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is macbook pro good fit for my needs?
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If you happen to work for a nonprofit organization, you can get MS Office 2011 with Powerpoint for $23 at Techsoup, http://home.techsoup.org/pages/product.aspx?cat=techsoup global catalog&category=&id=ls-3013
The 11" MacBook Air is more than powerful enough to cope with your current requirements, and should last you at least three years, assuming your needs don't grow too much. I'd upgrade it to 4GB of memory to be on the safe side, but if that's the computer you want, go for it.
You are a instinctively a high researcher and really over analyzing.You are over emphasizing power and specs which is unnecessary with your needs.
i probably am over-analyzing. lol. i totally agree about the office work. i am not a gamer, i don't watch many videos on it, and i am not doing big projects with photoshop. this kind of stuff ought to be easy, and the netbook can do it all (strictly speaking), but my frustration with its speed (admittedly, i am doing more on it at once than it was designed for) has probably led me to overcompensate and look for a supercomputer! i do want to use the computer longer than i typically use a netbook (1 year), which is why i am looking at theses two lines.
i just want to make sure i get the right computer for the job this time, and i completely lack experience with ssd, macs, or these processors.
amazing. that is what all of the mba people are saying in that forum too.
as for 11", i do a lot of traveling, i'll be carrying it around every day (to libraries, lectures, archives, coffee shops, etc.), so the tiny 11" is very appealing. most of what i do is writing; a few graphs, charts, and power points, but nothing requiring a big display.
i am interested in the mbp 13 because of the wonderful specs. the weight and size is at the edge of what i consider to be portable, especially since i walk or bike for my commute.
would someone with a new mbp 13 and acrobat 10 be willing to perform a test for me? i want to time how long it takes to convert a file to pdf and run ocr on it. then, i want to compare this with the performance of the mba 13 and my netbook.
i was thinking that we could all pick the same project gutenberg text file of a book, save that to the desktop, convert to pdf (first recorded time) and run ocr (second recorded time). also, what happens to the system? are fans running like crazy, is it heating up, and do you feel any lag when you open other applications like the browser?
if the difference between the mba and mbp is negligible, i will think about getting the mba. if my netbook beats both, i will cry out in frustration and rail against the injustice of it all.
i was thinking that we could all pick the same project gutenberg text file of a book, save that to the desktop, convert to pdf (first recorded time) and run ocr (second recorded time). also, what happens to the system? are fans running like crazy, is it heating up, and do you feel any lag when you open other applications like the browser?
if the difference between the mba and mbp is negligible, i will think about getting the mba. if my netbook beats both, i will cry out in frustration and rail against the injustice of it all.
You are a instinctively a high researcher and really over analyzing.
Agreed. With what you stated you wanted to use it for the macBook Air or 13" MacBook Pro would fulfill those needs without even breaking a sweat.
Also keep in mind that the MBAs are rumored to be updated to ULV Sandy Bridge processors around June. I wouldn't recommend buying one right now.
Thanks for volunteering! I understand if you don't want to do it, though, since you don't have a copy of Adobe Acrobat 10. If you are willing to go through the extra step of installing the trial program, though, that would be great!*Besides the install, it shouldn't take more than about 5 minutes to complete the test.
ADOBE (free trial apparently available)
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobatpro.html
PROJECT GUTENBERG TEXT (Gibbon's history of the Roman Empire)
http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/25717/pg25717.txt
TEST RESULTS*
(1) Asus 1005ha-pu17 netbook, 2gb memory, Intel Atom N280 (1.66GHz, 512KB L2 Cache, FSB 667MHz). Adobe Acrobat 9.
(2) mba 13"
(3) mbp 13"
(4) mbp 15"
step 1 (preparation):
(1) Asus original conversion = 10.2 seconds (cold start, right click, convert to pdf)
(2) mba 13"
(3) mbp 13"
(4) mbp 15"
step 2 (preparation):*
(1) "save as" tiff file type in a folder= 17.5 seconds (in order to enable conversion. otherwise, i get an error because of "renderable text". also, this will produce 42 images that we can convert into pdf similarly to the way i actually do it with my work.)
