Do you think going with an 09 is a good plan B?

[JamerTheProgram]

Hey!
Iam going to be buying a Macbook Pro in the coming months. But I cannot see the i5 15 inch 2010 ones coming down in price enough for me to afford it, so as a plan B I thought I would go with a Macbook Pro 15 inch 09.
Is this a good idea? I would rather have the 13 inch 2010 Macbook Pro if I am honest as I like the size. But, with the 09 I get good value for money, I can get a 2.8 C2D 15'' one which is good.

 

[miles01110]

Depends on what you use your computer for.

 

[JamerTheProgram]

Depends on what you use your computer for.

Uses:
Minecraft (Maxed out)
iPhone Development
Media Production
Light gaming
Terminal Work
3D Work
Photoshop work
I do 6-5 of the above simultaneously on my iMac 2011.
Im a hard core multitasker.
So it needs to cope well, my old Macbook 08 did fine. But I didn't do so much gaming then.
Now I do game development....
So I am not very sure.

 

[jlc1978]

Hey!
Iam going to be buying a Macbook Pro in the coming months. But I cannot see the i5 15 inch 2010 ones coming down in price enough for me to afford it, so as a plan B I thought I would go with a Macbook Pro 15 inch 09.
Is this a good idea? I would rather have the 13 inch 2010 Macbook Pro if I am honest as I like the size. But, with the 09 I get good value for money, I can get a 2.8 C2D 15'' one which is good.

I'm not that familiar with the spec difference between the '09 15 and '10 13 inchers. Do you plan to use the notebook th same way as the iMac? For your list of programs you're probably going to bring either to their knees pretty quickly; especially compared to an '11 iMac.

Question: What is driving the purchase? Do you need a new one because your old one is no longer good enough for some specific use(s); or do you just want a newer model?

 

[JamerTheProgram]

I'm not that familiar with the spec difference between the '09 15 and '10 13 inchers. Do you plan to use the notebook th same way as the iMac? For your list of programs you're probably going to bring either to their knees pretty quickly; especially compared to an '11 iMac.

Question: What is driving the purchase? Do you need a new one because your old one is no longer good enough for some specific use(s); or do you just want a newer model?

Well, my current Macbook Alu is basically broken and unreliable, broken Logic Board, the works.
I need something I can rely on. I need something with max reliability.I know it sounds weird, but I do iOS development on holiday too, I enjoy it..... Weird.
Anyway, thats the reason why Im upgrading. Another reason: the GPU in it has slown down a noticeable lot over time.
The reason why I'm not going with the 2011 models is because of the Intel GPU, I really need a dedicated GPU for the stuff I do.

 

[Phildo]

Get something with an i5 or i7 processor, they are much quicker than a Core2Duo. i5s are turning up secondhand fairly regularly now.

I've got a 2.7GHz i7 and recently replaced the hard drive with an SSD - that makes a HUGE difference to general running speed.

 

[JamerTheProgram]

Get something with an i5 or i7 processor, they are much quicker than a Core2Duo. i5s are turning up secondhand fairly regularly now.

I've got a 2.7GHz i7 and recently replaced the hard drive with an SSD - that makes a HUGE difference to general running speed.

I might have enough by next month, I hope that Apple releases their new Notebooks by then as the 15 inch 2010s will come down a little.
I am on a budget, Im starting a business you see, so I need PS and the money to host a website and everything.
Im going into developing a game, I will keep going at it till I hit a successful patch. Its my life long dream to have my own business like that.

 

[daneoni]

I'd wait/save for an i5 or i7 that way you won't have to worry about future OS support for a while. With the C2D you might be obsolete by OS 10.9. Hell some C2D machines won't be able to run 10.8 as it stands.

 

[Medic278]

Your better off waiting and saving up a bit more for a refurb i5/i7 unit. The C2D units are quickly becoming obsolete and for what your probably going to pay for it if you save another 300 or so you can get a nice refurb i5/i7 unit. Plus if you want want the 13" which is an awesome machine why not just wait until one becomes available? A 13" i5/i7 unit will be leaps and bounds better than the 15" C2D plus it won't become obsolete so quickly. Here is a nice i5 unit available for a really good price http://store.apple.com/us/product/FD313LL/A. If you can't afford it now save up, they are always adding new ones so one will eventually become available. If you don't mind sharing what are you going to pay for the 15" C2D?

 

[JamerTheProgram]

Max of max of max of max 750 after I have saved and sold a couple things.
I dont really want the 13 MBP as it will have an Intel GPU.
I really dont like the looks of it.

 

[Medic278]

Max of max of max of max 750 after I have saved and sold a couple things.
I dont really want the 13 MBP as it will have an Intel GPU.
I really dont like the looks of it.

Sorry I read someone else's post and thought it was you. Well if your max is 750 then go with the 15" its still a nice machine and you will get a few years of use out of it. Just bear in mind that what you want to do will really stress the machine. Have you considered that maybe you could get a more powerful machine with a dedicated graphics card that will better suit your needs if you buy a PC? Also whats the asking price of the 15"?

 

[getz76]

The 2009 15" models do not have the higher resolution option, do they? I do not believe so. If you are doing media production, I would go for something with higher resolution.

 

[JamerTheProgram]

The 2009 15" models do not have the higher resolution option, do they? I do not believe so. If you are doing media production, I would go for something with higher resolution.

I have coped with a 13 inch MB Alu for that use just fine, so I wont care. If I need more screen space, il just use my external monitor.

 

[azentropy]

I don't see the 2010 15" MBP going down to $750 even in a few months. If you can find a 15" 2009 that is still a heck of a system. I prefer the 13" form factor, but if you are looking to play games the lack of a dedicated GPU does suck.

 

[JamerTheProgram]

I don't see the 2010 15" MBP going down to $750 even in a few months. If you can find a 15" 2009 that is still a heck of a system. I prefer the 13" form factor, but if you are looking to play games the lack of a dedicated GPU does suck.

Totally agreed!
I think the C2D MBP will be fine, they only stopped making them last year. So I think they should be fine til 11.0.
If not, hopefully, by then I will have a successful product released.
This is in pounds by the way.

 

[Medic278]

If you like the 15 and think it will serve your needs then pull the trigger on it. Either way you'll be happy the 15" is still a great product and the C2D isn't outdated yet its just getting dated and there are better out there, but in the end it all comes down to what you can afford, and if you can afford the 15" and like go for it!