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macbook pro purchase
- Thread starter Nevah
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We'll see by then if there's any new of an update, but so far we no nothing. Of course, if there's any speculations after the 21st, it'll be easier to decide when's a good time to purchase. As of now, and probably around the end of October, it is and will be a good time to buy. Unless you're willing to wait until Christmas or in the beginning of 2010, you should buy whenever you've got the chance.
Apple is always on the verge of an upgrade. It's your birthday. Get yourself a new computer. You'll be glad you did.
If you're planning on buying it in November... perhaps we'll know more by that time. But for now, nothing is expected for October/November... unless I'm mistaken.
I know that the common wisdom here is forget about what's on the horizon. If you need it buy it. I think this time is one occasion where I would actually wait. i7 laptops are coming out this Fall. If you look at the buyer's guide you'll see that the MBPs are mid cycle. They were last updated in June. Knowing Apple, if they don't update this month or the next like other PC vendors, they will mostly likely update it early 2010. Maybe January or February. With the almost certain CPU upgrade from Penryn to Nehalem (i7) if I were you I would wait.
It's what the new CPU will be marketed. http://guides.macrumors.com/Intel_Mobile_Chip_Road_Map
And actually looking at that guide, you will most likely not see Core i7 until the Arrandale architecture early next year (not in Nehalem). So I'm guessing you'll have 4-5 months before you see new CPUs in the MBPs to replace the Penryns now. So the common wisdom in this case is: if you need it now, buy it. If you can afford to wait 1/3 - 1/2 of a year, it's worth it. The next revision is more of a leap than a tweak.
so you have a macbook thats just over a year old now? sounds like you just want to upgrade rather than need to upgrade. i think the only people that really need to upgrade right now are the ones still hanging on to the powerPC chips (like myself). My job requires Adobe CSx, so once that becomes intel only (CS5), I will need to upgrade my g5.
anyway, my point is, if you have a computer that is only a year old, just wait it out. you're not going to notice a huge jump by upgrading a 1 year old computer.
The early 2008 MacBook Pro is nothing to scoff at, honestly I don't think you will see too dramatic of a speed boost going from a 2008 15" to a 2009 15".
I sold my 2008 "Classic" 15" MacBook Pro for a top of the line (minus the SSD) 17" laptop and the speed difference is minimally noticeable, but the video card is definitely better for gaming.
My point is this: going from a 2008 to 2009 15" model doesn't seem worth it, so wait. But if you were to go from a 2008 15" to a 2009 17", I would say pull the trigger and buy on your birthday.
the reason i want to upgrade is mostly cause of the graphics card, there are a lot of games i would like to play, but i cant because of the intel gma x3100 in my current macbook. a littlebit because i want more harddisk space. and ofcourse because of the new supersexy design :b who doesnt like new shiny gadgets hehe
Or, if you are just dying to have the unibody upgrade, I would check out your local Craigslisting. People are dumping the 2.4ghz machines (before they were upgraded to 2.66) for right around $1200. The only foreseeable limitation is that you can't put 8gb of ram in these machines.
What are the specs of your MBP? I have a 4,1 2.5GHZ with 512MB VRam and 4GB Ram, and it is perfect!
well, thats the problem, its not a PRO.. its just a regular white macbook
its a 2,2ghz, 1gb ram, 120gb hd, intel gma x3100 graphics.
Oh so you have a MacBook. Ok so that's a little bit more justifiable if you're gonna sell that MacBook to subside the new MBP. If you weren't, I would keep it and think about getting a better/cheaper gaming alternative. Think about it, in order to play the latest and greatest games you would have to buy a new MBP each year just for the gfx card in order to keep up (nothing is upgradable in a laptop except HDD and RAM). And you'll probably be playing the games on medium graphics settings anyway. I play Left4Dead and COD4 with mines (via Windows) on decent settings but I have to stomach graphics/performance sacrifices in order to do so. They're playable, but would they run better on a cheaper desktop PC or a console? Definitely!
My advice? Get a console for a couple of hundred or build/buy a PC gaming rig for under a thousand. It'll be at least half the price of a new MBP but it'll be upgradable and it can go toe to toe with console graphics. Buying a laptop with the main intention of playing games is not smart. Sure it can play games, but that shouldn't be its main focus.
I bought my first MBP in 2007 (with the ATI x1600 or something like that gfx card) with the intention of using a much better OS, Final Cut Pro, and to game over Windows too. I sold it and bought another MBP (with 8600m gt) in early 2008 after having mix feelings about the performance of the x1600 in the games I wanted to play. I sold it for like 1300 even though I paid 2500 for it to subside the cost of another 15'' $2500er. Realizing the futility of spending 1000-1500 to "upgrade" it every year, I realize I was in a no win situation and decided to just buy a used Xbox 360 for my gaming needs.
Hope that helps! Good luck with your decision.
well maybe i should have made my first post with little more information about my needs/current computer hehe.
gaming is not a big thing for me, i dont need to play the newest games at the highest settings and so on.. then i would have bought a stationary pc.. i mostly use my computer for music/movies/photoshop.. but i do play games once in a while.. with my current macbook its only counterstrike and battlefieldheroes(great free 3rd person shooter btw) :b .. but it would be nice to be able to play some need for speed, left4dead and so on.. so gaming is not as important as i might have made it seem.
but a new graphicscard would defenetly be nice anyway hehe.
gaming is not a big thing for me, i dont need to play the newest games at the highest settings and so on.. then i would have bought a stationary pc.. i mostly use my computer for music/movies/photoshop.. but i do play games once in a while.. with my current macbook its only counterstrike and battlefieldheroes(great free 3rd person shooter btw) :b .. but it would be nice to be able to play some need for speed, left4dead and so on.. so gaming is not as important as i might have made it seem.
but a new graphicscard would defenetly be nice anyway hehe.
If you can pony up the cash, why not? I would love to have one of the new uMBP 9600m gt myself. If money was no object, that is. Hell if that was so, I'd be buying the latest MBP model every time they release one just so I could have the satisfaction of having the latest & greatest.
The way I see it, yes, the MBP will adequately suit your needs. And will do so longer than your MB. But buying another laptop only a year apart? I'd be biting my lip at the thought of the wasted money. You probably should have bought a MBP instead of the MB anyway. Would have saved you the money in buying a MBP now, you know?
Depends what you want really. If you are going to do any gaming (even occasional) it would probs be better to go for the model with the dedicated graphics card (9600), although if that is out of your price range the 9400m is still quite capable in playing some games.. albeit not on the highest settings!
Depends what you want really. If you are going to do any gaming (even occasional) it would probs be better to go for the model with the dedicated graphics card (9600), although if that is out of your price range the 9400m is still quite capable in playing some games.. albeit not on the highest settings!
i was planing on buying the 15inch with the 9600.
and im selling my MB to my sister hehe, i actually dont know if it was early 2008, it seems older i think.. maybe even 2 years, but well i used to buy a new computer once a year when i was a PCman.. but if i got a realy expensive MBP i would probobly keep it for quite som time