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MacBook Pro for College

N

Nba247365

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 23, 2010
46
0
Hello,

I am planning to buy a new MacBook Pro with a 2.7 GHz quad-core processor, 16 GB of RAM, and Retina Display but my parents think it is a waste of money. Is this too much for a College Freshman? I am going into accounting and plan to use it for at least 5 years. I do like to use Photoshop and make movies for fun.

Thank You.
 
I seriously doubt an accounting major needs the 2.7 ghz, if you are planning on using it for 5 years the 16GB ram wouldn't be a horrible upgrade.
 
Nba247365 said:
Hello,

I am planning to buy a new MacBook Pro with a 2.7 GHz quad-core processor, 16 GB of RAM, and Retina Display but my parents think it is a waste of money. Is this too much for a College Freshman? I am going into accounting and plan to use it for at least 5 years. I do like to use Photoshop and make movies for fun.

Thank You.
Click to expand...

I would think that you don't need to upgrade to the 2.7GHz and the 2.6GHz is fine, but the 16GB upgrade isn't a bad decision. The 2.6GHz should be fine though.
 
Nba247365 said:
Hello,

I am planning to buy a new MacBook Pro with a 2.7 GHz quad-core processor, 16 GB of RAM, and Retina Display but my parents think it is a waste of money. Is this too much for a College Freshman? I am going into accounting and plan to use it for at least 5 years. I do like to use Photoshop and make movies for fun.

Thank You.
Click to expand...

Are they open to the 2.6 model at $250 less? It's almost a negligible upgrade.
 
If your parents are tech savvy , they would know that even a sub-$1000 system would be sufficient enough for any college student. Nobody really needs the rMBP. However, it is a very nice computer so good luck with getting them to buy you one!
 
Tell you parents to keep in mind Apple products have very high resale value. I just sold a 2007 MBP for close to 600$. That made my RMBP much more affordable.
 
I'm going into mechanical engineering, so I was able to convince my parents to help me buy a good computer (I have a 2.3/16/256 RMBP on the way). I'm not familiar enough with accounting to know how much computer power it requires. Personally, if I were going into a less computer-y major, I'd much rather have a 13" MBA instead of the RMBP.
 
From what I know about Accounting programs, at least at my College, the accounting programs aren't particularly computer-intensive. They mainly need MS Office for Word, Excel and Access, accounting specific programs, etc.

That being said, I appreciate wanting a nice computer. I'm in a finance program and bought myself a rMBP, which is completely overkill for what I require for school.
 
damn kids these days are so spoiled.

for the first couple years of college all you need is a basic computer for word processing and internet. Most computers now days can handle photoshop and basic video editing.


No freshman in college needs a Retina MBP. Although with the amount of porn college students watch, it would look good on retina! haha

If you want to go the Mac route I would suggest a 13" MBP base model. This will cover ALL of your needs and more. This will also be portable to take to class. When I bought my 15" my senior year or college it was nice but a little big to transport around.
 
You definitely don't need it, but if your parents can afford it and you want it then why not tell them you need it... I'd be more afraid of someone selling my $3k+ laptop than my $1.2k laptop but if your careful then no problem.
Lots of kids steal ***** in college though.
 
For what your saying your going to do with it... if your not going to be playing hard core games, then you would probably be happier with a 13" Macbook Air.
 
Honestly a Macbook Air would do everything you wanted to do. If you *really* wanted to splurge, the base 15" Retina 2.3Ghz would be great. I don't see any need to go higher than that.
 
Update: Ok so they don't think I need the Retina Display but I think I have negotiated to the 15 inch Retina Display with a 2.3 quad-core processor and 16 GB of RAM. This should work right? Also it only has a 256 GB SSD compared to the 512 GB SSD on the computer in the OP. Will I need an external hard drive or will this be sufficient?

Thanks for all your help
 
Waste of money $$$ rMBP not to mention target 4 thieves. MacBook air will get the job done. $1000
 
Nba247365 said:
Update: Ok so they don't think I need the Retina Display but I think I have negotiated to the 15 inch Retina Display with a 2.3 quad-core processor and 16 GB of RAM. This should work right? Also it only has a 256 GB SSD compared to the 512 GB SSD on the computer in the OP. Will I need an external hard drive or will this be sufficient?

