MB or MBP

[Tumeg101]

I know this is posted a ton, but I need this question answered for myself.
I have been using PC's my whole life, and I finally thought it was time to switch over to Mac. I wanted to get a laptop, and now I can't decide between the MacBook Pro low end model, or the MacBook mid model. The MacBook would be perfect for me, and the MacBook Pro, I think might be a little bit of an overkill, but I think it would last me longer. I currently only have $1,000, I am only 14 and I don't have a job, so for the MacBook I may have to wait until early January to buy the MacBook, but if I get the Pro, I probably wont be able to buy it until the end of summer '08, or early January '09 to buy it.
All I will be doing on the mac is: Listening to music, ripping\burning\watching DVD's and movies, chatting, surfing the web, school, and lots of photo management, I plan to start doing photography semi-professionally in the near future after I buy the Mac.
From what I have read, all of this would be PERFECT on the MacBook, but after reading some more, it seems to me that the MacBook may not be a longterm computer.
This Mac will be replacing my desktop, portability is a semi-important thing.
So basically, it all comes down to this:


I want the MacBook because:
-Perfect for my needs
-Cheaper
-Can use it on my lap, without it being to hot
-Small and Portable

I wouldn't get the MacBook because:
-May not be a longterm computer

------

I want the MacBook Pro because:
-Perfect + more for my needs
-Nice big screen
-Can play games (I am not a gamer but this would be a nice feature)

I wouldn't get the MacBook Pro because:
-Will take me a year+ to afford
-Can't use it on my lap (which is a big thing for me)
-Might be to big


*NOTE:* Please don't just say "Get the MBP!!" because you can, please read this and then give me a suggestion, and why I should get it.

 

[Blue Velvet]

I honestly think the MacBook sounds ideal for you... you'll get 3-5 useful years out if it, maybe more if you look after it and you moderate your expectations of what it will be able to handle in five years time.

Why buy the MBP if you can barely afford it? Get the MB and put money towards your next computer...

 

[devilot]

Why buy the MBP if you can barely afford it? Get the MB and put money towards your next computer...

Or the other accessories that are easy to forget about upfront:

A decent case for your MB.
An external HD for backing up.
Maybe an external KB/ mouse.

I feel I was in your position for my first Mac, a 12" PowerBook G4. I had a temp job and had enough money to get it and was so drawn to it over the iBook... of course I never utilized it to the full potential and lost out on a solid few hundred dollars.

Plus, like the wise BV said, at the very least, you can save up for a new Mac. And believe me, if you're like most of us here on MR, you'll be wanting another one very shortly.

 

[Tumeg101]

Or the other accessories that are easy to forget about upfront:

A decent case for your MB.
An external HD for backing up.
Maybe an external KB/ mouse.

I feel I was in your position for my first Mac, a 12" PowerBook G4. I had a temp job and had enough money to get it and was so drawn to it over the iBook... of course I never utilized it to the full potential and lost out on a solid few hundred dollars.

Plus, like the wise BV said, at the very least, you can save up for a new Mac. And believe me, if you're like most of us here on MR, you'll be wanting another one very shortly.

Thanks, both of you guys!
and about those accessories you listed, I am not going to get a case (lol) I have a nice enough backpack to use
About the external HD, my dad runs our family's server\network or w\e and all that crud, and he just bought a 1tb external for all of our family's computers to back up to while we all switch over to Mac(lol and my dad owns a small business that deals with fixing PC's)
And for the peripherals, I am buying a 19"-22" widescreen monitor, with the wired mighty mouse and wired new apple keyboard(I love it cause it acts as a USB hub)
Thanks again for the quick responses!

 

[mick4394]

Thanks, both of you guys!
and about those accessories you listed, I am not going to get a case (lol) I have a nice enough backpack to use
About the external HD, my dad runs our family's server\network or w\e and all that crud, and he just bought a 1tb external for all of our family's computers to back up to while we all switch over to Mac(lol and my dad owns a small business that deals with fixing PC's)
And for the peripherals, I am buying a 19"-22" widescreen monitor, with the wired mighty mouse and wired new apple keyboard(I love it cause it acts as a USB hub)
Thanks again for the quick responses!

Do yourself a favor, and skip the mighty mouse. There are much better mice out there, that are a helluva lot cheaper.

The mighty mouse is pretty, but that about it.

 

[Tumeg101]

Do yourself a favor, and skip the mighty mouse. There are much better mice out there, that are a helluva lot cheaper.

The mighty mouse is pretty, but that about it.

