Current Macbook Pro vs. late 2007 white MacBook

[tomster2300]

Hey guys. This may sound like a dumb question, but I'm hoping that an owner of the newest Macbook Pro can chime in.

I have a late 2007 white Macbook, and I've loved it. The machine is going strong, but its outer case is falling apart. It's scratched up, the flashing hibernation light no longer works, and the plastic has ripped on the seams where you lay your wrists while typing, as well as along the corners and to the right and left. The last issue is an Apple acknowledged defect where the lid magnets rip up the plastic. I just never got it fixed in time for them to cover it.

The Macbook has served me well and is still going strong. The original battery still holds a strong charge, nothing internally is busted, and it's actually pretty snappy again after formatting and reinstalling Snow Leopard last week.

Here are the specs - http://support.apple.com/kb/sp12

Basically it's a 2.0ghz Intel Macbook with a GMA x3100 video chip and 4 gigs of ram (I upgraded a couple of years ago). HD is 80 gigs and it has a dvd reader / cd burner.

Long story short, I've got the upgrade itch, but can't seem to justify it. I have an i7 920, 6 gigs, HD4870, Win 7 gaming desktop, this laptop and an iPad, and that's it. The gaming rig is more than enough computer for anyone, but the Mac is my production machine. When I want to get something done, I grab my Macbook and get to work.

I'd love to scoop up one of the new 15" i7 Macbook Pros, but their price tags are rather ridiculous. $2,000+ for a dual core i7 laptop when I built my quad core i7 desktop rig for $1k ish is just crazy.

Do you think there are any benefits to upgrading? Will I notice a huge performance difference?

Usage: Mainly coding and some graphic design (I'm a professional webmaster who works from home at least one day a week. Even though my current Macbook works, having a Macbook Pro setup with an external monitor would just be awesome.). Probably won't be gaming on the Macbook because of the gaming rig. I no longer do much video work like I did in college, but thanks to my new job, I may pick it back up.

So, what do you think? Thanks guys!

 

[I'mAMac]

Hey guys. This may sound like a dumb question, but I'm hoping that an owner of the newest Macbook Pro can chime in.

I have a late 2007 white Macbook, and I've loved it. The machine is going strong, but its outer case is falling apart. It's scratched up, the flashing hibernation light no longer works, and the plastic has ripped on the seams where you lay your wrists while typing, as well as along the corners and to the right and left. The last issue is an Apple acknowledged defect where the lid magnets rip up the plastic. I just never got it fixed in time for them to cover it.

The Macbook has served me well and is still going strong. The original battery still holds a strong charge, nothing internally is busted, and it's actually pretty snappy again after formatting and reinstalling Snow Leopard last week.

Here are the specs - http://support.apple.com/kb/sp12

Basically it's a 2.0ghz Intel Macbook with a GMA x3100 video chip and 4 gigs of ram (I upgraded a couple of years ago). HD is 80 gigs and it has a dvd reader / cd burner.

Long story short, I've got the upgrade itch, but can't seem to justify it. I have an i7 920, 6 gigs, HD4870, Win 7 gaming desktop, this laptop and an iPad, and that's it. The gaming rig is more than enough computer for anyone, but the Mac is my production machine. When I want to get something done, I grab my Macbook and get to work.

I'd love to scoop up one of the new 15" i7 Macbook Pros, but their price tags are rather ridiculous. $2,000+ for a dual core i7 laptop when I built my quad core i7 desktop rig for $1k ish is just crazy.

Do you think there are any benefits to upgrading? Will I notice a huge performance difference?

Usage: Mainly coding and some graphic design (I'm a professional webmaster who works from home at least one day a week. Even though my current Macbook works, having a Macbook Pro setup with an external monitor would just be awesome.). Probably won't be gaming on the Macbook because of the gaming rig. I no longer do much video work like I did in college, but thanks to my new job, I may pick it back up.

So, what do you think? Thanks guys!

Well if you don't want to pay a ton just go with the i5 processor. I know the i7 seems enticing but it really isn't all that much better than the i5. You'd be better off with a SSD or more RAM instead of the slight processor bump.

To answer your main question, yes you will see a huge performance boost. The comp in my sig outperformed the high end 2.8Ghz C2D MBP. These new ones truly are awesome in every way. Take the plunge and you won't regret it.

Word to the wise: buying directly from apple isn't really the best choice in terms of pricing. Check this site for much better pricing and other deals. My last 4 macs have been from there and no problems whatsoever. Hope this helped

 

[dotdotdot]

I had a Mid-2007 2.16 GHz Black MacBook (the one right before your model, only supported 3 GB of RAM and had a GMA950 - a worse video card). I upgraded to the MacBook Pro i7 HR-AG 15" model.

