Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

$825 more for a MBP worth it vs. a MB?

As a recent graduate I can say that having a laptop for college is over-rated. It is usually, unless your student is very graphics or photo oriented, harder to take notes on a laptop.

A lot of times I found professors drawing diagrams and writing other type of notes that did not translate well on to the computer.

I would say go with the Macbook for the portability and buy a decent external monitor, a nice full keyboard and mouse for back in the dorm room.

Best of luck!
 
hockeysc23 said:
As a recent graduate I can say that having a laptop for college is over-rated. It is usually, unless your student is very graphics or photo oriented, harder to take notes on a laptop.

A lot of times I found professors drawing diagrams and writing other type of notes that did not translate well on to the computer.

I would say go with the Macbook for the portability and buy a decent external monitor, a nice full keyboard and mouse for back in the dorm room.

Best of luck!
Click to expand...

+1 if she even takes it to class for notes. I have never found a time where it is needed or much less a good idea.
 
uncleSmurf said:
+1 if she even takes it to class for notes. I have never found a time where it is needed or much less a good idea.
Click to expand...

Yes. The only benefit of the laptop is that when they come home to visit or have to write a paper in the library it is easier to get it done(sometimes) with laptop.

Although college students being college students that nice little laptop will see its fair share of spills, food, and being crammed in the bag with other things (if someone else doesn't want to steal it).

Go with the Macbook if the time comes where she needs the performance or specs of a Pro then you can always sell and upgrade, or ask her to get a nice summer job hah.
 
noodle654 said:
Well...for your daughter I think a MB would be great. If I could run WoW fine on my old iBook, I think that the MB with the X3100 can handle it fine. I think that a MB would be perfect and you can replace her hard drive at your own price. But, does she want a larger screen/better graphics card? I don't know what your daughter does on her computer (is a graphic designer or something in that nature)?

I think your MB setup was perfect for that price.
Click to expand...

ok..game performance

MB you can run it at moderately playable fps on all min settings
MBP you can run it at high fps on all high settings in native resolution

also, you get better fps in nearly all games, including wow, if you play it in bootcamp..regardless of whether there is an osx version or not
 
This is a no-brainer, take a MB. First of all, she's going to college, she's not going to game a lot (new life, new friends, new hobbies) if at all, if she cares to play WoW, it plays just fine on the current MB (the one I have). I started a Master this year, and I have to say, in between meeting new people, going to the parties, classes, drinks and happenings, there's no room to play WoW, and that gamecard money is better spent elsewhere ;-)

Other then that, the Mb is PLENTY powerful, as long as you don't want to use it for next gen 3D shooters. The rest is overkill.
 
thejadedmonkey said:
Since you're asking, I'm assuming she has a reason for wanting the pro.. What is that reason?
Click to expand...

The reason is..me :). I want to make 110% sure she's happy and that she has something that will last her the next 4.5-5 years.

On a different topic -- do laptops get stolen from people's dorm rooms? Don't schools at least offer dorm room insurance or some such?
 
akadmon said:
The reason is..me :). I want to make 110% sure she's happy and that she has something that will last her the next 4.5-5 years.
Click to expand...

A Macbook would do just fine. It sounds like you vicariously want someone to have a Macbook Pro. That's cool, as long as you know it's overkill. :cool:

On a different topic -- do laptops get stolen from people's dorm rooms? Don't schools at least offer dorm room insurance or some such?
Click to expand...

Don't know about insurance, but if you live in a single and lock your door, you shouldn't ever have a problem with theft...of anything. I've never used any kind of lock, and have never had any trouble with computer theft. Most theft occurs from people who don't lock their doors, or who leave their laptops in public spaces while going to the bathroom/friends/food/etc.
 
akadmon said:
OK. I'll point her to this thread. She can think about it.

I still would love her to have a MBP, but given the current specs it makes no financial sense. It would be a different story if I could get a MBP with a 2.5GHz Penryn, 256MB video and a user replaceable hdd for the price of the current low-end MBP. We'll see where we are at the end of February, which is the MBP drop dead date I put down on the calendar that hangs in our kitchen :)
Click to expand...

