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Need help deciding which is better?

G

Grkbella03

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 23, 2010
117
0
I have a Macbook Pro that I bought last year - the arrandale model. I have 15" 2010 MBP,(dual) i7 2.66 GHz, 500 GB @ 7.200 RPM, 8 GB RAM, Hi-Res Screen, Geforce GT 330M. My dad just bought a macbook pro, low end 15 inch which is basically (quad) i7 2.0 GHZ, 4GB Ram, 500 GB @ 5400 RPM, Regular Glossy Screen, AMD Radeon HD 6490M graphics processor with 256MB of GDDR5 memory.

He basically told me if I want, I can take his new computer and give him the one I have. He doesn't really care since he just wants the laptop for his TV to stream international channels over the internet through his HDMI port. Anyways - I've been trying to discuss this with my boyfriend who can basically switch parts for me but we're not sure if it's the right thing to do, what we can do and what should we do.. Is it worth swapping my computer with my dads? I would buy more RAM for my dads computer and a faster hard drive or just swap my hard drive... What do you guys think? Is it worth exchanging it? Also - my computer has a high resolution screen which I definitely prefer, so if I were to swap computers, can I have it changed through apple or what? Not sure what to do with that?
 
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I do wanna know if we are able to change our screens through apple? So if I took my dads computer, upgraded the memory and hard drive, is the graphics card better? And can I replace the screen? What do you guys think?
 
I've heard of people getting their screens swapped out by apple but I don't think it'll be cheap.

Just depends on how much you love the screen. have you found your MBP lacking at all? The quad core is definitely a lot better than your current CPU and the 6490 is slightly faster than the 330m as well, especially in OSX and gaming.

I'd swap, but then again I have the hi-res AG so I might miss that. But yeah I'd still probably swap hahah
 
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^^ I'm actually seriously considering swapping... The speed definitely interests me. I think I'll call apple tomorrow and see how much it'd cost to swap out the screens and how long that'd take. I do a lot of photography work so I def need and would miss the hi res screen.
 
I called Apple about it..and they said no matter what, they don't replace screens or switch them out. That kinda pisses me off. I was ready to swap computers..
 
Can't your dad just return the laptop (14 days return policy) and change it for high res one?
First off all the main thing is what are your needs? If you will benefit from new model, and extra speed he has, than the answer is yes.
 
Yeah, pretty much depends whether you'd prefer the faster specs over the hi-res screen or not.

Which pretty much boils down to how much do you need the extra power?
 
eh my dad is very, very impatient...he's the type that buys things in the spur of the moment for something he wants. He got THAT computer just to be able to use the HDMI and watch international channels from the internet on his tv that most satellites don't have. an 1800 dollar computer for that...lol so having me tell him to return it for a hi res screen will just annoy him. Anyway - I was thinking I can probably just sell mine for an upgrade since I can have my computer come loaded with programs like final cut pro, aperture, photoshop cs5, iworks, ilife, etc and instead of spending 300 to extend my warranty, I use it towards the upgrade...I'm thinking is my best solution because the speed boost is that worth it to me since I work so much on internet and I use adobe programs a lot for photography work so I need the speed diff.
 
I have some other family ralating experience lol.But oke, back to the topic.I have the base 15 with high res.And yes, its really nice and fast, and like it better then the standard res one.Like I sad, if you won't benefit from speed, cpu and everything is working fine on your 2010 model, then stay on it.If you won't speed then buy a ssd disc, since hard disc is a bottleneck.So imho, from ecenomical view I don't think it will be profitable.Your model is still pretty much a nice high end one.Yes it's always nice to have new, newer, later model, and if money is not the problem you can buy.
 
AlanFord said:
I have some other family ralating experience lol.But oke, back to the topic.I have the base 15 with high res.And yes, its really nice and fast, and like it better then the standard res one.Like I sad, if you won't benefit from speed, cpu and everything is working fine on your 2010 model, then stay on it.If you won't speed then buy a ssd disc, since hard disc is a bottleneck.So imho, from ecenomical view I don't think it will be profitable.Your model is still pretty much a nice high end one.Yes it's always nice to have new, newer, later model, and if money is not the problem you can buy.
Click to expand...

Or I can swap computers with him and try to exchange his for the hi res one instead...why didnt I think of that one? LOL
 
He said he got it at best buy...do they usually have the hi res screen options?
 
Can't you ask your dad to return his purchase, sell your MBP to your dad (for a good price of course since he's your dad), then use the money you receive from him & top up the necessary funds to get the new 2011 MBP customized to your liking from Apple? :confused: I know if I'm in your shoes, this is exactly what I would do. :)

Good luck. :)
 
Grkbella03 said:
Or I can swap computers with him and try to exchange his for the hi res one instead...why didnt I think of that one? LOL
Click to expand...

That will work too. Just do the swap with your dad, return your dad's purchase to BestBuy, & order what you want from Apple (after topping up the difference). Of course, you'll have to wait for it to arrive. :)
 
Come on, it's just a laptop.It's not a sience fiction and nuclear physics :) These are both great machines, and there is no reason for wasting money.You won't get anything better you have now.

1.If it is that important to you, yourself or your dad go back to best buy, return it and go for high res one.
2.If that's not an option, a) stick with old one, and buy an ssd if u wont speed.
b) try the standard res one, and if it's oke, keep it.
In a year or two these things won't matter any more, there will be a ton of new laptops and then buy a new one.
You have a i7 core processor and even though he don't have actual 4 core's, it has 2 physical, and 2 logical, and you will have the speed boost when needed.
Just use it while it last and have fun with it :)
 
SPEEDwithJJ said:
Can't you ask your dad to return his purchase, sell your MBP to your dad (for a good price of course since he's your dad), then use the money you receive from him & top up the necessary funds to get the new 2011 MBP customized to your liking from Apple? :confused: I know if I'm in your shoes, this is exactly what I would do. :)

Good luck. :)
Click to expand...

No no no... you should switch computers then try to swap the logic board and other parts that you want so you can get the quad core AND the high res screen. Give him the left over parts. :cool:
 
kappaknight said:
No no no... you should switch computers then try to swap the logic board and other parts that you want so you can get the quad core AND the high res screen. Give him the left over parts. :cool:
Click to expand...

Lol...that was my original idea..but it's easier to just take his and upgrade some stuff, plus I have one or two scratches on my comp... :cool:
 
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