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How is your opinion of the June 2009 17"uMBP's?

ZMacintosh

ZMacintosh

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Nov 13, 2008
1,507
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I'm looking at grabbing the 17" June 09 Model.
I suppose no bad/negative posts on here are taken that so far they seem okay as opposed to some of the other banter on the 13/15 MBP.

any issues the with OEM 2.8/500GB HDD?

I had an early 09 model from march but i travelled a bit for awhile and sufficed with a 13" uMB which is a great machine..and will be the companion to the 17" which will be my uberportable studio.

thanks a bunch!
 
ZMacintosh said:
I'm looking at grabbing the 17" June 09 Model.
I suppose no bad/negative posts on here are taken that so far they seem okay as opposed to some of the other banter on the 13/15 MBP.

any issues the with OEM 2.8/500GB HDD?

I had an early 09 model from march but i travelled a bit for awhile and sufficed with a 13" uMB which is a great machine..and will be the companion to the 17" which will be my uberportable studio.

thanks a bunch!
Click to expand...

No problems from what I've heard and read. Just make sure that you decide if you want glossy or a matte display ($50 extra cost). Great resolution on the 17 incher. As well it has that long lasting battery in it (supposed 8 hours, but in reality its around 5 to 7).

I would recommend getting it now if you want it.
 
ah okay cool cool.
i had the early 09 and the battery got about 8hours...at one point i get atleast 8.5 doing on and off wireless work and itunes and iwork.

i just wasnt sure if they had the beeping 500gb hdd issue at all.
im looking at the glossy as they look really great and i tend to favor their color quality.

do most of them come standard with the 9c99 display?
luckily my early 09 had the 9c99 (first one had 9c98) and there was a huge difference.


:cool:
 
it rocks

I bought an MBP 13.3" and it rocks so hard.

Well built, classy, light, with a very long battery life it's simpley the best apple computer I ever had.

If only keybord keys were built in aluminium, it should be perfect.

Andrea
 
darkpila said:
I bought an MBP 13.3" and it rocks so hard.

Well built, classy, light, with a very long battery life it's simpley the best apple computer I ever had.

If only keybord keys were built in aluminium, it should be perfect.

Andrea
Click to expand...

i think yours is 4" too small for this thread lol
 
ZMacintosh said:
I'm looking at grabbing the 17" June 09 Model.
I suppose no bad/negative posts on here are taken that so far they seem okay as opposed to some of the other banter on the 13/15 MBP.

any issues the with OEM 2.8/500GB HDD?

I had an early 09 model from march but i travelled a bit for awhile and sufficed with a 13" uMB which is a great machine..and will be the companion to the 17" which will be my uberportable studio.

thanks a bunch!
Click to expand...

Don't order the 7200 rpm model. It has the click-beep issue, and it freezes up.

I thought that the 5400 rpm model was safe, but this one started stuttering and freezing (beachball). It actually just froze as I was typing this, and I put my ear close to the HDD to listen to see if it was the hard drive causing the problem--sure enough, you could hear it sputter and the freezing stopped.

The first unit I was sent started to develop a creaking hinge after one week. The new replacement unit is also starting to show signs of the same problem.

Both have loose bottom panels, but the replacement unit is better than the first unit I received. They both also have the bowing lid problem (although I am not too bothered by it).

I don't know what is going on with apple these days. Quality control has gone to hell. Oh, and don't expect customer service to be any good either.

If they fixed the HDD issue, the hinge and the bottom panel, I'd say it is the best computer I've ever used. Unfortunately, they aren't even acknowledging the problems.

Oh and the 7200 RPM unit I received ran much hotter than the 5400 unit. I don't know why. Could be completely unrelated to the speed of the hdds.
 
NovemberWhiskey said:
Don't order the 7200 rpm model. It has the click-beep issue, and it freezes up.

I thought that the 5400 rpm model was safe, but this one started stuttering and freezing (beachball). It actually just froze as I was typing this, and I put my ear close to the HDD to listen to see if it was the hard drive causing the problem--sure enough, you could hear it sputter and the freezing stopped.

