pretty much nothing)-- it's more of the fact that I don't really want to dish out $2500 at one shot when i could pay it off over a span of two years for practically nothing more.
 
anthsindustries said:
I have more than enough money saved-- it's not so much about the cash, mainly because for $100 a month for 24 months i could get a macbook pro through futureshop, which translates to $4.15 interest a month over that time (pretty much nothing)-- it's more of the fact that I don't really want to dish out $2500 at one shot when i could pay it off over a span of two years for practically nothing more.
Click to expand...

Good plan seeing that you have the cash and can pay it off when ever you want.
 
It's a tough call on the HD. The 7200RPM drive buys you perhaps 10% performance increase, maybe less in real life. It is nice if you have the money to spare but will be barely noticeable in real life. Think about it, a task that takes 100s on one system or maybe 94s or so on another. If you get distracted talking to someone or looking at another window you won't know the difference. Besides, in a year or two you can swap out the HD for a bigger faster one or screaming fast SSD.

I'd go for the non-glare screen if you can. I looked at one today and it was really nice. With the glossy screen I always have to move around to find a good viewing location. Worse, the glossy screen shows two images; the reflected image and the screen image. My eyes have to choose which to focus on. Maybe that is what gives you headaches.

I've seen the non-glare screen at the Apple store. Maybe that is just for the 17" MBP.
 
Upgrade the HD yourself then sell or keep the stock HD for back up.. And yes go with the 7200.
 
I've ordered the Hi. Res. Matte screen and the 500GB HD @ 7200 RPM.

You will be very satisfied if you get them! :p
 
SchneiderMan said:
Upgrade the HD yourself then sell or keep the stock HD for back up.. And yes go with the 7200.
Click to expand...

This. The only problem, then, is the display...What's the return policy from where you're buying? Maybe you can test the glossy display, see if you like it?

Edit: okay, pretend I was paying attention- I just noticed he said Best Buy.

Not Amazon.
 
There is one major caveat of buying the anti-glare screen.

With the glossy screen, the bezel around the screen is a pretty black.
With the anti-glare screen, the bezel around the screen is an ugly gray.

I prefer anti-glare, but damn that gray bezel ruins the whole look. Avoid at all costs.
 
There is one major caveat buying the glassy screen.

With the antiglare, the bezel around the screen is a pretty classy gray.
With the glassy, the bezel is an ugly annoying super-reflective black.

YMMV ;)
 
Just look at the picture.

4527237849_1a460a82e0_o.jpg


Source: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/898882/

PS You don't really have the money if you're not comfortable spending it all in one shot and would rather pay interest than use it.
 
Thanks for the picture. It illustrates why I like the gray bezel better: Contrast steal attention.

The contrast between the bezel and the image on the screen is often less when you have a gray bezel.

As an extra bonus the gray bezel doesn't act like another mirror showing what is behind you. When the reflections move they steal attention more.

I'm 100% for the gray bezel. But I appreciate that other people think differently...

Now if they could only offer a gray keyboard....
 
laela said:
Just look at the picture.

4527237849_1a460a82e0_o.jpg


Source: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/898882/
Click to expand...

What I see in the comparison is the picture and colors look better in the glossy display. Look at the picture of the display's in both. The blacks and colors look much more vivid. They are washed out in the matte display. I ordered the glossy and have had a glossy MBP and I like the look much better. I use my MBP 99% inside with glare not being a problem...and that black around the screen makes the screen look even better...
 
trjwv said:
What I see in the comparison is the picture and colors look better in the glossy display. Look at the picture of the display's in both. The blacks and colors look much more vivid. They are washed out in the matte display. I ordered the glossy and have had a glossy MBP and I like the look much better. I use my MBP 99% inside with glare not being a problem...and that black around the screen makes the screen look even better...
Click to expand...

I've never seen the matte in real life, but to be fair to the picture above: it seems like the flash of the camera is on the matte screen, near the search box and scroll bar of the Apple site in the Safari window. That, the brightness of the screens might not be the same, and it isn't the best picture in terms of color to begin with, makes it quite unreliable to judge the colors based on only this shot.

And if you want to rely on photos, look e.g. at this one:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jojppa/3482700166/in/photostream/

The matte 17" (april 2009 photo) looks pretty good too, compared to the glossy MB screen.
 
Was just in the store and saw the High Res Anti-Glare display on the 15" MBP. Looks awesome. The colors look great and I see no drawback to the anti-glare screen, besides the fact that it is a little thinner and possibly more delicate than the glossy since the glossy has the large piece of glass on it.. The reflection is very apparent on the glossy MBP, which I do not like at all.

I believe I am going to order the anti-glare screen.
 
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