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Aluminum MBP 15" or uMBP 15"

A

Adammg

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 10, 2006
12
0
Been looking at both the older Aluminum and Refurb Unibodies. Both have similar specs

Aluminum
2.4Ghz
2GB RAM
VRAM 256(8600m GT)
LED, Backlit Keyboard
Matte Display

Unibody
2.4Ghz
2GB RAM
VRAM 256 (9600m GT)
LED, Backlit Keyboard
Glossy Display

Other than looks and design both seem to be the same, older style I've found to be on average $100-200 cheaper. I do prefer the matte displays and don't have the money for a new Unibody with matte.

Any suggestions on which one to get, negatives of both. Is the older aluminum still relevant enough to consider buying?
 
A lot of people on here say that the 8600gt is problematic in the macbook pro but having said that this is a forum site.
 
Definitely unibody one. I would avoid MBP with 8600M GT like plague. NVIDIA admitted that all 8600M GT GPUs are defective so sooner than later you have to take it to repair
 
What about one for 1,100 in excellent condition? Still stay away? I'm not going to be using it for graphic intensive stuff? does that matter?
 
Apple has free extended warranty on the defects. Just find one that has Applecare on it if you want even more peace of mind. I would only buy the MBP 4.1 however which was the generation right before the Unibody. MultiTouch is nice.
 
Since you prefer matte and don't have the money for a new unibody matte one the choice is obviously - the "classic" mbp.

They have extended the warranty for the 8600 card to 2 or 3 years, so no need for applecare.

I would avoid the glassy screens like plague.
 
The MBP 4.1 is pretty much the ideal workstation if matte is important. Only one with ExpressCard, matte and still have the newer features like MultiTouch. DL-DVI is also a lot more convenient than DisplayLink. I also like the keyboard on it better as it is a bit softer. However all my other Macs are chiclet and having one type of keyboard across all my computers would have been nice.
 
Hellhammer said:
Definitely unibody one. I would avoid MBP with 8600M GT like plague. NVIDIA admitted that all 8600M GT GPUs are defective so sooner than later you have to take it to repair
Click to expand...

I have the 8600gt and no problems 2 years out. If there is ever a problem, it's supposably covered by apple. While unfortunate, i wouldn't call it a dealbreaker.
 
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