Few Questions?

[pat mustard]

Hello, im a new user and was wondering if I can get a bit of advice on MacBook Pros. Basically I currently own an old Macbook 13' (2nd gen I think?) and im seriously considering picking up a brand new 15' Macbook Pro for my education needs.

Im on a course that involves graphic design, 3d animation and video editing (programmes such as After Effects, Photoshop, Cinema 4D etc etc) and assume its much more suitable to pick up a 15' model rather than a 13' because I will be doing quite a lot of multi-tasking.

Im also considering paying the extra £80 for the 8GB ram, along with the anti-glare hi-res screen, are these two things worth the money, I want to make sure this purchase is as good as it can be, while being suitable in terms of size, which rules out the 17' model which I feel is excessive.

Another question is, is the base model 15' suitable, or is it really worth the extra £300 for the higher performance 15' model, im not great with specifictions so im not sure what the real difference is.

Cheers for your time.

 

[Orlandoech]

The screen is worth the money without a doubt. The memory is worth the money if you do it yourself. Its overpriced from Apple directly. If you're doing to be doing 3Danima I would go with the higher end/spec 15" model for sure.

 

[bozz2006]

The screen is worth the money without a doubt. The memory is worth the money if you do it yourself. Its overpriced from Apple directly.

yep

 

[ratzzo]

The base 15" model is great, I don't really think paying extra for the high-end model is worth it, at least not for what you get.

Base 15" plus two 4GB 1666MHz RAM cards (8GB RAM total) is a killer machine to have. If I were you though, I would order these from other seller other than the direct Apple Store as they are charging way overprice for something you can find for 80-90$. Newegg.com is a great place to look for these.

I also agree on your choice for the matte screen. Glossy screens are nice, but downright frustrating when you're doing any sort of artistic work.

 

[pat mustard]

The screen is worth the money without a doubt. The memory is worth the money if you do it yourself. Its overpriced from Apple directly. If you're doing to be doing 3Danima I would go with the higher end/spec 15" model for sure.

Awesome thanks for the advice, how much would RAM cost if I did it myself rather than through Apple? One of my friends who owns a MacBook suggested doing this but im not sure on the details.

edit: ratzzos reply wasnt there when I posted this reply, I will definitely look into sorting RAM for myself rather than through Apple.

 

[ratzzo]

Awesome thanks for the advice, how much would RAM cost if I did it myself rather than through Apple? One of my friends who owns a MacBook suggested doing this but im not sure on the details.

edit: ratzzos reply wasnt there when I posted this reply, I will definitely look into sorting RAM for myself rather than through Apple.

Newegg's Crucial RAM is probably the best out there for what you seek and at a more than affordable price tag (80$). Also, don't be intimidated by the whole process of upgrading the RAM by yourself, there are many manuals and YouTube tutorials on how to do it. Once you open the computer, the first thing you see are the RAM slots which you simply take out and subsequently replace with the new ones.

Edit: actually, I linked the 1066MHz version of the RAM. You could get the higher frequency ones, at 1666MHz which is a 60% increase in speed, for not much more, at least always cheaper than at Apple's anyway.

Good luck

 

[pat mustard]

That is actually brilliant, thanks for another reply! Im ordering the MacBook either Thursday or Friday this week, so I will do my RAM shopping at the same time, cannot wait to get my hands on it!

 

[ratzzo]

That is actually brilliant, thanks for another reply! Im ordering the MacBook either Thursday or Friday this week, so I will do my RAM shopping at the same time, cannot wait to get my hands on it!

I'm glad we could help. The new MBPs are excellent machines, I speak from experience (typing on one, at the moment). Enjoy!