Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Macbook Pro or Regular

J

jdubbaneh

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 10, 2009
3
0
Im a college student getting ready to my a Macbook and am wondering if i should spend the extra 200-300 extra and get a Macbook Pro rather than a regular Macbook. As a student I qualify for $100 off my purchase as well.

Also I'm waiting until they launch the free iPod Touch with purchase of laptop for students. Im pretty sure they do it around the same time every year so when was it done last year?

Thanks.
 
You posted this in the Pro forum, so you'll most likely hear, "get the MBP."

Currently the Macbooks have a pretty outdated processor and the new MBPs are very quick with the i5 processor. I would definitely purchase the MBP, well worth the price difference.

I recently just bought my laptop and also a college student. Looking at your profile I'm not sure where you're from but I ended up buying mine for microcenter as they are selling the 13" base MBP for $999. I know the Back to School deal is supposed to start sometime soon, but I would just end up selling the ipod anyway and would end up paying about the same price.
 
cloroxbleach4 would you mind explaining microcenter.
I am masters student, can I buy macbook pro nit for $1099 but for $999?
 
a good thing to mention is the backlit keyboard you get with the mbp which will help a lot if you're a student and you work on a lot of stuff during the night. it may not be too significant as you could use a lamp or something but if that appeals to you i just thought i would mention it, especially considering either model in question could handle most school work, depending on what you do. perhaps that along with the extra processing power will further help your decision.
 
Another thing to consider that with the differences between the 2 systems, a Pro should last you at least a year longer before it runs out of steam making the price difference effectively nothing.
 
If you're deciding between a 13" MBP and a MacBook, I'd get the MacBook and save the money, especially if you will get a new laptop within 2 years.
 
I'd get the MBP. It is the more future proof of the two. The Macbook only supports up to 4 GB of RAM. That was the big thing that kept me away from it. The processor isn't that big of deal but over time you'll probably be glad that you got the i5 instead of the C2D. If you want to run VM or Parallels you might find 8 GB of RAM handy.

Honestly I just don't think the Macbook is currently worth the price. Not when you can get the MBP for just $200-300 more.
 
jdubbaneh said:
Im a college student getting ready to my a Macbook and am wondering if i should spend the extra 200-300 extra and get a Macbook Pro rather than a regular Macbook. As a student I qualify for $100 off my purchase as well.

Also I'm waiting until they launch the free iPod Touch with purchase of laptop for students. Im pretty sure they do it around the same time every year so when was it done last year?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

The only people I'd ever wish the white MacBook on are educational institutions because no one person owns them. In fact, I'm quite certain that's the only reason they still exist. Other than that, I always recommend an MBP, even refurbished if you are on a stricter budget.
 
I'm not even sure how this could be a real question. The MB is ancient tech. The Buyer's Guide says not to buy it (if you haven't seen this, you ought to). Besides price, what possible benefit could there be to buying it at this point?

The MBA is old too, but at least it gives you clear benefits over the MBP with its SSD, light weight, and pricing. It might be underpowered for some people, though.

I think with the MBP 13" you are pretty safe for just about any general need at university. Depending on your needs and wants, the 15" and 17" might also be worth considering.
 
I'd either purchase a MBA or MBP. I just don't see what the benefit is of the regular MB's right now. MBP also gives you more versatility depending if start dabbling into games, video editing or more intensive activities.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back