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Never owned a mac...is 13 MPB right for me?

I

iverson76

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 10, 2010
19
0
Hi guys, looking forward to your expert advice. I've never owned a Mac. I like to drool at them at the Apple store every few months or so at the mall but thats it. But the time has come! Hoping you can help me choose based on this.

-probably going with either the 13" macbook pro or the lowest 21"Imac (both are $1200).....leaning towards MBP for portability tho around the house.

-my wife and i aren't PC gamers. so being able to play Call of Duty and all that on the 13" doesn't matter.

-we're mostly internet/itunes/Office people when we're at home.
-i can see myself using garageband and the photo/video editing stuff apple has but not too intensely.

Will the 13" MBP 2010 still be good for these things in 4 or 5 years? I know i can upgrade the RAM to 8gb if things get a little slow, but how do you think the C2Duo will hold up over time? Thank you!

edited to say---i just realized there's a buying tips forum here. Sorry if this is in the wrong spot.
 
Visually, the iMac screen is hard to beat. Getting this, with possibly an iPad for email/surfing for portability is a great combo.

The MacBook Pro will have a slower processor, but is a nice little package tha will do what you want it to for years to come.

Upgrading RAM in both is not hard.

You won't be diasappointed with either choice.
 
For what you do there is NEVER going to be a need for 8 GB RAM. The C2D will also do everything you need for the next 5 years or more.

If you're just going to use it at home, then I recommend you get the iMac. You might think that portability matters, but in reality most people don't move their computer around inside their home because even with a laptop it's a bit of a hassle. Usually there is a convenient place where you like to work so you end up having the computer there. You would also appreciate the bigger display in the iMac.
 
Thank you very much guys. It's actually exciting making the switch. and from what I hear Mac's are pretty solidly built.
I'll still probably grab AppleCare for us when the first year is ending.
 
Yea it might hold up but it will be horribly outdated. The i5s and i7s are quite an improvement already so I would get that if you can afford it. The C2D won't grind to a halt with any of the apps you mentioned, but they will benefit from a processor upgrade and the difference will be more obvious down the road.
 
The MacBook Pro 13 is a great Mac. The 2010 baseline model will be more than enough for your needs. The only drawback you might find is the screen size. While it's a perfect size for a laptop, prolonged use will cause eye strain and neck pains, but that's true of any laptop.

The Core 2 Duo CPU will last you a LONG time, so don't worry about that. 4 GB RAM is also more than enough. You can always bump it up to 8 GB should the need arise in the future. It'll also be cheaper then.

If you're only going to be using the computer at home, I would recommend an iMac. Better specs and larger screen for the same money.

If portability is important to you even within your home, then leave all doubt and just go for the MacBook Pro 13. You won't regret it. But only get the baseline configuration. The higher spec version is not worth it.
 
Another question i forgot to ask......

What is the heat coming from the 13MBP like? We have a 13" Sony vaio that will nearly give you 3rd degree burns after a half hour on your lap.

Thanks for the tips so far (pro and con).
 
grahamnp said:
Yea it might hold up but it will be horribly outdated. The i5s and i7s are quite an improvement already so I would get that if you can afford it. The C2D won't grind to a halt with any of the apps you mentioned, but they will benefit from a processor upgrade and the difference will be more obvious down the road.
Click to expand...

Bull.

I have a 2009 Mac Pro quad, however...

My iMac G4 (c. 2003) still does email, word processing, and the web just fine. For the OP's stated needs, he should get 5+ years out of it.

And 2+ for the above RAM comment. The iMac is maxed out at 1 GB.

Not everyone needs the latest/greatest. Know your needs and buy accordingly.
 
iverson76 said:
Another question i forgot to ask......

What is the heat coming from the 13MBP like? We have a 13" Sony vaio that will nearly give you 3rd degree burns after a half hour on your lap.

Thanks for the tips so far (pro and con).
Click to expand...

I recently purchased a 21.5" iMac. I love it! A couple of weeks ago I purchased the base model 13" MBP. I love that too! These are my first Macs, having converted from Dell and Windows (finally!). My last Apple was an Apple IIE back in 1980 something! :confused:

IF I had to do it all over again, I'd keep the iMac and get an iPad instead of the MBP - although I have no regrets. I'd wait for the next generation iPad, though.

Regarding heat on the 13" MBP........virtually none! I've even used it on my bare legs (shorts!) and haven't been even slightly uncomfortable.

And in case you're wondering, the C2D processors are plenty fast for me. My usage is similar to what yours would be.
 
MikeyJ57 said:
I recently purchased a 21.5" iMac. I love it! A couple of weeks ago I purchased the base model 13" MBP. I love that too! These are my first Macs, having converted from Dell and Windows (finally!). My last Apple was an Apple IIE back in 1980 something! :confused:

IF I had to do it all over again, I'd keep the iMac and get an iPad instead of the MBP - although I have no regrets. I'd wait for the next generation iPad, though.

