Need Urgent Help & Advice With Replacement MBP!

[Bazzy]

Hi All,

Please kindly give me some advice as I need to act quickly - I already have a MBP 15" 2.4 Unibody replacement agreed by Apple only last week (replacing a Intel 2.2 GB MBP) but I am pretty sure that the Senior Customer Services Person I spoke to was not aware of any due upgrade as he was very helpful and probably genuinely did not know. In view of the new models announced, should I stick with this or ask for the new 2.53 version which is actually cheaper and therefore I am somewhat hopeful they should do (or would they now generally offer me the new one?) Can any of you kind folks also please tell me:

1. What are the advantages/disadvantages between the old 2.4 Unibody MBP & the new 2.53 Unibody MBP?

2. I know the new one comes with an SD card slot and loses the Express Card Slot but is the loss of the latter a big thing? Can the old one with the use of card readers actually shift data from the MBP to a SD card (or any other) via card reader/device? Is Express Card or SD Card Slot more desirable and better utilised?

3. I think the newer one has less better 9400M integrated graphics - is that true and how big a deal is that? (I plan on downloading and watching lots of HD content) Is it better to go for the dual 9400M/9600GT graphics

4. I know the new one can be upgraded to 8GB of Ram which sound really good for future-proofing and general super-smooth running purposes so I guess this feature is really important? I guess it can take 4 x 2GB sticks?

5. Some have stated that they are very happy that the new ones have Firewire back but was that also not on the old 2.4 one?

6. How big/good/bad a thing is it to have a non replaceable battery even though in theory, it may last longer?

7. The new version makes a big deal about the screen - is it a good reason to upgrade or as good as they make out?

8. Are the Hard Drives on these latest versions user-replaceable/upgradable? (250GB is still a little low for my future needs and I was planning to upgrade to a higher capacity).

9. As I am not a savvy as most when it comes to this sort of stuff, is there anything else that I have not considered/should consider or have taken into account and which may prove to be be of significance in the future?

10. Is it safe to assume that the newer model may be better as it may have had bugs or issues the old one may have had ironed out?

11. Because of the better graphics and larger Hard Drive (320GB), I am also inclined to go for the 2.66 model - how should I best proceed if I choose this model - will they likely give me one (or better still, how can I best wangle one!) or is it possible to offer to pay some money to make up for the difference and what would be considered a fair and reasonable amount?

I am very sorry to ask so many questions but I need to act fairly quickly on this one and would be extremely grateful for the help and input!

Many Thanks To All!

Bazzy!

 

[aaronw1986]

If you weren't planning/knowing how you were going to use the expres slot, it shouldn't matter.

For HD you probably want the 9600.

I don't like the non-user replaceable battery, but they can still swap it.

The screens should be the same.

Hard drive's still non-user replaceable.

I would assume they would be fine giving you the newest model

 

[adamvk]

I don't think they'll give you the newest one. They gave you a replacement for your much older Macbook Pro. The fact that they gave you a unibody Macbook Pro is nice enough. I don't think they care about giving you the newest Macbook Pro since it was a replacement.

 

[Bazzy]

I don't think they'll give you the newest one. They gave you a replacement for your much older Macbook Pro. The fact that they gave you a unibody Macbook Pro is nice enough. I don't think they care about giving you the newest Macbook Pro since it was a replacement.

Hi,

Thanks for the fast reply - I should have made it clear - I have not received a replacement yet and the replacement process has not started until they have received some paperwork from me which I have yet to send.

Bazzy!

 

[Bazzy]

If you weren't planning/knowing how you were going to use the expres slot, it shouldn't matter.

For HD you probably want the 9600.

I don't like the non-user replaceable battery, but they can still swap it.

The screens should be the same.

Hard drive's still non-user replaceable.

I would assume they would be fine giving you the newest model

Hi!

Thanks too for the fast reply - if it is true that the Hard Drives are not user replaceable or upgradeable then it may be a major issue!

Bazzy!

 

[Ivan P]

1. What are the advantages/disadvantages between the old 2.4 Unibody MBP & the new 2.53 Unibody MBP?

Advantages of the new one is that it has a longer lasting battery. Disadvantages is that it doesn't have the discrete 9600GT graphics card, just the integrated 9400M card. Plus the extra .13 in the processor speed won't be noticeable.

2. I know the new one comes with an SD card slot and loses the Express Card Slot but is the loss of the latter a big thing? Can the old one with the use of card readers actually shift data from the MBP to a SD card (or any other) via card reader/device? Is Express Card or SD Card Slot more desirable and better utilised?

For me, ExpressCard, but that's subjective. If you use cameras a lot, an SD Card slot would be more desirable, but you can always buy a USB adapter anyway.

3. I think the newer one has less better 9400M integrated graphics - is that true and how big a deal is that? (I plan on downloading and watching lots of HD content) Is it better to go for the dual 9400M/9600GT graphics

I have no idea what you mean by "less better 9400M integrated graphics" - it's the exact same integrated card used in every MacBook Pro. If you're watching HD content, which would be somewhat intensive on the GPU, I recommend sticking with your current MBP that has the discrete 9600GT card.

4. I know the new one can be upgraded to 8GB of Ram which sound really good for future-proofing and general super-smooth running purposes so I guess this feature is really important? I guess it can take 4 x 2GB sticks?

With Snow Leopard just around the corner, and being more memory efficient, it probably doesn't matter.

5. Some have stated that they are very happy that the new ones have Firewire back but was that also not on the old 2.4 one?

Only the old aluminum MacBook had no FireWire. It's always been on the unibody 15" MacBook Pro, as well as the 17" unibody (look on the left-hand side, the third plug from the back, between the ethernet and USB plugs - that's your FireWire port). So yes, FireWire was in the old 2.4 15" MBP.

