2008 Macbook to 2010 PRO

[aukemid]

I currently have a Macbook from 2008 and I'm thinking about buying a new Macbook PRO 13".

First of all, is it smart to buy one now? I think a new upgrade is coming in the first half of 2011. Does anyone knows when and what the upgrade will be, i.e. should I wait?

The second question is, can I switch my current hard drive with the new one? I replaced the standard hard disk from my Mac, because it crashed, to a Seagate (ST9500420ASG 500GB 7200rpm). I think it shouldn't be a problem, but I would like to be sure.

 

[thetechfixer]

what are the specs of your macbook and also the new one should have an i3 processor, maybe better graphics and also could get thinner.

 

[aukemid]

My current:
MacBook 13" early 2008 I believe (non unibody)
2,4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM - 2x2GB
500GB Serial ARA Drive @ 7200 rpm

I want the newest 13" pro:
2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB (I'll upgrade it myself to 8GB)
320GB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm

Tell me if you need more info.

 

[thetechfixer]

Your current specs look good but it depends on what you will be doing with this notebook! So what will you be doing with this notebook?

 

[TSE]

The only real difference you will notice is the battery life and better gaming performance. Besides that, I would hold onto your MacBook.

 

[NickZac]

If you have the money to upgrade you will enjoy it, but provided your current MB is running well, it is still sufficient enough for most users (it may or may not be for you). You can pop out your hard drive and place it in the new one and vice versa. Just be sure it is SATA2 (3.0GBPS). I doubt the newer MBP will be SATA3 (6.0GBPS) but if it is, there may not be backwards compatibility.

 

[MikhailT]

There are always going to be a new products coming out within 6-12 months. It is up to you to decide if you can afford it now or wait till later. The question is why do you need a new laptop?

You can get a nice hybrid Momentus XT hard drive 500GB for less than 120$.

You can also get some cash back selling your old Macbook but you still have to put a new hard drive in it.

 

[jdsmith1012]

upgrade

I know you are referring to two slightly different models but I just upgraded from my 2008 2.1 GHz white macbook with 4 GB of RAM to the 2010 17" 2.8 GHz MBP with 8 GB of RAM.

The difference is stunning!

I'm sure you would be happy with the upgrade.

 

[zub3qin]

What is the likelihood that MBP will get SSD drive standard?
Isn't MBP supposed to be better than the MBA?

Meanwhile, no matter what anyone wants to argue about the processor speed, the reality is that day to day use of the MBA is far far faster and far less beachballs than the MBP for most applications.

I'd love a MBP with 256MB SSD, a 2.4 or greater processor, and i don't care if it is the same size as now.

 

[farmermac]

What is the likelihood that MBP will get SSD drive standard?
Isn't MBP supposed to be better than the MBA?

Meanwhile, no matter what anyone wants to argue about the processor speed, the reality is that day to day use of the MBA is far far faster and far less beachballs than the MBP for most applications.

I'd love a MBP with 256MB SSD, a 2.4 or greater processor, and i don't care if it is the same size as now.

Honestly the spec bump From your machine to a new Mbp is so little, I'd hang on another 1-2 months.

 

[aukemid]

One of my ram modules doesn't work anymore. I've replaced this with a 1GB from another notebook, so I actually have 3 GB. And my current battery should be replaced too.

Besides this I've noticed this MacBook is getting a bit slower, it's almost 3 years old, and it has had some problems.


Another question:
This might start another discussion, but what is the best way to use the battery?
In the beginning I always used the battery till it had about 30% and than I recharged it. I know someone else who always charged it when he could. I think he is around 50 loadcicles and I'm over 300 and we bought it around the same time.
Does anyone knows what Apple says about this?

 

[wirelessmacuser]

Isn't MBP supposed to be better than the MBA?

No, just different.

Meanwhile, no matter what anyone wants to argue about the processor speed, the reality is that day to day use of the MBA is far far faster and far less beachballs than the MBP for most applications.

False!

I know, I have three fully loaded new MBP's. 13, 15 & 17. I've installed SSD's in each of them, therefore we are now comparing similarly equipped laptops.

In addition, I have fully loaded new 11" and 13" MBA's.

These are all exemplary machines, it's just a matter of what you need if you are going to choose just one.

You cannot go wrong no matter what you choose, unless you are not being careful about what your _needs_ are versus your _wants.

Cheers...