Hello,
I'm in the market for a new Mac in the near future and would like some advice.
For the past 2.5 years I have been the proud user of a 2-GHZ CD MBP. I've made use of the AppleCare plan several times through this time period, and I don't think I want to spend much, if any, time using an unwarrantied system.
The MBP has been great so far. However, I'm not of the greatest financial means and am eyeing the aluminum MacBook as a replacement instead. I don't need many of the pro features of the MBP in hindsight, but I am concerned about two aspects of the MB: graphics and screen size.
I am a gamer. This doesn't mean I am an "avid" one, but I do play the occasional 3D accelerated game either in OS X or XP. I don't need all the eye candy of top-notch performance, but I don't want to be unable to run games at a decent clip. What have users' experiences been with the 9400M chipset?
Secondly, I'm concerned about the reduced screen real estate of the MB relative to the 15" MBP. I work on my Mac several hours a day and am afraid my eyes would get tired staring at a display 2" smaller than I am used to. I am thinking of buying a good external monitor and keyboard to connect to the computer so I can just keep those components as I move from system to system over the years (but I would stay away from the new Apple LED monitor--way too expensive). However, my desk space is a bit at a premium. What are the MB's dimensions when closed?
Any info and advice appreciated.
I'm in the market for a new Mac in the near future and would like some advice.
For the past 2.5 years I have been the proud user of a 2-GHZ CD MBP. I've made use of the AppleCare plan several times through this time period, and I don't think I want to spend much, if any, time using an unwarrantied system.
The MBP has been great so far. However, I'm not of the greatest financial means and am eyeing the aluminum MacBook as a replacement instead. I don't need many of the pro features of the MBP in hindsight, but I am concerned about two aspects of the MB: graphics and screen size.
I am a gamer. This doesn't mean I am an "avid" one, but I do play the occasional 3D accelerated game either in OS X or XP. I don't need all the eye candy of top-notch performance, but I don't want to be unable to run games at a decent clip. What have users' experiences been with the 9400M chipset?
Secondly, I'm concerned about the reduced screen real estate of the MB relative to the 15" MBP. I work on my Mac several hours a day and am afraid my eyes would get tired staring at a display 2" smaller than I am used to. I am thinking of buying a good external monitor and keyboard to connect to the computer so I can just keep those components as I move from system to system over the years (but I would stay away from the new Apple LED monitor--way too expensive). However, my desk space is a bit at a premium. What are the MB's dimensions when closed?
Any info and advice appreciated.
