Old MBP or New Macbook?

[Smgkw]

I converted to Mac 5 months ago, when I got a Mac book Pro 15 inch. (I loved it Btw) Anyway I was really bummed out when I saw the newer macs their touchpad was awesome had much better specs. I could sell my Mbp to a friend who is willing to buy it for $900. Its in good condition. 256 graphics card. 2.4 ghz 2 gb ram and 200 gb of disk-space. I could sell it to him and buy a MacBook. The new ones seem to be as powerful if not more powerful than my mbp. Am I right or is there something missing in the macbook? Other than the screen size. Thanks for your help.

P.S. if Im selling it for too much or too little please let me know.

 

[tamasvarga67]

Hi,
I don't think that the new MacBook is more powerful than your "old" MBP.
The MBP has dedicated video RAM + FW400 & FW800 ports (if you use them it means a lot). So it will be a downgrade in performance and features. I don't think the glass trackpad can make up the difference. They look great that's for sure but it all depends on your priorities.

Personally - when the new unibody MB MBP series came out and I saw the specifications I sold my 1 year old MBP 2.4 for $1300 and bought a new (old series) MBP 2.5 which was on sale and I am very happy with it.

 

[chaosbunny]

Don't do it. The new MacBook is not more powerful than the old MacBook Pro. Even the new mbp offers not much more performance than the old mbp. The MacBooks new nvidea gfx chip is still integrated, and Apple even said at the presentation it has about 50% of the power of the old MacBook Pros 8600M GT. So you would pay money to lose performance and features (fw400, a screen that doesn't suck, ...).

 

[AstrosFan]

Performance-wise (benchmark tests), the new MB 2.4 is very similar to the old MBP 2.4

http://www.primatelabs.ca/blog/2008/10/macbook-and-macbook-pro-performance-october-2008/

http://www.macworld.com/article/136214/2008/10/macbookbenchmarks.html

The Apple refurb store is selling the early 2008 refurb MBP 2.4 for $1349, so you getting $900 for it is probably too little.

So from a pure performance standpoint, I think the new MB is about equivalent to the MBP you already have. As to whether or not you should change, you need to decide whether it's worth the $, and whether you want 15" vs. 13.3" screen size.

Best wishes!

 

[clyde2801]

Stick with what you got. The difference if any performance wise is negligible. You've probably got a better screen.

Keep soldering on with yours and wait for a revision or two.

 

[six.four]

$900 for a early 2008 Penryn MBP is a steal. You can probably sell it on ebay for $1200 with buy-it-now easily.

It is a downgrade to go from a classic penryn MBP to a high end unibody MB. While it may look "cooler" (if you like the whole black bezel look), if size is not a concern, there is no reason why you should shell out MORE money to buy a less capable laptop.

unibody macbook benefits:
1. New trackpad
2. New chipset - DDR3 ram / 1066 FSB
3. Smaller/lighter

classic penryn MBP benefits:
1. Much better screen
2. Discrete 8600m 256mb graphics - about twice as fast as the 9400m
3. DDR2 memory is dirt cheap.
4. Larger screen/ higher resolution
5. Firewire - if you need it.

Performance wise, a 2.4ghz MBP is nearly identical to a 2.4ghz MB. They are both 45nm penryn processors (IIRC) - the only difference being that the unibody MB use the new centrino 2 chipsets that have DDR3 and 1066mhz FSB. While DDR3 and 1066mhz sound like a fancy upgrade, in real world performance (again, IIRC), the difference on average is less than 5% (for CPU intensive apps). That's not a speed increase you would notice.

If we're talking about GPU, the MBP's 8600gt 256mb discrete graphics is FAR superior than the integrated 9400m found in the unibody MB. Real world tests show nearly twice the performance.

Aside from the CPU and GPU, people often overlook the importance of the HD. Putting an Intel SLC SSD will make your laptop "feel" faster than any small processor bump could ever give you.

Finally, the screen. If you're not really picky, then it is not really a big deal - but it is worth noting the screen on a MBP is significantly superior than that on the MB. Even those who like the ultra glossy look of the glass screen cannot dispute that the quality of screen in the unibody MB is just rubbish.

Even if you could do a straight trade from your classic MBP to the high end unibody MB, I would still recommend the classic MBP over the unibody MB. If you have to sell your MBP AND spend another $600+ to get a MB, that is just plain silly and nonsensical.

There is no reason why you should sell your MBP and have to pay significantly more money for an overall less robust system. I say you should wait ATLEAST until the new Nahalem MB/MBP are introduce before you even consider selling your MBP for a MB.

 

[MacbookAlum1536]

Keep it

You should keep it because it isn't that old an for a 5 month old pro $900 when you probably paid $2000 for it or more

 

[six.four]

You should keep it because it isn't that old an for a 1 1/2 year old pro $900 when you probably paid $2000 for it or more

it's not even 1.5 years old - the penryn based MBP was released earlier this year - the release is less than 11 months old.

 

[Semiopaque]

I don't have a whole lot to add, but completely agree with everything everyone else has said. I just recently purchased a refurb MBP instead of the new MB for many of the reasons stated here. Ordered on Wed, got it on Fri looks immaculate though the box had some dustiness in it.

Keep your current, wait for something alot better to come out before you upgrade. And $900 is way to cheap to sell it for BTW.

 

[dwd3885]

agree with everybody else. Keep what you have. I had the 2.2mbp and I would even keep that over the new macbook. Except for the fact I screwed it up by breaking the screen, so now I'm in a position where I dunno which one to get....But if you already have it, keep it.

 

[skye12]

Performance wise for most people, the MB is really equal to the old MBP. I would make the decision on the screen size vs portability.

 

[dwd3885]

Performance wise for most people, the MB is really equal to the old MBP. I would make the decision on the screen size vs portability.

also, if the laptop is your ONLY computer, I would say MBP all the way for screen size. But if you already have a desktop, imac or pc with a big screen, you don't really need a macbook pro.

 

[AstrosFan]

Performance wise for most people, the MB is really equal to the old MBP. I would make the decision on the screen size vs portability.

I think this is a key factor - I have a 15" PB G4, and I love the screen size. It is portable, but not terribly easy to tote around frequently.
I got one of the new MBs and it's VERY easy to move that thing around.

You have to consider your overall needs as well as whether you care about the difference in screen real estate.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

The consensus here is to keep your MBP, and I agree with it. I have a MBP and it is still a far better machine, with a far better screen than the new MB, despite the alluring appearance of the latter.

Cheers and good luck

 

[Smgkw]

Thanks you guys, I decided to keep my MBP... Uv all been amazingly helpful. Ill just wait a year or two until a new mbp is released. By that time id have used my mbp enough and it would be worth it to buy a new one. Thanks again