The first unit I was sent started to develop a creaking hinge after one week. The new replacement unit is also starting to show signs of the same problem.

Both have loose bottom panels, but the replacement unit is better than the first unit I received. They both also have the bowing lid problem (although I am not too bothered by it).

I don't know what is going on with apple these days. Quality control has gone to hell. Oh, and don't expect customer service to be any good either.

If they fixed the HDD issue, the hinge and the bottom panel, I'd say it is the best computer I've ever used. Unfortunately, they aren't even acknowledging the problems.

Oh and the 7200 RPM unit I received ran much hotter than the 5400 unit. I don't know why. Could be completely unrelated to the speed of the hdds.
Click to expand...

Just to reassure the OP.

I ordered my 17" unibody (3.05ghz +7200rpm hdd) last week, received it on monday - i've had no click/beep issues what-so-ever.

Click/beeping is not guaranteed
 
I have a June 2009 2.8GHz 17" uMBP with the anti-glare display and stock 5400rpm drive.

The build quality is excellent and I have had none of the problems that others have reported with the machine. Performance is great - about double that of my iMac CD 2.0GHz for everything except disk throughput, which is about 10% slower for large transfers (the iMac has a fast 640GB 7200rpm drive, having been upgraded earlier this year).

The screen is excellent and usable without worrying about reflections. I wish, however, that Apple would finish the resolution independence feature that was originally promised for 10.5 - some applications use very small fonts in dialogues and can be hard to read unless you are close to the screen.

The only real negative is the heat this thing generates. It's around 30 degrees ambient here, so you get tad sensitive to any other heat source. With any significant loading, the area around the uMBP keyboard gets uncomfortably hot. The solution has been CoolBook, smcFanControl or an mStand + external keyboard (and aircon when available!).

I would have liked a 7200rpm drive, but the reviews suggest that there are a lot of problems with the only available model, and that its performance isn't really much better than the 5400 drives. I'm going to wait until there is something better available before upgrading (a 512GB SSD at a sensible price would be nice - 256GB is tool small, unfortunately).

Also, I wish that Apple would use something other than aluminium for the cases. Every 'pro' laptop that I have had has ended up dented and distorted just from ordinary use. Ironically, the cheaper iBook and MacBook cases that I have had have been much sturdier and these machines have outlived their more expensive 'pro' counterparts...
 
NovemberWhiskey said:
Don't order the 7200 rpm model. It has the click-beep issue, and it freezes up.

Both have loose bottom panels, but the replacement unit is better than the first unit I received. They both also have the bowing lid problem (although I am not too bothered by it).
Click to expand...

I have the 7200rpm and knock on wood. No beeps.

My bottom panel is solid and I can't seem see the bowing lid.:confused:
 
macbook123 said:
I'm wondering about the same thing!
Click to expand...

I have the 9c98. I don't have another 9c99 to compare to. In seems that the general consensus is 9c99 is better.

Done some screen test and black seem very black to me and no blueish tint on anything.

To be honest and not saying it to settle or compromise but overall I am happy with this uMBP and it's the best screen I have ever seen and I am old ;)
 
QC issues up the ASS! 1st replacement machine: malfunctioning logic board. 2nd: faulty speaker. 3rd: faulty hard drive.

That said, I love my new, problem free MBP :D
 
Apple is building 17" MacBook Pros like crap lately.


1. Bottom of the case creaks (everyone has this problem)

2. The lid bows at the middle causing a 2-7MM gap between the body and lid (everyone has this problem including apple store demo machines)

3. Hard Drives (7200RPM version) makes a click+beep sound. Tell Apple it's causing performance issues and they'll replace it.

4. Battery life is around 5 hours with integrated graphics. i haven't been able to get more even with brightness and backlit keyboard off.

5. Maybe I'm just abusive but I've owned three Unibody MacBook Pros and after a week the trackpad recesses a bit and isn't flush like it was when I got it. IDK.


get AppleCare. It's only $179 on eBay. I've bought it on ebay for all three of my machines without problems.
 
adamjackson said:
Apple is building 17" MacBook Pros like crap lately.


