About to purchase 17" MBP - 2 questions

[macbook123]

1) since the recent updates of the 13 and 15 inchers, are there any advantages those have that may come to the 17 inch one soon? I seem to recall reading somewhere that the screens are brighter, is this true? For SD access, can I buy an adapter for the esata?

2) how much faster would the 256 GB SSD be than a 7200 RPM hard drive?

 

[thegoldenmackid]

1) since the recent updates of the 13 and 15 inchers, are there any advantages those have that may come to the 17 inch one soon? I seem to recall reading somewhere that the screens are brighter, is this true? For SD access, can I buy an adapter for the esata?

Yes, that is one large advantage because obviously the SD Card port will not be helpful with eSata

2) how much faster would the 256 GB SSD be than a 7200 RPM hard drive?

For most people it is not necessary, is 7 seconds of boot time really worth that much money?

 

[MacMini2009]

1. It had a small spec boost at WWDC. I think they also got the 60% more color gamut in their screens.
2. Its faster, but I don't by how much.

 

[macbook123]

Yes, that is one large advantage because obviously the SD Card port will not be helpful with eSata


For most people it is not necessary, is 7 seconds of boot time really worth that much money?

What are concrete eSATA->SD adapters?

It can't be only the boot time though. Has anybody done a detailed benchmarking comparison?

 

[macbook123]

1. It had a small spec boost at WWDC. I think they also got the 60% more color gamut in their screens.
2. Its faster, but I don't by how much.

What had a small spec boost? The 17" one? I thought it had 60% more color camut? Are you saying the 13" and 15" have higher gamut? Please clarify. Thanks.

 

[MacMini2009]

What had a small spec boost? The 17" one? I thought it had 60% more color camut? Are you saying the 13" and 15" have higher gamut? Please clarify. Thanks.

The 17in had a very minor spec boost. All Macbook Pros got the 60% higher color gamut.

 

[spinnerlys]

What are concrete eSATA->SD adapters?

It can't be only the boot time though. Has anybody done a detailed benchmarking comparison?

I don't know of any, as one is a port (SATA) and the other is a medium (SD card).

The 17-inch model has a ExpressCard /34 slot, not an e-SATA port.
You can use that slot however to add e-SATA ports or an SD slot or whatever you like (almost).


Also Apple's page on MBPs might give you an insight about the technical specifications of all their models and even some information about their displays, even if its only marketing speak.

Here's a review of all the new displays: http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=7-10041-10146&sr=hotnews

 

[Onay]

17" uMBP has more colors, anti-glare screen options, a flexible ExpressCard slot, the best battery life....

Did I mention Anti-Glare Matte Screens? SO much better IMO

 

[macbook123]

17" uMBP has more colors, anti-glare screen options, a flexible ExpressCard slot, the best battery life....

Did I mention Anti-Glare Matte Screens? SO much better IMO

I know. The anti-glare and higher resolution are the main reasons I'm ditching my Oct '08 15" uMBP.

 

[macbook123]

Input anybody on the difference between the SSD and HDD options?

Also, if I opt for the HDD now, can I later self-upgrade to the SDD?

 

[spinnerlys]

SSD has up to 200MB/s write and read speed, the HDD has around 50 to 70MB/s if it's the 7200rpm model. There is a big thread in the MBP/PB forum somewhere about SSDs.

You can also upgrade yourself without voiding the warranty. Apple even has a guide for replacing the hard drive.


EDIT: Just did a speed test with the AJA System Test software (http://www.aja.com/ajashare/AJA_System_Test_v601.zip), and my 465GB HDD with 5400 RPM had a write/read speed of 74.5MB/s with a 128MB file and 71.5MB/s write and 72.6MB/s read with a 2GB file.
So a 7200 RPM HDD might be a little bit faster than just 70MB/s.

 

[adamjackson]

1. screen is the same as other models as far as color & brightness. I have a new 15 & 17 and can't see a difference. You're going to love the resolution of the 17" though.

2. SSD rocks. I have one very fast. you don't "need" it but it's very nice to have. I'd go with a 256GB SSD over 8GBs of ram.

 

[macbook123]

SSD has up to 200MB/s write and read speed, the HDD has around 50 to 70MB/s if it's the 7200rpm model. There is a big thread in the MBP/PB forum somewhere about SSDs.

You can also upgrade yourself without voiding the warranty. Apple even has a guide for replacing the hard drive.

Great, I just want to be sure that there are no different connectors for the HDD and SSD drives. If I can replace them myself, I'll buy a 500 GB HDD now and exchange for a 512 GB SSD once they become less expensive.

 

[Artful Dodger]

There was a thread with Geekbench scores and those that had the SSD had a nice boost in stats compared to the stock or 7200 HDDs. My score was 3795 but is stock, no SSD yet, maybe at years end but not until 500GB come down in price.
The screen looks great and may look better due to the Res. but I think they all are looking better than some of the past.
There is also an expresscard for reading cards and using esata which as mentioned earlier comes in handy but at somewhat of a price.
Good luck

 

[macbook123]

Another two questions:

3) how do the internal speakers of the 17" compare to those of the 15"?

4) Has Apple incorporated on-the-fly switching between the two graphics cards, so that when I'm on external power I can use the 9600 without logging out and back in?

Thanks...

 

[tim100]

1) since the recent updates of the 13 and 15 inchers, are there any advantages those have that may come to the 17 inch one soon? I seem to recall reading somewhere that the screens are brighter, is this true? For SD access, can I buy an adapter for the esata?

2) how much faster would the 256 GB SSD be than a 7200 RPM hard drive?

1) the advantages of the 13 and 15 are they are more portable. also the res on the 17 makes the text small. the 13 and 15 are easier to read

2) it would be faster and should last longer

 

[tim100]

3) how do the internal speakers of the 17" compare to those of the 15"?

4) Has Apple incorporated on-the-fly switching between the two graphics cards, so that when I'm on external power I can use the 9600 without logging out and back in?

Thanks...

3) the internal speakers on the 17 blow away the 15, much much better

4) switching is fast and easy

I have a 17 and 13. The 17 in almost all areas is better than the 13 the exceptions are
1) i think the native res of the 17 is too high but some love the high res
2) the 17 is not very portable I like to lay on the floor and sit on a couch with my laptop. the larger screen creates bad angles and larger size

 

[spinnerlys]

3) how do the internal speakers of the 17" compare to those of the 15"?

4) Has Apple incorporated on-the-fly switching between the two graphics cards, so that when I'm on external power I can use the 9600 without logging out and back in?

Thanks...

3. Various posters on this forum wrote, that the 17-inch model has better sound than the 15-inch model, because the 17-inch has five speakers and the 15-inch only three, including the subwoofer.

4. No, as it has something to do with the OS and it is expected, that Snow Leopard will be capable of doing this.
Now one still has to restart the WindowServer process, which is responsible for the nice GUI over the underlying layer.
http://www.peachpit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=31702