need help deciding which mac to buy

[twoodcc]

1. You can still take it to the apple store for a free diagnostic. What if the pro has something simple wrong with it that's a $200, or free, fix?

2. Does the mbp have a 7200 drive? If not, you'll tell a difference with one. Stick the old drive in an enclosure for a backup.

3. If you get a pro, get a quad instead of an octo unless you're heaving into FCP.

1. i can almost guarantee that it will not be a simple fix. the last time i had a similar problem, i had to replace the video card.

2. since i just upgraded the hard drive a few months ago, i'd rather not. and the 7200 will produce even more heat. i had to take the thing totally apart to get the hard drive out also.

3. i'll consider both

Dude, it depends on what you need it for.
Portability i would say macbook/Macbook Pro.
Maybe even an air.
If you just want one for little things and need it to be cheap then go for Mac Mini.
Performance go for Mac Pro.
Or maybe an iMac and upgrade the RAM.

Good luck

- Ted

well, based on the 2 systems i have, and the new systems that i could replace them with, my question is what would be the best bet?

like which would be a better deal, considering price, longevity, etc.

 

[Illicit]

well, based on the 2 systems i have, and the new systems that i could replace them with, my question is what would be the best bet?

like which would be a better deal, considering price, longevity, etc.

+1 on the 2.93 GHz 17" uMBP. the new battery would complement your traveling needs, the screen can be matte, and 8GB RAM support will definitely be the next standard. Consider the ADC discount, since you're buying the most expensive model, the 20% discount would save you a few hundred dollars.

 

[twoodcc]

+1 on the 2.93 GHz 17" uMBP. the new battery would complement your traveling needs, the screen can be matte, and 8GB RAM support will definitely be the next standard. Consider the ADC discount, since you're buying the most expensive model, the 20% discount would save you a few hundred dollars.

thanks for the reply.

my only problem is for that kind of money, i would get a lot more performance out of a mac pro

 

[twoodcc]

my geekbench score from my wife's macbook is 3,173 over all

edit:

and my macbook pro's score is only 3,183

 

[twoodcc]

my geekbench score from my wife's macbook is 3,173 over all

edit:

and my macbook pro's score is only 3,183

okay. so based on geekbench scores, here's the lowdown:

my macbook pro: 3,183 best macbook pro: 4,450
my mac pro: 5,973 best mac pro: 13,586

macbook pro gain: 1,267 or about 40%
mac pro gain: 7,613 or about 127%

so which do you think i should get based on this:

i know geekbench doesn't take everything into account




note: best mac pro is a 2.26 ghz one, since that's what i'd get. also with just 6GB of ram as well.

note: Best macbook pro is a 17" 2.93 ghz one. i could afford that, but not sure i'd get it. with 4 GB of ram

 

[twoodcc]

so if you had the same machines i had, which machine would you buy to add to them?

 

[clyde2801]

1. Let's say it is the video card for your mac pro. You should just be able to put in another card-even a better one-right?

2. The hard drive replacement isn't that bad for the mbp, especially if you've done it before. Tom's hardware has also done some test showing that modern 7200's are roughly the same as 5400's when it comes to vibration, heat and battery life.

3. Unless your software is optimized for multi-core processors, or you're fairly sure that it will be soon, you'll be spending more money for an octo and getting less performance than a quad.

And finally, 4. If I had all of the machines you did, I'd be finding a 12 step program to help me with it. :-D

 

[twoodcc]

1. Let's say it is the video card for your mac pro. You should just be able to put in another card-even a better one-right?

2. The hard drive replacement isn't that bad for the mbp, especially if you've done it before. Tom's hardware has also done some test showing that modern 7200's are roughly the same as 5400's when it comes to vibration, heat and battery life.

3. Unless your software is optimized for multi-core processors, or you're fairly sure that it will be soon, you'll be spending more money for an octo and getting less performance than a quad.

And finally, 4. If I had all of the machines you did, I'd be finding a 12 step program to help me with it. :-D

thanks for the reply.

1. yes, i could be a video card that's even better than my current one.

2. true, i have done the hard drive update before, but it was not that easy.

3. might be true as well, but considering the future, i believe the octo would be a safer bet, considering snow leopard is coming out this year

4. well, don't forget that computers are a big part of my life: i have a degree in computers (computer information systems), i try to be a developer (currently in php, but other languages as well, and eventually for the iPhone). and considering my degree, having several computers to setup and manage at home helps out a lot.