1. Bottom of the case creaks (everyone has this problem)

2. The lid bows at the middle causing a 2-7MM gap between the body and lid (everyone has this problem including apple store demo machines)

3. Hard Drives (7200RPM version) makes a click+beep sound. Tell Apple it's causing performance issues and they'll replace it.

4. Battery life is around 5 hours with integrated graphics. i haven't been able to get more even with brightness and backlit keyboard off.

5. Maybe I'm just abusive but I've owned three Unibody MacBook Pros and after a week the trackpad recesses a bit and isn't flush like it was when I got it. IDK.


get AppleCare. It's only $179 on eBay. I've bought it on ebay for all three of my machines without problems.
Click to expand...


Hmm...

I don't have a creaky bottom case, I don't have a beeping/clicking/freezing HDD (I have the 7200rpm). In fact - I've not got any of the problems you claim 'everybody' has.
 
Sdancott said:
Hmm...

I don't have a creaky bottom case, I don't have a beeping/clicking/freezing HDD (I have the 7200rpm). In fact - I've not got any of the problems you claim 'everybody' has.
Click to expand...


Don't try to start a stupid internet argument with me.


Go to an effing apple store, grab any 17" and try it you'll see
1. creaks
2. bowed lid
3. clicking HDD.

how about you use the "search forums" button at the top right hand corner of this page and search for this issues. You'll find dozens of thread for each of these problems.

oh and since you have none of these problems, why don't you trade me because you have the ONLY 17" MacBook Pro that doesn't have at least one of these problems.
 
Sdancott said:
Hmm...

I don't have a creaky bottom case, I don't have a beeping/clicking/freezing HDD (I have the 7200rpm). In fact - I've not got any of the problems you claim 'everybody' has.
Click to expand...


Since I had my coffee this morning I'll help you out.

HDD Clicks + Beeps (now 120 replies) https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/727453/

Bowed Lid (I started the thread more people replied with the same issue) https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/746770/

Creaking case: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=9757722



Battery life is hard to pinpoint because everyone bitches about it but I can say that I am not satisfied with turning everything off (including wi-fi) and only having 5 hours of battery life but apple's claims have always been BS.
 
adamjackson said:
Since I had my coffee this morning I'll help you out.

HDD Clicks + Beeps (now 120 replies) https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/727453/

Bowed Lid (I started the thread more people replied with the same issue) https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/746770/

Creaking case: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=9757722



Battery life is hard to pinpoint because everyone bitches about it but I can say that I am not satisfied with turning everything off (including wi-fi) and only having 5 hours of battery life but apple's claims have always been BS.
Click to expand...

Thanks but no thanks.

I'm well aware of the problems surrounding 17inchers, although common they're not absolute - Like you claimed in your original post.

That's the point I’m making. Not every 17inch owner has them, not by far. Those with problems are more likely to report their negative experience online in forums such as this, I'm sure there's thousands of perfect MBPs out there.

My MBP is fine, no problems what-so-ever. Please don't patronise me by demonstrating your ability to link to previous threads I’ve already read.
 
adamjackson said:
Don't try to start a stupid internet argument with me.


Go to an effing apple store, grab any 17" and try it you'll see
1. creaks
2. bowed lid
3. clicking HDD.

how about you use the "search forums" button at the top right hand corner of this page and search for this issues. You'll find dozens of thread for each of these problems.

oh and since you have none of these problems, why don't you trade me because you have the ONLY 17" MacBook Pro that doesn't have at least one of these problems.
Click to expand...

LOL. PWNT... Admit it, you fail.


Sdancott said:
Thanks but no thanks.

I'm well aware of the problems surrounding 17inchers, although common they're not absolute - Like you claimed in your original post.

That's the point I’m making. Not every 17inch owner has them, not by far. Those with problems are more likely to report their negative experience online in forums such as this, I'm sure there's thousands of perfect MBPs out there.

My MBP is fine, no problems what-so-ever. Please don't patronise me by demonstrating your ability to link to previous threads I’ve already read.
Click to expand...
 
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