MacBook Pro Performance Question?

[TehFalcon]

Alright So I Am Selling some stuff (old laptops, imacs, ect) To get a MacBook Pro. So Far my Current budget seems to be around $800/$840.

Of couse this could go up or down depending on how much people pay or if items sell or not.

My Question is. I Have Been lucky enough to find a 17 inch, 4gb of ram, 160gb 5400rpm HDD, 2.4ghz MacBook pro (late 2007) for about $800.

Is this worth it? How does it compare to 2010 MBP and What about MacBook Airs??

I Wont buy a MacBook as I Want the aluminum case and backlit keyboard luxuries.

I Havent had luck finding 2010 or 2009 MBP for under $900 and I Really dont want a 13 inch anyway as I am used to my typical 17 to 22 inch screens. I Wouldnt MIND A 15 inch i just cant find any.

I Want to use it for slight video editing and traveling. I Dont mind lugging around the 17 inch though.

What do you guys think? Thanks


EDIT: I Forgot to add that I Will NOT Buy the new MacBook pros as I Hate the Intel HD Chip and Dont have enough money to get the higher end ATI Models.

 

[palpatine]

Alright So I Am Selling some stuff (old laptops, imacs, ect) To get a MacBook Pro. So Far my Current budget seems to be around $800/$840.

Of couse this could go up or down depending on how much people pay or if items sell or not.

My Question is. I Have Been lucky enough to find a 17 inch, 4gb of ram, 160gb 5400rpm HDD, 2.4ghz MacBook pro (late 2007) for about $800.

Is this worth it? How does it compare to 2010 MBP and What about MacBook Airs??

I Wont buy a MacBook as I Want the aluminum case and backlit keyboard luxuries.

I Havent had luck finding 2010 or 2009 MBP for under $900 and I Really dont want a 13 inch anyway as I am used to my typical 17 to 22 inch screens. I Wouldnt MIND A 15 inch i just cant find any.

I Want to use it for slight video editing and traveling. I Dont mind lugging around the 17 inch though.

What do you guys think? Thanks


EDIT: I Forgot to add that I Will NOT Buy the new MacBook pros as I Hate the Intel HD Chip and Dont have enough money to get the higher end ATI Models.

i wouldn't buy a piece of four year old tech unless i was a collector. i have a 13" mbp 8b ram and i am quite happy with it. for what you are doing, i cannot see how your hatred for the chipset could possibly be based on performance. is there a company philosophy or some other reason that has generated your ire?

anyhow, at that price point the 13" mba would be just about right (perhaps refurbished) and it would seem to be perfect for traveling and light use, but if you are set on a 17" screen, i am not sure how you will get a good one for under 900...

 

[TehFalcon]

i wouldn't buy a piece of four year old tech unless i was a collector. i have a 13" mbp 8b ram and i am quite happy with it. for what you are doing, i cannot see how your hatred for the chipset could possibly be based on performance. is there a company philosophy or some other reason that has generated your ire?

anyhow, at that price point the 13" mba would be just about right (perhaps refurbished) and it would seem to be perfect for traveling and light use, but if you are set on a 17" screen, i am not sure how you will get a good one for under 900...

Actually I Said I Would take a 15 inch. I Just dont like the 13 inch, its a bit to small for me. I Am to used to my big screens (27 inch iMac, 20 inch Cinema display, 21.5 inch syncmaster).

As for the Intel HD, it is integrated ans integrated graphics are not what i prefer. To be its a major downgrade from the GT 320/330/9400. And this macbook pro comes with the 8600GT which isnt to bad of a card, and is better than the Intel HD.

 

[Macjames]

There is nothing wrong with old Mac's if they have been carefully looked after, my folks are still using a 13" late 2007 2.2GHz C2D white MacBook (2GB RAM). Which I passed down to them and it has never had a single issue. It works like a charm for their needs, web browsing, word and minor video and photo editing. I suspect it would last then another five years or so!

It runs Snow Leopard like a champ, so I imagine it could handle Lion fine (just without the touch gestures).

