Buying 2011 "Higher End" MBP 13" today.

[PUREADDICT]

I've been patiently waiting for this day to convert to Macislam since my old HP laptop passed away in December (RIP).

I do heavy photo editing and heavy video editing (http://www.pureaddict.com) and plan to use this laptop as my next workhorse. I see myself doing both quick and time consuming edits on the go, but I'm not using this computer for videogames. Up until today I was set on getting the new 15", but I'm hoping the 13" dual-core i7 will suffice since I'm always on the go and I plan to just hook up my 13" to an LCD monitor when I work on my projects at home.

My plan is to purchase the base version of the higher end 13" MBP today at the store and upgrade the ram to 8GB by myself.

Questions:
1) Do you think the higher end dual-core i7 13" @ 8GB will suffice for my needs?

• Photoshop CS4-CS5
• Adobe Premiere CS5
• Adobe After Effects CS5
• and most likely will be trying out Final Cut Pro since I'm now able to

2) I remember hearing some speculation on Apple changing the screws and since I plan to upgrade the RAM by myself, will this be a problem for the 2011 models?

3) Any suggestions on brands of RAM to upgrade to? I did some quick research and found this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001MX5YWI

My old HP (http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/hp-dv4-1125nr/4505-3121_7-33309968.html) did a TON of editing both photo and video. Though at snails pace at times, it still did it. So at this point I feel that almost ANYTHING can be consider an upgrade to me.

 

[axu539]

I've been patiently waiting for this day to convert to Macislam since my old HP laptop passed away in December (RIP).

I do heavy photo editing and heavy video editing (http://www.pureaddict.com) and plan to use this laptop as my next workhorse. Not using this computer for videogames. Up until today I was set on getting the new 15", but I'm hoping the 13" dual-core i7 will suffice since I'm always on the go and I plan to just hook up my 13" to an LCD monitor when I work on my projects at home.

My plan is to purchase the base version of the higher end 13" MBP today at the store and upgrade the ram to 8GB by myself.

Questions:
1) Do you think the higher end dual-core i7 13" @ 8GB will suffice for my needs?

• Photoshop CS4-CS5
• Adobe Premiere CS5
• Adobe After Effects CS5
• and most likely will be trying out Final Cut Pro since I'm now able to

2) I remember hearing some speculation on Apple changing the screws and since I plan to upgrade the RAM by myself, will this be a problem for the 2011 models?

3) Any suggestions on brands of RAM to upgrade to? I did some quick research and found this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001MX5YWI

1) The high end i7 is more than powerful enough, considering that it is faster than the fastest i7 in the previous generation. However, you might want to consider that the resolution on the 13" still kinda sucks, and the 15" and 17" give you quad-core processors which will wipe the floors with the dual-cores. Also note that the high-end 15" and 17" have a fairly beefy graphics card, that you may or may not eventually want to take advantage of. The 13" is stuck with Intel integrated graphics, which, while much improved this generation, are still SIGNIFICANTLY worse than the AMD discrete GPUs. If portability and/or price are issues though, you have no choice, and the i7 on the 13" is the best you can go with.

2) several people who bought 15" and 17" models on this forum have already confirmed that the same 00 phillips screws are being used. I'd assume it's the same for the 13".

3) I would recommend Crucial or G.Skill memory. I had Patriot in my last machine, so that should be fine too. You will need 204-pin DDR3 1333 MHz RAM for these new MBPs. I personally just ordered 8 GB G.Skill from Newegg last night for $55. It was a shell-shocker deal, AND I had a coupon code, but they're now mostly back up to $80-90. Still not bad. Definitely do not buy from Apple, as they charge more than double the going price.

 

[PUREADDICT]

1) The high end i7 is more than powerful enough, considering that it is faster than the fastest i7 in the previous generation. However, you might want to consider that the resolution on the 13" still kinda sucks, and the 15" and 17" give you quad-core processors which will wipe the floors with the dual-cores. Also note that the high-end 15" and 17" have a fairly beefy graphics card, that you may or may not eventually want to take advantage of. The 13" is stuck with Intel integrated graphics, which, while much improved this generation, are still SIGNIFICANTLY worse than the AMD discrete GPUs. If portability and/or price are issues though, you have no choice, and the i7 on the 13" is the best you can go with.

2) several people who bought 15" and 17" models on this forum have already confirmed that the same 00 phillips screws are being used. I'd assume it's the same for the 13".

3) I would recommend Crucial or G.Skill memory. I had Patriot in my last machine, so that should be fine too. You will need 204-pin DDR3 1333 MHz RAM for these new MBPs. I personally just ordered 8 GB G.Skill from Newegg last night for $55. It was a shell-shocker deal, AND I had a coupon code, but they're now mostly back up to $80-90. Still not bad. Definitely do not buy from Apple, as they charge more than double the going price.

Thanks for the FAST post. Maybe I should hold out for a deal/coupon on RAM; where did you find yours?

I think I'm going to test out this i7 13" for a few days and exchange it for the 15" if things can't catch up with me. Thanks again for the quick post.

