Newer 13" MBP worth it or is 'last years' good enough?

[jbachandouris]

I know the specs, but I don't know if they make a difference in 'real world' experience.

new-10 hrs battery life, old-7 hours. Real world experiences?

new-4GB, old 2GB DDR3 memory. I have heard most MBP run just fine on 2GB.

new-250GB HD, old 160GB (between my wife and I, we share a Windows Vista laptop and use 111GB combined, so the smaller drive may be enough).

new 2.4GHz, old 2.26GHz (I have already read that this makes little difference)

new 330M graphics, old 9400M (48 processes instead of 19?)

screen- I have read that the 'new' screen is much better than the old.

price-new $1199-$100 discount=$1099, old-refurb from Apple $929

bottom line-is the new one $170 better? I'm a PC guy considering the switch.

 

[Hellhammer]

I would say it is, mainly due the RAM. 4GB of DDR3 is ~100$ so it's only 70$ cheaper after that let alone better battery and GPU

 

[Wehrwolf]

I'd get the new. To bump the HD and RAM in the old to match the new is pretty comparable to the extra $170, and you're getting some new features on top of that.

You don't want to run Snow Leopard with just 2GB of RAM unless you plan on running one application at a time -- that's such a joke. Also remember that the integrated graphics reserves 256MB of system RAM, so you're left with 1.75GB vs. 3.75GB.

 

[Hellhammer]

I'd get the new. To bump the HD and RAM in the old to match the new is pretty comparable to the extra $170, and you're getting some new features on top of that.

You don't want to run Snow Leopard with just 2GB of RAM unless you plan on running one application at a time -- that's such a joke. Also remember that the integrated graphics reserves 256MB of system RAM, so you're left with 1.75GB vs. 3.75GB.

SL runs fine on 2GB. MY sis' MacBook has 2GB and it runs everything just fine, no matter how many apps are open. I'll upgrade it to 4GB when it comes down in price

 

[brendu]

SL runs fine on 2GB. MY sis' MacBook has 2GB and it runs everything just fine, no matter how many apps are open. I'll upgrade it to 4GB when it comes down in price

+1 (exact same situation here)

the new one is worth it.. as others have said the upgraded hdd and ram alone are worth it.. plus a better processor... and longer lasting battery, which always comes in handy.

 

[KadMac]

I know the specs, but I don't know if they make a difference in 'real world' experience.

new-10 hrs battery life, old-7 hours. Real world experiences?

new-4GB, old 2GB DDR3 memory. I have heard most MBP run just fine on 2GB.

new-250GB HD, old 160GB (between my wife and I, we share a Windows Vista laptop and use 111GB combined, so the smaller drive may be enough).

new 2.4GHz, old 2.26GHz (I have already read that this makes little difference)

new 330M graphics, old 9400M (48 processes instead of 19?)

screen- I have read that the 'new' screen is much better than the old.

price-new $1199-$100 discount=$1099, old-refurb from Apple $929

bottom line-is the new one $170 better? I'm a PC guy considering the switch.

I was actually just going through what you described up above a week ago when I was determining which one I should get. I went with the newest and I have no regrets. I like to game occasionally and the 320M has been very impressive in my eyes. I have been playing Batman Arkham Asylum with 42 FPS. Editing movies has also been a blast with it. Plus, there is just something exciting about opening a fresh new box that isn't refurbished.

The extra ram and video card was the clincher for me. I hope this helps! Good luck in making your decision.

 

[Wehrwolf]

SL runs fine on 2GB. MY sis' MacBook has 2GB and it runs everything just fine, no matter how many apps are open. I'll upgrade it to 4GB when it comes down in price

Not sure what your sister does with her Macbook, but I personally feel 1.75GB does not run SL "just fine" for what I do and expect from my notebook in terms of performance.

To each his own I suppose.

 

[Hellhammer]

Not sure what your sister does with her Macbook, but I personally feel 2GB does not run SL "just fine" for what I do and expect from my notebook in terms of performance.

To each his own I suppose.

Well, she uses all normal apps like Safari, Adium, iPhoto, Photoshop, iWork....

Sure the 4GB is worth it but 2GB is fine unless you run many RAM intensive apps. It runs SL fine, not all apps so your post is misleading.

 

[citizenal]

I think it's a good upgrade. Bigger hd, more ram, better gpu, and a longer lasting battery life. To me, just for the convenience of not having to upgrade later and try to sell my old parts off is worth it.

 

[jbachandouris]

What about the display? Is it better than before or basically the same?

I am still amazed how MBPs make 1280 X 800 look so good! Most PC laptops claim higher resolution and don't look half as good!

 

[Hellhammer]

What about the display? Is it better than before or basically the same?

I am still amazed how MBPs make 1280 X 800 look so good! Most PC laptops claim higher resolution and don't look half as good!

Shouldn't be any difference. Aluminum MacBook had terrible screen but when it was updated to "Pro" in last June, it got a better one and I think they use the same now

 

[WisdomWolf]

Don't forget the audio over mini DisplayPort. This makes a big difference if you ever decide you want to hook it up to your TV to show off some movies or something. It was the single biggest feature I was hoping for with the refresh.

 

[jbachandouris]

Don't forget the audio over mini DisplayPort. This makes a big difference if you ever decide you want to hook it up to your TV to show off some movies or something. It was the single biggest feature I was hoping for with the refresh.

Yes, I do know about this feature. I have done my homework.

 

[breathesrain]

Yes, I do know about this feature. I have done my homework.

Yay!

I've already ordered mine

 

[MTD's Mac]

My upgrade to the current 2.4 GHz 13" MBP was from the earlier 2.53 GHz model. I'm glad I made the minor switch. Battery life is definitely improved. Scrolling with momentum on the trackpad is, surprisingly, a big improvement. And it will be nice to have audio over the mini display port if I ever plug in to a TV.

 

[Shadow]

Not sure what your sister does with her Macbook, but I personally feel 1.75GB does not run SL "just fine" for what I do and expect from my notebook in terms of performance.

To each his own I suppose.

I know a few people who run SL with 2GB and it seems fine to me - there's not a lot of difference under what most people would call normal usage. I'd rather get an SSD (if possible) than more RAM at this point (unless you have a ridiculously low amount of the stuff) although the cost differences are usually too great.