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Are These Good Specs

roboGc

roboGc

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 7, 2014
144
1
goldcoast australia
im looking at buying my first MBP and the specs are

13.3" (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen display with support for millions of colours

2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz

4GB RAM

500GB HDD

Intel HD Graphics 4000

Built-in battery (7 hours)

Wi-Fi and BT

OS X Lion

720p FaceTime HD camera

Thunderbolt digital video output

FireWire

2 x USB 3 ports



just wondering if its worth getting over a macbook air the model number is

(MD101X/A)

if any one could help that would be great , thanks
 
Thats the old non-retina macbook pro you are looking at.

There are no "good-specs" or "bad-specs". It depends on what you need your macbook for.
 
roboGc said:
yeah im just wondering if its worth getting , the retina is just outta my price range
Click to expand...
:D
What will you be doing with your macbook?
What offers do you have on it?
Whats your budget?

The cmbp is heavier and makes a much better paper weight than the other models.
 
all i really do is download music , movies , tv shows , and convert a few files from time to time , im on a windows hp dv6 i3 currently but its 2+ years old and having graphics issues , and was wanting to go back to apple
 
roboGc said:
all i really do is download music , movies , tv shows , and convert a few files from time to time , im on a windows hp dv6 i3 currently but its 2+ years old and having graphics issues , and was wanting to go back to apple
Click to expand...
If thats all you do i would just get an ipad.
No need for a macbook, since even any modern smartphone can easily do those tasks.
 
roboGc said:
all i really do is download music , movies , tv shows , and convert a few files from time to time , im on a windows hp dv6 i3 currently but its 2+ years old and having graphics issues , and was wanting to go back to apple
Click to expand...

If that's all your doing, it will do that with out breaking a sweat.
 
i rent to own all my pc's i find it easyer to do and they were the specs and the model number they have , or i can go for the newest macbook air but im not a big fan , its a brand new item

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i have an ipad and 16gb wont hold much lol

and i need a new laptop ,

----------

and i dnt have the $1500 to $2500 to get a good macbook pro with retina display as i work in retail
 
It will do what you need with room to spare infact any laptop from the last 4 years would. No point like you say spending on the top end machines for light use.
I would recomend upgrading the drive to ssd when you get a chance, it should be an easy upgrade and will make a massive difference, you could probably put some more ram in also. Fairly minor, cheap and easy upgrades that will make it a lot quicker.
I just came from a 2010 2.4 13" with 8gb ram and a 480gb ssd, did 99% of what I needed well.
 
The specs look ok, though you may be better suited to bump of the ram. 4GB seems rather meager in this day and age. With that said, its hard to fully state how good or poor it is, because you didn't state what your uses will be

Depending on the price had you considered a MacBook Air?
 
roboGc said:
all i really do is download music , movies , tv shows , and convert a few files from time to time , im on a windows hp dv6 i3 currently but its 2+ years old and having graphics issues , and was wanting to go back to apple
Click to expand...

Any laptop made in the last 5 years can easily handle that. Heck, if an iPad had more storage it'd be powerful enough. The specs are plenty good enough for you.
 
maflynn said:
The specs look ok, though you may be better suited to bump of the ram. 4GB seems rather meager in this day and age. With that said, its hard to fully state how good or poor it is, because you didn't state what your uses will be

Depending on the price had you considered a MacBook Air?
Click to expand...


all i really do is download music , movies , tv shows , and convert a few files from time to time
 
You definitely want a machine with a solid-state drive. The speed and responsiveness will be in a whole different category from the old, slow, spinning-platter hard disks.

I think you are best off getting a refurbished mid-2013 MacBook Air. From your light workload, it sounds like you will be fine with 4 GB of RAM. The questions are whether you prefer the 11.6" or 13.3" screen, and whether you want a 256 GB SSD or if you can make do with 128.

11.6" MacBook Air, mid-2013
$719 for the 128 GB SSD model
$889 for the 256 GB SSD model

13.3" MacBook Air, mid-2013
$799 for the 128 GB SSD model
$979 for the 256 GB SSD model

You may also consider the late-2013 retina MacBook pro:

13.3" MacBook Pro with retina display, late-2013
$1099 for the 4 GB RAM, 128 GB SSD model
$1269 for the 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD model

Edit: It is also worth noting that the machine in the OP has a weak HD 4000 graphics card. The Airs mentioned have the vastly superior HD 5000, and the retina Pros have HD 5100 "Iris" graphics.
 
