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MacBook Pro 13

LatinaC09

LatinaC09

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 30, 2011
114
20
Cleveland, Ohio
Hey everybody so I just bought a new MacBrook Pro 13' (non-retina, 4gb Ram, i5) on Saturday. I've been a Windows user forever, my Apple devices were just an iPad 2 and an iPhone 5. I originally thought that this new Mac would take a while for me to get used to just because i've been a Windows user for so long....I was definitely wrong! I absolutely love it already and it took no time for me to learn the OS. I feel that I've made a great investment and I really am looking forward to a computer that is truly built with quality from the inside out.

Just thought I would throw that out there and be positive! Also, does anyone have any recommendations on good apps and programs I should get? Any advice is also welcome.

Sincerely

A very happy Mac convert. :) :apple:
 
iStat is a cool free utility that you can use on your dashboard to monitor system temps, fan speed and various other stats on your computer.

Pixelmator is a good, inexpensive image editing application. I bought it on the App store last time it was on sale, I think it's around the same price now.

Transmission is my favorite bittorrent client, it's pretty basic but it gets the job done for me.
 
Good to hear. I would check out macrumors beginner's guide.

Some of the apps I install:

MS Office
VLC Player
utorrent
Aperture
DaisyDisk
iStat
Onyx
Chrome
...many more
 
I had exactly the same set up as you. Bought my MBP 13" at the beginning of the month, and haven't looked back since.

Some of the useful apps I've installed:

alfred <- quick look ups for just about anything!
sparrow <- the mail client to use for mac
totalfinder <- makes using finder a breeze as it just becomes so much more organized.

I thought it would take me longer to adjust, but it's been pretty seamless.
 
You may well wish to upgrade to 8GB right away. It doesn't cost very much and I think we just crossed the threshold with the last OS update (10.8.2) where 4GB doesn't really provide enough headroom for normal multi-tasking without paging out.

If you're enjoying the machine now, you're really going to like it after upgrading the RAM (and maybe even putting in an SSD, hybrid drive, or DIY Fusion drive). One of the great things about the cMBP series is the easy upgradeability, enjoy!
 
Thanks everybody for the recommendations so far. I will definitely be checking them all out!

As far as upgrading my RAM to 8GB. What's the easiest way to do this? And would it be expensive? (I realize I could google this but i would rather hear from someone I know who has experience with this)
Again thanks for all the suggestions!
 
LatinaC09 said:
Thanks everybody for the recommendations so far. I will definitely be checking them all out!

As far as upgrading my RAM to 8GB. What's the easiest way to do this? And would it be expensive? (I realize I could google this but i would rather hear from someone I know who has experience with this)
Again thanks for all the suggestions!
Click to expand...

No, its not expensive. There are countless threads covering this. You can get 8GB ram for about $30-40. It's a very easy upgrade, use ifixit guide.
 
LatinaC09 said:
Thanks everybody for the recommendations so far. I will definitely be checking them all out!

As far as upgrading my RAM to 8GB. What's the easiest way to do this? And would it be expensive? (I realize I could google this but i would rather hear from someone I know who has experience with this)
Again thanks for all the suggestions!
Click to expand...

The cheapest way would be to buy online. You can find 8GB RAM for really cheap. For example this would work, $35.99 with free shipping:

http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-Valu...UTF8&qid=1353986592&sr=8-8&keywords=ddr3-1600

Since it's a single module you could even install two of those (for a total of 16GB RAM), but that could easily be overkill for a lot of users.

As for the installation it's pretty easy. I know it can be pretty intimidating if it's your first time but it's more simple than it sounds.

Apple has an official guide here: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1270?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US

Or you could just look at tutorials on YouTube.
 
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pgiguere1 said:
The cheapest way would be to buy online. You can find 8GB RAM for really cheap. For example this would work, $35.99 with free shipping:

http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-Valu...UTF8&qid=1353986592&sr=8-8&keywords=ddr3-1600

Since it's a single module you could even install two of those (for a total of 16GB RAM), but that could easily be overkill for a lot of users.

