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A couple of questions for the Macbook Pro 13"

P

poot1234

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 23, 2009
58
0
I just recently bought a Dell Studio Xps 16, but since the Macbook Pro's have been updated, I am looking into getting the 13" version.

My first question is for the AppleCare Protection plan. Is this 3 year warranty really necessary? What benefits does it give and what would happen if I did not have it and my laptop broke down?

My second question is regarding heat and noise under gaming or the computer being stressed. What would you compare the heat on the palm rests and under the laptop to? And what would you compare the sound of the fans to, when they are going full bore.

Thanks in advance to anyone that could help answering my questions.
 
If you can answer YES to the following, then YES, get AppleCare:

- Will you keep the computer more than 1 year?
- Can you afford $97 (the price of AppleCare on eBay)?
- Would having to wait for a repair be inconvenient compared to just getting it replaced in the store?

If so, buy it but buy it on eBay it's lots cheaper and totally legit.

I don't buy apple care because I generally trade-up for the current model each ear when they bump specs, and it typically costs about $200 a year to do so (selling the old and buying the new and paying the difference)... which to me is a better way to spend the money, keep a current computer, and always be under warranty... but many people buy a mac to keep it for a while, so for them Apple Care is GREAT.



poot1234 said:
I just recently bought a Dell Studio Xps 16, but since the Macbook Pro's have been updated, I am looking into getting the 13" version.

My first question is for the AppleCare Protection plan. Is this 3 year warranty really necessary? What benefits does it give and what would happen if I did not have it and my laptop broke down?

My second question is regarding heat and noise under gaming or the computer being stressed. What would you compare the heat on the palm rests and under the laptop to? And what would you compare the sound of the fans to, when they are going full bore.

Thanks in advance to anyone that could help answering my questions.
Click to expand...
 
poot1234 said:
I just recently bought a Dell Studio Xps 16, but since the Macbook Pro's have been updated, I am looking into getting the 13" version.

My first question is for the AppleCare Protection plan. Is this 3 year warranty really necessary? What benefits does it give and what would happen if I did not have it and my laptop broke down?

My second question is regarding heat and noise under gaming or the computer being stressed. What would you compare the heat on the palm rests and under the laptop to? And what would you compare the sound of the fans to, when they are going full bore.

Thanks in advance to anyone that could help answering my questions.
Click to expand...


Regarding the heat issue. It's a metal laptop with a big processor in a little form factor, so yeah it'll get warm. It's gotten better, I remember when I had the original intel macbook pro I actually got blisters on my knees from, but these are nice and cool. However, if it's an issue you can get a Speck See-Thru Hard shell, which creates an air gap and looks cool, or use a simple cork hot-pad between your lap and the laptop, which is a $0.99 fix from Ikea! :)
 
applecare

If you're planning to keep the computer more than a year, spring for it. Be very careful buying on ebay, as there are a ton of frauds selling a number that appears legit--then when you go in for a repair--surprise, no coverage. Since the elapsed time between purchase and discovery of fraud can be 2-3 years, you're SOL. If you're spending the money on a macbook pro, spend the money on legit applecare. I had my optical drive and case (twice!) replaced on my last macbook. The drive alone was over $400. And if you google mac optical drive, you'll see a lot of different forums with the same complaints.

P.S. I'm a special ed teacher and a bit of a fussbudget. If you're free-spirited and not risk-averse, try going without.
 
teachpro said:
If you're planning to keep the computer more than a year, spring for it. Be very careful buying on ebay, as there are a ton of frauds selling a number that appears legit--then when you go in for a repair--surprise, no coverage. Since the elapsed time between purchase and discovery of fraud can be 2-3 years, you're SOL. If you're spending the money on a macbook pro, spend the money on legit applecare. I had my optical drive and case (twice!) replaced on my last macbook. The drive alone was over $400. And if you google mac optical drive, you'll see a lot of different forums with the same complaints.

P.S. I'm a special ed teacher and a bit of a fussbudget. If you're free-spirited and not risk-averse, try going without.
Click to expand...

People still actually use optical drives? For all I know mine coulda died on the last 4-5 macbook pros I've owned and I'd never know... lol.

