Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

I purchased the base 2012 13" MBP!!!

G

GodWhomIsMike

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Sep 24, 2007
580
2
EDIT: (6/22/12) I went and purchased it at the Apple Store.

Macbook Pro (2012 13" base model)
AppleTV (I really like it)
AppleCare
Free $100 iTunes Gift Card


What I plan on getting next:

16GB of DDR3 memory (Going to order in the next week or so from Amazon)
Optical Audio Cable (Monoprice or Amazon - whoever is cheaper)

512GB SSD (~November/December will order it)
 
Last edited:
GodWhomIsMike said:
I am not all that excited about it. I am replacing a mid-2010 Macbook, and don't particularly feel like this is going to be that substantial of an upgrade at all. But, this looks like after the MBP + taxes + AppleCare, I am going to end up dropping about $1500. :(
Click to expand...

If you're not happy about it and you don't feel like it will be a substantial upgrade, why are you buying it? Is your current MBP broken or something?
 
sweetbrat said:
If you're not happy about it and you don't feel like it will be a substantial upgrade, why are you buying it? Is your current MBP broken or something?
Click to expand...

I have had the mid-2010 Macbook on a long term loaner program. It has to go back within the next week or two.
 
I made the same type of move, went from a Mid 2010 Core2Duo 2.4GHz to the new upgraded i7 2.9 GHz version. I thought I would be able to take the SSD out of the old and put it in the new.....don't make that mistake....use the migration tool.

It's more of an upgrade than you think. We get the advantage of the much faster processor that runs cooler than Sandy Bridge, and the better graphics. We get USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt. I don't have any plans to upgrade now for a looooong time as it really won't be necessary.

RAM is cheap......put the correct ones in, your investing $1500 and worrying about a part that costs less than $40.....

Apple TV is great. You will be able to stream video over using Airplay. Soon, with Mountain Lion we will be able to stream the entire display using Airplay....and that Mountain Lion upgrade will be no cost ;)

You are going to like this speed more than your Core2Duo, when you get that SSD in there you are going to LOVE the speed upgrade.

Good luck with your purchase, and enjoy!
 
GodWhomIsMike said:
I have had the mid-2010 Macbook on a long term loaner program. It has to go back within the next week or two.
Click to expand...

I would personally hold out for a 13" retina sometime in Sep-October. You mind me asking what you using it for, and whether you need an internal 512GB SSD.

At the moment i think the legacy 13" and 15" MBPs are a bad buy. Seeing they have both been upgraded and may be phased out.
 
GodWhomIsMike said:
I have had the mid-2010 Macbook on a long term loaner program. It has to go back within the next week or two.
Click to expand...

I see...that makes more sense. You could go for the new 2012 one, seeing as you have the education discount. Or, if you don't necessarily need one with the newest specs, you could check the refurb store. There's a late 2011 13" in there right now for under $1000. It would still have a one-year warranty, and you could purchase Applecare for it later on if you decide to do so. Just trying to give you some options. I'm sure the 2012 would be a good computer for you, but it sucks that you're not too excited about it. Kinda takes the fun out of buying a new one.
 
mohsy90 said:
I would personally hold out for a 13" retina sometime in Sep-October. You mind me asking what you using it for, and whether you need an internal 512GB SSD.

At the moment i think the legacy 13" and 15" MBPs are a bad buy. Seeing they have both been upgraded and may be phased out.
Click to expand...

I think it's going to suck using a 5+ year old 10" Windows netbook for 4-5 months to wait to see if a rumor pans out.
 
I want to get the base model 13 inc MacBook pro also but that screen resolution(1280x800) is just too low. I want to keep this machine for 5 years and I'm sure I'll regret it after 1 year or so. So I'll wait...
 
sweetbrat said:
I see...that makes more sense. You could go for the new 2012 one, seeing as you have the education discount. Or, if you don't necessarily need one with the newest specs, you could check the refurb store. There's a late 2011 13" in there right now for under $1000. It would still have a one-year warranty, and you could purchase Applecare for it later on if you decide to do so. Just trying to give you some options. I'm sure the 2012 would be a good computer for you, but it sucks that you're not too excited about it. Kinda takes the fun out of buying a new one.
Click to expand...

I have nearly 90 GB of photos, 20GB of video, and a 60-70GB iTunes library.

I use it for photos, iTunes, music, web surfing, and watching 1080p streaming video on my TV via DP to HDMI. Nothing too major. I also lug it back and forth between PA and NY.

The reason I am highly leaning toward the 2012 model is the academic discount ($1099) plus the $150 Best Buy gift card I would get.

AppleTV is so I don't have to be bothered plugging the laptop to the TV via cables, and would allow me to also push video from my iPhone 4S to the TV.

