Advice on macbook pro.

[mbcollins93]

Hi,
what i am going to do is instead of posting a bunch of threads iam am going to ask all of my questions in this one thread. I am planning on getting 15-inch: 2.4GHz intel core 2 duo 2gb of memory, 200gb hard drive (i am planning on upgrading from 200 gb - 250 gb hard drive) Double-layer SuperDrive NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 256 MB. I will be getting this sometime after september 9.

question 1.
do you think i need a moniter.

question 2. what is the cheapest best moniter/ tv for the macbook pro.

question 3. can you play tv on a apple cinema.

question 4. what are some recommended software. that you think should be bought with a macbook pro.

question 5. what are some recommended cables or accessories that need to be purchased with a macbook pro.

question 6 and the final. is there anyway to play tv through a moniter.

thanks for all your help. this will be my first mac and i am excited to get one but at the same time nerves that i pay out the wazoo for a mac and get it and not know how to run the damn thing. so any help will be appreciated. also note that this will be my first laptop/notebook.
cheers

 

[Jaffa Cake]

Looking at questions 1, 4 and 5 what I'd ask is what exactly are you planning on using your new Mac for, besides the obvious general computery stuff?

For example, if you're looking to use it for design work then an external monitor may well be a useful purchase – on the other hand, if you're not interested in design then there's not much point recommending design software to you.

 

[CWallace]

question 1: do you think i need a monitor.

Depends. I went from a 24" Al iMac to the MBP you are looking at and I originally planned to get a Dell 30" (to share with a later Mac Pro), but Dell had a screaming deal on their 2408 24" which is what I ended up getting.

question 2: what is the cheapest best monitor/ tv for the macbook pro.

The cheapest monitor is never the best.

Opinion runs all over the place. If you plan to do color-critical work, an IPS-panel like used in Apple's Cinema Displays is generally considered the best, though they are the most expensive technology in general.

If you will do more gaming, video watching, and such, an S-PVA panel (like the Dell 2408) is usually a better option and is generally a few hundred dollars cheaper.

question 3: can you play tv on a apple cinema.

Live TV? Well if your cable/satellite box has a DVI or HDMI output, it might work. Never tried it, myself.

Pre-recorded TV playing from your MBP? Absolutely.

question 6: is there anyway to play tv through a monitor.

Many monitors have multiple video inputs that will accept the output from cable and satellite boxes. My Dell 2408 can take component, S-VHS, HDMI and DVI.

 

[mbcollins93]

some design and a lot more when i can buy some more software.

i will start out but buying fotomagico. because that is what i do. Once i get the camcorder i want i will do some video editing maybe with final cut express. then i will get logic so that i can make music to go along with fotomagico. and probably apeture. I will need most of this for a buisness. i dont do much photography but i will probably get into it with this buisness. I do mostly music making and cinematic slideshows.

 

[mbcollins93]

the tv part.

this computer will be in my room. so iwas wondering if i get a apple cinema or just a moniter if i could play my xbox 360 on it and maybe in the future run satelite tv from the den to my room.

 

[Minimoose 360]

The monitor I just bought for college http://www.buy.com/prod/viewsonic-x-series-vx2835wm-28-widescreen-lcd-monitor-800-1-3ms/q/loc/101/204832413.html

It's not exactly the best, but I got it for $500 and it's really l33t for a casual user. It dwarfs everyone elses in the residence hall :3

It has a nice resolution of 1900x1200 for 1080p gaming on the Xbox 360 (over HDMI) and also to output from a Macbook Pro. The 27.5" size is really a lot of screen real-estate!! 3ms response time, perfect for gaming.The biggest thing that drew me to this computer monitor was the TV LIKE INPUTS it has. HDMI, Component, Composite, S-Video...you can easily hook up a cable/sattelite set-top box to it, works like a charm. And this is all at a relatively cheap price, as I am a college student and don't want to pay an arm and a leg for an ACD.