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Just ordered my 1st Apple... =)

J

JCrew7i2

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 7, 2008
4
0
Just finished ordering my new laptop... 2.4 c2d 17" Macbook Pro (previous gen). I'm not used to paying over 1k+ on a laptop, let alone 2k+.. but hopefully it'll be worth it. I didn't get the Hi-Res one either.. =( Didn't have too many options (ur computers are expen$ive), but hopefully it'll be pretty nice.

PC user for the past... 16 years? =P (27 right now)... so it'll be a change of pace. Network admin for a few companies in the Bay area, so I want to see if I can implement some apple servers into some infrastructures, and how beneficial it would be.

I'll probably upgrade the memory to 4gb when it comes in, and maybe a new hdd (I got the 5400rpm one) later down the road. Is there any other things I should get? I've seen those keyboard protectors at some local comp places here... uhm.. ya... sorry I'm a n00b. And if there's any other types of procedures/software/backups I should do when I get the laptop, just let me know. Thanks!:D
 
first off congrats. you my friend have yourself a great laptop. it is worth every penny you spent on it. once you boot it up and start playing with it, your going to question why you were using pc's all this time. the only thing i can throw out there that you might want is possibly an external hdd so you can take advantage of time machine. other than that, your all set and should be very happy with your new purchase! good luck and come back if you have more questions:)
 
I wouldn't worry about keyboard protectors, to be honest. Might want to invest in a good case, like the Speck, which isn't too obtrusive if you go with the clear one, or get a colored one if you want to "Think Different".

:D

Welcome, and you'll soon be wondering why you waited so long to do this. Really.

Go to OWC (Other World Computing) for memory. They are long-time Mac people and have the best deals, as far as I'm concerned.

MacDann
 
Thanks. I'm assuming Time Machine is a backup of the laptop? I can't wait to check out all the software that's pre-installed on it... you know, other then randomly clicking things at an Apple Store. :p

Oh yeah, I have a ton of Windows software and I'm probably going to need XP on the machine. What would be better? BootCamp, Parallels, or that VMware version one. I don't know if it's the same software with different names, or what. I'll have a lot of this forum to go through. :)
 
Start out with BootCamp since you've got it and it's free. Unless you want to be able to switch back and forth on the fly, BootCamp should serve the purpose for the most part. I believe both VMWare and Parallels are "true" virtualization programs that allow you to run both OS' at the same time.

Not being a Windows guy (except at work) I am not familiar with them - I have used BootCamp and found it to meet my needs.

As for TimeMachine, it's built in to OS X 10.5 and provides both full and incremental backups on a scheduled basis to an external drive.

You've only started to scratch the surface. The fun has yet to start...

MacDann
 
MacDann said:
I wouldn't worry about keyboard protectors, to be honest. Might want to invest in a good case, like the Speck, which isn't too obtrusive if you go with the clear one, or get a colored one if you want to "Think Different".

:D

Welcome, and you'll soon be wondering why you waited so long to do this. Really.

Go to OWC (Other World Computing) for memory. They are long-time Mac people and have the best deals, as far as I'm concerned.

MacDann
Click to expand...

Crucial.com have some good deals on RAM, thats where i get all mine from
 
Congrats on the machine, you will love it. go for VM ware-fusion as it doe snot hang the system like parallels. Also max out ram to 4 gig and she will purr.
 
Congrats on your new machine and hope you love it. For most upgrades I go to OWC because of the great deals so hope that helps a bit. Also good luck with getting more apple servers out there, so far for me they worked fine.

ChrisN
 
Congrats on the new machine.

I'm a 15 plus year user as well, I got my first Mac in August 2007. I got a MacBook first and realized "WTF was I thinking all this time?" Windows Vista who?? I purchased a New MBP yesterday, the MacBook was great but my MBP is awesome!

Enjoy...and welcome.
 
MacDann said:
Start out with BootCamp since you've got it and it's free. Unless you want to be able to switch back and forth on the fly, BootCamp should serve the purpose for the most part. I believe both VMWare and Parallels are "true" virtualization programs that allow you to run both OS' at the same time.

