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Future Proofing with MBP

N

Nairmb

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 30, 2009
13
0
Hi all,

I am a prospective first time Mac buyer looking for a desktop replacement that will last me at least 4 years and has enough GPU and processing power to handle OS updates through those years. Since I want a desktop replacement, I narrowed it down to the 15" MBP, since I don't see the worth in messing with the 13" and an external monitor. Is the midrange option enough; with 2.66 gHz, 7200 RPM, and the 9400 + 9600 GT GPU?

Thanks all for taking the time to help; I'm sure you get these questions every day.
 
It'll be fine for the average user.

Many people would actually upgrade the harddrive and RAM themselves.
 
I figured that after a few years I could max out the RAM if needed. Another purchasing question: is AppleCare worth $300 for the three years of coverage? From your experience, how often is the warranty usually used? If I don't get AppleCare, what coverage do I get for free, and what do repairs usually run?
 
Nairmb said:
I figured that after a few years I could max out the RAM if needed. Another purchasing question: is AppleCare worth $300 for the three years of coverage? From your experience, how often is the warranty usually used? If I don't get AppleCare, what coverage do I get for free, and what do repairs usually run?
Click to expand...

Get apple care...

even if something that's hardware related breaks or fails they don't have to fix it if you don't have AC. If you do, they'll fix almost everything that's non-accidental and a non-cosmetic issue (screen, hinge, motherboard, graphics, etc)
 
Applecare is SO very worth every penny!

Over the past 3 years, I started with the first rev. Macbook pro (15" 2.16 CD)... It was repaired under Applecare 2 times, replaced with a new Macbook pro revision (15" 2.33), that one then had 2 repairs.... And now I am sitting here with a Brand new UNI 17"!!!

Not that you will endure these same issues as I did, but it does pay off...
Im sure that without it, I would be out either a whole system, or at least a couple thousand in parts.

Apple and its "care" has surely helped to keep me "Future Proof"!!
 
And the new MBP is the way to go rather than refurbished 2.66 MBP for 1,700?
 
Hellhammer said:
New ones have really nothing "new". Only better battery and SD slot. I would go for refurb, they're amazing and you save some money as well
Click to expand...

yeah refurbs are amazing but what if i had student discount on the new one plus free ipod touch plus 15% discount (cousin works at apple store). then the new one should be worth it right? (im talking about the base 15in MBP vs refurb)
 
intensee said:
yeah refurbs are amazing but what if i had student discount on the new one plus free ipod touch plus 15% discount (cousin works at apple store). then the new one should be worth it right? (im talking about the base 15in MBP vs refurb)
Click to expand...

If you mean the new 1699 MBP, there's no 9600m gt in those =(
Also, the refurbished 2.66 has twice as much VRam than the current 1999 model.
Personally, I'd just pick up the previous 2.4 for 1349, as I doubt all those discounts are going to stack.
 
intensee said:
yeah refurbs are amazing but what if i had student discount on the new one plus free ipod touch plus 15% discount (cousin works at apple store). then the new one should be worth it right? (im talking about the base 15in MBP vs refurb)
Click to expand...

It's definitely worth it then. Refurbs aren't included in BTS promo :(
 
intensee said:
yeah refurbs are amazing but what if i had student discount on the new one plus free ipod touch plus 15% discount (cousin works at apple store). then the new one should be worth it right? (im talking about the base 15in MBP vs refurb)
Click to expand...

If your cousin works at Apple then why aren't you asking them these questions instead of a bunch of strangers?
 
I'd choose the refurbed 2.66 MBP despite the better battery and sd card slot.

The 2.66, unlike the 2.4, has the ability to take 8 gigs of ram instead of 6. Ram and HD are generally the most cost effective upgrades you can make. I wouldn't spend that kind of money on it now, but prices will come down in a year or two.

The 2.66 also has a sata 2 connection instead of sata 1, so it SHOULD fully support a SSD drive when they get larger and cheaper in a year or two.

It also has a video card with 512 mb of video ram. Rest assured that the demand for video processing power will increase.

The 2.66 has the express card slot, which MAY prove to be more beneficial over the long run than the SD card slot.

I'm typing this on my day to day light duty workhorse, a 12" g4 powerbook that is 4-5 years old. It is still perfectly capable for most consumer applications such as surfing the web (except for watching hd videos) email, word processing, iPhoto, iWhatever.
 
Another thing that I realized I need to consider is can you add RAM yourself to the new MacBooks, because since the battery is sealed; I have not seen a way into the innards of the computer.
 
do you need the 9600GT? do you want the 15" screen? is it necessary that those two features be portable?

for most consumer uses, the macbook or the $1199 mbp is sufficient.

at that price, you can buy a new one in 2 or 3 years (vs. paying twice as much for a single MBP and replacing in 4+), and if you're planning on that you can save yourself the $300 for applecare. sell the old one when you buy again in 2 years, thus cutting maybe $400-600 off the price of the upgrade.

MBP + AppleCare = $2300 + 1 free ipod
2x MB + no applecare = $1600-1800 + 2 free ipods

if you want serious power for gaming, you'll be running windows for that anyways, so build yourself a pc desktop that you can upgrade. check out tom's hardware for their "$500 gaming pc," and add on a 24" monitor for $200-250. then you get 13" portability, ample power for serious tasks, and a bigger monitor for less than the price of a single mbp.

there is no future proofing electronics. i always tend to buy less than top-of-the-line and just upgrade more often, because today's ridiculously expensive stuff is always surpassed by tomorrow's mid-range (and sometimes even budget) parts.

if you don't need the MBP's power now, who knows, maybe in a year you'll be buying (and primarily using) an apple netbook, and then you'll wish you hadn't stuck yourself for 4+ years with a 15" screen
 
It is going to be my only computer, so yes the 15" inch screen is what I need/want.
 
if you're planning on any gaming, the midrange is fine.

if you don't expect to play any 3d games or do intensive video editing...get the $1699 version.
 
The only PC gaming I will be doing will be games like the Sims and Football Manager. Currently I'm not interested in video editing and the like.
 
the 1699 mbp should run the sims 3 decently, and football manager well.

anyone out there have any experience with the sims 3 on a 9400M?
 
Applecare is worth it, but with two caveats.

1. Don't buy it when you buy the machine itself; you have up to a year from the date of purchase to spring for it.

2. Don't buy it from Apple. That $300 AppleCare package costs under $200 on eBay (obviously check the seller's feedback, be smart about it, etc). Saving money means more cash to drop on Apple products. :p
 
Nairmb said:
Another thing that I realized I need to consider is can you add RAM yourself to the new MacBooks, because since the battery is sealed; I have not seen a way into the innards of the computer.
Click to expand...

Sorry to quote myself, but does anybody have experience with adding RAM to the new MBPs?
 
clyde2801 said:
I'd choose the refurbed 2.66 MBP despite the better battery and sd card slot.

The 2.66, unlike the 2.4, has the ability to take 8 gigs of ram instead of 6. Ram and HD are generally the most cost effective upgrades you can make. I wouldn't spend that kind of money on it now, but prices will come down in a year or two.
Click to expand...

I thought that all of the late 2008 models took a max of 4gb ram? Also, can someone explain to me why the apple refurb store as a 2.66 MBP and a 2.8 MBP with identical specs (the 2.66 just has more usb ports...I have no idea why) for the same price? Thanks.
 
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