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Motokid

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 2, 2010
8
0
Looking to buy a computer to record guitar and vocals along with schoolwork and general computer stuffs.

I've been told that apple computers are very easy to use and good for this kinda thing. So I just got back from Best Buy to check out what they look like and I'm thinking about getting the Macbook Pro the 17 inch one.

Now I looked on the apple website and they have a ton of options for the computer.

1, is 4 gb enough RAM for basic recording and daily computer use stuff?
2, what is the benefit of having a solid-state drive vs a serial ATA drive?
3, on the Serial ATA drive, is the increased rpm (7200 vs 5400) worth it?
4, glossy vs anit glare screen finish?

And is there any software or accessory type things I should look into getting? (first mac and computer actually)
 
Looking to buy a computer to record guitar and vocals along with schoolwork and general computer stuffs.

I've been told that apple computers are very easy to use and good for this kinda thing. So I just got back from Best Buy to check out what they look like and I'm thinking about getting the Macbook Pro the 17 inch one.

Now I looked on the apple website and they have a ton of options for the computer.

1, is 4 gb enough RAM for basic recording and daily computer use stuff?
2, what is the benefit of having a solid-state drive vs a serial ATA drive?
3, on the Serial ATA drive, is the increased rpm (7200 vs 5400) worth it?
4, glossy vs anit glare screen finish?

And is there any software or accessory type things I should look into getting? (first mac and computer actually)


4gb is more than enough for that. a solid state drive is faster, uses less power, less chance of it breaking since it has no moving parts...also is a smaller capacity. For my uses a 7200rpm drive is not worth it, probably not necessary for you either. the screen is up to you. people have different tastes. i would probably pay the $50 ransom to get anti-glare.
 
1, is 4 gb enough RAM for basic recording and daily computer use stuff?
Depends on what you are doing, sounds like it will be fine. If you are just word-processing, using GarageBand and surfing the internet, 4GB is plenty. If you start recording with more advanced software and more tracks, having more may benefit you. For now, I would just get 4GB.

2, what is the benefit of having a solid-state drive vs a serial ATA drive?
Solid-State Advantages:
1. Faster
2. Silent
3. No moving parts - many believe that this may mean it's more durable/less prone to failure. SSDs can still fail and there doesn't seem to be a significant amount of evidence that supports the idea that the difference is that large.

ATA Advantages:
1. Cheaper
2. Available in larger sizes
3. Fits most users needs

The big key to SSDs are their speed. Programs will launch faster, the computer will boot quicker and every action will go a tad bit quicker. Most that have SSDs struggle to go back to ATAs. The largest disadvantages in size and price. Together they combine to create a large problem for a lot of users. There are some SSDs that are over 500GB, but the cost is four figures. For most users, ATAs seem to be fine.

3, on the Serial ATA drive, is the increased rpm (7200 vs 5400) worth it?
I personally have a 7200 RPM 500 GB drive in my MacBook Pro. The difference between the 7200 is 5400 is quite noticeable. The $50 upgrade is well worth it and I would not recommend not doing it, unless you plan on replacing the drive soon.

4, glossy vs anit glare screen finish?
This is all personal. Go to the Apple Store and look at them side-by-side, see which one you like better. If you are planning on doing work outside, then the glossy is not an option. I can't say that doing work on either outside is that easy, but that's all personal.

And is there any software or accessory type things I should look into getting? (first mac and computer actually)
Check this out.

I personally use a variety of things: iSkin Pro Touch (Keyboard Cover), a Hard Shell? What are you looking for?

A couple of other things:
1. Wait until the rumored update in January/February
2. If you are a student, get a student ADC membership for $99 and then get access to the ADC store, the discounts are huge.
 
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