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

Is current MBP 13 future proof?

B

bob-wong

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 28, 2010
9
0
I know the title of my thread is kind of weird since I wrote it in "lazy english" mode so let me rephrase it:

Do you gentlemen (and gentlewomen and gentle-what-so-ever) think that the current MBP 13" with core 2 duo 2.4 ghz processor will stand the test of time (well at least for let's say 3-4 years)?

__________________
Hi guys, I'm a current PC user considering a jump to the mac family. I'm interested in either the macbook pro 13 core 2 duo 2.4 ghz or the 15" i5 2.4 ghz. Just so you know, budget isn't that big an issue.

If both laptops had similar technical specs, I'd buy a 13" mbp right away but as you all know this is FAR from being the case... I know that the 13" would be more than enough for me right now: I'm mostly surfing the internet, listening to music using itunes and doing school stuff (MS Office, acrobat reader, etc.) so I guess a "most demanding scenario" in my case would be watching a video on youtube with itunes, Word, Acrobat Reader and msn open at the same time. I'm never gaming, no wow, nothing. Not exactly a power user as you can see!

The thing is, I want to buy a laptop that's gonna meet my needs for a good 4 if not 5 years and I'm kind of afraid that the mbp 13 might not be powerful enough to last that long, hence my "future proof" question. It'd suck big time if OS X Lion and Office 2014 were enough to make my mbp 13 lag in a few years time!!!

What do you guys think? For a lightweight user like me, how long would you expect the mbp 13 to do the trick?
 
I'm sorry but the title of your thread just made me laugh :eek:.

But to get to your question, with the kind of user you describe yourself as, I see no reason why the computer wouldn't be good for at least 5-6 years... maybe even more if you toss in 8GB of RAM and a speedy SSD.
 
Come on, it sounds super serious :p

I'm french canadian, sometimes my "literary style" doesn't translate too well ;)
 
You should also consider the MBA - as a lightweight user, the SSD will make it seem quicker than the 13" MBP.
 
yes, for your needs it will last quite a while

SSD+ 8GB would do wonders

the 13" isn't too shabby contrary to popular belief but go for the 15" if you want to be 100% sure
 
fd9 said:
You should also consider the MBA - as a lightweight user, the SSD will make it seem quicker than the 13" MBP.
Click to expand...

he wants it to be future proof, don't think a downgrade in processing power + non user friendly ram/hard drive replaceability is the right way to go even though it is a sexy beast
 
I don't see what's so funny about the title.

My current MB (C2D, 2.0GHz, 2GB RAM) is 3.5 years old and is still running fine. I'm sure your new MBP (if you get one) can still handle Office 2014 when the time comes. Having said that, my MB has always lagged a little especially in Excel...:confused:
 
shiunn said:
I don't see what's so funny about the title.

My current MB (C2D, 2.0GHz, 2GB RAM) is 3.5 years old and is still running fine. I'm sure your new MBP (if you get one) can still handle Office 2014 when the time comes. Having said that, my MB has always lagged a little especially in Excel...:confused:
Click to expand...

"Is current"

not really funny but...yeah

I think Office just lags, period. Sometimes when I select a different font, it lags. And this is Office 2011... don't know why
 
Id honestly say wait for the refresh in spring/summer. but then again, if you just went with the lower end MBP 13 it would totally meet your needs, and you could replace it in 2-3 years without having spent 2500 on a processor upgrade.

go for a mbp 13, and get an SSD <--chances are prices on the SSDs will drop and so you can replace that instead of the whole laptop every year or so.

Ivy Bridge will be out in a couple years (late 2011-early 2012) so 4cores will be standard and you will be in the market again for a refresh depending on your needs.

i honestly thought that you mean the MBP 13 was proof of something happening to laptops in the future...not future proofed as in safe from obsolescence. I feel so stupid right now.
 
I have the current 13" and it does everything I need perfectly fine with no lag. I can run MSN, Firefox, Mail, iTunes and The Sims 3 and it won't slow down. The only annoying thing is it gets a little hot, and the resolution is a bit rubbish, but that's it. I'm guessing it'd be perfect for your needs as they're similar to mine.

But really, the 15" is more futureproof because of the i5. If you have the money, go for it. And if you have good patience, you could wait for the next update. If not then you still won't be disappointed. :D

And like others have said, get an SSD if you can.
 
About that SSD thing: let's say I get a 13" MBP with the default 250 gb 5400 rpm HDD... will I be able to upgrade it to SSD later?
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_1_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7D11 Safari/528.16)

My 4 year old Black Macbook had the same processor(lower speed and different die) as the latest MB 13. I doubt it will still be relevant in another 4 years.

