A few questions before I buy MBP

[pcmofo]

So I am using windows currently. Got a free legit copy of vista and went back to XP after only a month. I have moved all of my files onto a computer that will act as a ftp, web, shared file server that will do all my downloading and share its content with the rest of my network. I am ready to switch and make the MBP my primary Computer.

Currently I,
Use photoshop
Dreamweaver
Video editing
audio editing
sketchup
itunes
firefox
as a basic list of applications, I build web sites professionally and I NEED everything to look accurate. (This is why I will be getting the Matte Screen)

I want to get the 15" $2,000 MBP and connect it to my 20" LCD via DVI when I am home to rock the dual screens. On the go I can show off web sites etc with enough size to make it show up well on the 15" screen.

Now for the questions.

1. How is the battery on the MBP 15"? this is very important and the only thing making me look at the macbook

2. MBP has 802.11n is it worth it to get apples router or is their a cheaper N router from someone else that will work as good?

3. Since I have all my extra hard drives in my server I would love to use Time Machine to backup over a network mapped drive. I plan on having other network mapped drives to access video from my server so I dont think this would be a problem. I heard that apple doesnt suppot this offically but their is a hack. Has anyone used this successfully?

4. How noisy is the MBP? I got to go to the apple store but its noisy in there.

5. If I am running dual monitors is the 256mb upgrade really worth it? I dont need the processor or hdd bump so an extra $500 is pretty steep to tack on.

6. I plan on waiting another month or 2 to see if new MBP comes out (mostly for a bump in batt life.) Is their anything else I should do in preperation for my new MBP?

7. I really dont want to pay the tax on $2,000. If I buy from NewEgg, Amazon, etc. they have free shipping and no tax. If apple releases a new MBP what would be the lag time before someone else started selling it? is their a better way to get around the tax?

Thanks for you help!

 

[HLdan]

If the battery on the MBP is the only importance of you making a decision to buy it then why buy a Macintosh computer at all? It really makes no sense to buy a Macintosh if your interest has nothing to do with the Mac OS X system, don't waste your money, just buy a simple Windows PC.

 

[Batt]

If the battery on the MBP is the only importance of you making a decision to buy it then why buy a Macintosh computer at all? It really makes no sense to buy a Macintosh if your interest has nothing to do with the Mac OS X system, don't waste your money, just buy a simple Windows PC.

I think he meant the only reason to look at the MacBook vs the MacBook Pro?

 

[pcmofo]

If the battery on the MBP is the only importance of you making a decision to buy it then why buy a Macintosh computer at all? It really makes no sense to buy a Macintosh if your interest has nothing to do with the Mac OS X system, don't waste your money, just buy a simple Windows PC.

Its not my reason for chosing Mac. its my reason for choosing between MBP and MB and also waiting for new lower power processors. I KNOW I want a Mac due to the OS which has gotten soooo much better in the last 2 revisions. I need a laptop so thats MB, MBP, or MBA. MBA is out due to ports and other features, That leaves MB and MBP. I would buy either baised on hardware alone (even if they were running xp) so the fact that they are running OSX is a bonus that makes up for the price premium.

I love the look and performance of the MBP but I could trade screen size for more battery life. which is the only reason I would choose the MB

 

[Anderson3133]

So I am using windows currently. Got a free legit copy of vista and went back to XP after only a month. I have moved all of my files onto a computer that will act as a ftp, web, shared file server that will do all my downloading and share its content with the rest of my network. I am ready to switch and make the MBP my primary Computer.

Currently I,
Use photoshop
Dreamweaver
Video editing
audio editing
sketchup
itunes
firefox
as a basic list of applications, I build web sites professionally and I NEED everything to look accurate. (This is why I will be getting the Matte Screen)

I want to get the 15" $2,000 MBP and connect it to my 20" LCD via DVI when I am home to rock the dual screens. On the go I can show off web sites etc with enough size to make it show up well on the 15" screen.

Now for the questions.

1. How is the battery on the MBP 15"? this is very important and the only thing making me look at the macbook

2. MBP has 802.11n is it worth it to get apples router or is their a cheaper N router from someone else that will work as good?

3. Since I have all my extra hard drives in my server I would love to use Time Machine to backup over a network mapped drive. I plan on having other network mapped drives to access video from my server so I dont think this would be a problem. I heard that apple doesnt suppot this offically but their is a hack. Has anyone used this successfully?

4. How noisy is the MBP? I got to go to the apple store but its noisy in there.

5. If I am running dual monitors is the 256mb upgrade really worth it? I dont need the processor or hdd bump so an extra $500 is pretty steep to tack on.