Save your money on the VRAM Upgrade. You will not notice a difference between a 128MB model and a 256MB model. For example, performance tests on the current 8600M model have it at a 5% increase in performance between the the 128 & 256 models. World of Warcraft (the game you mentioned) on a 256MB model averaged 58FPS while the 128MB averaged 56FPS. is 5% (or 2 FPS in WoW) really worth the $500 difference from the two 15" models? If you don't know much about games.. a 2FPS is not noticeable at all and would be foolish to upgrade based on those numbers.
--- source


This is the case for many models.. both mobile and desktop models. Do your google searches for performance tests. 256MB performance difference from the 128MB model is hardly ever worth the price you pay.. but results do vary from time to time.

Also, keep in mind, if Apple does decide to upgrade the MBP's GPU it will be to the 8700M which is now standard in most performance laptops on the market. They will not make the jump to the 8800M unless they make their laptop thicker (redesign) or nvidia makes the 8800M much thinner.
 
akadmon said:
The reason is..me :). I want to make 110% sure she's happy and that she has something that will last her the next 4.5-5 years.

On a different topic -- do laptops get stolen from people's dorm rooms? Don't schools at least offer dorm room insurance or some such?
Click to expand...

get a kensington lock..cheap and effective..but generally no. I've only heard of one person getting their laptop stolen..but i suppose it depends on the university. At least here, freshman year everyone is in small rooms so you never close your door..so i guess it could get stolen there. Soph and later you have bigger rooms, so no need to keep your door open all the time.
 
As someone who has owned both a MB and MBP, I would say the MBP would be the better choice for a college student. Don't get me wrong, the MB is a fine machine, but in my opinion the casing seems a bit less durable than the all-aluminum MBP. If you want her to get 4 years use out of a laptop, the MBP is probably a better choice in the long run. I could see the MB casing getting cracked sooooooo easily if carried in the same bag as textbooks.

That's just my 2 cents.
 
whichever you buy..get a sleeve or case for it if you don't want it to get destroyed within a year from wear and tear of carrying it around with books and such..
 
if she is only interested in WOW and no newer games it will be enough ... the macbook x3100 is by all means no rocket but for that game it should be enough (unless she is really hardcore about it .. which i doubt)

macbook and perhaps getting a big external screen + cheap wireless desktop set might be a better idea ...

after all such a setup can then be easily upgraded later /screen reused

and in single rooms it's no problem if doors are locked if you leave but a kensington lock might protect from the "opportunity" thieves who are more common than professional thefts
 
akadmon said:
The reason is..me :). I want to make 110% sure she's happy and that she has something that will last her the next 4.5-5 years.

On a different topic -- do laptops get stolen from people's dorm rooms? Don't schools at least offer dorm room insurance or some such?
Click to expand...

I don't believe there is dorm insurance. Like mentioned before buy a lock and make sure she uses it. A lot of friends at other universities had theirs stolen.

One good trick was some people would pull the fire alarm. Dorm students would have to leave and most in the middle of the night wouldn't lock their doors. Boom easy laptop. Just buy her 2 of those locks. One stays on her dorm desk all year and if she is in there she plugs it in. One goes with you.

Its easy to think colleges are safe, which normally they are, but it is always tempting to someone to take that nice new mac.
 
hockeysc23 said:
I don't believe there is dorm insurance. Like mentioned before buy a lock and make sure she uses it. A lot of friends at other universities had theirs stolen.

One good trick was some people would pull the fire alarm. Dorm students would have to leave and most in the middle of the night wouldn't lock their doors. Boom easy laptop. Just buy her 2 of those locks. One stays on her dorm desk all year and if she is in there she plugs it in. One goes with you.

Its easy to think colleges are safe, which normally they are, but it is always tempting to someone to take that nice new mac.
Click to expand...

i've never in all my life seen someone kensington lock a laptop in a library. Just don't be stupid and leave it there for an hour while you go get coffee. Take it with you..just be smart about it and its fine.
 
akadmon said:
The reason is..me :). I want to make 110% sure she's happy and that she has something that will last her the next 4.5-5 years.

