MB vs. MBP: Most Bang for Your Buck??

[TheAmoryWars]

I'm interested in opinions as to which of the following new models offers the best deal for the price?

New high-end MB
Either of the new MBP's.

Not being a professional user, personally, I'm tempted to say the MacBook.
But with Snow Leopard using GPU's to boost overall performance, is the low-end MBP a more "future-proof" choice for a few hundred more than the high-end MB?

Also, what about the high end MBP double the cache from 3MB to 6MB along with a 2.53 processor and a 512 Dedicated GPU.

Thanks for your opinions. Please don't bring up how I should consider an old or refurb model instead.

 

[cube]

Refurb 2.4GHz MBP for $1399, sorry.

 

[G5power]

Refurb 2.4GHz MBP for $1399, sorry.

Isn't that awesome? Also the price on the black macbook.

I was lucky enough to get a work supplied MBP recently or I would have to grab one of the Apple closeouts. Nothing like saving hundreds and getting a cool shiny new Apple. Even if it doesn't have a glass trackpad.

 

[eidrunner247]

Isn't that awesome? Also the price on the black macbook.

I was lucky enough to get a work supplied MBP recently or I would have to grab one of the Apple closeouts. Nothing like saving hundreds and getting a cool shiny new Apple. Even if it doesn't have a glass trackpad.

Apple closeouts are the way to go sometimes when there is a less than spectacular update.

 

[TheAmoryWars]

Does anyone want to be kind enough to share their thoughts on what I actually asked?

 

[cheapa55]

I'm also interested for the "answer", not off topic answers.

 

[dougnewman]

As far as the MBP goes, the high-end model is only necessary for true power users - I would not suggest spending the extra money otherwise.

MB vs. MBP is much tougher. It depends on how you'd configure each of them. In the old line-up I always felt the best value was the higher-end of the two white MacBooks. That came at the same price point as the new 2.0GHz model, which I think is rather nice for the price. The case for the 2.4GHz model against the MBP is a bit weaker IMO.

 

[nhaque]

well I don't think you have to worry so much about Snow Leo, after all, Steve must have the new MB in mind when he designed the new OS. Just choose them according to your needs, personally I would take the MB.

 

[chill.]

(my opinion)

the best bang for buck would be the low-end macbook pro. the dedicated 9600m gt video card is a huge step up from the integrated 9400m. i think that the 9600m gt is 100%-200% more powerful than the 9400m. it also has all the extra "plus" features like backlit keyboard, etc. that the high-end macbook has.

upgrading to the 2.53 ghz and 6mb l2 cache processor for the mpb is not very good bang for buck. it'll give (pure speculation) maybe 5-10% better performance for 25% of the cost. not that great value

take my numbers with a grain of salt. they're based on what i've seen from benchmarks and talking it over with friends. it's also hard to boil it down to a direct comparison because there are so many different things you can test each other against

in the end, you have to ask yourself what you need for the real bang for buck. in a laptop, the macbook fulfills all of my needs and then some so it is great for me, and i can probably build a PC for gaming/video work for less than the difference between mb and mpb ($400) that would kick the mpb's ass.

 

[Bengt77]

If you can live without FireWire, I definitely think the top end MacBook is the most bang for the buck. And no, I don't just state that because I feel the need to justify my order.

 

[VideoShooter]

I second Nengt77.

If you don't edit video (IE: don't need firewire), the high end macbook seems like an awesome machine.

I had a black macbook I absolutely loved, it had firewire and I actually did some extensive video editing. I think it's a bummer they didn't include firewire on the macbook, again, only cause I edit.

Other than that... Backlit keyboard, it powers a 30 inch ACD or dell...

You can add a 500 GB drive with a screwdriver... Plus, a half lb lighter than the last one. If I didn't edit... I might be trading in my 17 inch MBP for it.

 

[TheAmoryWars]

just wanted to follow up and say that i ended up buying the high-end macbook. it was the perfect decision.

the performance is lightning-fast, and the machine feels so sturdy and well-built, but also incredibly light and portable.

it's an awesome machine. also, i haven't had ANY issues with glare yet. i know everyone is tweaking out about the "no matte option" but trust me, these new screens are killer. they get so bright, they will blind you on higher settings. i keep my screen's brightness at about 25% of its maximum and it's still like staring at the sun. love it. everything is crisp and perfectly readable.

 

[Catonow]

Thanks for the update. Too many posters ask questions and never let us know what they ended up doing. Fwiw, I just got the new 2.4 MB, too, and am equally delighted.