Help Me decide.. Hmmm .. MacBook or Macbook Pro ..

[MacSurge]

Hi everyone I'm new to the forums, and I pretty much obsessed with Macs. However, I haven't ever had one as my personal computer, and rarely use one. For a while now Ive been trying to decide to get a Pro or just a Macbook. I want the best, but the best cost more money. If I do get a Macbook I would like to get the top model Black and upgrade it to 2gb RAM total = $1,600 USD
Now if I got the Pro I don't know which one to get.. I deffinetly don't want the 17inch because thats to big and I wont be able to carry it around on trips easily. Ive been trying to decide between the two 15inch he base model 2.16ghz and the middle one 2.33.. the middle one has more graphics memory and stuff to. If i do get the pro then I would want to upgrade to 3GB RAM and a 160GB hard drive, so it would be super fast. it would also be around 3k. Can you guys educate me a little on what you think I should get.

Do any of you guys own a 3gb pro


- Regards

 

[scienide09]

If you don't need the extra graphics power that comes with the MBP, nor the extra bells and whistles, then you should be fine with a MacBook. Do you do anything that's GPU intensive?

Also, if there's no pressing need to buy now, wait until later in the summer. Expectation is high that new MBP's are on their way, ones that will include the updated Santa Rosa Intel chipset that will support 4GB of RAM.

There are tonnes of threads about "buy now or buy later" as well as "which one should I get?" here on the forums. I suggest you have a look at those -- this discussion has been had many times, and most, if not all, of your issues have been addressed in the past.

 

[Squonk]

I don't mean any disrespect, but try using the Search Forums option as this issue has lots and lots of posts for you to read and confuse yourself with.

By all means, if you are looking at a MacBook, consider a refurbished one on the Apple site as upgrading the hard drive will not invalidate your warranty. The same is not true for the MBP's.

Welcome to the Mac family (almost), you're going to love whatever machine you decide to purchase.

 

[IQMatthew]

Look for a refurbed MacBook Pro

My recommendation is find a used or refurbished MacBook Pro.

I recently bought a used top-of-the-line 2006 white MacBook and a used top-of-the-line 2006 MacBook Pro 15, both with Core Duo chips. I like both machines but am planning to sell the white MacBook.

The machines are similar in many ways, but the key factor for me is that the Pro 15 has a bigger screen without adding much weight. For the record, I'm a medium-sized, medium-muscled man. I know I'll be comfortable carrying around the Pro 15 even though it's not as handy as the white MacBook.

I got both of these laptops through online auctions and have been happy. In 2005, I got a refurbished iMac G5 20-incher from Apple and have also been quite happy, although it definitely seems sluggish compared to Intel-based Macintosh computers.

Another thing: I would definitely go for 2GB of RAM. I'm not sure if 3GB is worth the expense but others may disagree.

Finally, scienide09's suggestion to wait a while before buying a MacBook Pro is sound advice. You'll probably get at least a little price break on the Pros once new versions are released.

Enjoy!

 

[MacSurge]

Do guys know when the new processors will be coming out.. If they are coming out soon then I think I may wait for them ..

BTW .. I searched the forums

- Regards

 

[richard4339]

I feel your pain... it took me 3 months to decide if I wanted the MacBook or the MacBook Pro. I ended up with the base model pro, and here's why.

I liked the backlit keyboard, larger screen, and non-shared video ram, but mostly the screen. I had used my friend's Core Duo Blackbook, and just wanted the extra two inches of real estate. But I also did not buy it to be able to run graphically-intensive programs, I bought it mostly to program on and to do basic tasks on. To me, the larger a space you have to program in (meaning more visible code at a time), the better.

You haven't said what you're wanting to run, simply that you liked the processing power of the Pro better. What exactly are you wanting to do with it? That may help people give you slightly better answers. Searching the forums is also good, as others have said.

I also realized you asked if anyone had a 3g Pro, I've simply got 2 gigs of ram in mine.

Edit: Just saw your last post. I've been typing for awhile ;-)
We don't know exactly when the new MBP will come out, or what it will have. Its all just speculation. But most people think it will be after WWDC which is in 3-4 weeks.