The most common points of failure are cracked screens (not covered), hard drive failure (covered but that's only a $40 value, you lose your data which they can't pay you back for) and the motherboard (this is the one reason I'd buy it cause it usually means just replacing the laptop. As everyone says, if you have the laptop for more than a year buy it.

As he said above, he's conservative. It's perfectly safe buying on eBay... just buy from a reputable seller and confirm activation with Apple Care (they'll even send u an email or letter to confirm)... don't be old-school, most eBay sellers are good... hence why they have a feedback system.
 
Thanks for the replies, I will buy the applecare off ebay then. What is the sound like of the laptop? How quiet is it?
 
poot1234 said:
Thanks for the replies, I will buy the applecare off ebay then. What is the sound like of the laptop? How quiet is it?
Click to expand...

I'm fairly sensitive to noise, and it doesn't bother me. The only time I notice it is when I'm encoding video, and then the fans kick on. I'd say it's about equivalent to the noise your blinker makes in the car. You hear it, but it's not bothersome. I'd say less than 1% of the time the fans are on to the point of being able to hear them. I think mine kick on because the video conversion is processor intensive. Not sure since I don't game if that'd be processor intensive, or just video\graphics intensive...
 
bella92108 said:
I'm fairly sensitive to noise, and it doesn't bother me. The only time I notice it is when I'm encoding video, and then the fans kick on. I'd say it's about equivalent to the noise your blinker makes in the car. You hear it, but it's not bothersome. I'd say less than 1% of the time the fans are on to the point of being able to hear them. I think mine kick on because the video conversion is processor intensive. Not sure since I don't game if that'd be processor intensive, or just video\graphics intensive...
Click to expand...

yeah. I totally agree. My other laptop (Thinkpad T61) is a lot noisier. For example when idle or surfing the web the mbp is inaudible. When you start a game it's still really quiet.
 
2642345772_ef42443c13.jpg
 
bella92108 said:
- Will you keep the computer more than 1 year?
- Can you afford $97 (the price of AppleCare on eBay)?
- Would having to wait for a repair be inconvenient compared to just getting it replaced in the store?

If so, buy it but buy it on eBay it's lots cheaper and totally legit.

I don't buy apple care because I generally trade-up for the current model each year when they bump specs, and it typically costs about $200 a year to do so (selling the old and buying the new and paying the difference)... which to me is a better way to spend the money, keep a current computer, and always be under warranty... but many people buy a mac to keep it for a while, so for them Apple Care is GREAT.
Click to expand...

Ok, I am deciding on getting the MBP 15 HR AG but needed your input.

Q1 What is the "trade up" plan that your talking about. Do you go directly to Apple Store and tell them that you like to pay the difference for the newer model or is it more so that you sale your laptop on the net like ebay, Craigslist, ect.

Q2 is if I do purchase a new MBP without the Apple Care and buy from ebay what is the difference and how do I go about doing this...is it a code or something that I have to call apple, like how do I confirm its legitimacy?
 
2high2aim said:
Ok, I am deciding on getting the MBP 15 HR AG but needed your input.

Q1 What is the "trade up" plan that your talking about. Do you go directly to Apple Store and tell them that you like to pay the difference for the newer model or is it more so that you sale your laptop on the net like ebay, Craigslist, ect.

Q2 is if I do purchase a new MBP without the Apple Care and buy from ebay what is the difference and how do I go about doing this...is it a code or something that I have to call apple, like how do I confirm its legitimacy?
Click to expand...

Trade up = Selling it

If its legit, they should be able to send you the AppleCare box along with serial number. You register it online.
 
Nice hijack there bro. Anyhow, the MBPs are all but silent. I have a fan control app, and until the fan hits about 5000 RPM, you literally can't hear it unless you put your ear to the hinge of the computer. It normally runs about 2000, occasionally hitting 3000 if the processor or HD is running a bit hot. The only time it is audible for me is when I am playing a game like the Sims, which is expected. The palm rests don't get hot at all, and the only part of the computer that gets a bit warm is around the middle at the back, where the CPU is, and it isn't really even very hot at that.
 
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