I was thinking about that, but I want it all too look good lol
I will probably stick to my current mouse... but eventually I will most likely get a mighty mouse, or at least something that will match the new apple keyboard
But I really like the ball in the mighty mouse, how it scrolls in all directions....

 

[LordFoo]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I've been finding myself asking the same question (MB vs MBP) as I'm preparing to switch. My main concern is whether or not the MB's integrated graphics will be able to keep up with new OS features when Leopard is released (i.e. the way some of MS/Vista's features aren't supported on older integrated graphics chipsets). From what I've read, I don't believe that Apple would do that to a large customer base, but I'd appreciate the thoughts of others. Do you think that the integrated GMA950 graphics will realistically perform well (for non gaming/video rendering purposes) with OS upgrades and new applications over the next few years?

 

[Tumeg101]

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I've been finding myself asking the same question (MB vs MBP) as I'm preparing to switch. My main concern is whether or not the MB's integrated graphics will be able to keep up with new OS features when Leopard is released (i.e. the way some of MS/Vista's features aren't supported on older integrated graphics chipsets). From what I've read, I don't believe that Apple would do that to a large customer base, but I'd appreciate the thoughts of others. Do you think that the integrated GMA950 graphics will realistically perform well (for non gaming/video rendering purposes) with OS upgrades and new applications over the next few years?

If that does happen, apple will most likely upgrade the MacBook's integrated graphics to work fine with leopard, if they don't, then that means they are planning to go out of business (lol)
And if you watch the videos of leopard, they are using a MacBook so that must mean leopard works perfectly fine on the MacBook as is,

 

[Aranince]

If you take the MBP to an Apple Certified repair shop, they can redo the thermal paste in the MBP and will make it run a lot cooler and you can use it on your lap.

 

[mick4394]

I was thinking about that, but I want it all too look good lol
I will probably stick to my current mouse... but eventually I will most likely get a mighty mouse, or at least something that will match the new apple keyboard
But I really like the ball in the mighty mouse, how it scrolls in all directions....

I used it for about a week and returned it. Usually, I agree with Apple's design. With the Mighty Mouse, I just don't get it.

 

[Tumeg101]

I used it for about a week and returned it. Usually, I agree with Apple's design. With the Mighty Mouse, I just don't get it.

yeah, I have read that allot... also that the ball in the mighty mouse will stop scrolling after a few months of use,

 

[cwryn]

I went through the same thing when I got my mb, and now I am wishing I got the mbp.

I got the 2.0 c2d black macbook with the stock 1 gig of ram. It gets HOT, I dont know if it is the exception or the rule, but it does. It gets hot not sitting on my lap and the fans will turn on(like in class, when I have garage band recording, the fans will turn on to their highest as soon as I try to render and save the recording). Worse, when I have it on my lap and I am browsing with music playing and watching videos, it will get so hot that the processing will dramatically slow and the wireless will shut down until it cools.

Furthermore, the black has one of the most delicate cases on a computer I have ever had. It is matte and the plastic is soft, so scratches and dings occur fairly easily and are pretty visible. It also collects oil, which can be hard to remove fully from the trackpad and the space bar, so get used to a little oily sheen.

And here is something I learned the hard way, the plastic case is made of a compound that reacts to certain kinds of pens. I had some sharpie on my hand that wouldnt wash off, and after a couple days usage, the part of the computer that was in occasional contact with that part of my hand turned brown. Not cool.

The computer has difficulty playing multiple videos simultaneously as well, anything other than the first has, in my experience, been progressively more choppy.

and maybe its just me, but the 120 gig hard drive (which really is 110) fills up way too fast.

Now I am not saying that I do not like this computer, just that I have had some issues with it, especially when compared to my surprisingly sturdy nearly 4 year old 500$ 2.4 p4 hp... But the mbp is more sturdy, has better video processing capability, has a larger hard drive (and better expandability), and is more oil resistant.

just my 2 cents.

 

[Tumeg101]

I went through the same thing when I got my mb, and now I am wishing I got the mbp.

I got the 2.0 c2d black macbook with the stock 1 gig of ram. It gets HOT, I dont know if it is the exception or the rule, but it does. It gets hot not sitting on my lap and the fans will turn on(like in class, when I have garage band recording, the fans will turn on to their highest as soon as I try to render and save the recording). Worse, when I have it on my lap and I am browsing with music playing and watching videos, it will get so hot that the processing will dramatically slow and the wireless will shut down until it cools.

Furthermore, the black has one of the most delicate cases on a computer I have ever had. It is matte and the plastic is soft, so scratches and dings occur fairly easily and are pretty visible. It also collects oil, which can be hard to remove fully from the trackpad and the space bar, so get used to a little oily sheen.