----------
lympero said:
I want to get the base model 13 inc MacBook pro also but that screen resolution(1280x800) is just too low. I want to keep this machine for 5 years and I'm sure I'll regret it after 1 year or so. So I'll wait...
Click to expand...

I don't really have that luxury of waiting.

Choices I have are to use a very tiny 10" Windows netbook as a primary computer for the next 4-5 months (if the rumors are true), just suck it up and get the base Macbook Pro, or switch to a cheaper Windows-based laptop.
 
GodWhomIsMike said:
I have nearly 90 GB of photos, 20GB of video, and a 60-70GB iTunes library.

I use it for photos, iTunes, music, web surfing, and watching 1080p streaming video on my TV via DP to HDMI. Nothing too major. I also lug it back and forth between PA and NY.

The reason I am highly leaning toward the 2012 model is the academic discount ($1099) plus the $150 Best Buy gift card I would get.

AppleTV is so I don't have to be bothered plugging the laptop to the TV via cables, and would allow me to also push video from my iPhone 4S to the TV.

----------



I don't really have that luxury of waiting.

Choices I have are to use a very tiny 10" Windows netbook as a primary computer for the next 4-5 months (if the rumors are true), just suck it up and get the base Macbook Pro, or switch to a cheaper Windows-based laptop.
Click to expand...

If you can wait until it comes back in stock you can get the baseline early 2011 13" Pro from the refurb store for $799. Last time it was in stock was 2 days ago. I would imagine it will pop back up on there fairly soon.
 
ugahairydawgs said:
If you can wait until it comes back in stock you can get the baseline early 2011 13" Pro from the refurb store for $799. Last time it was in stock was 2 days ago. I would imagine it will pop back up on there fairly soon.
Click to expand...

Was there anything substantially different between the early-2011 and the late-2011 models? Maximum memory are both 16GB? They were find at 1080p video playback? Both had SATA-III?
 
2.3 i5 in the early 2011 vs 2.4 i5 in the late. Also base HDD was 320GB vs 500GB in the late.

I believe those were the only changes.
 
One question. I have a Mac mini 2011 model i5 which I'm using for eclipse and web design. Lately my wife is also helping me with picture editing etc and we need a second Mac. Can we use the MacBook pro 13inch for web design and picture editing or the screen resolution is awful? (using external monitor is not an option).
 
lympero said:
Can we use the MacBook pro 13inch for web design and picture editing or the screen resolution is awful? (using external monitor is not an option).
Click to expand...

I would not wish a lot of picture editing at 1280x800 on my worst enemy. No way. A basic 21.5" iMac would be loads better and about the same price.
 
I am going to pick this up at Best Buy tonight. I really wanted an Air, but I can't survive with 256GB SSD, nor was it within my price range.
 
Unless you have a strong need for USB 3.0, I would think you could find a late 2011 13"er for significant discounts, even WITH the edu discount on top.
 
SSD's while amazing are just not mainstream yet. I can't justify paying $300 extra for a 512gb SSD vs a 512GB 7200RPM drive. Apple, being Apple is leading the way in the SSD migration, however, it's just not affordable for the average student.

I've debated very hard about the pros and cons of using a macbook air with external hard drive. Then I tell myself, it's 2012 and there is no way i'm going to carry around an external hard drive with me so i can have all my itunes media with me at all times. The MacBook Pro is still a great computer and in a few years when SSDs are standard, you can upgrade to one for alot cheaper than you can now. They'll also have a longer life span in a couple years.
 
MisterSensitive said:
Unless you have a strong need for USB 3.0, I would think you could find a late 2011 13"er for significant discounts, even WITH the edu discount on top.
Click to expand...

I am basically getting the base mid-2012 13" MBP for $1099 w/ AppleTV and a $50 giftcard to Bestbuy. Seems good enough. I also have a 500GB 7200rpm hard drive, which I will swap tonight for a little extra speed.

I could also probably apply the remanding $50 giftcard for 16GB of DDR3 memory, and only pay $75.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Corsair...980504&skuId=5036594&st=16GB sodimm&cp=1&lp=1

So for $1175, I got the 2012 Macbook Pro with 500GB 7200rpm hard drive, 16GB DDR3-1600 memory, and an Apple TV.

I think that's a pretty good bargain.
.
 
Last edited:
It is a much bigger upgrade than you are thinking. The Geekbench scores (~3500 vs ~6800) are almost double. Nice improvement in GPU as well.

Another improvement would be adding in an SSD drive and moving your other drive to an optibay if you don't use your ODD. That way you get the performance benefit of SSD but still have a regular HDD for storage.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back