 

[TehFalcon]

There is nothing wrong with old Mac's if they have been carefully looked after, my folks are still using a 13" late 2007 2.2GHz C2D white MacBook (2GB RAM). Which I passed down to them and it has never had a single issue. It works like a charm for their needs, web browsing, word and minor video and photo editing. I suspect it would last then another five years or so!

It runs Snow Leopard like a champ, so I imagine it could handle Lion fine (just without the touch gestures).

Finely a good answer. The guys said he has been taken good care of (Who wouldn't it cost over $2000 since its 17 inch) and it has only a couple scratches.

 

[palpatine]

There is nothing wrong with old Mac's if they have been carefully looked after, my folks are still using a 13" late 2007 2.2GHz C2D white MacBook (2GB RAM). Which I passed down to them and it has never had a single issue. It works like a charm for their needs, web browsing, word and minor video and photo editing. I suspect it would last then another five years or so!

It runs Snow Leopard like a champ, so I imagine it could handle Lion fine (just without the touch gestures).

if your parents have 900 dollars, though, would you tell them to buy that computer? probably not. you'd direct them to the mba (i guess). of course you would pass it down. i still have a desktop from 2005 at home running xp. i'm not throwing it away anytime soon. but, i also would never spend money on it.

to the op:
as for the graphics card, am i missing something? it sounds like you are not planning to do any gaming or intensive video use (or you would be looking for something newer that can handle recent software), so is there a situation in which the chipset differences would become apparent to you as a user? like i said, i might just not understand.

 

[Dark Void]

i'd say..

$999 microcenter 2011 13'' > $800 2007 17''

if, however, you want the extra screen and the footprint of the 17'' then that's fine. i agree that there is nothing wrong with getting a previous model so long as it's been kept up.

 

[Macjames]

if your parents have 900 dollars, though, would you tell them to buy that computer? probably not. you'd direct them to the mba (i guess). of course you would pass it down. i still have a desktop from 2005 at home running xp. i'm not throwing it away anytime soon. but, i also would never spend money on it.

A good point. I guess my post was stating not to dismiss it simply because of it's age. At 900 dollars it does seem a tad expensive compared to abase MacBook Air or polycarbonate MacBook.

 

[blackbinary]

Remember you can always hook your 13" into a external monitor to get more space when you need it.

Otherwise, I'd be shooting for a 2010 15", thats going to be the best value for your money. Going older then that and your paying more for the 'mac' name then you are for the specs, and any newer you won't be saving a lot of money.

 

[DWBurke811]

Actually I Said I Would take a 15 inch. I Just dont like the 13 inch, its a bit to small for me. I Am to used to my big screens (27 inch iMac, 20 inch Cinema display, 21.5 inch syncmaster).

As for the Intel HD, it is integrated ans integrated graphics are not what i prefer. To be its a major downgrade from the GT 320/330/9400. And this macbook pro comes with the 8600GT which isnt to bad of a card, and is better than the Intel HD.

The 8600GT is a ticking bomb; it's not if it will break, but when.

I would say save up for a bit longer, and get a refurb from apple.

 

[daneoni]

If i'm buying a mac now the latest i would go is mid 2009/2010 models. The 2007 model has an 8600GT and you WILL regret buying it sooner or later.

Also the HD3000 often gets unnecessary criticism. Its not that bad a card at all and will be the GPU in all of Apple's portables soon enough.

 

[InTheUnion]

The 8600GT is a ticking bomb; it's not if it will break, but when.

I would say save up for a bit longer, and get a refurb from apple.

This. Plus you'll appreciate the unibody construction a lot more. My 2007 mbp isnt looking too good since all of the casing is bending and moving all over the place. At some points along the plastic seal there are obvious gaps between the joins. I'll admit that it's been through quite a lot this year but...

I really would advise you not to get the older one. I almost can't wait to get away from mine since it feels so aged..

 

[lindstedt56]

I would try and get an early unibody 15. Hopefully you can get 1 for around 1000 or less.