A few specific questions about the new MBP

[kasakka]

I'm thinking of getting a Macbook Pro due to the better, larger screen and FireWire.

The setup I'm going for would be like this:

1. Macbook Pro (20" external monitor) - general everyday use ('net, mail, irc, music, coding etc)
2. desktop PC (22" monitor + 40" HDTV) - games, movies, 2D/3D graphics and video editing

I've got a few questions though:

• What kind of cable do I need if I want to connect the FW800 port to a FW400 device (an Echo AudioFire4 audio interface)? Will a simple FW800 9pin -> 6pin cable do or is the "bilingual" cable something else?
• The mini Displayport -> DVI adapter, is it possible to use it for VGA if you connect a DVI->VGA adapter to it or does it only have the pins for DVI?
• Can you turn off the keyboard backlight?
• If I were to later get the wireless keyboard (plan to try using Synergy first), could it be used to wake the MBP from sleep if it's used in closed lid mode with an external display?
• If I want to get net access as well as a LAN (for file transfers) with the PC at home, what do I need? Both computers only have one ethernet port and my net is connected via a single ethernet port in the wall (100/10 Mbps).
• Is a 7200 RPM hard drive worth it? Or would it only bring noise (low to no noise is important to me) with only a marginal performance boost?

 

[iMacDragon]

• What kind of cable do I need if I want to connect the FW800 port to a FW400 device (an Echo AudioFire4 audio interface)? Will a simple FW800 9pin -> 6pin cable do or is the "bilingual" cable something else?
• The mini Displayport -> DVI adapter, is it possible to use it for VGA if you connect a DVI->VGA adapter to it or does it only have the pins for DVI?
• Can you turn off the keyboard backlight?
• If I were to later get the wireless keyboard (plan to try using Synergy first), could it be used to wake the MBP from sleep if it's used in closed lid mode with an external display?
• If I want to get net access as well as a LAN (for file transfers) with the PC at home, what do I need? Both computers only have one ethernet port and my net is connected via a single ethernet port in the wall (100/10 Mbps).
• Is a 7200 RPM hard drive worth it? Or would it only bring noise (low to no noise is important to me) with only a marginal performance boost?

A FW 9 to 6 pin cable should be fine.

You can not use the dvi dongle for VGA, there's no analogue pins on it very annoyingly.

The keyboard backlight can be turned off in OS X by setting it to lowest level, but this does not work on current bootcamp driver for windows.

I believe the wireless keyboard should wake it from sleep into clamshell mode, though I've heard it runs very hot like this so I'm not personally sure how good an idea it is yet.

You'll need either a router or a switch, depending on what's at the other end of that network cable, hard to advise without knowing exactly how your connection is provided. If its shared accomodation of some sort with a centrall provided internet over the local network, then a switch might be what you need, but if its not going to a local network, then you'll need a router.

I'm not sure just how big the performance gains will be, but it would bring some more noise and possibly vibration, though I don't think its any louder than the fans anyway.

 

[Omni Geno]

Regarding the 7200 RPM hard drive, this thread http://www.maclife.com/forums/topic/108323 might have what you need. Good luck with your decision!