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Need help for college macbook.

G

GbkBrant

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 17, 2010
26
6
Basically i am a n00b and i need help.

I am going to college for media studies next year, mainly for film.
I need to get a computer and a girl i know has a macbook pro shell sell me tonight.

It is the 13 inch with the 2.4 ghz processor etc. baseline model.
Would this computer work for editing HD videos. .MTS format recorded in 1080i.
Upgrading RAM is possible.
The girl wants 800$ for the computer and it is basically brand new.

This is my only option for getting a macbook. I would love to get the 15" with the i7 processor but its just too expensive. It is either this or a pc.

Please help. I need to know tonight.
 
if you dont have enough for a new base 13" either then go for it and buy if you need the portability
 
I've owned a 13 inch Unibody MacBook and now I'm currently using a 15 inch MacBook Pro. If you upgrade your hard drive to 7200rpm and max out the ram, you should be fine. The only real draw back when using the 13 inch besides the graphics card being meh was the fact that the screen was 13 inches! I'd still consider some higher end PC's though..maybe Toshiba. I love Macs to death but no need in paying 800 for a computer that won't be able to handle what you're doing as well as money spent on a higher end PC. Good luck!
 
okay thanks, could you send me a link to a trusted site where i could get the hard drive and ram?
 
I wouldn't recommend a 13" at all because of the lack of screen real estate and resolution and it being underpowered both in the CPU and graphics department.
 
GbkBrant said:
okay thanks, could you send me a link to a trusted site where i could get the hard drive and ram?
Click to expand...

Here is the link to a 7200rpm 640GB hard drive I just bought for my MacBook Pro. I've been using it for a few days but so far its great. It really speeds up boot up time and the time it takes to open up applications on your mac.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ckTab=true&Keywords=(keywords)#scrollFullInfo

Since you're looking at the 13 inch MacBook Pro, you will be able to max out a 8GB of ram. I've used Crucial.com RAM for every computer I've upgraded and I've never really had any problems with it being defective. The one time I went with G.Skill RAM, it was defective..

http://www.crucial.com/systemscanner/viewscanbyid.aspx?id=8BDEE1E231D926C3

With these two upgrades, you're looking at spending around 250ish bucks. That may sound like a lot but you're saving a ton of money. Apple would charge a ton for these simple upgrades. Its easy enough for you to install. If you don't know what you're doing, there are tons of videos on YouTube that show how to do it. And it will not void your warranty.

One last thing..

I'm not sure if your friend purchased Apple Care (extended warranty) but I'd highly recommend getting it if the computer is within the 1st year of being purchased. If parts go wrong in your computer, Apple care can save you a lot of money. Just to let you know though, it wont cover accidental damage.
 
Thanks a lot for that info.
Which of these do you recommend doing first?
 
Good question. Considering the things you plan on doing, I'd say upgrade the RAM first. It will keep things moving along pretty well on your computer and you can have many programs running at the same time without it getting too buggy. Thats how I did it anyway, ram then hard drive.
 
GbkBrant said:
Thanks a lot for that info.
Which of these do you recommend doing first?
Click to expand...

Do the HDD first, you'll notice the biggest difference right off the bat.

You have to remember though a lot of pure video editing stuff works from the CPU not the RAM.... so I'd def. think long and hard about what laptop you get if you are doing some hardcore video editing.

I'm not trying to burst a bubble, just not sure the base 13" is the way to go.

Lack of screen real-estate along with a slower C2D might be rought... but then again, I dont' do video editing myself. Just what I've heard.

But you also have to consider price, if that's your price range, then that's your price range... get what you can. Are you able to still add applecare to her laptop if you buy it? If so I'd suggest that if you plan to use it heavily at school.

EDIT: Just read you said this computer or nothing. So I'd get it, Up the ram and HDD, you're looking at probably a total of $150 or less to put top quality of both in. You can get a 500 or 750GB 7200RPM and then 8GB RAM.

Right now you can get 8GB Crucial RAM for $100 (buy the $50 4GB sticks separately) or you can buy OWC 8GB RAM for $119.

You're then looking at about $69 for the Western Digital 500GB 7200RPM HDD. I don't like Seagate, but I think they have a 7200RPM with 4GB SSD hybrid drive for like $119 or a straight 7200RPM for $99.
 
Last edited:
GbkBrant;11588255
It is the 13 inch with the 2.4 ghz processor etc. baseline model.
Would this computer work for editing HD videos. .MTS format recorded in 1080i.
Click to expand...

There's no way I'd use that machine for HD editing. (Or any other macbook for that matter).
 
Richard1028 said:
There's no way I'd use that machine for HD editing. (Or any other macbook for that matter).
Click to expand...


the 17" uMBP fully specced w/ a raid enclosure attached via eSATA can handle that quite nicely. Not as well as a Mac Pro but it could hold it's own against an iMac (because of the Expresscard/eSata, though the iMac's quad core would beat the 17" in render time).
 
I edit videos on my 13 with FC on a semi- daily basis, does the job competently, no issues here.
 
I use my 13 for everything and it is the same one you are looking at, plus a little better of a processor. If you want to really speed it up, get a SSD (solid state drive) down the road when you can save up more money. You will never look back at traditional magnetic spinning hard drives
 
Okay i bought the computer. The videos from my camera play smoothly, and thats all i was concerned with. Editing will be no problem.
 
You got a good deal on it! It will serve you for quite a few years to come. If you haven't already, check out coconut, TechTool Deluxe, and iStat Pro which are great apps to monitor and ensure computer health.
 
Thank you. I didnt even add in my original post, the computer came with a brand new unopened hp all in one printer. And that it has Microsoft office installed on it with ilife already.
And i guess thats a great place to start. But i have no idea how to get there or what to do when i do get there. Ive never owned a mac, or used one very much for that matter.
 
A hard copy book would probably be the best place to go; there are a lot of good ones on Mac's and Snow Leopard (the current OS). Obviously nothing compensates for experience but if you get stuck, you have a reference guide. Forums like this helps too.

I should also add:
-get a cheap 100-200 dollar black laser printer (will save you hundreds of dollars on ink over the time you are in college)
-get a good surge protector with automatic safety cut-off
-consider keeping your laptop in a waterproof case/skin/bag when you arent near your room as people tend to play football in the hallways of dorms and if that football hits the fire sprinkler, it's bad news bears. I had that happen to a friend when we were undergrads and it was a nightmare.
 
Okay thanks for the advice.
The printer actually came with the computer. So i have one in the box new and ready to go.
Im pretty good with these forums and stuff so it shouldnt be a problem.
Are there any top application lists anywhere besides youtube for stuff to download?
 
They often include free inkjet printers because of the amount of money you will spend on ink. It is may be much cheaper to sell the free printer and put it towards a laser printer. I print about 5,000-7,500 sheets a year and on average, it costs me 10 times as much to print on my inkjet printer than a laser printer. A lot of textbooks are now online for purchase, so decreasing the costs of printing is worth examining.
 
The girl paid for the printer i know that, she just never used it.
Its one of those hp all in one printers with the memory card slots and all that jazz.
But ill look into that for sure.
 
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