That doesn't mean you won't be able to do all things you want to in 4 years.

Why don't you get the MBP 15? Seems like a no-brainer if price is not an issue.
 
SidBala said:
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 3_1_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/528.18 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile/7D11 Safari/528.16)

My 4 year old Black Macbook had the same processor(lower speed and different die) as the latest MB 13. I doubt it will still be relevant in another 4 years.

That doesn't mean you won't be able to do all things you want to in 4 years.

Why don't you get the MBP 15? Seems like a no-brainer if price is not an issue.
Click to expand...

For the same reason many people get the 13" instead: the size!

I went to a store today to try both the 13" and 15" a bit and I had a better experience using the 13". Actually the 15" looks kind of weird to me: the size of the keyboard suits the 13" way better among other things... I currently own a 15" laptop that's definitely bulkier than the mbp 15 yet it doesn't seem quite as big as the mbp... I don't know if it's because of the direct comparison with the 13" but the 15" kind of looked too big!
 
aeboi said:
he wants it to be future proof, don't think a downgrade in processing power + non user friendly ram/hard drive replaceability is the right way to go even though it is a sexy beast
Click to expand...

The new MBA benchmarks puts it ahead of the current macbook pro 13. I would say go with the MacBook Air as you will get a higher res screen, faster boot times, and the "sexy beast" look.:eek:
 
If all you're doing is web surfing, listening to music, watching movies, and using Office, the current 13" MBP will definitely be up to the task 4 years from now. Unless you plan on doing any gaming, the current 13" MBP should handle web browsing, etc. for many (5+) years to come with nary an issue.

I have a 4.5 year old MBP and it still runs beautifully. I have no speed complaints whatsoever. The machine you're looking it is way more powerful than my MBP. I wouldn't worry. I'll most likely be getting a 13" MBP in the not-too-distant future when my parents decide they want a laptop and I give them mine.

Edit: And over time, you can upgrade RAM and the hard drive to an SSD, so you really won't have to worry!
 
No tech will stand the test of time, not even 2 years. You just have to get what you like and understand what you need then double it, i.e. go with 8GB Ram and at least 500GB HD. That's just what I do when buying computers. I have had my MBP for almost a year now and plan on expanding this summer with the 8GB & 500GB. With what I use it for it should last me until 2012 or 2013 when I plan on purchasing a new MBP.
 
Tankfantry said:
No tech will stand the test of time, not even 2 years. You just have to get what you like and understand what you need then double it, i.e. go with 8GB Ram and at least 500GB HD. That's just what I do when buying computers. I have had my MBP for almost a year now and plan on expanding this summer with the 8GB & 500GB. With what I use it for it should last me until 2012 or 2013 when I plan on purchasing a new MBP.
Click to expand...

I think you might be more of a power user than the OP. Surely a current 13" MBP will be able to browse the web and run Office 4 years from now. My MBP from 4 years ago can certainly do so today...
 
smartalic34 said:
I think you might be more of a power user than the OP. Surely a current 13" MBP will be able to browse the web and run Office 4 years from now. My MBP from 4 years ago can certainly do so today...
Click to expand...

That's what's kind of scary: the current 13" mbp uses a core 2 duo processor that's pretty similar to the one in your 4 yrs old mbp!
 
Yes, it is future-proof. You will still be able to perform a Google search on it 5 years from now.
 
Ach111es said:
Id honestly say wait for the refresh in spring/summer. but then again, if you just went with the lower end MBP 13 it would totally meet your needs, and you could replace it in 2-3 years without having spent 2500 on a processor upgrade.

go for a mbp 13, and get an SSD <--chances are prices on the SSDs will drop and so you can replace that instead of the whole laptop every year or so.

Ivy Bridge will be out in a couple years (late 2011-early 2012) so 4cores will be standard and you will be in the market again for a refresh depending on your needs.

i honestly thought that you mean the MBP 13 was proof of something happening to laptops in the future...not future proofed as in safe from obsolescence. I feel so stupid right now.
Click to expand...

lol. ivy bridge? didnt sandy bridge just come out? you cant even try to keep up with tech...
 
I think really the only item that is dated would be the C2D processor, otherwise it is a very nice system. It works great for me though!
 
The MBPs are all very expandable. You can replace the HDD with an SSD in a few years. You can also attach tons of FW800 peripherals for increased storage, Blu-ray burners, etc. You can even replace the SuperDrive with a second SSD. You have lots of flexibility to grow.
 
I went from a 2.2Ghz C2D MBP to a 2.4GHz i5.
The i5 is quite a bit faster, in some tasks is feels almost twice as fast.
(both had 4GB RAM and 320GB 5400rpm HD, but I've upgraded the i5s HD now)
 
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