Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Can't Stop debating...9400m or 9600GT

J

Jarmac

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 2, 2009
8
0
OK, my fellow mac users, I need help. :D OK, so I am very anal about things that I buy, almost to a point of obsessive compulsive which honestly, I annoy myself sometimes. So hear is where I need help and yes I've read a lot of forums on it but I decided it will better help me to give my own personal uses/needs and then take others advice or opinions specified to me.

Here it is. I've been wanting a new MacBook Pro since they came out. I finally sold my PowerBook G4 and PowerMac G5 in order to get most of the money needed (I have very limited funds) so now I'm pretty much FINALLY ready to buy. This is what I have actually decided on; an Apple refurb and it must be a Pro. But since I can't customize, I have been watching the refurb store daily.

So far, speed is not too much of an issue as even the low end should be fine for me. For RAM, I prefer 4GB but am willing to do 2GB since I can always upgrade that. The hard drive isn't as big of a deal either because I can also upgrade that if needed. But FireWire is a must. So here is where I'm stuck; Graphics! 9400M or 9600GT.

This is how and what I'll be using it for. Everyday internet surfing and all the other norms; pics, videos (a little editing that may turn into more), Logic Pro, World of Warcraft and Sims 3. I know the 9400M is supported with those games but still. Portability is not a factor at all to me. I have no problem with carrying either 13 or 15. Most of the time, it will be at my desk with an external monitor as this is going to be my main and only Mac.

I found a late 2008 model 15" with 9600GT graphics but I read that the new MBP's have a much better screen. And then there is the mid 2009 model 13" with 9400M so it has the new screen. Bottom line I guess would be bigger screen, better graphics? Or smaller but better screen, and lower graphics? Does this matter that much with an external display? I'm driving myself nuts to be honest. :confused: It's just that this is a big purchase to me and I will have this laptop for a while. So I'm open to any advice, opinions or questions and any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Guys! :apple:
 
If it were me:

9400m purchase: I'd be obsessing over what I could have had with the 9600GT.

9600GT Purchase: Darn, I never notice a difference unless I'm playing WoW, I really should have saved the money and gone with the 9400m.
 
thomanjones said:
If it were me:

9400m purchase: I'd be obsessing over what I could have had with the 9600GT.

9600GT Purchase: Darn, I never notice a difference unless I'm playing WoW, I really should have saved the money and gone with the 9400m.
Click to expand...

LOL, that sounds like me too; unfortunately...almost lose lose. But if it helps any, they are like the same price so that isn't really a factor either.
 
2008 15" MBP has better screen than current 13"... Definitely 15" because you get a lot bigger bang for your buck
 
Hellhammer said:
2008 15" MBP has better screen than current 13"... Definitely 15" because you get a lot bigger bang for your buck
Click to expand...



Oh really? I've heard something about 60% greater color gamut with the new screens or is that a big deal?
 
The 13" will be able to handle 8GB ram in the future. 15" screen runs at a higher resolution. The 9600 graphics card in the 15" will only be noticeable in sims 3 and WOW, not for the other tasks which you mentioned. :)
 
If it's mainly connected to an external display (ie not traveling with you constantly, so small size and longer battery life from integrated gfx are not TOP priorities), and the prices are about the same, I'd go with the 9600GT. The screens on the newest MBPs are very nice, but so are the screens on the 2008 models. We have a mix of 2008 and 2009 MBPs in our office, and side-by-side, the newer ones are slightly more vibrant, but we're comparing awesome with awesome+1. I've never felt the gadget lust over the new screens, only the beefier gfx cards, as I use an external most of the time as well.

Dual Screen setups with the 15" are more even than with the 13", especially if your external is 22+ inches.

Hope this helps.

EDIT: just saw the links, definitely the 15", no question in my book.
 
If portability is not an issue, go for the 9600. Personally I would also recommend the Anti-Glare screen.
 
thomanjones said:
If it's mainly connected to an external display (ie not traveling with you constantly, so small size and longer battery life from integrated gfx are not TOP priorities), and the prices are about the same, I'd go with the 9600GT. The screens on the newest MBPs are very nice, but so are the screens on the 2008 models. We have a mix of 2008 and 2009 MBPs in our office, and side-by-side, the newer ones are slightly more vibrant, but we're comparing awesome with awesome+1. I've never felt the gadget lust over the new screens, only the beefier gfx cards, as I use an external most of the time as well.

