Help with many mac questions...

[WannaBMW3]

Ok, this is gonna be a huge switch for me and profit for Apple (hehe)...Here is my dilemma, I do not own any mac stuff but will own it all by year's end...

I am a DJ right now and I am currently in the process of going digital (laptop and turntables)...

1. For my equipment to perform the best and not fail (cause I hear macs do not crash) should I go with the top of line macbook or the mid-range pro??? What is the performance difference between one with a dedicated video card and one that shares? I will be using serato scratch live!!!

2. Should I wait until Leopard comes out to purchase any mac???

3. I am also getting an iPhone but I am skeptical about it, I keep trying to find out if version 2 is really coming out this november because its what I hear? Should I wait???

Here are the configs for the two macs I'm deciding on...I mean I want to get the best but if a macbook can perform the same then f-it!!!

Macbook (black model-which I love by the way)
2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
2GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM - 2x1GB
160GB Serial ATA @ 5400 rpm
SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. English
AppleCare Protection Plan for MacBook - Auto-enroll
AirPort Extreme Card & Bluetooth

$1,717 with student discount

or

Macbook Pro
2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM - 2x2GB
160GB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics with 256MB SDRAM
SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
MacBook Pro 15-inch Glossy Widescreen Display
Backlit Keyboard/Mac OS - U.S. English
Accessory Kit
AppleCare Protection Plan for MacBook Pro (w/or w/o Display) - Auto-enroll

$3,303 with student discount

Now you're probably wondering why not just get the best if you can afford it?? But my dilemma is I currently have a notebook from POS dell that was the best, but the 7200 hd and video card...ate up my battery and made it very hot to hold and heavy...

I am taking out a student computer loan to get this sucker so I want it to be a good decision on all fronts. Here are the factors I'm considering...I'm also in law school so I'm gonna be on it alot!!!

Portability
Screen display (not size, vivid and clarity)
Performance on speed and quickness

Now I have played with both of these models at Best Buy and CompUSA and The Apple Store...everytime there are so many pro's and con's to both

Macbook
Good: Size, battery life, price, color, speed (from what I've seen)
Bad: memory limits, screen size (when I'm dj'ing will it be hard to see), performance

Macbook Pro
Good: Screen display, performance, speed, alumminum, silver color
Bad: PRICE!!!, battery life (maybe???), heat (maybe???), size to carry around

I also plan on hooking up my iPhone to this sucker so I want it to satisfy on all fronts, it will be my first mac purchase ever and I don't plan on going back to POS PC...I know this was a long thread but I wanted you guys to know where I was coming from, thank you for any of your input, I want my mac now!!!!!!!!! LOL Thanks again!

 

[ktbubster]

why not go with a 2.2 macbook pro .. upgrade the drive... plenty fast (as fast at the 2.16.. der) ... if you are just doing music for now.. start with 2 gig (or whatever the 2.2 comes with and then ADD THE MEMORY YOURSELF!!!!! third party PLEASE.. you'll save 100s and that's alot after loan interest

the 2.2 before tax with applecare is only 2038... plenty of computer.. and you can get the ram 3rd party (you'll save a few hundred.. get a 4 gig set from elsewhere and sel the current 2 it comes from.

GL

 

[vicious7]

go with the macbook. it seems like it suits your needs and budget better. if you need it now, get it now. you can upgrade to leopard later when it comes out.

 

[Mac In School]

2. Should I wait until Leopard comes out to purchase any mac???

Everybody is is going to tell you no, and yell at me for saying this...

If you don't need it now, and you're working with a budget, I'd wait. If you buy now, you'll spend another $129 in 2 months when Leopard does come out.

Everybody but me here is independently wealthy, but $129 is a lot to me, when I'm already shelling out $X,XXX on the computer.

