Need opinions/deals on MBP 13"

[Saffa87]

Hi everyone! This is my first post here AND I'm looking to buy my first Apple computer!

I currently own a Dell XPS M1210 and it's time for an upgrade. I've heard many good things about the newly updated MBP and the 13" model seems perfect.

I'd like to know what you all think about a few things:

1. Where/When should I make my purchase
2. Is there certain upgrades that you'd recommend

* Considering the standard specs on the 13" model I will be happy, but if let's say upgrading the RAM to 4GB makes a valuable difference I'd be willing to pay.

Least importantly...

3. http://http://www.ion-factory.com/macbook_02.html Does anyone have ANY experience with this case. My gf is willing to buy it for me and it LOOKS great, but I'm skeptical considering the lack of information/pictures/etc.

PS- I plan on visiting Best Buy and an Apple retail store in hopes of landing the best deal possible on Black Friday considering this is my main goal here!

 

[Bbusyb]

I Just went through a similar upgrade, and figure I should help another XPS M1210 User

1. Where/When should I make my purchase

If you or any of your friends / relatives qualify for educational pricing, that's probably going to be the best discount on a brand new machine. In the UK I got about 12% off the price off the MBP and discounted Applecare (Because I wanted full international support beyond the HE Warrranty).

If you don't qualify for that (Or can't find someone who does and can order it for you) It might be worth waiting to see what offers Apple has over Black Friday. While Apple does not usually have great discounts, they do have some, so it might be worth waiting. Other Retailers like Macmall, etc usually have much better discounts so keep an eye out for them on the forum and online.

Otherwise, keep an eye on the Refurb section of the Apple online store. 13" MBP are often available at lower prices, and they have a full Apple warranty which can be extended with applecare (Which is definitely a worthwhile investment for a laptop).

2. Is there certain upgrades that you'd recommend

* Considering the standard specs on the 13" model I will be happy, but if let's say upgrading the RAM to 4GB makes a valuable difference I'd be willing to pay.

I went for the higher end model as I tend to run my laptop into the ground, and am often multitasking with reasonably heavy Apps like Photoshop, Final Cut, etc.

Whether or not you want to go for the faster processor will really depend on what applications you use and how you use them.

Upgrading to 4GB I think is definitely a must, especially if you plan to run somthing like VMware fusion of Parallels. Whether or not to get the Upgrade from Apple itself is something you will have to consider. While Many people here will say that its cheaper to do it yourself, In my case the savings were only working out to be about £10-15 and the additional effort required to Get RAM from elsewhere, change it, Sell the older one was not worth it.

The Hard drive upgrade is also something that depends on you usage scenario. As I often work with a lot of media, especially Video I like to have space on my Internal HD to have my WIP on it. If you don't keep a lot of media on your system, then an upgrade at this time is probably not needed. You can always upgrade in the future as the HD is a user replaceable part if need be and Prices are always falling and capacities are always rising.