Dual Screen setups with the 15" are more even than with the 13", especially if your external is 22+ inches.

Hope this helps.

EDIT: just saw the links, definitely the 15", no question in my book.
Click to expand...

You make some very good and helpful points, thank you. Because I currently have a 20" external and eventually want to upgrade. As for the ram max at 4GB, I heard that it unofficially will support 6GB and I don't know if I will ever really need 8GB. I mean that is a LOT.
 
Jarmac said:
You make some very good and helpful points, thank you. Because I currently have a 20" external and eventually want to upgrade. As for the ram max at 4GB, I heard that it unofficially will support 6GB and I don't know if I will ever really need 8GB. I mean that is a LOT.
Click to expand...

Is it 2.4GHz/2.53GHz/2.8GHz or 2.66GHz/2.93GHz, because 2.66GHz and 2.93GHz after March '09 officially supports 8GB of RAM.

Colors depends a lot on calibration and yes the 13" screen is about 60% better than the OLD 13" screen.
 
Jarmac said:
You make some very good and helpful points, thank you. Because I currently have a 20" external and eventually want to upgrade. As for the ram max at 4GB, I heard that it unofficially will support 6GB and I don't know if I will ever really need 8GB. I mean that is a LOT.
Click to expand...

That's what people used to say about 64K of ram...and 640K of ram.....and 10MB hd's.....:)
 
Jarmac said:
This is how and what I'll be using it for. Everyday internet surfing and all the other norms; pics, videos (a little editing that may turn into more), Logic Pro, World of Warcraft and Sims 3.
Click to expand...

For games, just get a console :p

As to the others, if you're going to be doing a lot of effects in video editing, then a DISCRETE graphics cards is a +, you gotta decide if you'll need faster rendering times.
sound always needs more ram(my friend does Logic and he's always saying that), so 8gb ram is much better than 4gb(6gb is unoffical, it may hurt your machine, it may not)
 
macrumorsMaster said:
That's what people used to say about 64K of ram...and 640K of ram.....and 10MB hd's.....:)
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's true. :eek: SO I guess I'll also have to consider how long before I'll need to upgrade. This seems to be getting harder lol
 
cash4chaos said:
I went with the 15 mbp 2.66, great mixture of everything .
I also bought it from the rufurb store absolutely brand new with 10.6 install disks
Here it is,
http://store.apple.com/us/product/FB985LL/A?mco=MTA4MzI2Nzk
Click to expand...

That is so funny that you posted that. I was just looking at that thinking the same thing. It is perfect. The only bad thing is, I'm going to have to save quite a bit more to afford it and take the risk of it being gone as they change quite frequently. :eek: But I may just take the risk anyway because it is a perfect match. :D
 
OK, So I think I have made a decision. I'm getting neither of the ones I posted. The best thing to do I think is just wait and save some more and if it doesn't take too long :rolleyes:, get the 2.66Ghz MBP mid-2009 refurb that has everything. It makes the most sense and I'm sure will make me the most happy! :D

That solves that!

Thanks to everyone who helped, I appreciate it! :apple:
 
That´s what I did. It also have the express card slot, and that was the deal breaker for me. An SD slot is useless to me
 
as a 9400M owner...

get the 9600M GT.

For world of warcraft and the sims 3 you WILL see a significant difference.

it's worth it. 100%

edit: whoops you already decided. good job. sorry for posting.
 
Before i bought my own MBP, i actually considered the 9400m as well. To be honest, i am very very glad that i bought a MBP with the 9600m gt ;)
I play all the new games (Wolfenstein, Risen, Sims 3, Fallout 3, Oblivion and Batman) pretty much maxed out and with good framerates.
If i would have chosen the 9400m i would probably only be able to use low detail settings...so i am glad i didnt choose that one ;)
So as many other´s said, go for the 9600m gt ones ;)
(You could however also wait until the new generation of MBP arrive ;) Hopefully they will use much better gpu ;) )
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back