 

[WannaBMW3]

Thanks alot to all of you for your quick replys...yeah I also did the config on the 2.2 macbook pro, I mean money is a issue withe me as well but I told myself, if I go mac I want it to last for a very long time (speed and performance wise). I can wait for leopard but I'm afraid the price will go up for a macbook/macbook pro????????? 2 months seems like forever for me but I've waited this long right? I guess I'll have to carry around my POS dell which weighs 12.5 pounds and has a battery charger the size of a brick, no bs, thanks!

why not go with a 2.2 macbook pro .. upgrade the drive... plenty fast (as fast at the 2.16.. der) ... if you are just doing music for now.. start with 2 gig (or whatever the 2.2 comes with and then ADD THE MEMORY YOURSELF!!!!! third party PLEASE.. you'll save 100s and that's alot after loan interest

the 2.2 before tax with applecare is only 2038... plenty of computer.. and you can get the ram 3rd party (you'll save a few hundred.. get a 4 gig set from elsewhere and sel the current 2 it comes from.

GL

Thanks...where can I buy the third party ram for a macbook?

 

[flopticalcube]

Thanks...where can I buy the third party ram for a macbook?

Crucial (link at top of page) is good. Many other places too. The MacBook can take up to 3G of RAM (actually 3.3 using 2 X 2G sticks).

 

[Mac In School]

Don't wait because I said so. Just don't get pressured into buying before you're ready. If you really want it now, go for it.

In fact, forget I recommended that you wait, and pretend I just gave the reason I am waiting. Maybe the Waiter Haters won't jump my case if I put it that way.

I wouldn't worry about prices going up. That doesn't happen too often in the computer world. Prices go down. A price might go up if a bigger/badder/faster one comes out, but that lowers the price of the one you see now.

crucial.com for all your RAM needs.

 

[WannaBMW3]

I'm checking out all the ram stuff on crucial right now...
4gb for 1/3 of the price of an upgrade from apple! WTF???

Do the macbook/macbook pro's come with crucial inside or what brand do they use???

 

[flopticalcube]

Apple RAM is notoriously expensive. Crucial is just as good.

 

[Eric5h5]

If you don't need it now, and you're working with a budget, I'd wait. If you buy now, you'll spend another $129 in 2 months when Leopard does come out.

I don't get this...someone is holding a gun to your head so you're forced to buy Leopard the instant it's released? Why? Just buy it when you've got the cash. Remember, time is money (actually, it's a lot more important than money). And 2 months is indeed a long time. And let's not assume Leopard will actually ship on schedule. Consider yourself yelled at.

As for the "Macs don't crash" thing...well, don't build them up to be some kind of magical device, because you'll be disappointed by the real world. Under normal circumstances they don't, but they're complicated machines just like every other computer, and can suffer from various hardware or firmware faults (and occasionally even software faults) that can cause intermittent crashing.

--Eric

 

[Mac In School]

I don't get this...someone is holding a gun to your head so you're forced to buy Leopard the instant it's released? Why? Just buy it when you've got the cash. Remember, time is money (actually, it's a lot more important than money). And 2 months is indeed a long time. And let's not assume Leopard will actually ship on schedule. Consider yourself yelled at.

See... I told ya!

I want to install Leopard shortly after it comes out, assuming I hear good things about it. I have a very good reason why, but I won't bother explaining since it could drive the thread off-topic.

So, I will re-word this...

I am waiting so I can save $129 on the new OS. There's always a chance the price of the machine could go down in that time too. There is also a chance that they could start selling 17" MBPs with the newer screens in that time as well. I'm not waiting for a price drop. I'm not waiting for the new screen. I'm waiting so I can save $129, and if one of those other things happens, great. If not, my work will be done.

To be clear, I'll be upgrading my desktop machine to Leopard too. So I'm really cutting my upgrade price from $258 to $129. If I had bought 2 months ago, when all the Waiter Haters were yelling at me, I would have found myself look at another $80 to upgrade iLife too.

 

[Mac In School]

I found an appropriate thread to post why I'm upgrading to Leopard, if you're interested.

 

[WannaBMW3]

Yeah I understand completely that they're not perfect...but I just have seen so many problem-comparison to pc...

PC:1,000,000 problems
Mac:1,000 problems

kind of comparison

 

[flowagner]

get a MBP 2.2 and stanton final scratch. that's what paul van dyk's got. and he loves it.