(2) mba 13"
(3) mbp 13"
(4) mbp 15"
step 3 (main test):
(1) second conversion = 1:27.3 seconds (combine supported files in Acrobat, larger file size)
(2) mba 13"
(3) mbp 13"
(4) mbp 15"
step 4 (main test):
(1) ocr = 3:07.3 (English (US), Searchable Image output style, lowest (600 dpi) downsample images)
(2) mba 13"
(3) mbp 13"
(4) mbp 15"
step 5 (comments):
The machine didn't seem to be struggling too much. I decided not to start up other programs during the process, because I didn't want to introduce too many variables. However, in past experience, the computer has major problems switching from one application to the next, there is lagging, and the fan is on a lot.
*The methodology isn't perfect. Ideally, this would be done multiple times with 600 dpi scans of printed Chinese or Japanese texts, because those are a lot of the materials I actually work with, and they take far longer to combine and do ocr, but I think this will at least indicate practical performance differences between machines.*
50 C Idle
65-70 C on load
80-90 C fully loaded playing a 1080p video from youtube
Above 84C the fan quicks in and spins around 4.5k rpm making it quite noisy. Nothing unbearable tho
You wont get any substantial boost in performance when running "solo" test. The i5 best bet (and any multicore processor for that matter) is in multithreading, so when talking about a single software running in the system, there will be a difference, but the biggest difference will come when encoding while using several other software.
of course, that's true, but just as a kind of baseline, i think it helps me think about what i want to buy. already, even on a simple task with the pdf conversion and optimization, it's clear that my notebook is basically going to take twice as long (more if i multitask) to get things done. but, since i am trying to decide between an mbp and mba, i wonder what the numbers would be like on this task.
of course, it won't give the full range of capabilities, but just to give me an idea.
A big thank you to everyone who has kindly commented in this thread and offered advice. In answer to the original question I posed: "MBP a good fit for my needs?" I think the answer is definitely "yes." I decided to buy a 13" mbp with 8gb ram.
My decision involved a lot of factors, but mainly came down to a preference for the updated processor. I am glad I could take advantage of the refreshed product line. I could have waited until June for the possibility of an mba 13, but I would have lost the back to school free ipod (I am in Japan at the moment--different school year), and I would have had to suffer another month of netbooking for a day that might not come.
Secondarily, I also prefer things like the all glass screen, the backlit keyboard, and the larger hd. My biggest compromises were on weight (the mba is incredible) and the ssd drive (I actually asked for this, but it would have taken a couple of weeks to order one, so I went with the ram upgrade in its place--in the end it was probably a good decision for multitasking).
Software purchases ended up being $111. My university had spectacular deals half-again the cost of the regular academic discount. So, that turned out to be a non-issue. I look forward to putting the computer through its paces in the coming days.
For those who might be interested, I recorded my test results for the pdf conversion / optimization. I want to thank unclet for helping out by providing times. Overall, I felt the mpb was significantly faster than the mba 13, but not by the huge margin I expected. Of course, my poor old netbook was completely blown away by both.
TEST RESULTS (Computer info)
(1) Asus 1005ha-pu17 netbook, 2gb memory, Intel Atom N280 (1.66GHz, 512KB L2 Cache, FSB 667MHz). Adobe Acrobat 9.
(2) mba 13" 4gb memory, Intel Core 2 Duo (2.13 Ghz, 6MB L2 cache, FSB 1.07 Ghz). Adobe Acrobat X.
(3) mbp 13" 8gb memory, Intel Core i5 (2.3 Ghz, 4GB, FSB 1.33 Ghz)
(4) mbp 15"
step 1 (preparation):
(1) Asus original conversion = 10.2 seconds (cold start, right click, convert to pdf)
(2) mba 13"= 1.3 seconds
(3) mbp 13"= 1 second? It happened too quickly.
(4) mbp 15"
step 2 (preparation):*
(1) "save as" tiff file type in a folder= 17.5 seconds (in order to enable conversion. otherwise, i get an error because of "renderable text". also, this will produce 42 images that we can convert into pdf similarly to the way i actually do it with my work.)
