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SnowLeopard2008

macrumors 604
Original poster
Jul 4, 2008
6,772
19
Silicon Valley
So my friend just called me and he said how his parents are buying him a new computer this weekend for his birthday. His parents gave him a 1.5 grand budget. He went to the Apple Store yesterday to look at the unibody MB(Ps) and also looked at another friend's 'classic' MBP. He likes both and sees the +/- of each. He does some advanced stuff like PS, After Effects, FC, and some 3D render work like Maya and AutoDesk. Not as a professional but not exactly a regular hobby either.

He knows I'm kind of the tech sort of guy so he asked me whether he should purchase the 2.5GHz 'classic' MBP or the 2.4GHz unibody MB. I told him that the 'classic' MBP is a better value for the dollar but lacks some cool features like the multi touch trackpad, faster memory and a thinner chassis of the MB. He's going to upgrade the hard drive to 500GB and 4GB of memory whichever one he chooses.

So which Mac would you recommend him? His family has a Mac Pro (Dad's) that he uses frequently but his own computer (notebook) is in need for an upgrade. I heard stories of how the 'classic' MBPs got really hot to touch after extended use?
 
a refurb MBP, possibly the current generation, either the 2.4, which is closer to his budget or an even better 2.53GHz model.
 
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