 

[mr_matalino]

Get the 2.2. If you're going to do music you don't need the 2.4. You won't tell much difference (if any). The MB will be too small for you.

And remember that all RAM is not created equal. Macs are very sensitive about their RAM. Crucial is one of the best places to go. Don't buy the cheapest RAM you can find.

 

[cbtscheid]

Referb?

get a MBP 2.2 and stanton final scratch. that's what paul van dyk's got. and he loves it.

You might also consider a refurbished machine if the MBP 2.2 will meet your needs. I found this is on the Apple Store site today:

Refurbished MacBook Pro 2.2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
15.4-inch widescreen display
2GB memory
120GB hard drive
8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 128MB of GDDR3 memory
Built-in iSight Camera

Learn More

• Save 16% off the original price
Original price: $1,999.00
Your price: $1,699.00

 

[WannaBMW3]

get a MBP 2.2 and stanton final scratch. that's what paul van dyk's got. and he loves it.

I know, I've toy'd with both serato and final scratch, I just feel more comfortable on serato. Plus the user-interface is sweet!!! Now the main difference I'm still conteplating about is the video card..I do alot of videos and pictures as well as music...should I opt for the 2.4 just because it comes with the 256 graphics card or is 128 just as good?

 

[teflon]

http://eshop.macsales.com/ (Other World Computing) is also a good place to find ram, hd, and other stuff for macs. I too think a 2.2 will be good enough for you, and with an educational discount, there's only $100 difference between the refurb and a brand new machine, so I think you might as well get a brand new machine. For picture editing, most programs like PS don't use the GPU, so you'll be fine. Aperture does depend on the GPU, but the 128 can handle it fine. As for video editing, if you use 3D apps like Motion a lot, then the 256 one would help, but if you're just using FCE or FC, the 128 can handle it just fine also. Use the extra money that you saved on ram upgrades, hd/external hds or a monitor to use at home.

 

[WannaBMW3]

Sweet...yeah I do alot of editing but it's not professional stuff or anything, just adding music to home vids, creating dvd's...just the basic stuff...but I wanted to make sure serato or final scratch will fun smooth on a smaller graphics card...

 

[teflon]

^^^
Music apps don't usually use the GPU, so even a mb will suffice with its integrated graphics.

 

[deanops]

if you are djing in clubs and stuff, in dark rooms with strobes and lights, i think the glossy on the macbook might be a bit of a pain.... just my 2 cents

 

[fr4c]

if you are djing in clubs and stuff, in dark rooms with strobes and lights, i think the glossy on the macbook might be a bit of a pain.... just my 2 cents

yup I was just about to say, go with the Matte. glare on the glossy is pretty bad in clubs, and the last thing you want to do is fix your screen to see what youre doing.

 

[dollystereo]

Here is my opinion:
If you are working with audio, you dont need video card, and the 2.16 Core Duo is extremely fast.
The macbook case is way more resistant that the MBP.
Is more portable and the batery last longer.
Maybe the screen is to small, just go and try them.
If you go Pro, get the low end model, you will not see the difference in performance.
2gb of ram is more than enough.
If you get the MB, go and grab a 2gb stick, for a total 3GB from some other dealer (www.macsales.com)
Dont wait to Leopard, you dont need it, you cant work profesionaly in a OS that is new, stick with tiger, all the apps are supported. You will need to wait at least until february to work in Leopard. (Thats absolutely true)

 

[WannaBMW3]

Oh so the glossy screen can be trouble in clubs??? Really only dj'ing in dark venues like halls, cafeteria's (dances) and house parties...

so the music programs don't really depend on the graphics card then huh?? Sweet...as of now, leaning towards the low-end mbp, with upgraded ram (of course bought by myself cause $600 to upgrade, ouch), thanks for all your inputs though, I take them all into consideration.

 

[Roy Hobbs]

p

3. I am also getting an iPhone but I am skeptical about it, I keep trying to find out if version 2 is really coming out this november because its what I hear? Should I wait???

There won't be an updated version of the iPhone in November.