(2) mba 13"= 5.4 seconds
(3) mbp 13" = 3.4 seconds
(4) mbp 15"
step 3 (main test):
(1) second conversion = 1:27.3 seconds (combine supported files in Acrobat, larger file size)
(2) mba 13" = 43.8 seconds
(3) mbp 13" = 33.3 seconds (I was hoping for a bit more speed here. Maybe my computer will shine a bit more with multi-tasking.)
(4) mbp 15"
step 4 (main test):
(1) ocr = 3:07.3 (English (US), Searchable Image output style, lowest (600 dpi) downsample images)
(2) mba 13" = 1:38.1
(3) mbp 13" = 1:01.8 (I was pleased with this result, but was still hoping for a bit more. Again, I might appreciate the capabilities of the computer more after a day of work.)
(4) mbp 15"
step 5 (comments):
I had a few things running in the background (BitTorrent, Chrome, Mail, and Evernote), but not much. I think that after I get a couple of days of work in I will have a better sense of how it performs with multi-tasking. At any rate, the mbp is at least a huge improvement over what I was using up until yesterday. And, of course, I could go on and on about the smooth os, beautiful screen, sexy lines of the computer, etc.!
My decision involved a lot of factors, but mainly came down to a preference for the updated processor. I am glad I could take advantage of the refreshed product line. I could have waited until June for the possibility of an mba 13, but I would have lost the back to school free ipod (I am in Japan at the moment--different school year), and I would have had to suffer another month of netbooking for a day that might not come.
Secondarily, I also prefer things like the all glass screen, the backlit keyboard, and the larger hd. My biggest compromises were on weight (the mba is incredible) and the ssd drive (I actually asked for this, but it would have taken a couple of weeks to order one, so I went with the ram upgrade in its place--in the end it was probably a good decision for multitasking).
Software purchases ended up being $111. My university had spectacular deals half-again the cost of the regular academic discount. So, that turned out to be a non-issue. I look forward to putting the computer through its paces in the coming days.
For those who might be interested, I recorded my test results for the pdf conversion / optimization. I want to thank unclet for helping out by providing times. Overall, I felt the mpb was significantly faster than the mba 13, but not by the huge margin I expected. Of course, my poor old netbook was completely blown away by both.
TEST RESULTS (Computer info)
(1) Asus 1005ha-pu17 netbook, 2gb memory, Intel Atom N280 (1.66GHz, 512KB L2 Cache, FSB 667MHz). Adobe Acrobat 9.
(2) mba 13" 4gb memory, Intel Core 2 Duo (2.13 Ghz, 6MB L2 cache, FSB 1.07 Ghz). Adobe Acrobat X.
(3) mbp 13" 8gb memory, Intel Core i5 (2.3 Ghz, 4GB, FSB 1.33 Ghz)
(4) mbp 15"
step 1 (preparation):
(1) Asus original conversion = 10.2 seconds (cold start, right click, convert to pdf)
(2) mba 13"= 1.3 seconds
(3) mbp 13"= 1 second? It happened too quickly.
(4) mbp 15"
step 2 (preparation):*
(1) "save as" tiff file type in a folder= 17.5 seconds (in order to enable conversion. otherwise, i get an error because of "renderable text". also, this will produce 42 images that we can convert into pdf similarly to the way i actually do it with my work.)
(2) mba 13"= 5.4 seconds
(3) mbp 13" = 3.4 seconds
(4) mbp 15"
step 3 (main test):
(1) second conversion = 1:27.3 seconds (combine supported files in Acrobat, larger file size)
(2) mba 13" = 43.8 seconds
(3) mbp 13" = 33.3 seconds (I was hoping for a bit more speed here. Maybe my computer will shine a bit more with multi-tasking.)
(4) mbp 15"
step 4 (main test):
(1) ocr = 3:07.3 (English (US), Searchable Image output style, lowest (600 dpi) downsample images)
(2) mba 13" = 1:38.1
(3) mbp 13" = 1:01.8 (I was pleased with this result, but was still hoping for a bit more. Again, I might appreciate the capabilities of the computer more after a day of work.)
