Hi, MR community,
I'm about to sell my mid-2010 13" MBP, and will need to replace it on the same day. I got it as a replacement for a "lemon" mid-2008 unibody MacBook that failed repeatedly despite being repaired multiple times.
Currently, I have a hard time choosing between 2.8GHz dual-core i7 13", and 2.2GHz quad-core i7, 15".
I intend to upgrade it immediately with 8GB from OWC, and replace the internal HDD with a much smaller, but much faster SSD, also from OWC, as I read Apple's SSD performance wasn't necessarily top-end. An Apple Care service will also be bought.
Both are within expected budget, although with upgrades, the 15" may start to become a bit expensive.
Expected use: as the current MSc project is over, I don't expect to start a PhD immediately. Hence, I don't think I will be doing heavy 3D work tommorow, but it may happen, eventually. However, I do occasionally use a Windows virtual machine *sigh* that needs to have DirectX installed, even when the target application doesn't use 3D at all (Windows logic!). Plus, I sometimes crack WPA2 keys, and read that GPU-accelerated cracking was orders of magnitude faster with a CUDA-compatible GPU, making the difference between "virtually invulnerable", and "reasonably openable". I also regularly have to use a Windows XP virtual machine just to manage my Nokia E5 phone, and, rarely, burn video DVDs since the functionality is broken in OS X.
I can't speak about future use, but the last upgrades I did on the machine I'm selling were all about speed and reactivity. I tend to leave many windows open at the same time, hence the 8GB upgrade. From time to time, this is insufficient as I still manage to hit swap space. In fact, if I couldn't sell it, I seriously thought about installing a high-performance platter-drive inside, or an SSD.
I also really like to be able to sit about anywhere I can find a seat, not necessarily looking for a power outlet, thanks to the ~6h30 real runtime battery (optimistically rated 10h in 2010). Plus, I tend to haul my computer everywhere at all times, as well as its charger and longer cord (just in case).
I never found myself really constrained by the smaller screen estate, thanks to Spaces, except on those very rare times I found time to watch a movie (grad students forfeiting any free time in echange for knowledge). Also, glare wasn't a real issue most of the time. In bright light and while wearing a white shirt, reflection in the screen sometimes distracted me, but really, was a non-issue the vast majority of times. Plus, the rare times I encode DVD movies, I found myself quite satisfied with the Core 2 Duo performance.
It may also be important to note that, I learned the hard way that a house, appartment or shelter may be hard or too expensive to come by, hence, my link to the civilized world must be very reliable (Apple's laptops usually are) and not rely on external devices too much, hence me hauling it almost everywhere and keeping a strong padlock on hand.
Expected serious issue: no Rosetta means no native driver support for my scanner, which performs flawlessly and fast. However, despite being utmost "un-Apple" (install from command line, X11 required, cluttered interface), I managed to install XSANE through MacPorts and get a scan. Some options aren't available, such as 200dpi resolution.
Current issues with the MacBook Pro (mid-2010) are:
Integrated storage space is tight, the 250GB HDD being filled to ~85%, thanks to large music collection, photos, various caches...
If I install a SSD, it likely won't be larger since it would already cost about $300, and current issue won't be solved.
If I instead choose a high-performance platter HDD, space will double, but performance may take a small hit (although not allowing the system to self-defragment in the current set-up, in itself, lowers performance).
As much as iTunes is a heavy beast, once launched, it takes almost no CPU to play music, hence performance hit is minimal. I wouldn't be happy to have to find an additional spot for a fragile external HDD and its cable whenever I want to listen to music on the go.
Thus, what is your experience, either with the present 13", 2.8Ghz i7, and 15", 2.2 GHz i7, in regards to battery life, flexibility, portability? Were you able to revert one of these two to Snow Leopard?
More importantly, as I don't expect to switch computers each year, but rather when the Apple Care coverage expires or when an exceptional feature comes out, which model would fit the bill?