This machine is significantly faster and more powerful. I can do probably 3x the workload on this without it getting hot, whereas anything I did on the MacBook would make the fans spin like crazy.

Having such a fast processor and a real video card (versus the integrated crap in the MacBook) is a huge advantage, and it's very noticeable. I also have 4 GB of 1033 MHz RAM in here, vs 2 GB of 800 MHz (of which was shared by the video card).

That being said, while it is a worthy upgrade, I did it because this is my sole computer. If you have an excellent computer already, there may not be such an advantage to the 15" MBP that I have, especially because of its price tag.

Is a 13" MBP good enough? Or is a base model 15"? Or do you need the i7?

 

[relativist]

The main feature you probably want to investigate is screen size. Meaning, would the extra screen area of the 17" help? Otherwise, if you are satisfied with the performance of the 2007 Macbook to do the work you do day to day then the base 15" MBP will do fine for your needs. Another consideration if your plugging into external monitors is the size of the video memory, but like you said you have a gaming rig.

 

[tomster2300]

Thanks for all the input and advice so far guys. It's all very appreciated.

I had a Mid-2007 2.16 GHz Black MacBook (the one right before your model, only supported 3 GB of RAM and had a GMA950 - a worse video card). I upgraded to the MacBook Pro i7 HR-AG 15" model.

This machine is significantly faster and more powerful. I can do probably 3x the workload on this without it getting hot, whereas anything I did on the MacBook would make the fans spin like crazy.

Having such a fast processor and a real video card (versus the integrated crap in the MacBook) is a huge advantage, and it's very noticeable. I also have 4 GB of 1033 MHz RAM in here, vs 2 GB of 800 MHz (of which was shared by the video card).

That being said, while it is a worthy upgrade, I did it because this is my sole computer. If you have an excellent computer already, there may not be such an advantage to the 15" MBP that I have, especially because of its price tag.

Is a 13" MBP good enough? Or is a base model 15"? Or do you need the i7?

I would jump at a 13" Macbook Pro today if it had an i5 and a dedicated video card. I'm kind of determined not to settle with integrated graphics in my next laptop.

Heat and fan noise is definitely something I'm tired with on my Macbook. Just watching flash videos makes the cpu hit 90C. It's probably not safe at that temperature either.

Well if you don't want to pay a ton just go with the i5 processor. I know the i7 seems enticing but it really isn't all that much better than the i5. You'd be better off with a SSD or more RAM instead of the slight processor bump.

To answer your main question, yes you will see a huge performance boost. The comp in my sig outperformed the high end 2.8Ghz C2D MBP. These new ones truly are awesome in every way. Take the plunge and you won't regret it.

Word to the wise: buying directly from apple isn't really the best choice in terms of pricing. Check this site for much better pricing and other deals. My last 4 macs have been from there and no problems whatsoever. Hope this helped

I bet an i5 would work just fine for me. An i7 would be nice, but the Macbook i7 isn't a true quad core, which somewhat defeats the point.

The main feature you probably want to investigate is screen size. Meaning, would the extra screen area of the 17" help? Otherwise, if you are satisfied with the performance of the 2007 Macbook to do the work you do day to day then the base 15" MBP will do fine for your needs. Another consideration if your plugging into external monitors is the size of the video memory, but like you said you have a gaming rig.

I like the 13" size because of how easy it is to travel with. Just throw it in a bag and you're ready to go. The 15" doesn't look to be too much bigger, but I think a 17"'s size coupled with its price tag is just too much for me.

 

[Reapur]

there is no contest with performance. you will see a huge difference between your old one and the current model. People never take the display quality into account but this is easily one of the best parts about upgrading.

Apple is selling all current MBP models refurb as well if you wanna save a couple hundred dollars. They even come with the exact same 12 month warranty as a new one, and Apple Care is still there as an option for you too.

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/macbook_pro

 

[djasterix]

You will see a dramatic increase of power with a new MBP, but for your needs just grab a base 15" i5 and you'll be fine.

 

[mrsir2009]

I'd upgrade. The new MacBook Pro's and amazing, in preformance and cosmetic appearance. For what you use your Mac for an i5 processor would boost your preformance greatly

 

[aznguyen316]

I dunno, you got a nice desktop, a nice portable ipad. Why not just wait it out some more? 15" doesn't look exactly down your alley. It's kind of expensive. Wait for a new refresh on 13" if you can.. even if it may be another year. My thoughts.