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low end MBP of the blackbook?

W

wondering

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 1, 2008
19
0
hey, im just wondering whether i should get the high end black macbook or the low end macbook pro?


ill be getting into a university to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering soon, do you think the black macbook will be sufficient for running applications related 2 that field? (CAD,CAM, etc)


portability would be an issue to me since ill be carrying the laptop around for classes, so is there much noticable difference in weight and dimensions between both laptops?


entertainment is also quite a concern, is the macbook sufficient for running most new games such as call of duty 4 at low resolution? and does the 256mb and 512mb graphics card make much of a difference for macbook pro?
and lastly, how about the aesthetics? how many of u prefer the blackbook over the macbook pro and vice versa?


sorry for the long post, but i hope to get answers for most of my questions, and i hope to hear feedback from present owners of either macs, and tell me, will both last me for at least 3 years..?

ive posted this on the MBP forum 2 be honest, n i mostly got votes for the MBP so far, to make it less biased, i ask this same question in the MB forum, since i thought more of MB owners browse this forum.. tanx guys for the feedback on my last post in the MBP forum :)
 
I'm a college student and have used both for several months each. In my experience, the MBP offered the far better experience of the two.

While the extra screen real estate makes it feel MUCH larger when viewing its gorgeous display, the extra size of the MBP only adds .4lbs of weight, so the weight difference between the two when carrying it around campus will be essentially unnoticable.

Plus you have the option of a matte screen. This is a matter of personal preference but I personally HATE the glossy displays. The flourescent lights of most college classrooms make them glare terribly and they ALWAYS seem to be dirty/smudgy.

Plus 256MB nVidia GeForce 8600gs in the standard MBP is a pretty sweet graphics card for a laptop, so you can venture into recreational gaming if you choose to, as well as somewhat "future proof" your laptop against the more GPU-intensive applications that will be hitting the market in the next few years.

Bigger HD is also nice.

And finally, the MBP just kicks the Blackbook's ass in terms of aesthetics. It is one sexy computer. As stupid as this sounds, it will be the portal for nearly all of your creative efforts as a student. While subtle, it's quite nice to sit down to a nice, clean, attractive computer to use as your work environment when writing papers, and for me adds to the experience. It's the equivalent of working out of a cubicle (Blackbook) or a corner office with a view (MBP).

Also, with the free iPod touch promo, you can do the rebate and then sell the touch on ebay or craigslist and negate the price premium for the MBP, essentially bringing it down to the same price as the BlackBook.

I'm sure others will disagree with me, just offering my two cents from someone who's used both extensively, served as an Apple campus Rep at USC, and worked in Apple Retail for a year.

Others may disagree with me but that's my two cents.
 
Here will be my argument for the blackbook (or actually, the midrange macbook unless you hate white)

It's a ton cheaper and it's not much slower in real world performance, unless you're gaming, in which case it's MBP.

Also, the macbook will get better wifi reception (which matters as you sit at starbucks or lunch across the street from campus). And the biggest thing to me is the better battery life of the macbook; unless I'm wrong you get nearly an extra hour with the macbook.
 
I love my blackbook. It is beautiful, powerful and easy to travel with. I miss my 15" MBP. Power, features, larger (matte) screen and aluminum case. I would love to sell my mini and my MB and get another MBP. I had to return the feb 08 MBP for buzzing problems but hope to get another.
Right now; refurb MBP 2.2 for 1499
 
blackbook! don't look at the weight between a MB and an MBP look at the inches. Go with the blackbook, better battery life, better wifi, it's BLACK, I mean I could go on forever.
 
I had the same problem. I chose the BlackBook. I mean yeah I'm going to be doing video editing on FCE but not heavy video editing. I was always a fan of the smallest Apple notebooks for ease of transportation (I have one of those backpacks with a notebook slot and the absolute maximum size of notebook that will fit is 14").

The Pro does have dedicated graphics, and a backlit keyboard, and a matte screen, but its the same old shell from the PBG4 and it looks old.

The real tipping point for the BlackBook was the longer battery life and little niggly things that matter to me like the side mounted DVD drive and a magnetic lid (heard wayy too many stories about the MBPs latch going mental) and most of all the frigging machine is black!

Daemon
 
Ugh- it's a tough call. I own the latest BlackBook and LOVE it, but I also own a last rev G5 tower which makes up for any shortcomings of the BlackBook. I would have to say it comes down to this:

Will this be your only computer? - get a MBP
Will you be extremely mobile with it?- get a BlackBook
Does this need to last your whole college career? - get a MBP
Do you need a good quality, more color-accurate screen? -get a MBP
Will you have roommates? -get a BlackBook

The main advantages of the BlackBook are portability and durability.
The main advantages of the MBP are better and larger screen and better graphics. It'll probably last you a bit longer too.
 
Macbook Pro.

My white macbook cracked in many places, so I wouldnt call it durable.
I used my macbook a a secondary computer, because of the small screen. I used a mac mini connected to a 19 incher-- it was slower but at least the screen wasn't as small.

I am planning on buying a MBP soon because i want something that wont crack, and the larger screen. Im unsure about the Difference in WIFI, but if mobile internet is an issue, get a Mobile broadband card (which you can actually put in the pro) or an external antenna such as the quickertech quicky.

I never noticed much of a difference in graphics, but having the midlevel graphics card in the pro is definitely much better than the GMA adapter in the macbook, which uses your processor and ram to run the display.

The Pro also has an LED Display, which looks better and uses less power.
Please note that even on refurbs, you are paying approx 150 bucks just for paint on the blackbooks. the higher specs are usually a 50 dollar upgrade from the white one.

If you're asleep by now, wake up and get the macbook pro.
 
i had sort of the same problem.. i have a really crappy pc and i need to replace it (if anyone ever wants to have a competition on the worst computer, i'd win hands down). I had my heart set on getting a mbp to last me through out college and even after college.. but i thought about it and i realized that when i graduate in three years, there are going to be much better computers to choose from. So with that in mind, i'm going to get a mb because I know in a few years both mbp and mb are going to be outdated and by then i'll have the money to get what I want.
 
I feel a lot of people are basing opinions on aesthetics.

The fact is doing cad work including rendering requires graphic power ( i do 3D CAD). So if you are serious and want something that will last you throughout your course and the future a dedicated graphics card will help you endlessly.

If/when a better program comes along requiring more power you will have it with a MBP. Not to mention you will have the power now. They are deisgned to be run hard for long periods of time.
I understand your portability concerns but a 15" isnt that much bigger and heavier.

I personally don't see any competition if you want to do CAD work or games.
 
If you plan on the laptop actually sitting on your lap, get a Blackbook - or suffer the inevitable nickname of 'Fire Crotch'.
 
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