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Convince me of the correct choice; MB or MBP

K

kirbs

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 16, 2008
35
0
Let me first briefly describe my situation. I am a college student that is currently getting paid to go to school, however, I plan to tranfer next year and will not be recieving the same benefits, although I hopefully won't be paying full tuition either. So right now money is of no concern, but might be in the future, might.

I am intersted in purchasing a laptop. I have meen waiting for the new mac notebooks for a few months and would like to get either a macbook, a pro, or a netbook(if a netbook then keep for a year, see where my situation is, and then hopefully purchase a mac)

It is really troubling me as to which book to purchase... I really want the 15 in. screen space and the ability to expand with the express port is nice, but i don't know if that justifies the cost. I plan on keeping this notebook for 4 years possibly longer so I am also concerned with staying mildly out of the "obsolete area" that is a pro would stay up to date better than a MB. If I were to purchase a Macbook I would get the 2.4 and if a Pro the 2.53. I get the student discount of course and I dont have to pay tax in Portland so that minimizes the price gap between the two.

I will mostly just be using it for internet, papers, streaming videos, and so on.

So what I am asking is, is the price difference justified in terms of long term usibility between the MB and MBP?
 
If screen quality matters to you, these are interesting pictures (MBP on the left, MB on the right; MBP on the right in the second):

IMG_4647.jpg


IMG_4649.jpg


These are from Gizmodo's review:

http://gizmodo.com/5063492/macbook-and-macbook-pro-dual-review

It really depends if you want a smaller laptop or an average sized one. A smaller laptop, MacBook, is easier to carry around while an average sized one, like the MacBook Pro gives you more screen real estate and a screen that's around 25%-40% bigger.
 
Just compared the two at the store. I like the regular MB better. The MBP just felt HUGE in comparison. Rather a lot to tote around.

The only thing I like better about the pro is the extra resolution of the screen.

Other than that, I would go for lower heft.
 
hmmm, about the screens isn't most of that due to not being able to tilt it as much and get the right angle for viewing. I think that's what the article says.
 
since you aren't paying 32k like i am currently, i think you can afford to have the mbp

how did you get such a good scholarship/grants/minority at your college? btw what college?
 
eddyhttp,

Well i mean its not like i got a killer scholarship (i did get the best one at THAT school). I go to AUM (Auburn University in Montgomery). If you have over a thirty on your ACT you can get their highest scholarship and i also looked around and applied some little 500-1000 dollar scholarships that added up. Oh and I might be 32k a year next year when I transfer.
 
kirbs said:
eddyhttp,

Well i mean its not like i got a killer scholarship (i did get the best one at THAT school). I go to AUM (Auburn University in Montgomery). If you have over a thirty on your ACT you can get their highest scholarship and i also looked around and applied some little 500-1000 dollar scholarships that added up. Oh and I might be 32k a year next year when I transfer.
Click to expand...

Hm, so the scholarships you got were for cash for anything? Or at least for something productive? How much was your highest scholarship? And for the ACT, what kind of score relates to the rest with a 30 and above score? I'll be taking the SAT November 1 and December 6. Any scholarships related to this?

Hm, I wonder if there are any similar to this in Seattle, WA. That way, I could afford a MBP.
 
Urg, this is detracting from my original purpose.

The ones I got were mostly general... They either sent me a check or sent it to my school and the school would then cut a check to me. Two of the best places to find third party scholarships are banks and churches/church organizations. One of my scholarships was from a bank and they just deposited two grand into my account when i got it. Another was from the Episcopal diocese of alabama they just wrote me a check. I also got one from my actual church who also just wrote me a check. In addition from looking at your schools general merit scholarships (University) look at Departmental scholarships (engineering, english, chemistry).

Do you mean what does a thirty act translate into sat wise? that would be around a 1430... I think and yes schools will accept your sat or act usually.

College is expensive they're are more costs than just school and a laptop, that is why im having a hard time deciding what to do in case the school i transfer to is not as free as i would like it to be.

with that out of the way more advice on main topic plz.
 
MICHAELSD said:
If screen quality matters to you, these are interesting pictures (MBP on the left, MB on the right; MBP on the right in the second):

IMG_4647.jpg


IMG_4649.jpg


These are from Gizmodo's review:

http://gizmodo.com/5063492/macbook-and-macbook-pro-dual-review

It really depends if you want a smaller laptop or an average sized one. A smaller laptop, MacBook, is easier to carry around while an average sized one, like the MacBook Pro gives you more screen real estate and a screen that's around 25%-40% bigger.
Click to expand...

Whoa.. the macbooks screen looks crappy as hell lol.
 
kirbs said:
Urg, this is detracting from my original purpose.

The ones I got were mostly general... They either sent me a check or sent it to my school and the school would then cut a check to me. Two of the best places to find third party scholarships are banks and churches/church organizations. One of my scholarships was from a bank and they just deposited two grand into my account when i got it. Another was from the Episcopal diocese of alabama they just wrote me a check. I also got one from my actual church who also just wrote me a check. In addition from looking at your schools general merit scholarships (University) look at Departmental scholarships (engineering, english, chemistry).

Do you mean what does a thirty act translate into sat wise? that would be around a 1430... I think and yes schools will accept your sat or act usually.

College is expensive they're are more costs than just school and a laptop, that is why im having a hard time deciding what to do in case the school i transfer to is not as free as i would like it to be.

with that out of the way more advice on main topic plz.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info man. In return, I will help you in your decision.

Any specific majors you will be studying? More specifically, anything like majoring anything more than mainstream audio/ video production and sciences (those kind), a MBP would give you all the power you need. Anything less, looking at history, literature, etc majors, a MB would suit okay.

Speaking of your amazing scholarship opportunity, go for the MacBook Pro. It will do best if you ever decide to go for any technical major (anything with production). Never hurts to have extra power just in case something in your life comes around and you would need to harness it in a great new laptop! Man, with those dual running NVidia Graphics cards in the MBP, you can't go wrong! :)

As far as longevity and the lifespan, for 4 years, it will work well. I don't see how it can poop out on you, despite what a PC can do. If you are really concerned, a MBP would also be a best shot if you want to keep up to date with everything. Be aware in the technology world, everything gets newer and better. Get what you need now and stick with it.

Hope this helps. Let me know more details or anything else that you have in mind.
 
Scott6666 said:
Just compared the two at the store. I like the regular MB better. The MBP just felt HUGE in comparison. Rather a lot to tote around.

The only thing I like better about the pro is the extra resolution of the screen.

Other than that, I would go for lower heft.
Click to expand...

Well that's just you. The 15" never felt too big to me, but the 17" is a bit of a burden. I've never been impressed with the screen quality of the MB, it's not surprising that the viewing angle still sucks.
 
I bought a MBP before actually being able to see one. Today I decided I would go back to the Apple store and compare the MBP and MB before opening the MBP I bought. After looking at the screen on the MB, I've decided to keep the MBP.

Just my opinion, but the MB has a horrible washed out screen. I used this image for comparison:

http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/wrath/images/wallpapers/wall10/wall10-1920x1200.jpg

My wife immediately noticed the difference before seeing that image, and after comparing them, I was convinced as well. Also, I installed Eclipse (Java IDE) on both computers, and I noticed the difference on the loading screen right away.
 

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I'm still somewhat on the fence. I mean they're only a couple days old and more is still to be revealed. I think tomorrow I might see if the local reseller has any display models.
 
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