I'm about to sell my mid-2010 13" MBP, and will need to replace it on the same day. I got it as a replacement for a "lemon" mid-2008 unibody MacBook that failed repeatedly despite being repaired multiple times.
Currently, I have a hard time choosing between 2.8GHz dual-core i7 13", and 2.2GHz quad-core i7, 15".
I intend to upgrade it immediately with 8GB from OWC, and replace the internal HDD with a much smaller, but much faster SSD, also from OWC, as I read Apple's SSD performance wasn't necessarily top-end. An Apple Care service will also be bought.
Both are within expected budget, although with upgrades, the 15" may start to become a bit expensive.
Expected use: as the current MSc project is over, I don't expect to start a PhD immediately. Hence, I don't think I will be doing heavy 3D work tommorow, but it may happen, eventually. However, I do occasionally use a Windows virtual machine *sigh* that needs to have DirectX installed, even when the target application doesn't use 3D at all (Windows logic!). Plus, I sometimes crack WPA2 keys, and read that GPU-accelerated cracking was orders of magnitude faster with a CUDA-compatible GPU, making the difference between "virtually invulnerable", and "reasonably openable". I also regularly have to use a Windows XP virtual machine just to manage my Nokia E5 phone, and, rarely, burn video DVDs since the functionality is broken in OS X.
I can't speak about future use, but the last upgrades I did on the machine I'm selling were all about speed and reactivity. I tend to leave many windows open at the same time, hence the 8GB upgrade. From time to time, this is insufficient as I still manage to hit swap space. In fact, if I couldn't sell it, I seriously thought about installing a high-performance platter-drive inside, or an SSD.
I also really like to be able to sit about anywhere I can find a seat, not necessarily looking for a power outlet, thanks to the ~6h30 real runtime battery (optimistically rated 10h in 2010). Plus, I tend to haul my computer everywhere at all times, as well as its charger and longer cord (just in case).
I never found myself really constrained by the smaller screen estate, thanks to Spaces, except on those very rare times I found time to watch a movie (grad students forfeiting any free time in echange for knowledge). Also, glare wasn't a real issue most of the time. In bright light and while wearing a white shirt, reflection in the screen sometimes distracted me, but really, was a non-issue the vast majority of times. Plus, the rare times I encode DVD movies, I found myself quite satisfied with the Core 2 Duo performance.
It may also be important to note that, I learned the hard way that a house, appartment or shelter may be hard or too expensive to come by, hence, my link to the civilized world must be very reliable (Apple's laptops usually are) and not rely on external devices too much, hence me hauling it almost everywhere and keeping a strong padlock on hand.
Expected serious issue: no Rosetta means no native driver support for my scanner, which performs flawlessly and fast. However, despite being utmost "un-Apple" (install from command line, X11 required, cluttered interface), I managed to install XSANE through MacPorts and get a scan. Some options aren't available, such as 200dpi resolution.
Current issues with the MacBook Pro (mid-2010) are:
Integrated storage space is tight, the 250GB HDD being filled to ~85%, thanks to large music collection, photos, various caches...
If I install a SSD, it likely won't be larger since it would already cost about $300, and current issue won't be solved.
If I instead choose a high-performance platter HDD, space will double, but performance may take a small hit (although not allowing the system to self-defragment in the current set-up, in itself, lowers performance).
As much as iTunes is a heavy beast, once launched, it takes almost no CPU to play music, hence performance hit is minimal. I wouldn't be happy to have to find an additional spot for a fragile external HDD and its cable whenever I want to listen to music on the go.
Thus, what is your experience, either with the present 13", 2.8Ghz i7, and 15", 2.2 GHz i7, in regards to battery life, flexibility, portability? Were you able to revert one of these two to Snow Leopard?
More importantly, as I don't expect to switch computers each year, but rather when the Apple Care coverage expires or when an exceptional feature comes out, which model would fit the bill?
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