Last edited:
roboGc said:
why ? macbook air is 4gb ram and 128ssd !!!!
Click to expand...

Get the 256Gb SSD Macbook Air. The CPU perfromace of the new Air is on par with the MBP you were looking at, but the air has a much faster drive allowing for instant app lunching and fast boot ups.
 
Qaanol said:
You definitely want a machine with a solid-state drive. The speed and responsiveness will be in a whole different category from the old, slow, spinning-platter hard disks.

I think you are best off getting a refurbished mid-2013 MacBook Air. From your light workload, it sounds like you will be fine with 4 GB of RAM. The questions are whether you prefer the 11.6" or 13.3" screen, and whether you want a 256 GB SSD or if you can make do with 128.

11.6" MacBook Air, mid-2013
$719 for the 128 GB SSD model
$889 for the 256 GB SSD model

13.3" MacBook Air, mid-2013
$799 for the 128 GB SSD model
$979 for the 256 GB SSD model

You may also consider the late-2013 retina MacBook pro:

13.3" MacBook Pro with retina display, late-2013
$1099 for the 4 GB RAM, 128 GB SSD model
$1269 for the 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD model

Edit: It is also worth noting that the machine in the OP has a weak HD 4000 graphics card. The Airs mentioned have the vastly superior HD 5000, and the retina Pros have HD 5100 "Iris" graphics.
Click to expand...


dont have the funds for a retina and i want a dvd drive , and i dnt live in the usa i live in australia
 
MyiBill said:
So if you want a DVD drive how is the retina even a consideration?
Click to expand...

Iv never considered the retina one everyone says I should get it but iv decided on the 2012 MBP with DVD drive it will do the job

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I dnt have the funds for a few thousand dollars on a MacBook every few years and I dnt own several computers I have one , and no I dnt have the latest and greatest , who cares
 
roboGc said:
Iv never considered the retina one everyone says I should get it but iv decided on the 2012 MBP with DVD drive it will do the job

----------

I dnt have the funds for a few thousand dollars on a MacBook every few years and I dnt own several computers I have one , and no I dnt have the latest and greatest , who cares
Click to expand...

Well a retina is only a $100 more not thousands and if you just said you wanted a DVD drive no one would have suggested it.
 
roboGc said:
Iv never considered the retina one everyone says I should get it but iv decided on the 2012 MBP with DVD drive it will do the job

----------

I dnt have the funds for a few thousand dollars on a MacBook every few years and I dnt own several computers I have one , and no I dnt have the latest and greatest , who cares
Click to expand...

I don't know what the prices are in Australia, you'll have to scope that out for yourself. However, I will note that you could just get a small portable DVD drive, and it will work not only with whichever computer you get now, but any future machines as well.

And again I don't know how things are in Australia, but here in the US there is a strong secondary resale market for Macs. Meaning, in a few years when you are ready to upgrade, you will be able to sell the machine you get now for only a few hundred dollars less than you paid for it.

I reiterate my belief that you will be immensely more satisfied with a solid-state drive than a spinning-platter disk.
 
Why are you guys being this harsh on him?

He clearly came here because he needs advice and a lot of the things you guys consider "obvious" are completely alien to him.

Man I wish mods were active because a lot of you had potential to leave good posts but instead just throw generalized garbage at him.

To the OP:

What is your BUDGET and where are you buying this computer? There are options for you:
Your HP DV6 is a 15.6" laptop so I'm guessing you might be open to 15" laptops? If so, I would consider a refurbished (By Apple, not ANYONE else) 15" non-Retina MacBook Pro. It can be had for nearly the same price as a new 13" Classic Pro but it also has an optical drive, upgrade capability and a large hard drive.

The 2012 Classic Pro is not a bad choice (The laptop you listed) but you can get it a lot cheaper through other venues. Apple themselves sell refurbished units with the same warranty for cheaper than new and you can buy Apple Care for them.

I would also check out the Marketplace here. You might be able to find a Classic 15" or 13" that's still under warranty from a reputable seller and maybe even a local seller. (We have members from all over the world)
 
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