As for the installation it's pretty easy. I know it can be pretty intimidating if it's your first time but it's more simple than it sounds.

Apple has an official guide here: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1270?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US

Or you could just look at tutorials on YouTube.
Click to expand...

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. Installing the RAM doesn't seem too complicated and from what I've been hearing it will be worth it in the long run. I think I will go ahead and order that memory. I plan on using this computer as long as I can so I will give it what it needs to perform at it's best. :apple:
 
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LatinaC09 said:
Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. Installing the RAM doesn't seem too complicated and from what I've been hearing it will be worth it in the long run. I think I will go ahead and order that memory. I plan on using this computer as long as I can so I will give it what it needs to perform at it's best. :apple:
Click to expand...

Personally, i would go all out and just get 16GB while you're at it. Also, look into SSDs.
 
I got the exact same model as you on Friday. I'm upgrading from a 5 year old black MacBook, core 2 duo, maxed out RAM (4) and a 7200rpm 500GB hard drive. I do feel that the drive is a huge bottleneck for this thing. I want to upgrade to an SSD, but my photo library alone is 160GB. I can't afford to drop $500 on a proper 6gbps SSD.

I still love the fact that the machine doesn't sound like a hair dryer when I'm using iPhoto or iMovie. And I can actually run games! The unibody is awesomely rigid, and the glass over the screen is reflective but gorgeous.

I'm happy.
 
Dumb Question About RAM Upgrade

Extremely dumb question about the RAM upgrade since I also just bought a cMBP: Will upgrading the RAM myself void any of the warranty? I saw the video on OWC and it's insanely easy and I'd love to get 8-16GB in my machine.
 
Ramadad said:
Extremely dumb question about the RAM upgrade since I also just bought a cMBP: Will upgrading the RAM myself void any of the warranty? I saw the video on OWC and it's insanely easy and I'd love to get 8-16GB in my machine.
Click to expand...

No, you won't void your warranty. The RAM and HDD are user upgradeable parts.
 
wow! I hope I have as easy a time converting as you. I have also always used a pc and I bought the same system this weekend. mine shows it will be arriving tomorrow along with the ssd I bought for it but the 16gb of ram shows Wednesday. I am dying for it to get here but also a little nervous about what to expect. I hadn't owned any apple product since an apple IIe until about a month ago when I got an iPhone 5. I liked it so much I bought an ipad 4 when it came out and now like it so much I decided to switch to Mac. I hope I like the Mac as much as my other 2 devices. anyways, sorry for the rant and congrats!!! It is good to hear it worked out so well for you!!!
 
lamina said:
I do feel that the drive is a huge bottleneck for this thing. I want to upgrade to an SSD, but my photo library alone is 160GB. I can't afford to drop $500 on a proper 6gbps SSD.
Click to expand...

There are two options open to you that'll solve your drive bottleneck and space issues without breaking the bank:

1. If you don't mind losing the Superdrive, buy a small 128GB (or even 64GB) SSD and put that in the optibay and then create your own "Fusion Drive" Instructions are here: http://tomasz.korwel.net/2012/11/04/apple-fusion-drive-on-late-2010-macbook-pro/

2. Buy a hybrid (Seagate Monentus XT). This will be the slightly cheaper option and will preserve your Superdrive, but won't be as all around fast since only 8GB worth of data will be served up at SSD speeds. That is enough to make your computing experience significantly faster overall, but it's not the same as having almost all the stuff you use served up at SSD speeds.
 
Hi there I also took the plunge on Friday and bought a 13 the i7 with 8GB ram (probably overkill but what the hey), and am loving it. Have owned Macs before but not since my white G3 iBook. Last laptop was a Sony Vaio running Vista and I regretted not saving the extra cash and going back to Mac ever since anyway took 5 months of saving but well worth it! :D
The difference in build quality is amazing and this machine is so quiet and so quick :D Man how I missed Apple!
 
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