Hi-Res 17'' MBP Recommended ?

[Joko]

Hi

I have had an offer from a guy wanting to sell his Hi-Res 17'' Macbook Pro (won in a competition and I have the web page to verify it) which is 2 months old. The other specs are unchanged. His offer saves me about $600 as opposed to buying a new one. I don't really need the Hi-Res but it sounds really tempting considering it's age and condition. It would be roughly the same price as a 15.4'' 2.4 brand new. I have 2 questions though:

1: Does the guarantee get transferred to my name in case of any problems?

2: How does the Hi-Res screen compare to the normal screen in terms of size of icons etc/eye comfort/external monitor use/etc? Is it all it's cracked up to be?


I am excited to hear some responses from you guys, thanks alot.

 

[tersono]

The warranty should still be valid - just ensure that you obtain a copy of his original proof of purchase, just to be safe.

Yes, the high-res screen is worth having - I'm typing this on one =] Best damn screen I've ever seen on a laptop - crystal clear and VERY sharp. It makes the regular screen look almost fuzzy.

 

[Joko]

The warranty should still be valid - just ensure that you obtain a copy of his original proof of purchase, just to be safe.

Yes, the high-res screen is worth having - I'm typing this on one =] Best damn screen I've ever seen on a laptop - crystal clear and VERY sharp. It makes the regular screen look almost fuzzy.

Thanks. He won it in a competition actually, of which I can confirm via the website. I've written to him asking about the guarantee T & C. I'm guessing that model would hold its value better too.

Excuse my ignorance, but besides the clearer quality, does more pixels = more screen real estate?

I'm aware of the rumored update but if this is a good deal, I will definitely take it. Do you think it's worth the savings?

p.s its 1920 x 1200

 

[DaveF]

If it's brand-new, unopened, it's a good price. The 17" is about $300 more than the 15", and the high-res display upgrade is another $100. So this is a free upgrade, plus $200 more off. If this is a used machine, then you need to decide how much discount is expected for a used system.

But more importantly is whether you want a 17" MBP. This is a very nice system, to be sure, and makes a good desktop replacement. But if you plan to travel much with it, you should consider the basic practicality of a 15" over a 17".

As for screen real estate: more pixels in will give a mixture of more room for windows, etc. and higher resolution graphics.

Consider: a 1920x1200 display is what a typical 24" monitor uses; but now it's in a 17" display.

 

[Joko]

If it's brand-new, unopened, it's a good price. The 17" is about $300 more than the 15", and the high-res display upgrade is another $100. So this is a free upgrade, plus $200 more off. If this is a used machine, then you need to decide how much discount is expected for a used system.

But more importantly is whether you want a 17" MBP. This is a very nice system, to be sure, and makes a good desktop replacement. But if you plan to travel much with it, you should consider the basic practicality of a 15" over a 17".

As for screen real estate: more pixels in will give a mixture of more room for windows, etc. and higher resolution graphics.

Consider: a 1920x1200 display is what a typical 24" monitor uses; but now it's in a 17" display.

Thanks that helps alot.

Well I'm in South Africa so all my conversions are made to Dollars to hopefully give you a better idea of my situation.

I will be moving the laptop probably once every 3 months, if that.

I just dont want a machine thats gonna be a strain on the eyes, although I will be using it with an external screen.

 

[DaveF]

I don't want to dissuade you from this machine -- it was my "dream" machine at first, until I decided my needs were better met by a 15". I used to run a 17" CRT at 1600x1200. I love high-resolution displays.

But frankly, most people don't like that. And if you have any hesitation at running very high resolution displays, you should find something comparably and give it a look. 1920x1200 on a 17" LCD is quite high resolution. Most people would find this uncomfortably small. I don't know how well OS X deals with high-res -- on a Windows system this is really for the hard core or good eyes.

But if you're concerned about eye strain, you should find a comparison machine to check it out. If you have a spare CRT monitor, connect a 17" or 19" CRT to your current Mac and run it at the highest resolution you can, to get some sense of how it will work.

That said, if you think this is a good deal, others would too. You can get it, and if turns out it doesn't work for you, perhaps you can sell it will minimal trouble. (I have no idea what the computer market in South Africa is like )

 

[PimpDaddy]

I was worried about the resolution of the hi-res screen but I have not had any problems so far.

I take my laptop with me on the train and work some times and as of now the size of the laptop has not been a problem in any situations.

I love this computer and I would definately not switch for a 15'', 13'' or 12'' PB. If you like screen real estate and don't have to bring the MBP along with you all the time then go for the hi-res... You won't regret it

 

[PimpDaddy]

I don't know how well OS X deals with high-res -- on a Windows system this is really for the hard core or good eyes.

I noticed that too. The 1920x1200 resolution looks like alot more in XP that in OSX for some reason. But I am still able to fit more windows on the desktop of OSX compared to XP.

 

[Joko]

Thanks guys. I would be using it with a 24'' screen mostly which should alleviate eye strain a bit, although there's nothing wrong with my eyes at the moment, no contacts/glasses etc.

Using programs such as Logic I'd think it would be able to display more tracks at a time would would be a big bonus,

 

[Chundles]

I've seen one, it looks sick. 'Nuff said.

I'd buy one in heartbeat if given the option.