6. I plan on waiting another month or 2 to see if new MBP comes out (mostly for a bump in batt life.) Is their anything else I should do in preperation for my new MBP?

7. I really dont want to pay the tax on $2,000. If I buy from NewEgg, Amazon, etc. they have free shipping and no tax. If apple releases a new MBP what would be the lag time before someone else started selling it? is their a better way to get around the tax?

Thanks for you help!

1. It is ok, it is also dependant on whether you use bluetooth, backlighting, and screen brightness. At it's best you could probably squeeze 3-4 hours out with all of those running at full capacity.

2. Since you are doing web design, I would suggest getting the Time capsule which was just released, that way you get an 802.11n router and a backup drive which always comes in handy when you are a professional.

4. The MBP, in my opinion is somewhat noisy, or as Steve Jobs would say "screamers".

6. If you are holding out for a MBP update, please pray. I would love one as well, but with the MBA just released, do NOT get your hopes up. Apple would love for this laptop to be successful to early adopters. Also, they did make a built-to-order upgrade recently, so it is likely that it may be quite a while still. Especially, from what I hear, the new Penryn chips are having some kid of issues.

7. As for Amazon and Newegg, I would go with Amazon. Amazon typically gets the product the same day Apple retail stores get it. Also, (I am unsure of what taxes are like for electronics in USA) you could use a student discount card, assuming you went to College or University. However, with the Student discount, it can only be used at Apple Retail stores, and on the Apple online store.

 

[PDE]

1. How is the battery on the MBP 15"? this is very important and the only thing making me look at the macbook


Battery is not bad, but not as good as macbook. I usually get about 3- 31/2 hours with the MBP and about 4hrs with the macbook with wifi on and mixed use. Anything processor intensive will lower those numbers significantly.



2. MBP has 802.11n is it worth it to get apples router or is their a cheaper N router from someone else that will work as good?


I really like the apple router, but there are cheaper ones that will work as well - linksys and netgear, for example. They're fine too.



4. How noisy is the MBP? I got to go to the apple store but its noisy in there.


Under normal light use, almost completely silent. When the fans spin up during CPU intensive work, they're audible but not terribly loud. I wouldn't want to sit in a quiet library with those things going, but it's not as bad as the macbook fans.


6. I plan on waiting another month or 2 to see if new MBP comes out (mostly for a bump in batt life.) Is their anything else I should do in preperation for my new MBP?

no, just remember that if it is a total redesign I would recommend not getting the first revision as there will definitely be issues that have not been sorted out. If it's a complete redesign, I'd recommend getting the last rev of the current design to avoid trouble.

7. I really dont want to pay the tax on $2,000. If I buy from NewEgg, Amazon, etc. they have free shipping and no tax. If apple releases a new MBP what would be the lag time before someone else started selling it? is their a better way to get around the tax?

amazon is great! No way around taxes if you buy from Apple. The normal lag time is usually not that long, maybe a few weeks at most and sometimes shorter.

 

[chops42257]

I'll try to answer the remaining questions

3.
Apparently, an upcoming upgrade to Leopard(10.5.2) enables network drive with Time Machine, but it's still only a rumor. Even if it is possible, hard drive format may become a hurdle if you want file sharing.(Time Machine needs HFS+ formatted HDD)

5.
I don't think it's worth it, at least for usage with the resolution of a 20" LCD display.

 

[CaptainCaveMann]

So I am using windows currently. Got a free legit copy of vista and went back to XP after only a month. I have moved all of my files onto a computer that will act as a ftp, web, shared file server that will do all my downloading and share its content with the rest of my network. I am ready to switch and make the MBP my primary Computer.

Currently I,
Use photoshop
Dreamweaver
Video editing
audio editing
sketchup
itunes
firefox
as a basic list of applications, I build web sites professionally and I NEED everything to look accurate. (This is why I will be getting the Matte Screen)

I want to get the 15" $2,000 MBP and connect it to my 20" LCD via DVI when I am home to rock the dual screens. On the go I can show off web sites etc with enough size to make it show up well on the 15" screen.

Now for the questions.

1. How is the battery on the MBP 15"? this is very important and the only thing making me look at the macbook

2. MBP has 802.11n is it worth it to get apples router or is their a cheaper N router from someone else that will work as good?

3. Since I have all my extra hard drives in my server I would love to use Time Machine to backup over a network mapped drive. I plan on having other network mapped drives to access video from my server so I dont think this would be a problem. I heard that apple doesnt suppot this offically but their is a hack. Has anyone used this successfully?

