Portability question

[pavvento]

So I'm deciding between the Mac Book and the Mac Book Pro. I know the macbook is more portable, but my question is, is the 15 inch pro incredibly non-portable? I really don't like the fact of not being able to upgrade more than 2Gb of ram with the macbooks. I am currently using a Dell Inspiron 600m with a 14 inch screen. I don't know it's weight, but it's pretty portable. I would be willing to sacrifice some portability for long term performance, but not if it means being weighed down. I can't make it to the Apple store for a few days to compare in person, but can anyone help? Thanks a lot.

 

[flopticalcube]

MacBooks can take 3GB. They are both nearly the same weight and the MBP is only a little bit bigger.

 

[pavvento]

MacBooks can take 3GB. They are both nearly the same weight and the MBP is only a little bit bigger.

Really? I thought I read somewhere they max'd out at 2Gb, and the guy at Best Buy (I know I'm going to an apple store) said that 2Gb was it's max. If I can get 3 in it I think I'd go with the macbook b/c 3 should be good for at least 3-4 more years.

 

[iToaster]

The 15" MBP isn't that much bigger than the MB, I was just doing measurements today debating a possible 17", but the 15" is only an ~1 inch larger than the MB in each direction (except height) so it's pretty much just as portable, and weighs almost the same (1/3 of a pound more). I'd reccomend that you get the MBP, which will also last you longer.

 

[Igantius]

Really? I thought I read somewhere they max'd out at 2Gb, and the guy at Best Buy (I know I'm going to an apple store) said that 2Gb was it's max. If I can get 3 in it I think I'd go with the macbook b/c 3 should be good for at least 3-4 more years.

It can handle 3GB no problem - check OWC's website for benchmarked performance of MBs with different RAM.

If you're intending to just surf, email, word processing, play graphically-undemanding games, then 2GB would be better than 3GB.

Basically, 3GB would be best for memory intensive usage. Due to the Intel integrated GPU in the MB, if you don't have a matched pair of RAM sticks (e.g. 2 x 1GB), the machine's graphical performance suffers; if you were doing heavy Photoshop work say, the extra 1GB would be the better option.

A few users have installed 4GB, but the MB will be only able to access 3.3GB.

There's an excellent thread over at the Ars Technica forum about this; it's also been discussed over here a little.

 

[Dynamyk]

When I was at the store, the MBP didn't look THAT much bigger, but I still find the MB more portable. If your not going to game, go with the MB.