6. How big/good/bad a thing is it to have a non replaceable battery even though in theory, it may last longer?

Yes, it will last longer both in the amount of time the MBP will run off a charge, as well as it's overall lifespan. However, the downside is that if you have a faulty battery it involves Apple having to dismantle your computer (and if, like me, you live far away from an Apple Store it means shipping your computer off for god-only-knows how long). For me, it's more efficient to get a replacement removeable battery sent out if it's faulty as opposed to losing my whole computer.

7. The new version makes a big deal about the screen - is it a good reason to upgrade or as good as they make out?

If you don't have a problem with your current screen, I wouldn't bother upgrading.

8. Are the Hard Drives on these latest versions user-replaceable/upgradable? (250GB is still a little low for my future needs and I was planning to upgrade to a higher capacity).

It'd be absurd not to, and I'm sure if they didn't allow it then we'd have a lot of bitchy threads on here by now

9. As I am not a savvy as most when it comes to this sort of stuff, is there anything else that I have not considered/should consider or have taken into account and which may prove to be be of significance in the future?

Yes, you already have a perfectly functioning MacBook Pro at your fingertips. Do you really need to try and get a swap just for the sake of having the latest model? Neither the 2.53 or 2.66GHz machines will have obvious performance enhancements over your current 2.4GHz machine anyway, so I don't see the point...but that's just my opinion

10. Is it safe to assume that the newer model may be better as it may have had bugs or issues the old one may have had ironed out?

It could have old bugs ironed out, but it's new technologies that weren't present in the old model could very well have new bugs.

11. Because of the better graphics and larger Hard Drive (320GB), I am also inclined to go for the 2.66 model - how should I best proceed if I choose this model - will they likely give me one (or better still, how can I best wangle one!) or is it possible to offer to pay some money to make up for the difference and what would be considered a fair and reasonable amount?

Apple has already replaced your computer. If it's not faulty then I doubt they'd do it again, trying to scam them isn't a good idea. I'd only attempt it if there was a legit problem with your computer, and even then it'd have to be bad enough to warrant a replacement (not something that they can repair and give you back the same computer).

Hard drive's still non-user replaceable.

You sure? Apple's support site has a guide on how to replace the hard drive in the early 2009 17" MBP (the first one to have the inbuilt battery and all that), they sure as heck wouldn't publish that if it wasn't non-user replaceable. In fact, the inside of my MBP (the "old" 15" unibody) has instructions printed on the inside of the battery cover giving details on how to remove/replace the hard drive. If Apple took this functionality out of the new one then that would be...well, somewhat absurd. In fact, from the 15" MBP guide:

Your MacBook Pro does not have any user-serviceable parts, except the hard drive and the memory.

 

[Hellhammer]

Hi All,

Please kindly give me some advice as I need to act quickly - I already have a MBP 15" 2.4 Unibody replacement agreed by Apple only last week (replacing a Intel 2.2 GB MBP) but I am pretty sure that the Senior Customer Services Person I spoke to was not aware of any due upgrade as he was very helpful and probably genuinely did not know. In view of the new models announced, should I stick with this or ask for the new 2.53 version which is actually cheaper and therefore I am somewhat hopeful they should do (or would they now generally offer me the new one?) Can any of you kind folks also please tell me:

1. What are the advantages/disadvantages between the old 2.4 Unibody MBP & the new 2.53 Unibody MBP?

Old one had two GPUs but new one can take up to 8GB of RAM

2. I know the new one comes with an SD card slot and loses the Express Card Slot but is the loss of the latter a big thing? Can the old one with the use of card readers actually shift data from the MBP to a SD card (or any other) via card reader/device? Is Express Card or SD Card Slot more desirable and better utilised?

3. I think the newer one has less better 9400M integrated graphics - is that true and how big a deal is that? (I plan on downloading and watching lots of HD content) Is it better to go for the dual 9400M/9600GT graphics

)9400M + 9600GT combo is very good, 9400M isn't very powerful

4. I know the new one can be upgraded to 8GB of Ram which sound really good for future-proofing and general super-smooth running purposes so I guess this feature is really important? I guess it can take 4 x 2GB sticks?

Yes, but 4GB chips are very expensive, should come down in a year or so. MBP has 2 RAM slots, so it's 2 x 4GB

5. Some have stated that they are very happy that the new ones have Firewire back but was that also not on the old 2.4 one?

I think the old MBP had FW800 too (?)

6. How big/good/bad a thing is it to have a non replaceable battery even though in theory, it may last longer?

If it breaks, you have to take it to Apple store and they'll replace it and if you're out of warranty, it'll cost you.

7. The new version makes a big deal about the screen - is it a good reason to upgrade or as good as they make out?

8. Are the Hard Drives on these latest versions user-replaceable/upgradable? (250GB is still a little low for my future needs and I was planning to upgrade to a higher capacity).

Yes

9. As I am not a savvy as most when it comes to this sort of stuff, is there anything else that I have not considered/should consider or have taken into account and which may prove to be be of significance in the future?

10. Is it safe to assume that the newer model may be better as it may have had bugs or issues the old one may have had ironed out?

No bugs, because they use the same hardware, only faster processor and lower price

11. Because of the better graphics and larger Hard Drive (320GB), I am also inclined to go for the 2.66 model - how should I best proceed if I choose this model - will they likely give me one (or better still, how can I best wangle one!) or is it possible to offer to pay some money to make up for the difference and what would be considered a fair and reasonable amount?

Offer them money, then it's possible

I am very sorry to ask so many questions but I need to act fairly quickly on this one and would be extremely grateful for the help and input!

Many Thanks To All!

Bazzy!

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