4. How noisy is the MBP? I got to go to the apple store but its noisy in there.

5. If I am running dual monitors is the 256mb upgrade really worth it? I dont need the processor or hdd bump so an extra $500 is pretty steep to tack on.

6. I plan on waiting another month or 2 to see if new MBP comes out (mostly for a bump in batt life.) Is their anything else I should do in preperation for my new MBP?

7. I really dont want to pay the tax on $2,000. If I buy from NewEgg, Amazon, etc. they have free shipping and no tax. If apple releases a new MBP what would be the lag time before someone else started selling it? is their a better way to get around the tax?

Thanks for you help!

1. The battery life is not bad. People claim 4-5 hours under lighter use. Heavier use, you can expect closer to 4 hours. There are many ways to adjust your battery life, via screen brightness, settings, etc. The battery life on a macbook should be about an hour more than a mbp.

2. Check out bestbuy.com for this one.

3. No idea.

4. Noisy is relative. Some might say an airplane is noisy while others would say a mouse is noisy. Give me your own scale so I can better answer your question?

5. I personally don't think the upgrade is worth it unless you will be gaming. But for just running dual monitors, the standard card will do fine.

6. Save money?

7. I would say a couple weeks longer before you start seeing other retailers having them in stock.

 

[MarkMS]

7. I would say a couple weeks longer before you start seeing other retailers having them in stock.

Big Apple resellers like MacConnection, MacMall, and Amazon usually ship out around the same time as Apple does. MacConnection has started to charge tax, but MacMall and Amazon are still tax-free.

As for the MacBook Air, it will begin shipping in February and Amazon had it slated for the 5th of February the last time I checked. For smaller (local) resellers, it may take a few weeks or so.

 

[ntrigue]

Currently I....I build web sites professionally and I NEED everything to look accurate. (This is why I will be getting the Matte Screen)

The MacBook Pro is really your only option to operate efficiently - the battery life is NOT a determining factor.

I want to get the 15" $2,000 MBP and connect it to my 20" LCD via DVI when I am home to rock the dual screens. On the go I can show off web sites etc with enough size to make it show up well on the 15" screen

We could go into quite a bit more detail here. I would use your laptop as the palatte screen for editing programs and hookup to a CRT for color accuracy. Some may recommend high-end LCD's or the ACD's from Apple.

Now for the questions.

1. How is the battery on the MBP 15"? this is very important and the only thing making me look at the macbook

What's the point of 15% better battery life if you spend 50% more time in Photoshop - FinalCut - etc? You will get beach balls and timeouts on a MacBook doing the work you do.

2. MBP has 802.11n is it worth it to get apples router or is their a cheaper N router from someone else that will work as good?

Yes. But the Time Capsule looks very promising; especially for your needs. Here is an example of Wireless-N Routers. My personal drool over its looks is the Belkin N1 Vision.

4. How noisy is the MBP? I got to go to the apple store but its noisy in there.

I haven't ... not once ... been concerned or had my attention drawn to excess noise from this computer.

5. If I am running dual monitors is the 256mb upgrade really worth it? I dont need the processor or hdd bump so an extra $500 is pretty steep to tack on.

This is one of those things. It cannot be replaced later without voiding warranty and will be the standard by this time next year. I would place a lot of faith in GFX and RAM on a professional's MBP.

6. I plan on waiting another month or 2 to see if new MBP comes out (mostly for a bump in batt life.) Is their anything else I should do in preperation for my new MBP?

I made that same statement this same time last year. I waited until May and purchased the machine that had been available for months! If you need the newest and shiniest then sell this one when the new ones come out.

7. I really dont want to pay the tax on $2,000. If I buy from NewEgg, Amazon, etc. they have free shipping and no tax. If apple releases a new MBP what would be the lag time before someone else started selling it? is their a better way to get around the tax?

Amazon shipping is pretty darn fast so I think its only 48 hours difference tops! You're already waiting 2 months right?!

Thanks for you help!

You're Welcome!

 

[KingYaba]

The Macbook Pro can be noisy when playing video games.

 

[HLdan]

Oops, my bad to the OP: Misunderstood your post. If it's a question between the Macbook and the MBP you also may want to consider the express card slot in the MBP. It will open a lot more opportunities for expansion for air cards and other peripherals. However in all honesty, the Macbook's battery is longer.

 

[MacBooksRock]

my 17" 2.16 is quiet...

 

[Batt]

my 17" 2.16 is quiet...

Ditto my 2.33. And i will NEVER buy another laptop without backlighting.

 

[pcmofo]

Thanks for your answers everyone! I think I have all of the info I need. And now we play the waiting game....