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MacBook Pro - Buy today or wait ?

T

tekilla

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 11, 2008
95
0
Hi all,

Noob here, hope I've posted in the right area.
I'm looking to buy a MacBook Pro 15" and had a couple of questions;

If I buy the 2.4Ghz model today, does it have the new Penryn chipset - and if so, what speed is the FSB ?
Is it worth me buying now, or other than the Rumour Guides hinting at a redesign of the case, does anyone know anything more about a refresh (either at WWDC or otherwise) ?

Finally....
Is it worth upgrading to the 7,200rpm disk? Has anyone who has got the upgrade noticed a huge gain in performance ?

Thanks for your help.
 
Yes, but FSB is 800Mhz - upgrade likely in the Q3.

7200rpm is louder and more power-hungry. I don't think it's worth it at all - I'd go for 5400 and get extra GBs.

As for whether to buy - I love the current design so bought it before they 'ruined' it and made it look as cheap as the MB Air! But it's anyone's guess how the new ones will look or even if they get a design upgrade at all.
 
Thanks for the swift reply !
Glad to hear it's Penryn (although a friend has a Santa Rosa MBP and it's great).

I'm not really bothered about waiting another 6 months, as chances are the price may increase too. If it was imminent, then I'd consider waiting.

Also think I'll stay with the 5400 disk.

Cheers !!
 
It's unlikely that the prices will increase on a new release.

Apple doesn't usually spike it's prices on the release of a new model. Instead, the prices new model remain pretty much the same as they had been, while older units are shifted to the refurb section and sold at a significant discount.
 
If you NEED it WANT it and can AFFORD it now then get it now.

If you answered no to any of the above then wait.

I am waiting for my current computer to die before getting the macbook pro - so as there is no need to purchase now although I REALLY want to!
 
I have to disagree with 5400RPM There is a pretty decent speed difference and no they are not noisy at all or power hungry. I get the same battery life as my co worker who has a 5400 rpm drive (I have the 7200) but my boot up time and file access time is significantly faster. I say buy now and go for the 7200 drive. I did and I dont regret it one bit. I should also add that my mac beside me is running and I cant even hear it. So ya...whoever said they're noisy is wrong. Trust me, I own one.
 
The great debate to buy or wait...
Well, I had my PB for over 5 years. Since then I've saw a bunch of performance and design changes and they didn't bother me at all. I like to go by the rule, if you need it now get it. If not wait.
The display on my old one finally went bad.
 
Go ahead and pull the trigger. You know you want to!

Seriously, I just looked and there are some good deals on MBP refurbs on the :apple: store now. $1650 for 2.4 ghz with 2 gbs of RAM and a 160 HDD. That's less than I spent on my first one when I bought it new!
 
Thanks Chrono - you're starting to make me want to spend the extra on the 7200 now that you've confirmed it's (a) No noiser or (b) no more battery intensive.
The Boot/Load times on my current MB with a 5400 are fine, so increasing that (even slightly) would be nice.

@Bobbleheadbob - thanks for the Refurb idea - I'm in the UK and they never do good deals on popular equipment (iMac's & MBP's), but often on things like ACD's.
 
Just keep in mind that there are two 2.4GHz models available. The outgoing model (the one mentioned by bobbleheadbob) is a merom C2D NOT a penryn.
 
Hoo03 said:
Just keep in mind that there are two 2.4GHz models available. The outgoing model (the one mentioned by bobbleheadbob) is a merom C2D NOT a penryn.
Click to expand...

I'd go for the current model (Penryn, 200GB as standard) rather than the outgoing/refurb model.

@Eric - I could afford to wait, but if everyone waited 6+ months to buy an Apple product for fear of it being superseded, we'd never *actually* make a purchase ! :)
 
Always plan your purchases around major events... and when you need to buy. If you need to buy because of a project or other important needs, then you don't really have a choice. Having said that, it's always better to wait if you are within a few months of a major Apple event. The next event is WWDC and the release of nehalem. If you don't need a machine now, then wait until that event is over before buying. Unless of course, you are the type who just buys and doesn't care what come out the following week.

I traded my 5400 drive for a 7200 and noticed a definite speed difference. Rotation speeds don't effect acoustics on current drive technology, so don't let that stop you. If you are just surfing the web, or need space for documents, then go with storage over speed.
 
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