Choosing The Right MBP

[Mr. Funsocks]

Hey I recently returned a 2.4Ghz 20" aluminum imac due to the washed out TN display. I do graphic work and the display was unacceptable. I'm at a loss of what to get next. It needs to have a high quality matte display. So I was looking at the old white 24" as a refurb model. But I don't want to downgrade unless I know it can do what I want it to do. I finally decided that that wouldn't work, so I decided that a MBP and an external display would be good for me. The question is, which one can I get away with getting? I would like to spend the least amount of money possible so I can save more money for software and a camera. I'm going to go the refurb route. I will buy the fastest machine if necessary. It needs to be able to run Flash, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, and Photoshop very well. I also wish to do some casual gaming. Bioshock, Halo 2, Valve games on boot camp. Which macbook pro could do that? Also 15" or 17"? If I got the 17" could I get away with not getting a second display? Also if there is another computer that would suit me better than a MBP let me know. Portability isn't a must for me while it is really great to have.

Here are the refurb specs from slowest to fastest:

Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
15.4-inch widescreen display
2GB memory
120GB hard drive
8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 128MB of GDDR3 memory
Built-in iSight Camera

Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
15.4-inch widescreen display
2GB memory
120GB hard drive
6x SuperDrive (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 256MB of GDDR3 memory
Built-in iSight camera

Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
15.4-inch widescreen display
2GB memory
160GB hard drive
8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 256MB of GDDR3 memory
Built-in iSight Camera

So which one could get the job done? Could a different computer do it better?

 

[Mr. Funsocks]

Also does anyone know if they are going to update the MBP anytime soon? The buyers guide says in the next few months. Anyone know how accurate that is?

 

[gazfocus]

Firstly, I wouldn't go with the 2.33GHz. It's quite an old model (the newer ones at the 2.2GHz and 2.4GHz with SR Chips).

Other than that, I personally would go for the 2.4GHz. The only reason is the graphics card is 256MB rather than 128MB and if you're planning on playing the occassional game, you'd benefit from this.

Other than that, both machines are pretty much identical (apart from CPU and HDD).

Hope this helps.

The Macbook Pro's were largely rumoured to be updated at MWSF, but the more recent rumours say 22nd Jan (or sometime in feb).

 

[Brianstorm91]

2.2GHz SR MBP 15"/17" up to you but matte.

 

[Mr. Funsocks]

Thanks for the advice. So how much of a speed difference would I see between the 2.2 and the 2.4? Is the 2.2 fine If I'm doing everything I listed above? Because it's like a $400 price difference.

 

[Brianstorm91]

You'll find the biggest speed difference is maxing out the RAM to 4GB and if possible, the 7200RPM HDD, they both have a bigger effect than 0.2GHz

 

[Mr. Funsocks]

You'll find the biggest speed difference is maxing out the RAM to 4GB and if possible, the 7200RPM HDD, they both have a bigger effect than 0.2GHz

What about the graphics card? Can the 2.2s Graphics card (NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 128MB of GDDR3 memory) run the games and be able to do FCE work? And is the 17" worth it? Is it to big? If I plan to get an external display is the 15" ok? Also the only option on the refurb is the 5400 rpm HDD.

 

[Mac One]

I know there is a benchmark somewhere that shows there is only a minor increase in speed (not 2x) given by the 256mb over the 128mb. The 15" and 17" could both run moniters to a similar level - both have the same DVI port. Most people think the 15"/2.2GHz is the best value for money.

Please don't quote me on this, I'm no expert, but this is what I've picked up in other MPB threads.

 

[Mr. Funsocks]

Alright. At this point I'm swaying toward the 2.2 as it seems I can do somewhat casual gaming on it and still run CS3 with good performace. The $400 saving is sooo tempting.

 

[soms]

Alright. At this point I'm swaying toward the 2.2 as it seems I can do somewhat casual gaming on it and still run CS3 with good performace. The $400 saving is sooo tempting.

Save the $400 and put it towards ram/external harddrives.

 

[Mr. Funsocks]

Wow this really makes me want to get the 2.2 according to Inside Mac Games, Bare Feats did a benchmark and the 2.4 is only 9% faster

Barefeats has released a new performance comparison test, this time examining two versions of the 15" MacBook Pro "Santa Rosa" model. The test compares the 2.2GHz model with 128MB of GDDR3 video SDRAM to the the 2.4GHz model with 256MB of GDDR3 video SDRAM. The final result revealed a 9% speed advantage for the 2.4GHz model.

The MacBook Pro 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo (256MB GDDR3 video SDRAM) was at most 9% faster than the 2.2GHz MacBook Pro (128MB GDDR3 video SDRAM). If we average all the results, it was 5% faster. Suspiciously, that 9% maximum gap corresponds to the 9% difference between the 2.2GHz and 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo CPU clock speeds. At least for graphics intensive apps like 3D accelerated games, it can be argued that the extra video memory doesn't buy you anything.

As for price difference, it's more accurate to say $425 instead of $500 if you configure both the 2.2 and 2.4GHz 15" MacBook Pro identically (with the same 160GB 5400rpm drive). So you have to ask yourself, is the 9% maximum performance advantage worth 20% more money? And how much is that 9% advantage worth in terms of your time savings over the life of the machine? And which of the two models will bring the most money when you sell it on eBay before you buy the next new ultrathin, screamer?