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I am ready to get my first mac computer but....
- Thread starter calvinc
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Currently the Macbook and Macbook Pro have the same insides. The major difference is polycarbonate case vs aluminum solid body. The MBP has a firewire 800 port and a SD card slot. I believe the MB tops out at 4GB RAM and the MBP can hold up to 8 GB.
I would hit up the MBP. For just a little more you gain some flexibility that may come very much in handy. Don't worry about the C2D. They didn't go to an I3 so they could save battery power and they didn't have room for a dedicated graphics processor. I bought one in July and it is awesome.
I have a 13 MBP. I wanted portability as I use it in school and have to carry it around a lot. It has the 2.53 C2D processor and 4Gb of Ram. I run CS4 on it to process photos and it is very nippy. I am very happy with what it does. If in the future it isn't fast enough I will put some extra ram in it. Go with the MBP now, you will start enjoying your mac experience. You can constantly wait for the most up to date laptop but the reality is that it will soon be overtaken and become old technology. What is important is that it does what you want it to do. Good luck with your choice. 
I got a late 2008 unibody macbook with 2.4Ghz c2d - so yes, not much has happened with the CPU for quite some time. That being said, I take it everywhere and LOVE how portable it is. There's no trouble at all working with it, and I usually work with programs such as Flash, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Firefox, FTP-clients and similar running. Sure programs start a little slower and takes a few seconds longer to do heavy work compared to my i7 iMac, but not that much. I'm never annoyed that it feels slow, it handles all those things nicely.
I don't really understand why people want to see an i3 in them - sure it's an upgrade, but a very small one. The performance of the i3 is really close to the c2d, and requires separate gfx card which won't really fit in a 13" chassis, and consumes more power. I'm happy with apples decision to go with c2d + 10h battery.
My only real concern is that I feel a bit cramped on 1280x800 resolution. If apple releases a highres/antiglare option for 13" I'll upgrade in a heartbeat.
I don't really understand why people want to see an i3 in them - sure it's an upgrade, but a very small one. The performance of the i3 is really close to the c2d, and requires separate gfx card which won't really fit in a 13" chassis, and consumes more power. I'm happy with apples decision to go with c2d + 10h battery.
My only real concern is that I feel a bit cramped on 1280x800 resolution. If apple releases a highres/antiglare option for 13" I'll upgrade in a heartbeat.
I hate going against the grain, but I want to make a couple points:
1. The C2D is old technology, and I don't care how much you or anyone else tries to spin it. The current 13" MBP is quite expensive given the components that are inside of it. Talk about paying a premium for a Mac! I get the reasons for using the C2D, really. But I wouldn't recommend anyone buy the current configuration; a PC laptop will get you much better specs for cheaper.
2. How can you guarantee that the 13" MBP will last this user 3-5 years? If I think back to my computer needs 3 years ago it was all about Email and IM. Now I am doing programming, Photoshop, and even getting into video editing. I always recommend getting the best you can afford because you never know how your computer use is going to change. Recommending the purchase of a laptop with a severely outdated processor and stating it will last 3-5 years is absurd.
As a general note, and an expansion to point 1, I get the feeling that the fanboy mentality is pushing this "C2D is still OK" idea. Look at Apple's competitors and the laptops they are putting out. Here's an example:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220772
That's what, $300 less than the MBP? And it has better specs. Granted, it doesn't have Mac OS X, and there's a lot to be said about the value of that operating system. But specs matter, and the 13" MBP with a C2D is just plan ridiculous at this point, regardless of how much everyone's love for Apple causes them to spin the truth.
The 13" MBP needs an i3 processor, and Apple should have found a way to get it in there by now. Or at least drop the price of the model to something a bit more acceptable.
You're answering a question that isn't being asked.
Is the C2D the latest and great? No.
Will the C2D last and work for what the OP needs? Yes.
I'll be willing to secede the point about lasting 5 years(From a future proofing perspective, not usability). I'm not a fortune teller so I can't tell you that if in that time period it will be upgradeable to the latest version of OSX. But I'm sure that he'll still be able to use it for what he needs to.
I'm still rocking a first Gen MacBook with the Core Duo, not the Core 2 Duo, and it still working fine. It is pushing 5 years at this point.
yes you would
you would notice that the batter would not last as long thats why it stayed c2d and ive done gaming and the picture is flawless and amazing. a 13inch macbook pro is perfect as a starter.
you would notice that the batter would not last as long thats why it stayed c2d and ive done gaming and the picture is flawless and amazing. a 13inch macbook pro is perfect as a starter.