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Another i5 vs. i7
- Thread starter AbjectEvolution
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If you want a Mac, buy used or refurb and save some money for school.
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/macbook_pro
get the 2.53. buy it soon and get the student deal with a free ipod. sell the ipod for like $200 and it will off set the price of the 2.53 with HR AG screen to $1829 pre tax.
best idea yet eh?
best idea yet eh?
I'd say cheapest 2.4 GHz i5, external hard drive for backups (this is an absolute, absolute must for not more than $100), and an external 24 inch monitor for when it's at your desk. Your decision whether you go with low resolution or high resolution. I'd use low resolution with external monitor.
Upgrade to 8 GB RAM when the RAM is cheap in one or two years time, upgrade to 1 TB hard drive or an SSD drive or maybe someone sell hybrid drives in one or two years time for the same reason.
with your budget why not opt for an affordable 2.66ghz 13" MBPro - easy on the back as well as the muscles and wallet - and buy an el cheapo large display for serious stuff at home.
if you have $ left over - or come into some soon then you can always invest in 2x 4gb memory sticks
just a thought
if you have $ left over - or come into some soon then you can always invest in 2x 4gb memory sticks
just a thought
LOL yeah thats idiotic. if you can somehow save up the extra money you have, then go with the i7 and call it a day. no more "worries" etc, because you will have the best cpu apple currently has to offer. pretty much will that extra money needed ease your mind in the long run? if so, find some job and save.
But to be honest, if you don't have a job yet and your already deciding on spending money you don't already have, thats intense lol. It literally took me from december. shortly after christmas up until a couple weeks after the updates to the mbp's were released for me to have enough (this was after spending $500 on my car insurance, plus $400 to get new front axles on my car, plus necessities like gas, eating out at times etc.) my point is, if you don't have a job now, and you have other expenses lined up for you to pay off besides saving 100% for ur mbp, then i honestly wouldn't look into 15" mbps for now. cause saving a portion of my weekly pay checks towards my mbp was long and strenuous. sorry for sounding like a downer, but if you have no solid stream of income coming in, then that $1000 or $500 is going to seem like eternity.
Thanks for the comments but again, buying this laptop won't put me into dept. I have my finances mapped out for a year and the money I'm spending on this is left over. I understand the concern, but no one needs to worry. I'm sorry if I gave off the wrong impression that I'm just starting college and probably live in my Mom's basement. I have been married for 7 years to someone I have known for 20, we have two kids, we are both students, musicians, and we both work on the side. I wouldn't jeopardize the finances of my family to buy a computer... this is something I have been working towards for months.
Nothing to worry about. In fact, I believe I have found the solution to getting the configuration I want and everyone's input in this thread has been extremely helpful. In this thread I was only asking for input on the configuration of the MBP I want and what things I can sacrifice to meet my budget and to that end... the thread was helpful.
Nothing to worry about. In fact, I believe I have found the solution to getting the configuration I want and everyone's input in this thread has been extremely helpful. In this thread I was only asking for input on the configuration of the MBP I want and what things I can sacrifice to meet my budget and to that end... the thread was helpful.
So what? Unsolicited advice that has a nasty edge to it is a bad idea in public forums. That the OP has not yet started college is no excuse for doing that sort of thing. It does absolutely no good and creates an atmosphere of hostility. Think about it.Relax on the big words. The OP hasn't even started college yet.
Modern games at high settings are going to be an issue regardless whether you've got the 256MB or 512MB 330M card. The Macbook Pro is a terrible gaming machine. Since you plan on using the computer in classrooms, I'd strongly recommend getting a 13" MBP and spending the difference on a PC (laptop or desktop, you can get something that crushes the Mac for gaming)
Agree with others who said get anti-glare. I would get hi-res anti-glare myself (I did, actually-- previous generation). If you are doing serious Photoshop you can't have too much memory- I would save a few bucks to upgrade to 8GB of (Crucial) memory later.
You really need to consider the 13" MBP. It's a terrific computer and in your price range.
edit: oops, I didn't see your last post. Good luck with whatever you get!
cheers
JohnG
Thanks for the explanation, I appreciated it. Sometimes I fear that I may need humor gene therapy.I was joking.
as a gamer, I would get the i7 + 330m 512mb. that way no regrets. I loved my MB when I had it but ultimately games took over and I had to roll a PC again. If I could afford it I would get a MBP again and get the option I listed. But if not going all out then the i5 2.4ghz option + 330m 256GB will work. You just can't do high res textures, but the i5-520m is on par to the T9500 C2D's.. i5's are just sick. Note games like SC2 won't let you run higher than medium b/c of the 256GB vram. Lol, I know the price is a lot though.. you could always look at the Envy's. Nice CPU + GPU's.
As it happened, the poster to whom I directed the foregoing was joking so I ain't mad.