And here is something I learned the hard way, the plastic case is made of a compound that reacts to certain kinds of pens. I had some sharpie on my hand that wouldnt wash off, and after a couple days usage, the part of the computer that was in occasional contact with that part of my hand turned brown. Not cool.

The computer has difficulty playing multiple videos simultaneously as well, anything other than the first has, in my experience, been progressively more choppy.

and maybe its just me, but the 120 gig hard drive (which really is 110) fills up way too fast.

Now I am not saying that I do not like this computer, just that I have had some issues with it, especially when compared to my surprisingly sturdy nearly 4 year old 500$ 2.4 p4 hp... But the mbp is more sturdy, has better video processing capability, has a larger hard drive (and better expandability), and is more oil resistant.

just my 2 cents.

I have a hard time believing that, I have gone to the apple store and tried these things out on the MacBook, then I felt to see if it got to hot to be on my lap, and it was fine...

 

[~~Hello~~]

Why can't you put the macbook pro on your lap then?

 

[Tumeg101]

Why can't you put the macbook pro on your lap then?

Because it is to hot....
I said I tried everything on the MacBook, not the MacBook Pro, the MacBook Pro gets super hot, with it just being on

 

[BanjoBanker]

What?

I went through the same thing when I got my mb, and now I am wishing I got the mbp.

I got the 2.0 c2d black macbook with the stock 1 gig of ram. It gets HOT, I dont know if it is the exception or the rule, but it does. It gets hot not sitting on my lap and the fans will turn on(like in class, when I have garage band recording, the fans will turn on to their highest as soon as I try to render and save the recording). Worse, when I have it on my lap and I am browsing with music playing and watching videos, it will get so hot that the processing will dramatically slow and the wireless will shut down until it cools.

Furthermore, the black has one of the most delicate cases on a computer I have ever had. It is matte and the plastic is soft, so scratches and dings occur fairly easily and are pretty visible. It also collects oil, which can be hard to remove fully from the trackpad and the space bar, so get used to a little oily sheen.

And here is something I learned the hard way, the plastic case is made of a compound that reacts to certain kinds of pens. I had some sharpie on my hand that wouldnt wash off, and after a couple days usage, the part of the computer that was in occasional contact with that part of my hand turned brown. Not cool.

The computer has difficulty playing multiple videos simultaneously as well, anything other than the first has, in my experience, been progressively more choppy.

and maybe its just me, but the 120 gig hard drive (which really is 110) fills up way too fast.

Now I am not saying that I do not like this computer, just that I have had some issues with it, especially when compared to my surprisingly sturdy nearly 4 year old 500$ 2.4 p4 hp... But the mbp is more sturdy, has better video processing capability, has a larger hard drive (and better expandability), and is more oil resistant.

just my 2 cents.

I have the same machine - Black MacBook Core2Duo - as you and I haven't experienced the excessive heat or scratching case as you have. iKlean works wonders for cleaning the case, and even helps prevent some of the smudging. I do fairly complex photo work, using Aperture and CS3 and drive a 20" cinema display with my MacBook. I have never had the wireless shut down from heat! I use a 250 GB external hard drive attached to a Airport Extreme for photo storage, and I move RAW files back and forth across the network constantly while I am working. You should haul your MacBook to the nearest authorized repair and have them look at it.

 

[Tumeg101]

Thanks everyone, so far,
Please vote in my pole! Just in case some people don't feel like posting, but they would like to suggest which to get

 

[j26]

A MacBook will do all you list admirably, and will leave funds for the other things you might want (software, k/b, mouse, display, external hd etc) which you can gradually build up as funds allow.
Lashing a wad of cash into a MBP means that you don't have the funds for these things for a long time.

You don't need a MBP, and if the cost of getting it slows down getting started on your photography, that's a bad thing.

Edit: In the timescales you're talking about, who knows what will happen to the MacBook? And take a peek at refurbs in the Apple Store if you're impatient - $1,000 could get you a decent machine now, rather than waiting about.

 

[Tumeg101]

A MacBook will do all you list admirably, and will leave funds for the other things you might want (software, k/b, mouse, display, external hd etc) which you can gradually build up as funds allow.
Lashing a wad of cash into a MBP means that you don't have the funds for these things for a long time.

You don't need a MBP, and if the cost of getting it slows down getting started on your photography, that's a bad thing.

Edit: In the timescales you're talking about, who knows what will happen to the MacBook? And take a peek at refurbs in the Apple Store if you're impatient - $1,000 could get you a decent machine now, rather than waiting about.