 

[MacSurge]

I feel your pain... it took me 3 months to decide if I wanted the MacBook or the MacBook Pro. I ended up with the base model pro, and here's why.

I liked the backlit keyboard, larger screen, and non-shared video ram, but mostly the screen. I had used my friend's Core Duo Blackbook, and just wanted the extra two inches of real estate. But I also did not buy it to be able to run graphically-intensive programs, I bought it mostly to program on and to do basic tasks on. To me, the larger a space you have to program in (meaning more visible code at a time), the better.

You haven't said what you're wanting to run, simply that you liked the processing power of the Pro better. What exactly are you wanting to do with it? That may help people give you slightly better answers. Searching the forums is also good, as others have said.

I also realized you asked if anyone had a 3g Pro, I've simply got 2 gigs of ram in mine.

Edit: Just saw your last post. I've been typing for awhile ;-)
We don't know exactly when the new MBP will come out, or what it will have. Its all just speculation. But most people think it will be after WWDC which is in 3-4 weeks.

How does yours run with 2gb.

I plan on using mine for pretty much everything.. Travel, photoshop,dreamweaver,coding\programming,i like to watch dvd`s some times, school,graphics design. and media production.. I also like to keep my photos on there to

- Regards

 

[Dynamyk]

Quick question, what will you be using it for. Saying you want the "best" doesn't describe your needs

 

[MacSurge]

How does yours run with 2gb.

I plan on using mine for pretty much everything.. Travel, photoshop,dreamweaver,coding\programming,i like to watch dvd`s some times, school,graphics design. and media production.. I also like to keep my photos on there to

- Regards

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Quick question, what will you be using it for. Saying you want the "best" doesn't describe your needs

Read the post right above you

- Regards

 

[Dynamyk]

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Read the post right above you

- Regards

Oops I was already typing that reply when you posted that .

If your doing Media production or any type of gaming go with the 15' Pro. If you don't need to do heavy media production just ram out your Macbook and you'll be fine

 

[richard4339]

I honestly don't want to say that it's been the best machine I've ever used, but I don't want to say its not either, because it tends to go through cycles. Overall, I love my MBP, but it doesn't seem like it does perform like it should. I do have 2gb of ram, but the brands are not identical, which I've heard can hurt performance. It tends to go really quickly for most things, but can slow down dramatically at random times. I notice I still tend to have frequent pageouts, despite the 2 gigs of ram.

Overall, though, from what you've said you'd be doing, I would probably say the pro, just because it does seem to run a little faster. But you seriously might want to wait a bit to see if there is an update at WWDC. Even if you don't get a new one when one comes out, the refurb store will take the current lineup and probably sell them off at a lower rate.

 

[CalBoy]

I plan on using mine for pretty much everything.. Travel, photoshop,dreamweaver,coding\programming,i like to watch dvd`s some times, school,graphics design. and media production.. I also like to keep my photos on there to

- Regards

Seems to me like you're going to need the pro. Those apps run on the macbook, but I think you'll notice better performance on the macbook pro. It seems as if price isn't your first concern, so I'd get the pro for sure. Unless you can't afford to spend $500 more, get the macbook pro. The screen size, better keyboard, matte screen option, better RAM configuration (one stick instead of two), and video card will be well worth the cost.

 

[desenso]

From your 'blog':

First off I’d like to introduce myself and tell you a little bit about me. I’m 14 years old and very smart for my age.

lol. Nice.

 

[MacSurge]

what is WWDC

Do any of you know when leaopard comes out..


- Regards

 

[MacSurge]

From your 'blog':



lol. Nice.

So, wtf is that for .. Im 14 ..

 

[CalBoy]

what is WWDC

Do any of you know when leaopard comes out..


- Regards

WWDC stands for World Wide Developers Conference. It's an event in which Apple shows off what it's working on, and what it has to sell. Basically, updates to products happen during WWDC (or have in the past), so a lot of people are expecting new mbps at WWDC. June 11 is the first day.

Leopard will be out in October.