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New or Old MBP (Not as easy as it seems)

B

bwinth

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 30, 2008
4
0
Hi guys-
Here's my dilemma: I am deciding between an old and new MBP 15"

New one:
ADP Student Price - $1599
2.4 Ghz Model
2GB DDR3
9600GT w/ 256MB

Old one:
ADP Student Price - $1439
Student Price - $1599
2.5 Ghz
2GB DDR2
8600GT w/ 512MB

Which machine and why?

Also, with these machines is it worth waiting til macworld?
 
Are the bus speeds different too?

Personally, I always purchase the newest, fastest that I can afford so that I can more easily run software that will be released in the future (without upgrading).

Cheers.
 
There is a difference in bus speeds on the RAM (DDR2 - 667MHz, DDR3 - 1064Mhz) as far as I know
 
1) 2.4 on new one has 1066Mhz Bus speed whereas the old 2.5Ghz has 800Mhz. So the difference isn't as big as it seems. (Not sure about the L2 Cache size)

2) 2GB DDR2 and DDR3 won't make MUCH difference at the moment since DDR2 timings are a little better. However, in the future upgrades, you'll appreciate the DDR3.

3) 8600GT IS like a time bomb like the poster above me said.

4) New one is just too sexy, with its trackpad and nice vibrant screen (for me at least, since I don't really mind glossy)

5) A little more rigid, since it is unibody.

6) No, it's not worth to wait for MWSF, although it's only like a week and a half away. But notebook isn't going to be the main focus this time.. So.. yeah..

Overall, I see no point of getting old one when it's so similarly priced.
If it was like $200-400 difference, that's a different story :)
 
I wouldn't wait until Macworld as its unlikely they will do anything to the 15" Macbook Pro's

The new one is more sexy
:apple:=the :eek:
End of story
 
Yea, I dont see why its a difficult decision. I really like mine, but would love one of the new ones. Only reason to go with the old one would be if you really needed the extra fw port or if you were highly opposed to the glossy screen. Also if you were planning on upgrading the ram then you should probably do it through apple since the price isnt too bad and people are having some issues with 3rd party ram. Otherwise new one all the way.
 
akbc said:
1) 2.4 on new one has 1066Mhz Bus speed whereas the old 2.5Ghz has 800Mhz. So the difference isn't as big as it seems. (Not sure about the L2 Cache size)

2) 2GB DDR2 and DDR3 won't make MUCH difference at the moment since DDR2 timings are a little better. However, in the future upgrades, you'll appreciate the DDR3.

3) 8600GT IS like a time bomb like the poster above me said.

4) New one is just too sexy, with its trackpad and nice vibrant screen (for me at least, since I don't really mind glossy)

5) A little more rigid, since it is unibody.

6) No, it's not worth to wait for MWSF, although it's only like a week and a half away. But notebook isn't going to be the main focus this time.. So.. yeah..

Overall, I see no point of getting old one when it's so similarly priced.
If it was like $200-400 difference, that's a different story :)
Click to expand...

I completely agree. Buy the latest (unless there's a huge drawback or etc) that you can at the time.
 
So-
The new additions on the MBP overshadow the minimal increase in CPU and the extra 256MB in the video card?
 
the prices are so close that you might as well go with the new one based on what everyone else has said. i wouldn't bother waiting until macworld.
 
bwinth said:
So-
The new additions on the MBP overshadow the minimal increase in CPU and the extra 256MB in the video card?
Click to expand...

Besides the OpenCL,

Both 8600M and 9600M uses 128-bit systems. which can only really optimize fully upto 256MB of memory. The rest aren't as efficient :(

So... 8600M 512MB vs. 9600 256MB is like, a really close battle.
 
ACiB708 said:
Why is the 8600m GT a time bomb?
Click to expand...

Well, apparantly every single 8600m GT is prone to fail. Now, keep in mind there are many a MBP with a 8600m GT that are doing fine and dandy and have been for months and months...and mine imparticular has been minty fresh. But it will fail. The Gods have said it will.

:rolleyes:

If you are getting the MBP through Apple, you get the AppleCare and Apple replaces your 8600m GT should it go bad. Save up for a year and then buy the AppleCare extension and you are set (I'm talking $1 a day, if you're pinching). For me it comes down to looks. I like the older MBP so I bought a June 08 MBP 512.
 
Hawkeye411 said:
Are the bus speeds different too?

Personally, I always purchase the newest, fastest that I can afford so that I can more easily run software that will be released in the future (without upgrading).

Cheers.
Click to expand...

The bus speeds are different and ram speeds
 
hhlee said:
the prices are so close that you might as well go with the new one based on what everyone else has said. i wouldn't bother waiting until macworld.
Click to expand...

Agree completely. Generally, I'm a pretty big fan of refurbs. However, in your case, as the prices are so close, it makes sense to opt for the newer model.

soLoredd said:
Well, apparantly every single 8600m GT is prone to fail. Now, keep in mind there are many a MBP with a 8600m GT that are doing fine and dandy and have been for months and months...and mine imparticular has been minty fresh. But it will fail. The Gods have said it will.

:rolleyes:

If you are getting the MBP through Apple, you get the AppleCare and Apple replaces your 8600m GT should it go bad. Save up for a year and then buy the AppleCare extension and you are set (I'm talking $1 a day, if you're pinching). For me it comes down to looks. I like the older MBP so I bought a June 08 MBP 512.
Click to expand...

Again, I agree. I would strongly recommend that you buy Applecare for peace of mind, whichever model you buy.

Cheers and good luck
 
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