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Glossy or Matte?

X

XxCH3AT3RxX

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 16, 2007
101
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Okay I know there probably have been hundreds of these threads. But I have read some and some questions do not pertain to me. Alright I am saving up for a MBP. I can get it next year when I am a Junior in High school, but I will have to pay for the whole thing. Or I can wait until I graduate High school, and parents will let me max it out and they will buy it for a graduation present. We aren't rich , nor poor, just middle class. And they thought it would be a great gift for college.

Alright so I know by the time I actually order it there will be probably a different model and different specs and prices so I am not concerned about that. What I am wondering about is Matte or Glossy. Probably one of the biggest questions always asked. I heard Glossy has a amazing picture which interests me. But I also heard Matte is better for a true color. What I am planning on doing with my MBP is take it to college for Computer Science. So I will be using it a lot. I am planning on using it for XCode, for C/C++ programming. Also I might get into some graphic work with CS3, not sure yet. And I also plan on using it for games, possibly via bootcamp, and watching movies. So for programming, games, movies, and possibly graphic design later down the road what would be the best screen for me?
 
What I wanna know is why you would need a Macbook Pro let alone a laptop going into high school.

Anyway as for the screens, people generally prefer matte for graphic design because as they say, it produces 'real' colors. Personally I don't know about that from experience. I myself have the glossy option and to be honest I have no issues with glare and reflections. The colors are rich and saturated. I love it. It's a lot nicer on the eyes than the matte IMO. But then again I don't need any of that real color crap.
 
I am a CS student, and I have a blackbook. One of the things to keep in mind is that when you are in college you will want to be using it on campus a lot, where there will probably be a bit of harsh lighting. From my experience, my glossy screen is beautiful for things such as gaming and watching movies, but a royal pain when I am working at school and deeling with the annoying lights. Personally, if I had had a choice of matte with the blackbook I would have gotten it.
 
lazymej said:
What I wanna know is why you would need a Macbook Pro let alone a laptop going into high school.

Anyway as for the screens, people generally prefer matte for graphic design because as they say, it produces 'real' colors. Personally I don't know about that from experience. I myself have the glossy option and to be honest I have no issues with glare and reflections. The colors are rich and saturated. I love it. It's a lot nicer on the eyes than the matte IMO. But then again I don't need any of that real color crap.
Click to expand...

Seeing as I am tired of using this bogged down 8 year old Dell Desktop PC, origninall 256MB Ram and had to buy 512MB to make it 768MB Ram. 1.8GHz Pentium 4. 40GB HDD(Not including when it is formatted and required programs are installed.) So yes I need a new computer and I decided to get a MBP.

And I am not going into highschool. I am in highschool, half way done.

abiyng87 said:
I am a CS student, and I have a blackbook. One of the things to keep in mind is that when you are in college you will want to be using it on campus a lot, where there will probably be a bit of harsh lighting. From my experience, my glossy screen is beautiful for things such as gaming and watching movies, but a royal pain when I am working at school and deeling with the annoying lights. Personally, if I had had a choice of matte with the blackbook I would have gotten it.
Click to expand...

Alright thanks. I keep hearing different answers to when I ask this. What do most colleges prefer you to have for Computer Science? I hear sometimes that it doesn't matter, but more people have Windows but they see more and more people getting Macs. Also do you run bootcamp for computer science or does it not matter? Also what programs do you use in the class on your mac?
 
I use a glossy 17" MacBook Pro, while my girl friend uses a matte 15" MacBook Pro. I had a chance to use both and i find i like them both the same, i find both work great for everything but the glossy is better for watching movies. I do not think it matters that much, when i first got my laptop i went out of my way to get a glossy but now if i get a new laptop i will not mind which kind that it will come with.

Tips about getting a laptop and using it a lot.

- Get a raiser, something that will raise the laptop a bit to allow aid to flow under the laptop which will make it work a lot better. http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/elevator

- Invest in a screen, mouse and keyboard if you can. This is very important, i can not work on my laptop for a very long time but when using the elevator, mouse and external screen i find myself working on a desktop. You can always use an old screen.

- External hard drive, you will need it. I myself thought i will never fill my 1TB internal hard drive little did i know then. I know have two 1TB internal hard drives, and a 3TB external drobo unite. With all the work you will be doing on your laptop i dont think you will have space for movies on it.

Thats about it, if i do think of anything else i will PM you if you dont mind :)
 
I'd go with the glossy personally. The "real color" issue is only really important if you are really intense about graphic design, which it sounds like you are not. It's not that the glossy colors are fake, it's just that they generally look nicer, with a little more contrast. I'm a senior in college in bioengineering (so I do quite a bit of coding and modeling which requires color profiles), and I've never had any color problems or serious glare problems, even using my glossy outside. the amazing picture is worth it in every way IMO. Also, if I was you, I'd wait to get my parents purchase it.... better stats, and you'd have an extra 2 grand :)
 
I'd say glossy unless you plan to use it midday on midsummers day outside, and then ignore it for the rest of the year.
I never noticed a huge problem with glossy, just tilt the screen and it's usually gone.
 
Matte or glossy, doesn't matter. What make you happier?

If you're not even in Junior HS yet, get a nice Macbook. MBP is overkill unless you are using professional applications. It's smaller, more portable, and gets the job done. Spend the difference on an extra battery and possibly an external hard drive (I like G-Technology).

Have your parents meet you halfway and get you one NOW. Use the programs that come with it (iLife) and get REALLY, REALLY GOOD with MS Word & Excel. Especially Word.

Beg, borrow, or buy a low end digital camera & digital camcorder and learn how to use the software to mess with them. It'll give you a leg up in your school projects down the line.
 
I'm not really too sure about the Matte vs Glossy but have a look instore to see which one you like better.
If you're half way through high school and you get a MBP now it'll be 5+(?) years old in your final year. It is likely you'd need a better computer at that stage.
If I were you I'd ask/save for a MB now and then get a new MBP when you graduate from high school. This will mean that you will have a good computer when you need it.
Hope that helps

PS: Don't complain about your current computer I'm on a 630MHz/128Mb/20GB PC!:mad:
 
abiyng87 said:
I am a CS student, and I have a blackbook. One of the things to keep in mind is that when you are in college you will want to be using it on campus a lot, where there will probably be a bit of harsh lighting. From my experience, my glossy screen is beautiful for things such as gaming and watching movies, but a royal pain when I am working at school and deeling with the annoying lights. Personally, if I had had a choice of matte with the blackbook I would have gotten it.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I was using a notebook in my schools library last semester which had a glossy screen and it was a total pain--the whole screen was glared. When I get a MB it will be a major hindrance not having the option of a matte screen, so I may have to get a low end Pro.
 
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