Thanks for all your help
Click to expand...

Other than the "retina" pixel density itself, the 15" Retina has the benefit of being a full 15" display while weighing less than the 13" Macbook Pro. Definitely not necessary but possibly pretty convenient.

As for the hard drive size it depends on what you want to do. If you want to keep a bunch of HD full length movies it might get a bit cramped. You should be able to get a USB 3.0 external drive (1 terrabyte runs about $100) at any point if you need it. That may also be a good idea with the Air as well.
 
Nba247365 said:
Update: Ok so they don't think I need the Retina Display but I think I have negotiated to the 15 inch Retina Display with a 2.3 quad-core processor and 16 GB of RAM. This should work right? Also it only has a 256 GB SSD compared to the 512 GB SSD on the computer in the OP. Will I need an external hard drive or will this be sufficient?

Thanks for all your help
Click to expand...

Just say that you are willing to do the 256GB hard drive, but would like to get "itunes match", which is $25 a year. Lets you store up to 25,000 songs(not including itunes, which are stored without counting) on the cloud. If you ever decide to cancel the service, you can just download them to a hard drive.


However, I don't think you "need" the retina. Why not just get the ultimate air, and if you are unhappy return it and upgrade. At least you can tell your parents you tried a more affordable option.
 
For all of you saying stuff about my parents: I am paying completely for my computer and am going to a state college on a scholarship but I like to have my parents involved with major purchases because I know that they know what is better for me than I think i do.
 
I'm in the exact same boat except I'm a sophomore. I think the 2.7 will be overkill and a waste of money that could be used elsewhere. I currently have on order the model you are talking about (2.3 w/16GB RAM) and that should be plenty.

I also have a 17" early-2011 MBP i7 with 16GB RAM and a 1TB HD and it's overkill. I originally bought it because I had plans to major in film production but I changed my mind and became a business major (entrepreneurship), so honestly all the space for HD footage and RAM for heavy editing is no longer needed. And the Retina MBP will probably still be more than enough, but I don't use the optical drive and I will appreciate the better portability and faster speeds. The 16GB RAM upgrade will be worth it in a few years when the newer versions of OS X will require more RAM, and since it's soldered on, now would be the only time to select it.

Also, be sure to use the Apple Education Store when ordering! I did that and the rMBP price went down $200 (which enabled me to bump the RAM), then they included a free $100 gift card, and a customer service rep bumped my shipping method to 2-3 day delivery for free. :)

Oh and don't forget to enable Find My Mac when you get it...
 
Last edited:
Nba247365 said:
For all of you saying stuff about my parents: I am paying completely for my computer and am going to a state college on a scholarship but I like to have my parents involved with major purchases because I know that they know what is better for me than I think i do.
Click to expand...

Well good for you on making the purchase on your own, but my advise is still the same. Either get the cheapest retina, or get the 13" Air-Ultra. Get Itunes match for $25 a year. If you really need more storage, the proprietary ssds will come out eventually, most likely before you fill up your hard drive.
 
If you want a 15" MBP for college (like myself) why not get a non retina MBP? It's cheaper.
 
I like how people are giving you crap. Just ignore them. When I first went to college (Late 2007) my father insisted that a laptop would be a waste and that his 5 year old laptop would suffice (he's really an old school guy using ****** electronics that break down then throws fits). So I saved up money from my summer job and bought a 800 dollar crappy dell laptop.


If your parents can afford a retina display then that's nice. But honestly I don't think that you will need all those upgrades. Since you're starting college you should aim for something that is upgradable. Get the premium non retina MacBook Pro. Later down the road you can pick up an SSD and upgrade the RAM.
 
Nba247365 said:
For all of you saying stuff about my parents: I am paying completely for my computer and am going to a state college on a scholarship but I like to have my parents involved with major purchases because I know that they know what is better for me than I think i do.
Click to expand...

Like dj, my advice is still the same. Your parents should still know this is a waste even though they are not buying.

Second, since you are buying your self look to buy a 1200 MBP or the 1700 if you need the 15"


I was on a full ride scholarship and was still broke as ****. The remaining money can do you wonders.
 
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