Regarding heat on the 13" MBP........virtually none! I've even used it on my bare legs (shorts!) and haven't been even slightly uncomfortable.

And in case you're wondering, the C2D processors are plenty fast for me. My usage is similar to what yours would be.
Click to expand...


Thanks! Very good to know about the heat.
I doubt we'll be pushing this thing to the limit. The i5/i7's are amazing but I don't know if our use of the mac could justify dropping close to $2000 on it... I just wanted a reliable, fun laptop that will still be able to get the job done in 4 years. The only thing "Fun" these days as far as computers is Apple. Thanks for all the advice guys.
 
iverson76 said:
Another question i forgot to ask......

What is the heat coming from the 13MBP like? We have a 13" Sony vaio that will nearly give you 3rd degree burns after a half hour on your lap.

Thanks for the tips so far (pro and con).
Click to expand...

Basically you don't need to worry about heat unless you run it at full CPU load all the time (probably the only time that would happen in your use is when encoding a video) and even then it doesn't get burning hot. Most of the time it stays cool and quiet.

In general use you would not see any benefit from i5/i7. I have both a quad core PC and a 13" MBP and there is no real difference in their performance until you do anything that requires all the CPU/GPU power you have (3D/video rendering, games etc).
 
hey guys...looking at the same MBP....but considering upgrading the HD to 320 for $50....is it worth it??....might be doing some gaming not too much.
 
MacBookPro 13"

I went from a MacPro to a MacBook 13", 3 years ago, the portability was a huge improvement, much more sociable to do your computing where you and the family are rather than the computer. A wireless printer is handy in that respect...

My daughter has a 4 year old MacBook which works just fine too. I would opt for the largest hard drive you can fit though, they do fill up over time.....
 
I have an iMac 24" and a MacBook Pro 13" and really like both of them. Previously I had owned PowerMac and Mac Pro towers, and I was convinced I was not going to like the iMac - but I was wrong.

If I had to choose, between the two, I would definitely go with the MacBook Pro 13". It can do everything that my iMac can do, and the portability is a huge bonus. I have not run into any situation where I felt that the C2D was sluggish (though I admit I am not a game player). I'm more of a memory hog, and would want 8GB Ram before I felt I needed more processor. So far, though, 4GB is proving to be good enough for now. I'm actually considering giving my iMac to the kids and picking up another MacBook Pro 13"(our current one is used by my wife a lot), and using it in place of the iMac.

One item that I am planning on picking up is the Henge Dock:

1.jpg



The 13" laptop is great when being used as a laptop. But for when I want to use it as a desktop, I feel an external monitor is a must. The 13" screen is fine for most things, but when you need screen real estate it can become frustrating (I would feel the same about the 15", so an upgrade to the 15" would not make a difference to me). The Henge Dock above, once they get them back in stock, will be a godsend in allowing you to simply transition the MacBook Pro from desktop to laptop.

As for heat, like the poster mentioned above, there is none. I often have it lying on my stomach in bed, and marvel at how little heat it gives off. All of my previous Dells were hotboxes in comparison.

Good luck on your purchase. I think the MacBook Pro 13" is one of the best deals going in Macs today.
 
OldMike said:
I have an iMac 24" and a MacBook Pro 13" and really like both of them. Previously I had owned PowerMac and Mac Pro towers, and I was convinced I was not going to like the iMac - but I was wrong.

If I had to choose, between the two, I would definitely go with the MacBook Pro 13". It can do everything that my iMac can do, and the portability is a huge bonus. I have not run into any situation where I felt that the C2D was sluggish (though I admit I am not a game player). I'm more of a memory hog, and would want 8GB Ram before I felt I needed more processor. So far, though, 4GB is proving to be good enough for now. I'm actually considering giving my iMac to the kids and picking up another MacBook Pro 13"(our current one is used by my wife a lot), and using it in place of the iMac.

One item that I am planning on picking up is the Henge Dock

The 13" laptop is great when being used as a laptop. But for when I want to use it as a desktop, I feel an external monitor is a must. The 13" screen is fine for most things, but when you need screen real estate it can become frustrating (I would feel the same about the 15", so an upgrade to the 15" would not make a difference to me). The Henge Dock above, once they get them back in stock, will be a godsend in allowing you to simply transition the MacBook Pro from desktop to laptop.

As for heat, like the poster mentioned above, there is none. I often have it lying on my stomach in bed, and marvel at how little heat it gives off. All of my previous Dells were hotboxes in comparison.

Good luck on your purchase. I think the MacBook Pro 13" is one of the best deals going in Macs today.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much. Great review. We're probably getting one this weekend.
 
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