 

[henrikrox]

I've been patiently waiting for this day to convert to Macislam since my old HP laptop passed away in December (RIP).

I do heavy photo editing and heavy video editing (http://www.pureaddict.com) and plan to use this laptop as my next workhorse. I see myself doing both quick and time consuming edits on the go, but I'm not using this computer for videogames. Up until today I was set on getting the new 15", but I'm hoping the 13" dual-core i7 will suffice since I'm always on the go and I plan to just hook up my 13" to an LCD monitor when I work on my projects at home.

My plan is to purchase the base version of the higher end 13" MBP today at the store and upgrade the ram to 8GB by myself.

Questions:
1) Do you think the higher end dual-core i7 13" @ 8GB will suffice for my needs?

• Photoshop CS4-CS5
• Adobe Premiere CS5
• Adobe After Effects CS5
• and most likely will be trying out Final Cut Pro since I'm now able to

2) I remember hearing some speculation on Apple changing the screws and since I plan to upgrade the RAM by myself, will this be a problem for the 2011 models?

3) Any suggestions on brands of RAM to upgrade to? I did some quick research and found this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001MX5YWI

My old HP (http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/hp-dv4-1125nr/4505-3121_7-33309968.html) did a TON of editing both photo and video. Though at snails pace at times, it still did it. So at this point I feel that almost ANYTHING can be consider an upgrade to me.

Final cut pro wont work with intel igp's.

So your **** out of luck

 

[axu539]

Thanks for the FAST post. Maybe I should hold out for a deal/coupon on RAM; where did you find yours?

I think I'm going to test out this i7 13" for a few days and exchange it for the 15" if things can't catch up with me. Thanks again for the quick post.

I tend to watch slickdeals.net like a hawk. Generally speaking, $90 is the regular price for 8 GB DDR3 RAM nowadays, and anything over $15 lower is a deal. Happy hunting!

As the post above me says, the Intel IGP probably won't handle Final Cut all that well at all.

Personally, I'd recommend the machine I just ordered myself: a high end 15" with HR AG display. I do a little bit of gaming over boot camp, and I definitely need the quad-core's extra horsepower for the handbrake encoding I tend to do very often.

 

[aznguyen316]

Slickdeals had a great deal on 8GB (4x2) 1333mhz G.skill ram for $55 shipped from newegg yesterday for the newegg SHELL SHOCKER, I bought it yesterday in anticipation for the new MBP, but now I don't know which MBP to buy! LOL

so yeah keep an eye out for them. Two months ago also got 8GB 1066mhz ram for my old 2010 Model for $68 shipped.

*edit* just read axu got on the same deal =) yeaah mann I told my brother about it too since he's getting the 13" i5 MBP.

 

[KPOM]

FCP didn't work with the old Intel Integrated Graphics. I'm not sure if the Sandy Bridge chip is any different, and Apple hasn't gotten around to updating the FCP page on its website.

Anyway, if you do go with a 13" Pro, consider getting an SSD. A good third party solution would be a better buy than Apple's CTO option, which is pricey.

 

[PUREADDICT]

Yikes, did NOT know that FCP didn't work with Intel igp.

I haven't used FCP to edit video since I mainly use Adobe Premiere CS5, but I did want to have it as an option when I do collab editing.

Damn, lightweight considering the lower model 15" now. Decisions decisions.

 

[aznguyen316]

I was at the applestore for about an hour and a half today debating on what to get lol. Either a 2010 15" with 330m i5, a base i7 2011 15" or a i7 13" lol. I previously had a 2010 13" and have been debating the screen and size. I love the 15" screen but compared to the 13" it's kind of big and heavy in size. I'm pathetic I know. Now I'm leaning toward the 13" i7 model...

 

[ayow]

100% sure that the next FCP won't work with the 13'' igp?

 

[PUREADDICT]

UPDATE:

So I bought the higher end 13" from the store yesterday as I said I would. I talked to a few reps and they speculated with one another that YES FCP is not "supposed" to work with the 13" MBP, but they're confident that it will.

I'll grab a copy of FCP and let you guys know what happens. In the meantime I'll be installing my CS5 pack (Photoshop, Premiere Pro) later today and let you know how it performs.

As far as everything else on my 13" i7 MBP, I'm seriously loving it.

 

[Chasetastic]

UPDATE:

So I bought the higher end 13" from the store yesterday as I said I would. I talked to a few reps and they speculated with one another that YES FCP is not "supposed" to work with the 13" MBP, but they're confident that it will.

I'll grab a copy of FCP and let you guys know what happens. In the meantime I'll be installing my CS5 pack (Photoshop, Premiere Pro) later today and let you know how it performs.

As far as everything else on my 13" i7 MBP, I'm seriously loving it.

So, the verdict?

I have this exact same setup in mind, and I'm curious how everything runs.

 

[NZed]

Intel's igp is too weak for FCP. my 320M in base 13" is really really really struggling already! I'd recommend the high end 15"(2.2Ghz, 1gb Graphics) BTO 2.3Ghz is not worth it