I've been using several apple products over the past few years, and they've nearly all been great computers. However, after spending a year in university, I think it's time I delved into a MacBook. Problem is, I'm not sure what model I should get.
For the past year, I've been using the family iPad (64GB, 3G) for the most part. It's been... okay. It's amazing to read on, and being able to use the Internet anywhere has come in handy several times. I love how weightless it is, and how it feels like I'm carrying nothing in my backpack, which is handy due to the fact that I have to walk all over campus on a regular basis. However, its simplicity makes it difficult to take notes, especially in my music classes (copying music citation into Pages, etc). I might not be able to use the iPad as much in the following year, as it's the "family" iPad... which is fine by me. I might be purchasing an iPhone to replace it... but anyway, getting back on topic.
At home, I have a Mac Pro. I am a music composer, who uses Logic Pro on a regular basis (with almost a TB of EWQL virtual instruments installed). My Mac Pro slightly struggles at times, even with its decent specs (posted below). As a hobby, I often play video games (Team Fortress 2, Just Cause 2, etc) though not as often as I used to. I suppose it would be nice to be able to have the ability to play them... which kind of leaves me with no choice other than the 6750M.
I suppose what I'm trying to ask is this: What MacBook do you think I should get? Should I go with the portable 13" MacBook? I'm not so sure on the low resolution... I'm pretty sure Logic would have to hide some of the (vital) track information being limited to around 750 pixels of height. I assume the Quad-Core i7 is better than the Dual-Core, even at the slower speed of 2.2GHz/2.3GHz. I just hope the 15" isn't too heavy.
I also have a few spec questions, assuming I go with the high-end 15":
Is the .1 GHz boost really worth $225? It seems pretty expensive...
RAM, I assume I should go with 4GB, and purchase 8GB from OWC? It's where I got the RAM for my Mac Pro.
Hard Drive... hmmmm... now this is pretty interesting. On one hand, $90 extra for an SSD Hard Drive is a pretty nice deal. However, I know I have a LOT more data than that. I use 150GB in music alone on my Mac Pro. Is everything needed? No, but I'd be lying if I said I feel comfortable leaving things off of it. Not to mention that we haven't even started talking about the applications and games themselves. I'm wondering if an external hard drive could make up for it later down the road. Heck, a Thunderbolt External SSD Hard Drive would work pretty nicely, don't you think? And even if I was to go with the stock 750GB/500GB HDD, I'd still not fit the EWQL library on there.
Display, I'm pretty set on going with the Antiglare Hi-Res screen. Reflections just bother me so much, and for vivid images, I'll have my TV/Display/Monitors at home.
AppleCare: Is it worth it for $299? My guess is, "Yes". Things often go wrong with portable computers, it's just their nature. If I was to damage what I have setup so far, I'd be spending a LOT of money to fix it.
Mini DisplayPort to DVI/Dual-Link DVI Adapters: I assume I should at least get the DVI adapter to connect to the TV/Monitor at home. Even with the new Thunderbolt Monitors down the line, I'm still set on getting a standard TV, which won't likely have a Thunderbolt port for a while.
I will need to purchase a printer, but I have no idea if I should go with any of the printer bundles. I think I'm going to leave it for later, and see if I can get ahold of a laser printer.
What a long winded post. Congrats if you made it down here. Thanks for reading, and hopefully you'll have a bit of advice for me. :3
Mac Pro specs:
CPU: 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon
RAM: 14 GB 800 MHz DDR2 FB-DIMM
GPU: nVidia 8800 GT
HDD 1: 750 GB, 7200 RPM
HDD 2: 1 TB, 7200 RPM
For the past year, I've been using the family iPad (64GB, 3G) for the most part. It's been... okay. It's amazing to read on, and being able to use the Internet anywhere has come in handy several times. I love how weightless it is, and how it feels like I'm carrying nothing in my backpack, which is handy due to the fact that I have to walk all over campus on a regular basis. However, its simplicity makes it difficult to take notes, especially in my music classes (copying music citation into Pages, etc). I might not be able to use the iPad as much in the following year, as it's the "family" iPad... which is fine by me. I might be purchasing an iPhone to replace it... but anyway, getting back on topic.
At home, I have a Mac Pro. I am a music composer, who uses Logic Pro on a regular basis (with almost a TB of EWQL virtual instruments installed). My Mac Pro slightly struggles at times, even with its decent specs (posted below). As a hobby, I often play video games (Team Fortress 2, Just Cause 2, etc) though not as often as I used to. I suppose it would be nice to be able to have the ability to play them... which kind of leaves me with no choice other than the 6750M.
I suppose what I'm trying to ask is this: What MacBook do you think I should get? Should I go with the portable 13" MacBook? I'm not so sure on the low resolution... I'm pretty sure Logic would have to hide some of the (vital) track information being limited to around 750 pixels of height. I assume the Quad-Core i7 is better than the Dual-Core, even at the slower speed of 2.2GHz/2.3GHz. I just hope the 15" isn't too heavy.
I also have a few spec questions, assuming I go with the high-end 15":
Is the .1 GHz boost really worth $225? It seems pretty expensive...
RAM, I assume I should go with 4GB, and purchase 8GB from OWC? It's where I got the RAM for my Mac Pro.
Hard Drive... hmmmm... now this is pretty interesting. On one hand, $90 extra for an SSD Hard Drive is a pretty nice deal. However, I know I have a LOT more data than that. I use 150GB in music alone on my Mac Pro. Is everything needed? No, but I'd be lying if I said I feel comfortable leaving things off of it. Not to mention that we haven't even started talking about the applications and games themselves. I'm wondering if an external hard drive could make up for it later down the road. Heck, a Thunderbolt External SSD Hard Drive would work pretty nicely, don't you think? And even if I was to go with the stock 750GB/500GB HDD, I'd still not fit the EWQL library on there.
Display, I'm pretty set on going with the Antiglare Hi-Res screen. Reflections just bother me so much, and for vivid images, I'll have my TV/Display/Monitors at home.
AppleCare: Is it worth it for $299? My guess is, "Yes". Things often go wrong with portable computers, it's just their nature. If I was to damage what I have setup so far, I'd be spending a LOT of money to fix it.
Mini DisplayPort to DVI/Dual-Link DVI Adapters: I assume I should at least get the DVI adapter to connect to the TV/Monitor at home. Even with the new Thunderbolt Monitors down the line, I'm still set on getting a standard TV, which won't likely have a Thunderbolt port for a while.
I will need to purchase a printer, but I have no idea if I should go with any of the printer bundles. I think I'm going to leave it for later, and see if I can get ahold of a laser printer.
What a long winded post. Congrats if you made it down here. Thanks for reading, and hopefully you'll have a bit of advice for me. :3
Mac Pro specs:
CPU: 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon
RAM: 14 GB 800 MHz DDR2 FB-DIMM
GPU: nVidia 8800 GT
HDD 1: 750 GB, 7200 RPM
HDD 2: 1 TB, 7200 RPM
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