Advice needed- New MBP, or upgrade MB to SSD.

[tigres]

Hey all,

I have a couple of questions- and thanks very much for any input.

I want to get a xmas gift for my son this year; and his age is showing (he's 15) so his list is nice and short. In 09' (dec) we got him his first Mac (unibody white) for xmas, and school use. Best purchase ever to be honest, he is on it daily and loves it.

Well, he games more now (Steam/Valve etc - I am not up with the gaming crowd to much), but he does have 4GB ram I put in last year.

What purchase should I do to get him - 1. more space, 2. faster speeds, and 3 better Frame Rates (so he complains about)?

Do I upgrade his machine to an SSD drive? If so, what do you recommend?
(He is on Lion now Btw) Brand, size etc.

Or, do I sell his machine and buy a new MBP 13" (they have them at microcenter for 999) - Are these any good?

I figure if I update and spend $ on the older MB, I may be spending it unwisely. I should be able to get 600 for his, so the net cost should be 450 for the upgrade to a MBP after net.

I would love some advice.

Also, this is on my local CL- what do you think??

BEGIN AD-
"4 Month old 13" Early 2011 Apple Macbook Pro
i5 2.3 Ghz
4GB Ram

I do not use this machine at all so it has very, very low use. No scratches, perfect condition.

Note:
This machine has an intel 80 GB boot Drive installed and the 320GB factory Hard Drive has been moved to the DVD drive bay. You can use the DVD as an external drive after buying an $15 case for it.

If you want the machine returned to normal I will do so upon request. The SSD makes it boot extremely fast. "

End AD

 

[dlimes13]

The 13 inch MacBook Pro would not be good for gaming at all, since the video is a wimpy Intel HD 3000. You would need a 15 inch MacBook Pro at least the Early-2011 base model (6490M).

 

[WickedOne513]

I think you will find a increase in performance with the newer specs. But I would also be tempted to wait on the upgrade for the 2012 models to come out, this is because it is rumored to have the sandy bridge processor. With that you might find a graphic card improvements also. dlimes13 is correct in that a stand alone graphics card that the 15" and 17" models bring in will be a great improvement for gaming. Just depends on the percentage of use your son will do with either game vs carrying it to school.

As far as SDD I wouldn't do that, cost over reward isn't worth it IMO. If your son is complaining about FPS (frames per second) a SSD isn't going to greatly improve that issue.

As far as your CL find, I would be cautious about that one, more because the internal requirements to link the to HDD's to that computer. Yes the seller can return to new, however you don't know what damage has been done in that modification. Could lead to more cost in the future.

 

[Steve's Barber]

You've thought this through in a practical manner. Tough choices. The "gaming" caveat is the only issue.

Personally… I'd go with the new $999 micro center option. They are fully warrantied just as though you got it from the Apple Store. You'll basically be upgrading everything he complains about now. Besides… the PolyCarb WhiteBooks are too girly.


(I'm not much into CL for "gifting" to others as these things are important. If it was for myself that would be a different story.)

But I would also be tempted to wait on the upgrade for the 2012 models to come out, this is because it is rumored to have the sandy bridge processor.

They already have the SB chip. Besides, new MBP designs will not be here for XMAS.

 

[tigres]

Thanks guys, all good helpful suggestions.

Will he see an increase in performance with the new MBP vs his MB for gaming? Does the i5 chip handle this better than his core duo?

Also, what if I splurge, and pop in a SSD in an new MBP? if so, can I get away with this rather inexpensive- or is that wishful thinking?

 

[Steve's Barber]

Will he see an increase in performance with the new MBP vs his MB for gaming? Does the i5 chip handle this better than his core duo?

Much better just by the sheer brute force of the more powerful i5. Not so much because of the integrated graphics though. Overall, it's a definite performance boost.

Also, what if I splurge, and pop in a SSD in an new MBP? if so, can I get away with this rather inexpensive- or is that wishful thinking?

Not if you want to keep the kid from screaming about more drive space. 64 or 128GB is quite cost-effective for an SSD but comes short for room when compared to the 500GB hard drive in the new MBP.

Personally, I'd forego the SSD in a new MBP for now (You can always add it later). The stock 500GB will be a big step up for him by itself. If you want a cheap add-on, upgrade it to 8GB of RAM and he'll have a sweet machine.

Wow... what a nice mom.

 

[tigres]

Much better just by the sheer brute force of the more powerful i5. Not so much because of the integrated graphics though. Overall, it's a definite performance boost.

Not if you want to keep the kid from screaming about more drive space. 64 or 128GB is quite cost-effective for an SSD but comes short for room when compared to the 500GB hard drive in the new MBP.

Personally, I'd forego the SSD in a new MBP for now (You can always add it later). The stock 500GB will be a big step up for him by itself. If you want a cheap add-on, upgrade it to 8GB of RAM and he'll have a sweet machine.

Wow... what a nice mom.

Good Advice, thanks. I have even started thinking of a MBA for him; love mine and it's a 256 ssd w/4gb.

Question: what make u think I'm a mom?

 

[Steve's Barber]

I have even started thinking of a MBA for him; love mine and it's a 256 ssd w/4gb.

Well... there's that "gaming" thing though. Just trying to keep the guy a few extra frames with the MBP.

Question: what make u think I'm a mom?

Sorry my friend. Had your name confused with another poster.

 

[tigres]

Well... there's that "gaming" thing though. Just trying to keep the guy a few extra frames with the MBP.



Sorry my friend. Had your name confused with another poster.

Ha, no worries-. At any rate, I take it the MBA will not be good at gaming eh. What SSD drives would you recommend should I come across one?

I figure I'll do the 999 Microcenter deal, then maybe put a SSD in it later for him, or- is it difficult to pop in a 128GB SSD, pop Lion on it, and use the 500GB drive as his "storage/media/ect" drive in the optical bay?

Thx Steve-