I would get a refurb, but I want the original macbook box(lol)
and I am waiting until at least October to buy, I realllly want leopard and I don't want to pay for it (lol) + I don't need the macbook now, so I can wait until then,
and a $1,000 refurb would cost me $1,080(tax)

Thanks for the suggestion\comment


EDIT: My dad can get brand new MacBook's for $1,266 with no tax, so I am just going to have him buy my macbook and I just pay him back.

 

[Aranince]

after reading your situation, I would say go for the MacBook for sure, it is perfect for all your needs

 

[Tumeg101]

I know this is probably impossible, but I was just wondering...
If I installed windows on my MacBook via bootcamp, would guild wars run fine on it?? I know it wont be as good as with the MBP, but I was just wondering, if I had everything on the lowest option, could it run fairly well on an MB?? After I upgrade ram to 2gb, I know this wont effect it much but it could make it run faster\smoother than with the stock 1gb ram...

 

[panzer06]

I know this is probably impossible, but I was just wondering...
If I installed windows on my MacBook via bootcamp, would guild wars run fine on it?? I know it wont be as good as with the MBP, but I was just wondering, if I had everything on the lowest option, could it run fairly well on an MB?? After I upgrade ram to 2gb, I know this wont effect it much but it could make it run faster\smoother than with the stock 1gb ram...

I bought a MB CD 2.0 in November 2006. I upgraded the HD to 160GB and the Ram to 2GB. I used it for all my work and school projects, with Bootcamp and parallels, Office 2004 on the OS X side and Visio & Project under Windows. All worked very well.

Games were installed even though the GMA950 was unsupported on many. I got them to work but only on the lowest setting in most cases.

I eventually sold the MB 2 weeks ago and bought a MBP SR 2.2 Glossy. It is very nice.

While the MB served me well for 8 months and I could have kept it for years for my basic functionality, my occasional desire to play games finally made me spend the money (sold all manner of old components on ebay as well as the MB) on the MBP. The O' man I wish that moved a little smoother or looked a little better just kept nagging away until I gave in.

If you even remotely know how I felt, carefully consider how you might come up with the extra case to get the base MBP 2.2

Cheers,

 

[Tumeg101]

I bought a MB CD 2.0 in November 2006. I upgraded the HD to 160GB and the Ram to 2GB. I used it for all my work and school projects, with Bootcamp and parallels, Office 2004 on the OS X side and Visio & Project under Windows. All worked very well.

Games were installed even though the GMA950 was unsupported on many. I got them to work but only on the lowest setting in most cases.

I eventually sold the MB 2 weeks ago and bought a MBP SR 2.2 Glossy. It is very nice.

While the MB served me well for 8 months and I could have kept it for years for my basic functionality, my occasional desire to play games finally made me spend the money (sold all manner of old components on ebay as well as the MB) on the MBP. The O' man I wish that moved a little smoother or looked a little better just kept nagging away until I gave in.

If you even remotely know how I felt, carefully consider how you might come up with the extra case to get the base MBP 2.2

Cheers,

Somebody just told me he plays guild wars on his MB and says it works almost perfect on Medium settings, just a little slow in crowded areas... but I would be use to it, my PC has such a crappy vid card, I can't play the simplistic of games, so the MB is PERFECT for me, thats for the comment though

 

[macflurry]

I would get a refurb, but I want the original macbook box(lol)
and I am waiting until at least October to buy, I realllly want leopard and I don't want to pay for it (lol) + I don't need the macbook now, so I can wait until then,
and a $1,000 refurb would cost me $1,080(tax)

Thanks for the suggestion\comment


EDIT: My dad can get brand new MacBook's for $1,266 with no tax, so I am just going to have him buy my macbook and I just pay him back.

I think you should definitely look into refurbished C2D macbooks. You can save a heck of a lot and its quality is kinda reassured since Apple looked over the computer before putting up for sale again. In fact, the refurbished box isn't glossed over and better for the environment when recycled, and being environ 'mental' is sexy

 

[MacRazySwe]

Hey, I'm 14 year old as well, yesterday I got my MBP, which I've been saving for since summer 2006 (well, at that time I was thinking of a MacBook).
All I can say is, I love this machine, you can't compare the screen with the MB's.

If the computer is going to replace a desktop, I'd say a MacBook Pro would be a better choice, since it has a bigger/better screen, 2GB Ram and a real graphiccard. FYI I'm using it in my lap right now, according to iStat the Cpu is running at 47°c now when I'm only using Safari.

The most perfect thing with it, according to me, is that when you have it opened up at your desk it has a really big screen, but when you fold down the latch, it isn't so much bigger than a MB.

Otherwise you could always try to find a refurb in November/December, then you'd get Leopard as well!