(4) mbp 15"
step 5 (comments):
I had a few things running in the background (BitTorrent, Chrome, Mail, and Evernote), but not much. I think that after I get a couple of days of work in I will have a better sense of how it performs with multi-tasking. At any rate, the mbp is at least a huge improvement over what I was using up until yesterday. And, of course, I could go on and on about the smooth os, beautiful screen, sexy lines of the computer, etc.!
My first day of work went incredibly well. I love this computer. This is pretty exciting
Thank you for the great information!
In my case, I am fortunate that my institution had the student version for half that price. I bought ultimate office for my windows netbook, but as it turns out, I only used Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook (I'll use the native mac now).
hi. this is a great forum. i am looking for some advice about possibly purchasing a mac. my question is at the bottom.
*i do most of my work on an eee pc (atom n280, 2gb ram, windows 7 starter) and i am quite pleased with the weight (2.7 lb), battery life (nearly 8 hours on dim screen--11 hours when first bought 1.5 yrs ago), and price ($400) in that order. however, i am very unsatisfied with its processing power. how do you think i would fare with a mac?
what do i do?
1) word processing (writing--i am a historian/researcher)
2) pdfs (creating, ocr, optimization, and searching (mainly this))
3) internet
4) spreadsheets
i've got windows stripped down--empty hard drive, defragged, visual effects off, and hardly any programs running. but, when i try to do two or three of those tasks at once, the computer lags. sometimes it is so bad i have to wait for words to appear after typing. in particular, pdf work (adobe pdf pro 9.0) is really slow. i know. that is the price you pay for a cheap netbook
special issues
1) i need to be able to use both european (portuguese, spanish, etc.) and asian fonts (japanese, chinese, and korean).
2) i need to be able to make macrons (straight lines) over vowels, and circumflexes (triangle like hats) are no good. is there a universal shortcut that i can use? in windows, only word lets me do this.
3) do i have to purchase adobe pro again to run on the mac?
4) do i need to purchase microsoft office again, or is the mac stuff good enough to handle footnotes, endnotes, multiple languages (full character asian and half character western) without messing up the formatting?
MY QUESTION: given all of this, should i just get a bigger sandy bridge pc notebook, or a mac (i think i know what you will say)? if a mac, which one (air is gorgeous but seems weak and in desparate need of updating, 13 has dual core so maybe too weak, and 15 is kind of large + more expensive)?
thanks!
If your computer is lagging then i think you should check your memory .Is it sufficient or you have low memory if it is then increase your RAM.
If this is not an issue then i will suggest you to use ma.
A Mac can do anything a Windows PC can. With Apple computers now using Intel processors, they are able to run Windows. With programs like Bootcamp or software emulation, you are able to install and run Windows on your Mac and switch between the two OSs easily. Macs come with a Mail utility with the same functionality as Microsoft Outlook. The iWork line of software comes with Pages, Keynote and Numbers which can function as replacements for Word, Powerpoint and Excel. Each of these programs can export files in a format that can be used in Windows software. Or, if you dont want to try iWork, Microsoft offers a Mac-compatible version of Office.
Mac
I think The Macintosh SE/30 is the best mac. It looked much like its predecessors, but it was far fasterthe first all-in-one Mac where the software could really sing. The specs seem silly by modern standardslike the 40MB hard drive and the 9-inch black-and-white screen with only 512 by 342 pixels
thanks for the advice. memory on my netbook was maxed out at 2gb. i considered the ma, but as my informal testing showed above, the mbp provided superior performance for about the same price, but with more potential for ram and memory upgrades. i am currently rather pleased with the 13 mba/8gb. however, i would still like to see more speed, so there may be an optical drive ssd in my future someday.
osx cannot. but, it can do some things windows cannot for me, and that makes up for any shortfalls. i could run bootcamp, but prefer not to.*
unfortunately, as i think i mentioned earlier in the thread, *it lacks full support for an asian character environment-namely, vertical text orientation.
i used to write papers on that. i really did not like using it. i am sure the specs were great, and it was innovative, but the software was unpleasant. at least, that's what i thought. i've been using macs (rarely an owner) all my life, but didn't begin to enjoy using macs until fairly recently (whenever the thin display imac came out).*