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

Decision: MBP 2.2Ghz vs Current Generation

S

Standard

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 8, 2008
296
59
Canada
I'm majoring in Web Development & Animation this September and I need a new machine. I will be using all of Adobe's Creative Applications, Coda, Modo and some others. The only games I really play are World of Warcraft, TF2 and CoD4. Their requirements are listed below;

World of Warcraft

Mac System Requirements

* OS: Mac OS X 10.3.9 or newer
* Processor:
o Minimum: 933MHz G4/G5
o Recommended: 1.8GHz G5/Intel
* Memory:
o Minimum: 512MB RAM
o Recommended: 1GB DDR RAM
* Video:
o Minimum: NVIDIA or ATI graphics processor with 32MB VRAM
o Recommended: 64MB VRAM

Call of Duty 4

SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS:
Microsoft(R) Windows(R) XP/Vista (Windows 95/98/ME/2000 are unsupported) Microsoft DirectX(R) 9.0c (included)

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS:
CPU: Intel(R) Pentium(R) 4 2.4 GHz or AMD(R) Athlon(TM) 64 2800+ processor or any 1.8Ghz Dual Core Processor or better supported
RAM: 512MB RAM (768MB for Windows Vista)
VIDEO CARD: NVIDIA(R) Geforce(TM) 6600 or better or ATI(R) Radeon(R) 9800Pro or better
SOUND CARD: 100% DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card
HDD SPACE: 8GB of free hard drive space
INTERNET: Broadband connection and service required for Multiplayer Connectivity


Team Fortress 2 Minimum System Requirements
CPU: 1.2 GHz Processor
RAM: 256 MB
Graphics Card: DirectX 7 capable graphics card
Windows 2000/XP/ME/98
Mouse
Keyboard
Internet Connection
CD or DVD rom drive

Team Fortress 2 Recommended System Requirements
CPU: 2.4 GHz Processor
RAM: 512 MB
Graphics Card: DirectX 9 capable graphics card 256 MB
Windows 2000/XP/ME/98
Mouse
Keyboard
Internet Connection
CD or DVD rom drive

Team Fortress 2 Ideal System Requirements
For running the game smooth in 1280x1024 with High Quality graphics.

CPU: 3.4 GHz Processor
RAM: 1024 MB
Graphics Card: Radeon X800 or Geforce 6800
Windows 2000/XP/ME/98
Mouse
Keyboard
Internet Connection

I can't decide between the current generation MacBook Pro base model:

15-inch: 2.4GHz[ $1849 educational discount/B]

2.4-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
2GB memory
200GB hard drive1
Double-layer SuperDrive
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 256 MB

VS

15.4-inch widescreen display $1549

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

Both computers will have their RAM bumped up to 4GB. Which do you guys recommend for me? The second option is more affordable for me as I can get more accessories that I require, but I would like optimal performance for my uses.

Thanks,

Standard

[edit] I currently just sold my FIRST GEN MBP 15.4" 1.83GHz Intel Core Duo, 1.5GB Ram, Mobility Radeon x1600 128m - least to say it wasn't performing too well, in comparison for you guys.

[edit2] I just found this machine as well -

15.4-inch widescreen display $1749

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
 
I bought the previous generation 2.2 MBPro a while ago over the current version.

I got about a 40% discount and a 2 year warranty so it was worth it for me.
 
bertpalmer said:
I bought the previous generation 2.2 MBPro a while ago over the current version.

I got about a 40% discount and a 2 year warranty so it was worth it for me.
Click to expand...

Thanks, but that doesn't really help me. What do you do with it?

Any more suggestions?
 
I have the $1549 last gen model with 4gb of ram. I use it for web development, gaming, some photoshop, and heavy office kind of stuff (excel, word, project, visio under parallels). For me the performance is quite pleasing. I tend to keep a lot of applications open and switch between them quite frequently without notice any slowdowns.

Playing COD4 (using bootcamp) is reasonable as well. As long as you don't jack up the settings to the highest quality the game plays without any problems. I'm not a fan of judging game performance on fps benchmarks so I couldn't tell you that I get 30-40 fps. What I can say is that game plays fine and looks great using their optimal settings configuration (I tend to turn on a few extra options and resolution and have noticed little performance loss)

Based on my own experience, I think the machine will serve you well for your purposes.
 
I use it for some gaming, GTA III, need for speed carbon.

But primarily for Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, Dreamwaver, Flash and Lightroom.
 
Based on your usage, I would recommend you pursue the configuration that will provide the greatest performance. I don't like the smaller HD's in the other configurations you have given. I think you will hit the ceiling before you know it.

Definitely, upgrade to 4 gigs of RAM, but not. Consider the 7200 RPM HD as well. I recommend the first configuration. I suspect you will be appreciate it more in the long run.
 
I own the 2.2ghz Macbook Pro and it's a nice little machine. Not sure how well Call of Duty 4 will run but for everything else you listed, it will perform well. I'm willing to bet a Mac Pro would serve you better. Go find a used Mac Pro and install a better graphic card. Hell, I'd even recommend building your own rig for a lot less. Unless you're looking to use OS X.
 
KingYaba said:
I own the 2.2ghz Macbook Pro and it's a nice little machine. Not sure how well Call of Duty 4 will run but for everything else you listed, it will perform well. I'm willing to bet a Mac Pro would serve you better. Go find a used Mac Pro and install a better graphic card. Hell, I'd even recommend building your own rig for a lot less. Unless you're looking to use OS X.
Click to expand...

I would like a Mac Pro, but I need portability in my second year of Uni for my intern. I guess I will go with the new MBP and get accessories to make it my temporary desktop.
 
Hi,
Because you play games, go with model with highest video ram you can afford. it'll give you a few more fps and may play newer games...

BTW, i have the 2,2 and love it but if i were to buy now, i would go with 512 vram.
 
Denali9 said:
Hi,
Because you play games, go with model with highest video ram you can afford. it'll give you a few more fps and may play newer games...

BTW, i have the 2,2 and love it but if i were to buy now, i would go with 512 vram.
Click to expand...

No can do on the 512mb GPU, it is only 128mb memory bus. This means 256mb of RAM is inaccessible.
 
Considering that you'll be your major is development related, you may want to consider the Apple Developer Connection Student membership.

http://developer.apple.com/products/student.html

You pay $99 to enroll in program (Apple verifies your enrollment). You get a kit that includes Mac OS Leopard, a t-shirt, and a one time hardware discount that can amount to quite a bit of money.

For example, the top end 15-inch MacBook Pro is discounted $500, thus you save $401 dollars by enrolling in the program. This is cheaper than the student discount and argues for getting the current generation model.

Just check the terms and policies of the program to ensure you'll be meeting them.
 
amac4me said:
Considering that you'll be your major is development related, you may want to consider the Apple Developer Connection Student membership.

http://developer.apple.com/products/student.html

You pay $99 to enroll in program (Apple verifies your enrollment). You get a kit that includes Mac OS Leopard, a t-shirt, and a one time hardware discount that can amount to quite a bit of money.

For example, the top end 15-inch MacBook Pro is discounted $500, thus you save $401 dollars by enrolling in the program. This is cheaper than the student discount and argues for getting the current generation model.

Just check the terms and policies of the program to ensure you'll be meeting them.
Click to expand...

Is the discount off the retail or educational price?
 
The discount is off the regular price but the net result is that it works out cheaper than the student discount.

Note however that Apple is running a promotion for education buyers. From the Apple Store:

If you’re a student, teacher, or staff member and you buy a Mac with your education discount between June 3 and September 15, 2008, you can get a free iPod touch or iPod nano after rebate.​
 
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