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buying comp tomorrow...any final advice?

P

psupride85

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 3, 2008
9
0
Hey all, I realize this topic has been discussed ad nauseum, but was wondering if you guys would offer any last ditch advice before I buy tomorrow. Basically its between the blackbook and low end macbook pro.

I will use the computer for word, powerpoint, email, internet, itunes, iphoto, possibly imovie (now and then).

My concern with the macbook is longevity as I'd like the computer to last through med school (4 years) and the screen (it is not nearly as bright as the mbp) and large.

In terms of the mbp, i've read a lot about screen issues and A LOT of problems with the nvidia chipset in the mbp.

This laptop will be my sole computer for 4 years, will the mbp last if the chips are faulty and would the mb last for 4 years even without the dedicated chip?

Thanks for all your help and I'll let you guys know how it goes tomorrow!
 
Wait until the end of the month, or you will be reported if you make a thread complaining about how new ones JUST came out. :rolleyes:

I'm only sort of joking. Montevina's soon. If you don't care about better specs (or HAVE to have it), then buy now.
 
The Macbook is cheaper, and should last you those four years if you beef up the RAM. It's even cheaper still if you get the "midranged" macbook and get a better HDD, but I'm sure you're buying it for the color. It should do everything you want it to do.

The Macbookpro WILL last you those four years. It has a bigger, better screen and a graphics card if you want to play games. If you think it's worth the money, then by all means go get it.

My best advice is to wait as long as possible to get it, as everyday brings you one day closer to a better spec'd MB(P). But if you need it now, the current gen macs will do you well.
 
Wait for the Montevina refresh and buy a Blackbook. For your needs, it would be complete waste of money to buy a Macbook Pro. The dedicated GPU in the MBP, for your needs, would only be good for hooking up to a high resolution external display.
 
Tallest Skil said:
Wait until the end of the month, or you will be reported if you make a thread complaining about how new ones JUST came out. :rolleyes:

I'm only sort of joking. Montevina's soon. If you don't care about better specs (or HAVE to have it), then buy now.
Click to expand...

seriously. listen to this man. ur GOING to get buyer's remorse. WAIT... i mean, all the other kids are doing it lol
 
If you are buying it tomorrow, it sounds like the Blackbook will do you just fine. Like the other poster said, throw in 4GB of ram and you'll be good to go (if you can't wait that is).
 
One advice is just to not buy it tomorrow, wait for the montevina update. Its only 2 more weeks until August. I'm forsure we'll see an updated mbp or a macbook by early august, since the switch to intel apple has to follow and as quickly as they can.
 
Can't wait

Hey guys, I appreciate all the advice about waiting, but school starts in 2 weeks and I kind of want to sit down with the machine and get to know the computer before starting school. My heart tells me pro, my brain tells me blackbook (thus you can see how hard it is to decide). The faulty graphic card is the only reasn i'm leaning toward the blackbook. I'm looking for stability in a computer and don't want to deal with that if it will be a recurring problem...any thoughts?
 
psupride85 said:
Hey guys, I appreciate all the advice about waiting, but school starts in 2 weeks and I kind of want to sit down with the machine and get to know the computer before starting school. My heart tells me pro, my brain tells me blackbook (thus you can see how hard it is to decide). The faulty graphic card is the only reasn i'm leaning toward the blackbook. I'm looking for stability in a computer and don't want to deal with that if it will be a recurring problem...any thoughts?
Click to expand...

Are you in college? Doesnt school start around August 14-18 for Universities and 23-25 for community colleges? I would just wait at most to the august 4th or 11th (tuesdays) if I were you. Because it wont take too long to setup your mac and get familiar with it probably just takes an hour or two. Also if you buy it around that time and say the montevina update comes around end of August, you still have an additional 2 more weeks for you to go get an exchange for the newer updated macbook/macbook pro for no restock fee.

Anyway if your absolutely desperately wanting one right now, I would get the lowest end macbook pro its just that much overall better.

I've had the 2.4ghz 13" white macbook pro (same thing as black in specs) while it was fast the mbp jump was so dramatically increased better experience especially with the fw800 was very useful to me and especially the gorgeous bigger led screen is well worth the extra $$.

Also dont be afraid to buy the newer notebook straight from apple because nvidia already issued a statement that all the notebooks with the nvidia g84 and g86 which the g84 chipsets are the 8600m gt card are using more robust and better material than the defective part.
 
