Macbook pro 13" or 15" with i5? New to mac.

S

sarawr

macrumors member
Any help would be great! :D:D I've never owned a Mac but I have used them at school for media studies (video editing) and it was so easy and fast and this was almost 4 years ago! I've only ever had pc's and I hate windows. I'm tired of having to scramble my brain figuring out the right anti virus and malware protection and all the hassles I've had on pc's:(. I have wanted a mac for a long time and by Christmas I'll have saved up enough for one.

I want a macbook pro that will best suit my needs. No point spending so much on the highest end MBP if I won't be using all that extra speed. I want a laptop for portability, it's a must as I'm going to be using it as my main computer and would like to take it with me. Also I'm going to be doing some courses next year (graphic design, photoshopping and photography) that I'll need the laptop with me.

The MBP needs to be able to handle things like:
- Multi tasking with multiple large programs like Adobe cs5 creative suite
- Logic 9
- General computer usage (web browsing, itunes, skype, documents etc)

I'm not a big gaming person on the computer, I prefer my old super nintendo. But I do play online games like Dance! online (china servers) and World of Warcraft. But they should work fine on any MBP.

I realise the 15" would be BETTER as it has the i5 processor, but all the reviews I've read have rambled on about how much faster the computer is in terms to HD and standard video editing. I won't be using any form of video editing. Just very SIMPLE music editing as I'm still learning. Basically recording guitar, vocals and keyboards and maybe adding beats if needed.

In the future, when needed, I plan to purchase an iMac anyway for a home recording computer and image editing etc for the large screen. But for now the small MBP hooked up to my 21" LG monitor will dot he trick if needed.

So my real question is, even though the i5 processor is a lot faster, do I NEED it? Is it worth me forking out that extra cash for it when I want an iMac int he future too which will have lots of power? Is the 2.4Ghz core 2 duo enough? I plan on getting the 4GB ram standard and I'm buying ram and putting it in myself so it'll have 8GB which should be plenty.

13-inch: 2.4GHz
Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB Memory
250GB hard drive1
NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics
For A$ 1,499.00

Or

15-inch: 2.4GHz
Intel Core i5
4-GB Memory
320-GB hard drive1
Intel HD Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M with 256 MB
For A$ 2,199
 
Save the money and go for the 13". The little editing you do might be slowed down a bit, but I would rather save the money. Also, check out the Apple refurb store. You might be able to save more money on your configuration or you can get an older configuration for cheaper. The warranty on Apple refurbs are identical to those of their new laptops.
 
Honestly, you don't need the faster processor. It will be a good bit faster for video editing and things like handbrake, but if you're not doing that, I would suggest getting whichever size you (and your wallet) prefer. The extra RAM is definitely a good idea though, with a bunch of CS5 stuff. I don't do anything serious on mine, but it runs PS from CS4 well, and it's roughly the same as the current 13" MBP.
 
Whoa thanks for the fast replies! I wasn't expecting that :D

No1nfoProvided said:
Save the money and go for the 13". The little editing you do might be slowed down a bit, but I would rather save the money. Also, check out the Apple refurb store. You might be able to save more money on your configuration or you can get an older configuration for cheaper. The warranty on Apple refurbs are identical to those of their new laptops.
Click to expand...

Yeah that I was thinking, I just saw a video saying that the 13" is only good for general web browsing etc not multi-tasking with large programs. But I don't see why it'd be classed as a pro if it can't run photoshop etc. I looked at the refirbs and there was one close to $300 cheaper than buying brand new but I'm worried about quality. I know they're double checked for faults and stuff but I've read a lot of people say they have scratch marks or slanted keys which cause problems.


alust2013 said:
Honestly, you don't need the faster processor. It will be a good bit faster for video editing and things like handbrake, but if you're not doing that, I would suggest getting whichever size you (and your wallet) prefer. The extra RAM is definitely a good idea though, with a bunch of CS5 stuff. I don't do anything serious on mine, but it runs PS from CS4 well, and it's roughly the same as the current 13" MBP.
Click to expand...

That's what I figured. My pc laptop at the moment is only 2ghz and it RUNS the programs fine and I can play high graphic games on it, but it only has 2GB of ram so things open up slower than I'd like and lag with more than one program open. So you think the 2.4ghz MBP 13" will be okay for simple recording as well? It's not going to be adding any fancy effect or adding lots of tack layers. Just basic stuff for youtube etc which I could do with my camera but I want to record it all seperately.
 
I have Logic 9 Express - has the main audio components of Logic Pro 9 and I'm VERY impressed it can run on my Al_uMB 13" with 250GB HDD, 2.4Ghz C2D the same P8600 as the current 13" MBP and with 4GB RAM.

this machine has a LOT more power and efficiency in it still; but I still want better for longer than the 1.5yrs left on my AppleCare.

Worth the money for now ... easy sale in the future when you get serious.
 
Prom1 said:
I have Logic 9 Express - has the main audio components of Logic Pro 9 and I'm VERY impressed it can run on my Al_uMB 13" with 250GB HDD, 2.4Ghz C2D the same P8600 as the current 13" MBP and with 4GB RAM.

this machine has a LOT more power and efficiency in it still; but I still want better for longer than the 1.5yrs left on my AppleCare.

Worth the money for now ... easy sale in the future when you get serious.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the reply :D
I think I will go with the 13" :) If in the future I need a more powerful computer I'll get the iMac. I found a nice MBP 13" (latest edition) in the refirbished store on apple for only A$ 1269 which I'll probably get with AppleCare if possible.
 
If you do get scratches and scuffs, just contact Applecare and calmly explain to them your situation. I'm sure they would send you a new one. Apple has good warranty service
 
No1nfoProvided said:
If you do get scratches and scuffs, just contact Applecare and calmly explain to them your situation. I'm sure they would send you a new one. Apple has good warranty service
Click to expand...

Oh I have no doubt about that. I just get very frustrated when electrical goods go wrong :p But I will go for the refirbished one. The money I can save I'll be able to afford to upgrade to 8GB and put it in myself.
 
i am running logic Pro 9 and photoshop both on my 13.3" macbook pro both seem to run fine handle the little bit of work that i do i use a midi keyboard to compose my bands intro and been doing a light bit of demo recording and the 13.3 works perfect no bog down cept in garageband when i had like ten tracks running

i bought the 13.3 to jump into mac such as yourself and i would never go back now everything just works
 
Oh thank you so much! It's good to know that it can handle it. In any computer, I expect the system to slow down if you open up too many large applications but they'll still run. I just don't like with my laptop how the programs become non responsive then close down. Macs are far superior :p I can't wait to order mine. Job interview in 2 hours, if I get it I'm ordering a mac and paying it off over 2 years, I don't care if I pay more I want it LOL
 
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