I have about $3500 saved up for a 15" macbook pro and I've just been waitin to see if theres any updates coming.. I really want to get 1 now cuz my old macbook pro is breakin down but if I get 1 and theres a new 1 released like 2 weeks later i wouldnt be 2 happy.. Is there anything new happening as far as macbook pros? should i buy now or wait!?
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Buy Now or Wait? (15" Macbook Pro)
- Thread starter thriii
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If you need a new MacBook right now and if the specifications of the current ones are suitable for your needs, go ahead and get it. It doesn't really matter if a new one comes out if the ones right now are perfectly capable of doing whatever it is that you do.
This is true.. Buy just want to make sure since arrandale is suppose to be comin out.. Is there any release date?
u should buy 1 rite now cuz there is no point in waiting 2 long cuz if u wait 2 long then u will always be waiting and waiting and waiting. if i were u i wood buy 1 rite now. arrandale is not going 2 come around for at least 4 months and that is 2 long 2 wait. go ahead and order 1 rite now, u have the right 2 be happy!
There is no release date.
You could google that.
If we knew, the forum would be "lit up" with forums about it. If your time frame is 2 weeks. You can buy now and definitely not worry for the next 2 weeks.
Like the one guy said, if you need it now, get it. If you can wait, go for it. Just don't expect anything 'til late January at the earliest IMO.
You could google that.
If we knew, the forum would be "lit up" with forums about it. If your time frame is 2 weeks. You can buy now and definitely not worry for the next 2 weeks.
Like the one guy said, if you need it now, get it. If you can wait, go for it. Just don't expect anything 'til late January at the earliest IMO.
If you can make your existing one last until Early 2009, you should be in luck in getting the next gen of MacBook Pro. If it were me, I would try to hold out. If I couldn't, but still really wanted the next gen - I would pick up a cheap refurb from the Apple Store, and then sell it when the new ones come out. For example they have 13" MacBook Pros for $999, which is pretty cheap and should probably not loose much value if you sold it around the time the new ones came out. I see used 13" MacBook Pros selling close to the refurb prices, so maybe you would lose around $100 - $200 when you decide to sell it and buy the new version.
If getting an Arrandale or whatever happens to be in the next gen is not important, then just buy what you want now, and enjoy!
If getting an Arrandale or whatever happens to be in the next gen is not important, then just buy what you want now, and enjoy!
3-4 months is a good amount of time.. im thinkin about just getting 1 now and selling the macbook i have now after its fixed up and the new 1 when arrandale comes out.. Im looking to get the 256 SSD and 4gb of ram.. is there any reasons y i wouldnt want to? Im mainly concerned about the heat it would generate.. Would it be better to get 1 of the other hard drives? thx!
That model is almost a year old already!
Ha - I'm living in the past - meant to say Early 2010!
Thriii - If you are looking at the 15" MBP and SSD - I might wait for the next gen. We just got our MacBook Pro 13" and ran into the EFI 1.7 problem. It originally came with a 160 GB drive (SATA I), and I upgraded it with a 320 GB drive (SATA II). After doing this, the computer would not boot. Turns out that EFI 1.7 Firmware changed the drive controller from 1.5 to 3.0 SATA. In doing so many SATA II drives would not boot normally (like ours). Speculation is that perhaps the drive cable is too thin to carry the SATA 3.0 Gbs signal. The solution for me was to downgrade from EFI 1.7 to EFI 1.6, allowing the drive to run in SATA I mode, and now all is fine (as long as I don't forget to remove the EFI 1.7 update every time I update my MacBook).
I bring this up because although EFI 1.6 is fine for my purposes, as normal hard drives don't exceed 1.5 Gbs speed - it could be a problem if you want to make full use of your SSD. I have read many cases where SSDs do not work with EFI 1.7, and when the users downgrade to EFI 1.6 their SSD drives are only slightly faster than SATA hard drives.
This has been a problem since June/July and Apple refuses to acknowledge the issue. As time goes by, I am becoming less and less confident that Apple will correct this widespread problem. Knowing what I know now, if I seriously wanted an SSD drive - I would wait for the next gen to be released. As far as I know, this is only an issue with the 13" and 15" Mid 2009 MacBook Pros.
So this is a probelm with pretty mucha ll 15 inch MBPs?
really wanted SSD.. I was thinkin about waiting but now that I know its probably going to be early 2010 Im thinkin about buying something now and selling the mbp i have now after fixing it up and the mbp i would buy.. how much of a difference is the 7200 rpm and the SSD?
So this is a probelm with pretty mucha ll 15 inch MBPs?
I would say yes, for mid 2009 15 inch MBPs this is a problem. Even if you want to upgrade your hard drive in the mid 2009 15" MacBook Pro, you have a very good chance of experiencing an issue. I can give you some links that you can read up on this issue:
Apple Support Discussions (1,800+ message thread!!!):
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2054387&start=0&tstart=0
9 to 5 Mac small article with some useful comments:
http://9to5mac.com/macbookunibody
MacRumors Thread concerning the problem:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/729883/
A more detailed explanation of the issues I had, and how I resolved them:
https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/8736660/
Sorry, I missed that part of the question. In comparison to SSD speeds, the difference between 5400 rpm and 7200 rpm drives is barely noticeable - SSD is much faster (without having the numbers in front of me, I would say a good SSD is two to three times faster than a 7200 rpm 2.5" drive).