How about a refurb pre-Nvidia GPU? That is what I did.

Got a 2.16 C2D with ATi GPU. I know it runs hotter, but it's a solid machine. And I got it for 1200...cheaper than macbook.

But you have a few weeks till school and I agree with you about wanting to settle down with your computer before school starts. Perhaps macbook temporarily?
 
Are the graphic chips in the current mbp's not defective? According to the poster a few posts up, he seemed to indicate that they weren't, any truth to this?
 
psupride85 said:
Are the graphic chips in the current mbp's not defective? According to the poster a few posts up, he seemed to indicate that they weren't, any truth to this?
Click to expand...

"This is a serious charge to level at any company, and we contacted NVIDIA for additional information. The company's response first affirms its intent to stand behind its customers and repair any and all notebooks that experience field failures. It then states:

1)The issue is limited to a few notebook chips only; we have not seen and don't expect to see this issue on any NVIDIA-based desktop systems.
2)Only a very small percentage of the notebook chips that have shipped are potentially affected, and the problem depends on a combination of environmental conditions, configuration, and usage model.
3) We continue to work closely with our partners and have taken the necessary steps to ensure that all NVIDIA chips currently in production do not exhibit the problem.
As a result, it is very unlikely that your NVIDA based notebook product is affected.

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080716-nvidia-denies-rumors-of-mass-gpu-failures.html
 
psupride85 said:
school starts in 2 weeks and I kind of want to sit down with the machine and get to know the computer before starting school.
Click to expand...

It's OSX, the system is self-explanitary. I'd take a notebook in class for the first month. Dropping a cool $1k+ on a notebook would make it worth the wait for the Montevina refresh. It's coming! I'm telling ya!
 
ManWithhat said:
It's OSX, the system is self-explanitary. I'd take a notebook in class for the first month.
Click to expand...


Not quite self-explanatory. I had to wait to get a mac because I was afraid it would not be compatible with the various programs that my school/class required. Being in the field of pharmacy, there were some programs that were not mac compatible, so I imagine there to be the same compatibility issues with medical schools and classes.
 
psupride85 said:
Hey guys, I appreciate all the advice about waiting, but school starts in 2 weeks and I kind of want to sit down with the machine and get to know the computer before starting school. My heart tells me pro, my brain tells me blackbook (thus you can see how hard it is to decide). The faulty graphic card is the only reasn i'm leaning toward the blackbook. I'm looking for stability in a computer and don't want to deal with that if it will be a recurring problem...any thoughts?
Click to expand...

If you want something that lasts 4 years, don't be impatient by just a couple of weeks. I have a MBP that's a year old and it still seems pretty new. I may be strained by the max of 3GB RAM in a couple of years, but that's still a lotta juice.
 
The use you expect to do with your computer is a light-weight one. You do not need any special or long configuration procedures. You can simply backup your data and start using a fresh machines without losing too much time.

In your case, I think that a computer lasting 4 years is useless: you would spend a lot of money for no use at all. You can buy a cheap one and upgrade after two years. After 4 years you'll end up with a much more powerful system with many features you cannot find on current notebooks.

I would NOT buy again this genearation MBPs. And I would not buy redesigned ones without double checking an improved quality in apple products.

That said, if you want a mac buy a macbook + a bigger screen.

thistle
 
Im actually in the same situation with medical school starting up in about a month. I have thought about this problem carefully and I am currently waiting for a montevina macbook. Judging by what you intend to use it for, it looks like hte integrated graphics on the macbook (x4500) should be more than good enough to handle everything. Plus don't overlook the smaller and lighter form of the macbook since you probably will need to lug your laptop to class and everywhere else. Save the money and use it to start working on those student loans (im currently 40000 in debt already) =P
 
thought of joining the " i'm in medschool" band wagon i'm seeing here..
well, brace yourself people!
unless you have rich folks who will pay for your entire medical career ( excluding internship,residencies and fellowship)
Believe me when i say, start saving now!!! s in NOW!
my student loan after my graduation was $400,000!!!
and i'm still paying iT!

so buy what you need. spend the rest of your money.. or your parent's money somewhere else..
seriously! you don't even need a 1000 laptop for medschool.
a windows running, $550 computer will do.
but since you wanted a MAC you 'll be paying more..
practical decision.. buy a low end or mid range macbook and get the student discounts.;)
 
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