On a different topic -- do laptops get stolen from people's dorm rooms? Don't schools at least offer dorm room insurance or some such?
Click to expand...

Yes, they do get stolen. I've known a handful of fellow students which have had their laptops stolen. One from the dorm, a couple from their cars. I recommend a security cable and perhaps a lo-jack-type software.

Back to the matter at hand -- it seems that you've only talked about how much you would like her to have it, with the only reasons being that you want her to have it and you would like her to experience better WOW performance. I'm certain she'll be perfectly fine with the MB. But being her dad, you want her to have the best. Just get it over with and buy her the best. ;)
 
aquajet said:
Yes, they do get stolen. I've known a handful of fellow students which have had their laptops stolen. One from the dorm, a couple from their cars. I recommend a security cable and perhaps a lo-jack-type software.
Click to expand...

and never ever let something expensive sitting on the back seat of your car etc. in plain view ... but that should be more common sense by now .. no matter if it's a laptop or a digital camera
 
Your daughter will like the look of a white MB better than MBP. IMO, it's more bang for the bucks compared to the baseline MBP.
 
on the note about laptops getting stolen from dorms, yes it does happen.

get a cable lock and lock it down to the table if not at class. I had a friend who almost had his MBP stolen if it weren't for the lock (the lock slot was pried at and gouged, but it still held).

as a first year, they're always encouraged to leave rooms open to meet people.
 
i dont understand people that quibble over a few hundred bucks on something they are gunna use for years and years, years from now are you gunna remember you saved $500 bucks? no!

YES the MBP is worth the difference, its a god damn pro machine! better screen, keyboard, videocard and hell a better looking computer! and with aplecare even a used mbp is like buying a new one cause u are covered for 99% of anything that can go wrong!

this doesnt seem like a hard decision, it seems like an easy one for anyone who is worried about geeting their moneys worth.

BUY a mbp, STOCK get apple care, forget about the hdd upgrade, and if you find yourself running out of room BUY and EXTERNAL HDD or BACKUP the DVD (the base macbook doesnt even have the burner!)
 
Sounds like the MB would be fine for her. I haven't heard any uses that have pointed towards the MBP - even WoW.

1. Does she do lots of photo or video editing? Does she want to? $825 isn't worth it for a little gaming, but it might be if she's going into a design class.

2. Portability - Not a huge weight difference, but for a female it can be more noticeable. In addition, you may need a larger (heavier) bag to carry a MBP. Has she been to a store to lift them and compare the physical size?

3. Absolutely upgrade the RAM, but I am a fairly advanced user and I am skipping the HD upgrade. In a year or two if SSD prices have come way down I will upgrade that myself.

4. Screen - Some people have very strong opinions on Matte v. Glossy. Make sure she gets a good look at both types while you're at the store. Make sure she types on the Keyboards too.

Last, you've been very vocal about how you feel about the MBP pricing recently... don't let us talk you into something you feel is a bad deal ;)
 
akadmon said:
The reason is..me :). I want to make 110% sure she's happy and that she has something that will last her the next 4.5-5 years.
Click to expand...
Both should last that long, but neither will be "fast enough" by then. USB3 will be the major connection to have. WiMax will be in all notebooks. 4GB RAM will seem tiny.

Of course, it'll still do what it does now. But that's maybe 2-3 major OS upgrades into the future, and it'll seem obsolete.*

Basically, knowing ahead of time that whatever you get her will end up being an "email and some surfing" system within a few years, I'd save your money and get her the MacBook.

* Unless you get lucky. If you bought a new 17" PB in 2003 as opposed to, say, a couple of months before, the specs would still allow most of what people do today except for gaming and advanced graphics. So if the MBPs come out with killer new capabilities, that'd swing my decision.
 
Macbook would be fine in college.

Students run word, and lots of *hity web base stuff from the school website. Most of their time will be spent on facebook anyway which the Macbook would be fine.

As for the applecare, do NOT BUY IT AT THE STORE.

I was able to get the applecare at the bookstore for a MBP for:

$239.
 
Thanks, everyone -- I'm very happy with the amount and quality of feedback I got on this :) But don't let this stop you from talking, arguing some more ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back