If you don't want to wait, have you thought about looking at the 17" MacBook Pro refurbs? I'm not sure how much you were looking to spend, but a refurb 17" MacBook Pro might be close in price to a new 15", and the 17" does not seem to suffer from the same problems caused by the EFI 1.7 update. Refurbs are indistinguishable from the new Macs and are a great deal.
went thru all the threads and not sure what to do now.. really wanted to get a 15" mbp.. i have a 17" now and feel its kinda 2 big so ive been lookin to get a 15" next time around.. so every 15" mbp that is ordered has that problem or is it really a small amount of ppl like apple claims?
+1
If you don't want SSD and if you have a SATA II drive can live with the fact that you need to downgrade to EFI 1.6, and EVERY time you upgrade you need to deselect the EFI 1.7 Upgrade - then you can go with a current MBP.
Knowing this is an issue, however, and that new MBPs are around the corner after the holidays, I would really try to hold out for them.
I understand EFI 1.7 causes the problem, but whats the difference between EFI 1.6 and 1.7? I really want to wait.. but because of problems ive been patching with the my current MBP (Purchased in May 2007) im thinkin about gettin a MBP and upgrading maybe 4-5 months into 2010 because of the EFI problem.. but this problem does affect 100% of the 15" MBPs with 1.7 or just a handful?
I see this relating mostly to ppl that swap out their HD for another.. I would be getting an SSD straight from apple.. do I still ahve to deal with this problem?
I know this is like a waste of money.. but I work from home on my computer so if my computer goes that could be a big problem
When the mid 2009 MBP 13" and 15" were originally released, the drive controller was set at SATA I speeds (1.5 Gbps). Apple received some bad press about it's new "Pro" machines being limited to SATA I speeds (making SSDs not run to anything close to their potential). Apple quickly released EFI 1.7 firmware upgrade that switched the drive controller to SATA II 3.0 Gbps. Although, after the firmware upgrade the controller could now operate at SATA II speeds, a component in the MBP does not allow the SATA II signal to function properly. Under EFI 1.6 SATA II drives would operate in SATA I mode, which was fine. Under EFI 1.7 SATA II drives operate in SATA II mode - which does not work. Like I said before, speculation is that the problem is actually the drive cable, as some have reported swapping the DVD drive cable with the hard drive cable and eliminating the problem. Apple also appears to put its own firmware on the drives that it puts in its machines - meaning that they are not exactly the same as the ones we can order. That being said, lots of people who are running stock hard drives with this machine are also reporting problems (those drives are probably really running in SATA II mode). The original drive that came with my MBP was a 160 GB SATA I drive which functioned flawlessly under EFI 1.7. My 320 GB SATA II drive would not boot after a shutdown, unless I would reset the PRAM - Every single time. Another solution would be to drop a larger SATA I drive in there, but they are hard to find, cost more, and don't usually come in capacities greater than 320 GB.
The best that I can say is that if you want to purchase one now, and don't want to worry about the EFI issue - just use the stock drive, and don't plan on upgrading it yourself. If you run into issues with the stock drive (which some do), at least Apple will take care of you in making sure that your machine runs correctly. If you live near an Apple store, and have an issue, you can just bring it in there and they might be able to help you. If you are going to get a MBP 15" in the base config with the 250 GB drive - I would bet it would be a SATA I drive, which means you would most likely not have any issues.
So if I buy a 15" MBP w/ the 256GB SSD and use it as it is more than likely EFI 1.7 will be fine.. but it will be a SATA I drive (1.5 Gbps) instead of SATA II (3.0 Gbps).. is this correct? or is there a possibility of getting a SATA II? sorry for all the questions! just want to make sure i get this right before I decide to order
From what I gather, Apple flashes all of its drives with its own firmware. Unless Apple makes other changes to the MBPs that contain SSD drives, I would think (and I am not the only one) that the firmware on the drives might drop the drives down to operate in SATA I mode. That is the only explanation that I have seen as to why some Apple installed SATA II drives will work, while other users purchase the exact same drive and they have problems. If you have read through the threads that I have posted (especially the looong thread over at the Apple Support Discussions), you will find that many people who have Apple installed SATA II drives, were also experiencing some issues with EFI 1.7.
I would hate to see what Apple is charging for SSD drives (I haven't looked lately). If you are planning on selling the MBP when Arrandales come out, why don't you just skip the SSD for now and get a regular HD. When you do sell it in the future, there is a chance that the prices on SSDs will be less than they are now. That being said, an SSD even operating at SATA I under EFI 1.6 will still be almost twice as fast as a hard drive.
I would definitely tell you to wait if you can. Apple's laptops are a bit old hardware wise now compared to everyone else so they will be launching new models soon. I suspect when Arrandale is out.
I would say between next January to March will see new Macbook Pro's and New Mac Pros. And just maybe new LED screens? That 32" one people keep thinking will come out?
I would say between next January to March will see new Macbook Pro's and New Mac Pros. And just maybe new LED screens? That 32" one people keep thinking will come out?