Not being a Windows guy (except at work) I am not familiar with them - I have used BootCamp and found it to meet my needs.

As for TimeMachine, it's built in to OS X 10.5 and provides both full and incremental backups on a scheduled basis to an external drive.

You've only started to scratch the surface. The fun has yet to start...

MacDann
Click to expand...

I disagree, respectfully, of course.

You can download a fully functional 30-day trial of VMWARE FUSION and install your Windows in a VM before going to all the trouble of re-partitioning the drive for bootcamp, etc.

If the performance suits you, you can spend the $79 after the trial is over in a month... and if not... (or you will be doing any windows gaming), THEN you can partition your drive and install Bootcamp!

Personally, I use both.

Bootcamp for gaming, and VMWARE for EVERYTHING ELSE I need windows for!
 
Welcome! What flavor Kool-Aid do you like best?

Okay, I'm kidding about the Kool-Aid part... :D

Guys, let's turn this into a "what software or utilities would you recommend to our new friend" thread?

1. Fan Control - keep your laptop cool - http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/23137

2. VLC - play almost ANY video file - http://www.videolan.org/

3. Perian - Adds lots of video codecs to Quicktime - http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/22923/perian

4. Flip4Mac - Adds Windows Media compatibility to QuickTime - http://www.flip4mac.com/wmv_download.htm

5. MacPAR Deluxe - Work with RAR and PAR files - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gp/MacPAR_deLuxe/

6. The Unarchiver - Work with all other compressed formats instead of StuffIt - http://wakaba.c3.cx/s/apps/unarchiver.html

7. Transmission - Native BitTorrent client - http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/19378

8. iSquint / Visual Hub - Transcode videos for the iPhone you're bound to get - http://www.isquint.com/

9. Roxio Toast - Burn almost ANY format disc - http://www.roxio.com/enu/products/toast/titanium/overview.html

10. Handbrake - Rip DVDs for your iPod/iPhone - http://handbrake.fr/

11. Mac The Ripper - Rip DVDs into their native format for recompression - http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/14414

12. Unison - Best newsgroup/usenet application for the Mac - http://www.panic.com/unison/
 
Virtualization

FWIW: I like Parallels. I'm not sure if it's any better than VMWare, but it works great for me. It even runs Solaris like a champ, which is better than most stand-alone PCs can do! :)
 
I am a vmware fan. To save space on my Macbook I have installed XP via boot camp so that I have a full windows os. I can then boot into it from VMWARE if I need quick access to windows in OSX.
 
Wow, thanks for all the links and helpful comments. I'll probably shop around this weekend for a case and ram.

I looked at the Speck cases and they look pretty nice, but does the plastic not let the heat dissipate from the shell as easily? It says it has vents though.
 
Congrats on the new purchase, you will be delighted with your choice.
As another poster mentioned, once you start your Mac experience you will wonder why you spent so many wasted years with crappy PC's ... :)

Welcome aboard .. :cool:
 
Welcome to the Network Admins who use Macs in the Bay Area... also know as NAMBA, I just made that up don't ask me why.... for memory go to Frys they have a special right now 4gb for $84.99 with a $20 mail in rebates so you will be at 4gb for like $70 dollars with tax after rebate. Just hold onto your original memory in case you even need to send you laptop in for repair as Apple tends to like to blame issues on 3rd party memory. Again congrats and enjoy yourself. I don't know if you go to any of the Intel or Microsoft partner conferences but there is nothing funnier than busting out your Mac at one of those and getting all these people gawking at you and then telling you all the things they think you can't do on a mac...
 
It's scheduled for delivery tomorrow, so hopefully someone will be there to sign for it. :D

Thanks for the info about the ram being on sale at Fry's. After I read your post, I went out there and I picked up the crucial ram. I actually do have a Microsoft Partner Conference on the 25th this month, so there will probably some heads turning. :p

And I order a Moshi case for it too and a new mouse. I'm pretty anxious to get everything. I think all I have to get is a new 3G card cause my USB one is a little too bulky.
 
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