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Prospective MBP owner in UK, need some help please..
- Thread starter Dan0903
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Performance wise, a 7200 rpm drive (as it spins faster..) will 'find' your data quicker. Which is good.
However - the 7200 rpm drive (as it spins faster..) may need more power to run it, hence this *may* (and I say *may*) affect the battery life.
Added to which, replacing the HDD in an MBP is a major swine of a job; you basically have to take the whole case apart to get at the drive.
As your original intention for buying an MBP was what I think is graphical design, the Processor and RAM are much more important. Yes, a 'faster' drive will load files quicker, but whether you'd see a real difference in your chosen application, I'm not sure.
If it were me (and I bought my MBP at the beginning of December as I needed a new machine for my digital photography) I would look at what is *really important in a machine - as I understand what you're aiming to use a new machine for will be very graphics intensive, a fast CPU and lots of RAM are where you should prioritise.
As noted above, the RAM upgrade is easy, just spec the model you want from Apple with the 'standard' 2GB RAM (2 x 1GB sticks) then get the replacement RAM from Play and fit it yourself.
Granted, you'll be left with 2GB of RAM you can't use, but you can always eBay that (it's standard RAM, and there are lots of people out there with 1GB Mac Books and Mac Book Pros!)
However - the 7200 rpm drive (as it spins faster..) may need more power to run it, hence this *may* (and I say *may*) affect the battery life.
Added to which, replacing the HDD in an MBP is a major swine of a job; you basically have to take the whole case apart to get at the drive.
As your original intention for buying an MBP was what I think is graphical design, the Processor and RAM are much more important. Yes, a 'faster' drive will load files quicker, but whether you'd see a real difference in your chosen application, I'm not sure.
If it were me (and I bought my MBP at the beginning of December as I needed a new machine for my digital photography) I would look at what is *really important in a machine - as I understand what you're aiming to use a new machine for will be very graphics intensive, a fast CPU and lots of RAM are where you should prioritise.
As noted above, the RAM upgrade is easy, just spec the model you want from Apple with the 'standard' 2GB RAM (2 x 1GB sticks) then get the replacement RAM from Play and fit it yourself.
Granted, you'll be left with 2GB of RAM you can't use, but you can always eBay that (it's standard RAM, and there are lots of people out there with 1GB Mac Books and Mac Book Pros!)
all but ready to crack now and buy the mid range MBP. 
So for those that have one, should i get the glossy screen, should i bother with applecare, whats the best case i can get from the apple site, and im going to be putting 4gb of RAM into it from play.com.
Also, id like to know, should i get vista as well, since i want to buy Gears of war on it.
And do games look/run any good on it?
Im waiting until next tuesday (the 29th) and if theres no update of concrete evidence of one happening in the next few weeks, ill buy.
So for those that have one, should i get the glossy screen, should i bother with applecare, whats the best case i can get from the apple site, and im going to be putting 4gb of RAM into it from play.com.
Also, id like to know, should i get vista as well, since i want to buy Gears of war on it.
And do games look/run any good on it?
Im waiting until next tuesday (the 29th) and if theres no update of concrete evidence of one happening in the next few weeks, ill buy.
all but ready to crack now and buy the mid range MBP.
So for those that have one, should i get the glossy screen, should i bother with applecare, whats the best case i can get from the apple site, and im going to be putting 4gb of RAM into it from play.com.
Also, id like to know, should i get vista as well, since i want to buy Gears of war on it.
And do games look/run any good on it?
Im waiting until next tuesday (the 29th) and if theres no update of concrete evidence of one happening in the next few weeks, ill buy.
You are full of questions!!!
1. Get the glossy screen
2. Get AppleCare from eBay US
3. Buy 4GB RAM from Crucial as they've dropped the price to 50 quids
4. If you play lots of games, get Vista Home Premium from Amazon.co.uk
5. MBP is one of the best Vista laptops out there, so your games will run nicely if set correctly
I'd only disagree with Skyrider on the screen (I went with the Matte screen myself!)
I prefer the Matte screen for better visibility in bright light, but it is purely a matter of preference (if needed, go to an Apple store and compare both!)
Also, as stated go with Vista Home Premium (if you buy an MBP now you'll of course get Leopard with the latest version of "Boot Camp" which makes it all easy to set up multiple boot systems between OS X and Vista).
As to 'new' models, all I can say is that the MBP is probably one of the best laptops (of any manufacturer) you can buy right now, so if you buy one now and a new model comes out in the next couple of weeks, you *still* have one of the best laptops available!
I prefer the Matte screen for better visibility in bright light, but it is purely a matter of preference (if needed, go to an Apple store and compare both!)
Also, as stated go with Vista Home Premium (if you buy an MBP now you'll of course get Leopard with the latest version of "Boot Camp" which makes it all easy to set up multiple boot systems between OS X and Vista).
As to 'new' models, all I can say is that the MBP is probably one of the best laptops (of any manufacturer) you can buy right now, so if you buy one now and a new model comes out in the next couple of weeks, you *still* have one of the best laptops available!
Macs are not really built for gaming, however I will say (as a MBP owner) that the majority of the games out there will play nicely on MBP if set to medium/medium-high quality. Don't expect it will run Crysis on full resolution/high setting.
Otherwise I suggest get a Dell XPS or Alienware or Falcon NorthWest etc. if gaming is your thing. Or get a PS3/XBOX360/Wii and a MacBook!
Had a look at the alienware site, and boy is it convincing me to not switch sides.
Just configured a laptop on there for £1426 (my MBP was gonna cost £1471) and i get this:
Nvidia 8700 512MB
Intel core Duo T72000 2.0ghz 4MB cache
2GB ram
160gb hardrive 5400rpm
Blu-ray disc reader (this is the key component here for me)
Im no computer wizard, but i think thats a lot better value than the midrange MBP isnt it
Just configured a laptop on there for £1426 (my MBP was gonna cost £1471) and i get this:
Nvidia 8700 512MB
Intel core Duo T72000 2.0ghz 4MB cache
2GB ram
160gb hardrive 5400rpm
Blu-ray disc reader (this is the key component here for me)
Im no computer wizard, but i think thats a lot better value than the midrange MBP isnt it
Had a look at the alienware site, and boy is it convincing me to not switch sides.
Just configured a laptop on there for £1426 (my MBP was gonna cost £1471) and i get this:
Nvidia 8700 512MB
Intel core Duo T72000 2.0ghz 4MB cache
2GB ram
160gb hardrive 5400rpm
Blu-ray disc reader (this is the key component here for me)
Im no computer wizard, but i think thats a lot better value than the midrange MBP isnt it
Macs are (and will always be) more expensive than PCs, however you must take into account the facts that:
* they can run both OS X and Windows natively
* they look much nicer
* they turn heads
If you're looking for a value gaming laptop then I suggest you opt for an Alienware, you'll be much happier on that side.
I could really use a new laptop, my PC wont let me model/animate using blender and use the net at the same time.
Im waiting till tuesday, then you can take me off the list.
Unless i see concrete evidence of an update coming soon (weeks, not months).
What case should i get for it (a compromise between price and quality please)
Im waiting till tuesday, then you can take me off the list.
Unless i see concrete evidence of an update coming soon (weeks, not months).
What case should i get for it (a compromise between price and quality please)